Mozart for kids: his life, his music, and what to play first

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a composer from Austria who lived from 1756 to 1791. He began to write music at about age five and wrote more than 600 pieces before he died at 35. His music is clear, bright, and easy to hum. The best first piece for a child is his set of variations on the tune we know as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

This guide gives you the story, the sound, and five pieces to try.

Quick facts

• Born: 1756, in Salzburg, Austria
• Died: 1791, in Vienna, Austria
• Era: Classical
• Played: keyboard and violin
• Known for: symphonies, piano concertos, and operas such as The Magic Flute

The life in short

Mozart’s father, Leopold, was a violinist and a music teacher. He taught both of his children. Mozart’s older sister, Maria Anna, was called Nannerl. She was a fine keyboard player too.

Little Wolfgang watched his sister’s lessons and wanted to join in. He picked out tunes at the keyboard when he was three or four. At about five he made up short pieces, and his father wrote them down.

When Mozart was six, the family set out on tour. Over the next years the two children played for kings, queens, and crowds in Munich, Vienna, Paris, and London. Mozart wrote his first symphony at age eight.

He grew up and kept writing. In 1781 he moved to Vienna to work for himself. He taught, gave concerts, and wrote operas and piano concertos. He married Constanze Weber the next year.

Mozart earned good money in some years and spent it fast. He worked hard to the end. In his last year he wrote The Magic Flute, an opera with a bird-catcher, a prince, and a queen who sings some of the highest notes in all of opera. He died in December 1791, at 35.

What the music sounds like

Mozart’s music sounds neat and balanced. A tune often comes in two halves, like a question and an answer. The first half rises. The second half settles.

His music can also change mood in a moment. A sunny tune turns cloudy for a few bars and then clears again. Ask a child to raise a hand when the mood changes. They will catch it.

You will see a “K.” and a number after his titles, such as K. 265. A man named Ludwig von Köchel made a list of all of Mozart’s works in the order he believed they were written. A low number means an early piece. The numbers run past 600.

Five pieces to play first

Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman,” K. 265. The tune is an old French song. English speakers sing it as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Mozart did not write the tune. He wrote 12 clever versions of it for piano. Play the theme and the first three or four variations. Ask your child to raise a hand each time the tune starts over.

Eine kleine Nachtmusik, first movement. The name means “a little night music.” Strings open with a bold tune that leaps upward. It is one of the best-known openings in classical music. March around the room to it.

Rondo alla turca. This is the last part of a piano sonata. It is fast and crisp and copies the sound of a Turkish marching band. Listen for the loud, stomping part that keeps coming back.

The bird-catcher’s song, from The Magic Flute. A cheerful man named Papageno sings about catching birds and plays a little set of pipes. Listen for the five-note pipe tune between the lines of the song.

Horn Concerto No. 4, third movement. A French horn plays a bouncing tune that sounds like a hunt on horseback. It is short and full of energy. Gallop to it.

Things to do together

Play “same or different.” In the Twinkle variations, each variation changes something. Is it faster? Are there more notes? Did it turn sad? Pause after each one and let your child say.

Draw a question and an answer. Listen to the first two phrases of Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Draw the first as a line that goes up and the second as a line that comes down.

Find Salzburg and Vienna. Mozart was born in one and died in the other. Both are in Austria. Trace the route of his childhood tour on a map of Europe: Munich, Paris, and London.

Place him in time. Mozart was born six years after Bach died. Haydn was his friend. Find all three on the composer timeline.

A note for piano families

Piano students often play Mozart in their first few years. His early minuets are short, and he wrote some of them as a small child. If your child is learning one, tell them how old Mozart was when he wrote it. Then listen to a recording of the piece together.

Print and play

Print the Mozart fact sheet. It has the story, three pieces, and room to write and draw. To record what your child hears, use the listening journal page.

Next, meet his friend Haydn, or Beethoven, who moved to Vienna the year after Mozart died. For all 24 composers by era, see classical composers for kids.