Musical families: the Bachs, the Mozarts, and the Strausses

Some composers grew up in homes where music was the family trade. The Bachs made music for seven generations. The Mozart children toured Europe before they were ten. In Vienna, a father and three sons named Strauss led the most famous dance orchestras of the 1800s.

The three families at a glance

Family	Where	When	Best known for
The Bachs	Central Germany	The 1500s to the 1800s	Church and court music
The Mozarts	Salzburg and Vienna, in Austria	The 1700s	Child prodigies on tour
The Strausses	Vienna, in Austria	The 1800s	Waltzes, polkas, and marches

The Bachs: seven generations

The first Bach known for music was a baker in the 1500s. He liked to take a small stringed instrument to the mill and play while the flour was ground.

His children and grandchildren became organists and town musicians all over central Germany. In the town of Erfurt, people called the town musicians “the Bachs.”

In 1735, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote out a family tree. It listed 53 Bachs, and most of them were musicians.

The family met once a year. They began by singing a hymn. Then they made up funny songs, with several tunes sung at the same time.

Johann Sebastian had 20 children, and four of his sons became well-known composers. The last musician in his line, a grandson, died in 1845. Read how many children did Bach have?

The Mozarts: a family on tour

Leopold, the father. A violinist and composer in Salzburg. He wrote a well-known book on how to play the violin. It came out in 1756, the year Wolfgang was born. He taught both of his children himself.

Maria Anna, the sister. The family called her Nannerl. She was four and a half years older than Wolfgang and a gifted keyboard player. The two toured together as children and amazed audiences in Munich, Paris, and London.

When Nannerl grew up, the touring stopped for her. She stayed in Salzburg and later taught piano. She wrote music as a girl, and none of it has survived.

Wolfgang. He lived from 1756 to 1791. Read Mozart for kids.

His sons. Two of Wolfgang’s children grew up. Karl Thomas became a government official. Franz Xaver became a pianist and composer, and he performed under his father’s name. Neither had children, so the family line ended with them.

The Strausses: the waltz kings

Johann Strauss Sr. He led the most famous dance orchestra in Vienna and wrote the Radetzky March. He knew how hard a musician’s life was, and he did not want his children to follow him. Read Johann Strauss Sr. for kids.

Johann Strauss II. The oldest son. He practiced the violin in secret, with his mother’s help. At 18, he started an orchestra of his own, and father and son were rivals for five years. He wrote The Blue Danube. Read Johann Strauss II for kids.

Josef Strauss. The middle son trained as an engineer. He joined the family orchestra when Johann fell ill, and he stayed. The two brothers wrote the Pizzicato Polka together.

Eduard Strauss. The youngest son led the family orchestra for many years and took it on tour.

Each January 1, the Vienna Philharmonic plays a concert of music by the family. Read the Vienna New Year’s Concert with kids.

One who is not in the family. Richard Strauss was a German composer of operas and tone poems. He was not related to the Strausses of Vienna.

More musical families

Family	Who	How they were related
The Haydns	Joseph and Michael	Brothers. As boys, both sang in the same cathedral choir in Vienna.
The Mendelssohns	Fanny and Felix	Sister and brother, with the same teachers
The Schumanns	Clara and Robert	Wife and husband
The Scarlattis	Alessandro and Domenico	Father and son
The Couperins	Louis and François	Uncle and nephew. The family held one organ post in Paris for more than 170 years.
The Boulangers	Nadia and Lili	Sisters
Liszt and Wagner	Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner	Liszt’s daughter married Wagner.

Read Fanny Mendelssohn for kids, Clara Schumann for kids, and Lili Boulanger for kids.

Why music ran in families

• A trade was learned at home. Before music schools were common, a parent or an uncle was the teacher.
• The tools were in the house. A child of musicians grew up with instruments, sheet music, and rehearsals in the next room.
• Jobs were passed down. A son often took over his father’s post as organist or town musician.
• Daughters learned too. In some families, they were trained as well as their brothers. They had far fewer chances to work as musicians.

Things to do together

Draw a family tree. Pick one of the three families. Draw the tree, and add one piece of music under each name.

Father and son. Play the Radetzky March, and then The Blue Danube. Ask which Strauss your child would hire for a party.

Sister and brother. Play a piano piece by Fanny Mendelssohn, and then one by Felix. Ask whether they sound alike.

Sing two songs at once. Half the family sings one song, and the other half sings a second song at the same time. The Bachs did this for fun.

Your family trade. Ask what your family has passed down: a recipe, a craft, a song, or a game.

Questions to ask

• Would you like to do the same work as your parents?
• Was it fair that Nannerl had to stop touring?
• Why did Johann Strauss Sr. not want his sons to be musicians?

Print and play

Print a set of composer cards and sort them into families. Read child prodigy composers and women composers for kids.

For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.