1. Mozart’s Impact on Music
The music of Mozart has had a significant
impact on the world, and it still does to this day.
Although Mozart died very young, at the age of
35, he wrote more compositions during his short
lifetime than any other composer in history. He
was so skilled as a musician that we find it
difficult to comprehend the stories we hear of his
talents today. His skill allowed him to leave a
musical legacy that not only delighted audiences
but had a great impact on the future of music as
well.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of Mozart’s
career is how young he was when he started.
From the time that Mozart was three years old, it
was clear that he was extraordinarily gifted. He
was considered to be a child prodigy because of
his stunning musical talents. He began to play the
piano at age three, and he composed his first Mozart the youth at the harpsichord (1770) by
music at the age of four. Mozart had an ThadausHelbling,
excellent ear for music, even at this very young
age. He could easily tell if an instrument was out of tune, for instance. He surprised other older violin
players by recognizing when their violins were tuned even slightly incorrectly. Mozart also learned
music at a rapid rate and could play just about any new piece in thirty minutes.
By the time young Mozart was six years old, his musical career was in full swing. He had
written many musical compositions, some of which required a great deal of skill to play. He began to
tour throughout Europe, performing for European royalty and eventually for the Pope in Rome. At the
age of thirteen, Mozart was composing operas in addition to minuets, sonatas, concertos, and
symphonies. He was even hired during this year to write a complete opera for a member of the
European royalty.
As Mozart matured, his musical skills also continued to develop. One of the skills for which he
was most famous was his ability to write out a piece of music from memory once he had heard it.
Mozart would attend a concert, for instance, and hear a symphony performed for the first time. After
only hearing the piece once, he reportedly could write down the entire score of the composition,
including the parts played by every instrument in the orchestra! Mozart was also gifted when it came
to writing parts for his own music. He had the amazing ability to hear a piece of music in his mind
and then write it out on paper using musical notation. He could write out the musical parts for each
instrument separately and then combine these to make a full musical score.
Mozart was passionate about using his musical gifts. He devoted his entire short life to the
development of his music, composing a staggering 626 musical works. His efforts changed music in

2. many ways. One of the most important of Mozart’s contributions was expanding the different types
of music that existed during his time. Before Mozart began composing, there was only one major
form of music, known as the sonata. A sonata is a musical piece written for one or two solo
instruments that consists of three or four separate parts, called movements. At that time, composers
wrote sonatas either for the violin or for the clavier.1The movements within these sonatas were also
small, without much development.
Through his writing, Mozart greatly increased the types of music that were written and
performed. He and fellow composer Franz Joseph Haydn helped add forms such as symphonies,
concertos, quartets, and trios. Mozart also wrote sonatas, but he added depth to the sonatas and gave
them more structure. In part, he was able to do this because he had been exposed to many different
types of music during his travels as a young boy. He combined the musical styles that he learned
during his stays in Germany, France, Italy, and other regions in Austria.
Another area in which Mozart made a large contribution was developing the form of opera.
Mozart specialized in a kind of opera known as comic opera. This form was perfect for Mozart’s
personality, which was very energetic and capable of great humor. Mozart created operas that were
entertaining and that also showed the depth and emotions of his characters. His operas were often not
well-liked by other composers of his time, who were used to lighter works with less depth. On the
other hand, the operas were a great hit with people who came to watch them. The public loved the
intensity of feelings that were expressed in Mozart’s work. This love has continued to the present
day, as audiences all over the world continue to listen to Mozart and to be charmed by his fascinating
musical gifts.
1
clavier: keyboard

3. Directions: Answer the following questions using the above passage Mozart’s Impact On Music.
1. What statement best reflects the main idea of the passage?
a. Mozart started his musical career b. Mozart was an extremely talented
when he was extremely young: he musician and composer whose
learned to play the piano when he was contributions have had a significant
only three years old. impact on music.
c. Mozart greatly increased the types of d. Mozart wrote a great number of
music that were written and musical works during his lifetime, but
performed, adding symphonies, his music was not appreciated until
concertos, quartets, and trios to the after his death.
sonata form that already existed.
2. What evidence in the passage suggest that Mozart was extraordinarily gifted (a
prodigy) as a young child?
a. He wrote at the same time as Franz b. He helped develop the form of opera.
Joseph Haydn.
c. He traveled extensively as a young d. He composed his first music at the age
boy. of four.
3. Read this sentence from the passage.
He was considered to a child prodigy because of his stunning musical talents.
a. Person with exceptional skills b. Person who is slower than most.
c. Person with a scientific mind. d. Person who shows great kindness.
4.Which of the following statements represents a rational appeal used by the author to
persuade readers of Mozart’s passion for using his musical gifts?
a. During his lifetime, Mozart’s operas b. Even at a very young age, Mozart had
were a great hit with audiences who a good ear and could easily tell if an
came to see them. instrument was out of tune.
c. Mozart devoted his entire short life to d. A sonata is a musical piece written for
the development of his music, one or two solo instruments that
composing a staggering 626 musical consists of three or four separate parts,
works. called movements.
5.According to the author, how did Mozart’s sonatas differ from previous sonatas written
before Mozart’s time?
a. Mozart’s sonatas were more b. Mozart’s sonatas had more depth and
entertaining than the previous sonatas. more structure than the previous
sonatas.
c. Mozart’s sonatas were composed d. Mozart’s sonatas were more difficult
more quickly than the previous to play than the previous sonatas.
sonatas.

4. 6.What was the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
a. To describe Mozart’s talent as a b. To explain why Mozart’s music was
musician and the impact of this not very well-liked by other
contribution to music composers of his time
c. To argue that Mozart’s musical d. To describe the extraordinary musical
expression was limited by the fact that skills that Mozart displayed as a very
he never traveled young child