In 1769, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was appointed concertmaster to the Archbishop of Salzburg (his father's job), and later in the same year, he was made a chevalier of the Order of the Golden Spur by the Pope. He also completed his first German operetta, Bastien une Bastienne in the same year. At age fourteen, Mozart was commisioned to write a serious opera. This work, Mitridate, rč di Ponto (Mithridates, King of Pontus) completely established Mozarts' phenomenal reputation.
While the Mozarts were touring Italy, the Archbishop of Salzburg died, and Hieronymus, count von Colleredo was the successor. Unfortunately, this man cared little for music, and looked down upon Mozart. After five years of composing music for next-to-nothing pay, Wolfgang obtained a leave of absence for a concert tour. In 1777, he left with his mother for Munich.
The courts of Europe ignored the tewnty-one year old composer in his search for a more congenial and rewarding appointment. This was heartbreaking for Wolfgang, and matters did not get any better when his mother fell ill. Leopold ordered his wife and son to go to Paris, and Wolfgang had to obey. It was in Paris that his mother died in July 1778.
Mozart returned to Salzburg in 1779, and composed two masses and numerous symphonies, sonatas, and concertos. By now, his works had gained a unique style, and a completely mature understanding of musical media.
The success of Mozart's Italian opera seria "Idomeneo, rč di Creta" (Idomeneo, King of Crete), commisioned and composed in 1781, prompted the new successor to the Archbishop of Salzburg to invite Mozart to his palace in Vienna. A series of court intrigues and his exploitation at the hands of the court soon forced Mozart to leave. In a house in Vienna, rented for him by friends, Wolfgang hoped to sustain himself by teaching. During this time, Mozart composed a singspiel called"The Abduction from Seraglio", which was requested by Emperor Joseph the Second in 1782.
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