Though Mozart lived at a dozen different addresses in Vienna, the only apartment that has survived to this day is at Domgasse number 5. The composer lived at this address from 1784 till 1787.
His apartment on the first floor was positively grand, with four large rooms, two small ones and a kitchen. His whole life long, he attached great importance to outward appearances, so smart clothes and buckled shoes were a must for him.
Wolfgang Amadeus probably spent the happiest years of his life here. At all events, he lived here for longer than in any other apartment. Particularly during this period, Mozart was a celebrated composer, had an illustrious circle of friends, and was asked to give countless concerts at the houses of the nobility.
And it was here at Domgasse that he also penned his best compositions, including what is perhaps his most popular opera The Marriage of Figaro.
His own master
In 1781 Mozart, then 25 years old, lived for a few weeks at the House of the Teutonic Order in Vienna, in the company of his employer, the Archbishop of Salzburg. It was here that he decided to declare his independence, and was ungraciously dismissed. Mozart stayed in Vienna and worked as an independent musician, supporting himself through commissions for compositions and by giving piano lessons.
Mozart married Constanze Weber at the gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral in 1782. The couple immersed themselves in the musical and social life of Vienna, became parents of six children (only two of whom survived beyond infancy) and – despite a few affairs – stayed together until Mozart’s death.
At a series of concerts known as the “Sunday Academies”, Mozart played the piano and sang in the Grand Hall of what is now the National Library in 1786.
That same year, at the request of Joseph II, a “musical competition” took place between Mozart and the imperial Kapellmeister Antonio Salieri at the Orangery of Schönbrunn Palace. The emperor preferred Salieri.
Mozart reached the peak of his career in around 1790: “Così fan tutte” was premiered that year, followed by “La Clemenza di Tito” and “The Magic Flute” in 1791. Mozart became seriously ill while composing the Requiem. He died on December 5, 1791 at the age of 35. His body was consecrated in the same place where he married: at St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
Mozart’s final resting place is in the atmospheric Cemetery of St. Marx: following the custom of the time, he was buried in a pit grave with other bodies and no cross. But he will always be remembered – a star for all time.
