Mozart: The Funny, Rebellious Prodigy. History Documentary, Including Facial Re-creations.
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Published 2024-01-19
Today, we’ll talk about his history. From his prodigy-level status as a child “star” with his stage dad Leopold, his travels all over Europe, to his most amazing compositions and cheeky personality. Then at the end, we’ll talk about his real appearance and unveil our re-creation of the real face of Mozart.
Miserere Credit (Kindly released into the public domain by the Ensamble Escénico Vocal) • Allegri - Miserere Mei, Deus - Ensamb... .
0:00 Early Life as a Prodigy
7:13 Adolescence and European Tour
11:06 Life in Salzburg
18:43 Romance with Constanze Weber
20:53 Death & Greatest Works
24:50 What did Mozart Look Like?
27:30 Re-creations Revealed
The true appearance of Mozart is surprisingly contentious - He’s even been described as the most famous person whose true likeness is the least recognized. All of his portraits look a little different. His family members - as well as historians - have commented on this. His sister Nannerl said that she had “never seen so many portraits of my brother that are so different when seen side by side, but that nevertheless all look like him.”
Mozart scholar Arthur Schurig said, “Mozart has been the subject of more portraits that have no connection with his actual appearance than any other famous man.”
Alfred Einstein, a Mozart specialist said: “We have nothing to give us an idea of Mozart's physical appearance, except for a few mediocre canvases that don’t even resemble each other.”
So what then, is his true appearance?
Let’s start with some portraits that were created during his lifetime -
This Della Croce portrait of the Mozart family was made from life around 1780, and gives us a good look at the young Wolfgang.
He’s also seen here in the Bologna portrait (not that it’s a 1777 copy of a lost 1770 original). He’s shockingly only 14 in this image. His father said his son was ill the day this portrait was painting, and that it wasn’t even a good work of art - but also added that it looks “very much like him”.
Another is this unfinished image, made by his brother-in-law, which Mozart’s wife said was the most accurate image, but somehow looks the most different from the others.
We know some details from the people he lived and worked with. A colleague Michael Kelly said that Mozar was very thin and pale (he was only about 5’ tall), with abundant dark blond hair. He was very fond of billiards (and always won). Drank punch (with little moderation), and was a kind-hearted man with a good sense of humor.
We also know he had large blue eyes, a strong nose, and a head considered too big for his body.
He was considered a sickly child, he’d had smallpox in his youth which marked his face, and suffered from poor dental health and toothaches. His poor health, I suspect, is a reason he always looks much older than his years in some of these portraits.
His friends agreed that Mozart knew he wasn’t a man who was exceptionally attractive, so he made up for it by wearing luxurious clothing, and always caring meticulously about his appearance.
One small indicator of possible self-consciousness is that we don’t see his left ear in any paintings. You see, he had a defect of the left ear (we now refer to this as “mozart’s ear”) that changed the shape quite drastically. He even made this watercolor image of it himself.
I’m going to use the best quality image we have of Mozart to bring him to life - this 1819 version by Barbara Krafft. While it was not made from life, Krafft actually worked closely with Mozart’s sister on this version to create a kind of “definitive likeness”. Kind of like what I try to do these days. She used 3 faithful works as models for this image. Krafft and Nannerl agreed that Mozart hadn’t been painted by the most talented artists of his time, and they wanted to have a good portrait of him.
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All Comments (21)
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What did you all think of Mozart? The first 500 people to use my link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare skl.sh/royaltynowstudios01241 Other videos you may enjoy: Louis XIV: https://youtu.be/lbFyAldiEYM Chevalier de Saint-Georges: https://youtu.be/KtKjWN73B_I George Washington: https://youtu.be/UZ22sfmV1LM
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When you made Wolfgang smile, I couldn’t help but smile back. You captured his quirky charm!
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Imagine dying at 35 and already having made your mark in the world, being remembered for centuries to come. Your reconstruction made me tear up. 🥲
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I want to be ‘Transgressing Religious Laws only to be knighted by the adjudicator of said laws’ level of iconic.
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I was in his appartment in Vienna. It's kind of a weird yet fascinating notion being in the same spaces as where the man himself once walked and where he composed some of his most prominent works.
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Now HOW can anyone proclaim that young man at the end not to be handsome. What a doll.
