Maria Anna Mozart

Hello, my name is Maria Anna Mozart, but my family always called me 'Nannerl.' I was born on July 30th, 1751, in the beautiful city of Salzburg, Austria. My father, Leopold, was a wonderful musician, and he was my first and only teacher. I remember my musical journey began in 1758, when I was just seven years old. That's when I started playing the harpsichord, which is an instrument that looks a bit like a piano. My little brother, Wolfgang, was five years younger than me, and he loved my music. He would sit quietly for hours, just listening while I practiced my lessons.

My father soon realized that I had a special talent for music. People called me a 'child prodigy.' This is a special name for a young person who can do something, like play music, at an expert level. I could play very difficult and complicated songs perfectly, even though I was still a child. It felt like my fingers just knew exactly where to go on the keyboard. Watching me play inspired my brother Wolfgang to want his own lessons. Before long, we became a musical team, and we loved playing duets together. Papa was so proud of both of us and believed that the entire world needed to hear our music.

Our big adventure began in 1762, when I was eleven years old. Papa took Wolfgang and me to perform for kings and queens in grand cities like Munich and Vienna. The very next year, in 1763, we started a grand tour of Europe that lasted for more than three years! We traveled all over in a horse-drawn carriage, which was often very bumpy and slow. We went to incredible places like Paris, France, and London, England. During these first years of our tour, I was often the main performer. My name would even appear at the top of the concert posters! The audiences were always so surprised that a young girl could play the harpsichord with so much power and feeling. It was a very exciting time for me, but all the traveling was also very tiring.

As I grew older, things started to change for me. When I turned eighteen years old in 1769, my father told me that my time performing on stage was over. In the 1700s, it was not considered proper for a young lady from a good family to travel and earn a living as a performer. My new role was to stay home and prepare for marriage. It was very difficult to leave the stage and the applause behind, but my deep love for music never went away. I continued to play and practice at home every day. I also began to compose my own musical pieces. My brother Wolfgang was always my biggest supporter. In the letters he sent me, he told me that my compositions were beautiful and that I should keep creating more.

On August 23rd, 1784, I married and moved to a nearby town called St. Gilgen. There, I started a new life as a mother and a respected music teacher. I loved sharing my skills and passion for the piano with my many students. Many years later, after my husband passed away, I moved back to my hometown of Salzburg in 1801. I kept busy teaching music and was a well-known part of the city’s musical world. Sometimes, visitors would come to my home, and I had the chance to share wonderful stories about my childhood travels and my famous brother.

I lived a very long and music-filled life, to the age of 78. Though my brother Wolfgang's name became famous all across the world, my story is a very important part of our family's musical journey. I was known as one of the most gifted keyboard players of my time, and I hope my story reminds you that everyone's talent deserves a chance to shine.