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It’s sad that Anna-Maria is not known in public consciousness as a prodigy. She should be rewritten in history.
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Imo, he was the most emotional composer ever. I know that is not what he is known for, but his music always MAKES you feel. I can’t imagine walking around with those glorious sounds constantly in your mind. Although many other musicians have written wonderful pieces of music, for me, he will always be the best. Wouldn’t he have loved to have known that many people consider him the greatest musician ever.
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Your re-creation is oddly like seeing an old friend. I'm a violist and he has always been my fave composer, mainly because he's one of the few that doesn't leave the violas out and still gives us some melodies and fun parts in pieces (we're often just used as a "background instrument" by most composers). I have always felt like after playing his music I can tell that he was a fun loving and nice guy. It's a shame he passed away so young. Thank you for this!
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Amazing. This is your west work yet. I think you nailed him. Thanks for all you do to bring these extraordinary people to life.
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This was an amazing compilation of his life! I am a renewed fan! He was so beautiful! I am saddened that his sister did not grace us with her exceptional talent. I wonder what happened to his beloved wife? Thank you so much for this biography. And I love your renditions of his likeness. It gave me goosebumps and I even teared up. Wow.
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This is the most beautiful rendition on W.A. Mozart I've ever seen so far. So well documented and narrated, your recreations are absolutely captivating and heart touching, especially his modern version. Thank you so much 🙏🏻 💕
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He was certainly a remarkable young man and a musical genius .I think you did a great job of portraying him 🥰
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Another Brilliant Video. Thank you. He looked like his mum and was listening to dad's tutorials while he was in his mum's womb. So did his sister. Amazing brain development through music - before birth.
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Bach and Mozart are my two favorites. Their music and especially their religious works reached levels that go beyond the spiritual realm.
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I honestly didn't know much about Mozart beyond his music, so I was surprised by how eventful his life but saddened by how short it was. When I saw the version of him in modern times, I started tearing up. One other time I've cried to your videos, the one about Vincent van Gogh, when the modern version was shown. As a fellow creative, for some reason seeing them in modern day clothing, smiling especially, hits me really hard. For some reason, it makes them even more relatable. Thank you so much for making these videos.
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So unfair that he died so young! His music though will live with us in eternity. 🙏 Awesome recreation.
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Last summer, my husband and I went to Austria with our infant daughter for a delayed family trip. We spent a few days in Salzburg and was of our favorite stops on the trip. We went to Mozart's childhood home, which is now a museum. It was so cool! Crowded but still fun.
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How beautiful! You captured his essence through his tender, sensitive eyes. When he smiled, I wanted to cry. He was described as "a remarkably small man". Mozart's letters are a revelation and give insight into his character, as well as his interactions with his family and others. Some are irreverant and scatological, some are heartbreakingly sensitive; all are fascinating. Riveting reading to be sure! I love Mozart with a depth of feeling I've never completely understood. Suffice to say I know him well. When I went to Salzburg and Vienna, I spent hours on the Getreidegasse visiting his birth house, and in Vienna, lingering inside of St Stephen's Cathedral, as well as Mozart's "Figaro House" residence. These were amazing, life-changing experiences for me. I'm a lifelong Mozart enthusiast and historian. I'm also a musician (violin and piano) and I've immersed myself in the majority of his compositions. His mastery of counterpoint is mind-boggling, as are his fugues. The fugue finale of the "Jupiter" makes me want to dance! Among my other favourites is the Adagio and Fugue in Cmin (K 546), which is breathtakingly intense, to say the least. I listen to, or play, his music daily. There is nothing better. Thank you for giving Nannerl her due, for she was (almost)as brilliant as Wolfgang. If you'd like a treat, take a listen to Leopold's compositions! Beautiful stuff. Wolfgang's second surviving son, Franz Xaver's, compositions are impressive as well. Thank you for this gorgeous mini-bio of our precious Woferl. 🥰🥰🎶🎶🎼🎼🎹
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I love the movie Amadeus. I know it is t based in much historical truth, but Tom Hulce and F Murray Ambramson were brilliant. He was certainly an amazingly gifted musician. It’s a shame that his sister was put into obscurity because she was female. Wonderful portrait of a magnificent musician!
