Maria Anna Mozart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Anna Mozart
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Maria Anna Mozart, c. 1785.
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| Born | July 30, 1751 |
| Died | October 29, 1829 (aged 78) Salzburg, Austrian Empire
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| Burial place | St Peter's Cemetery, Salzburg |
| Other names | Marianne, Nannerl |
| Occupation | Musician, music teacher |
| Spouse(s) |
Johann Baptist Franz von Berchtold zu Sonnenburg
(m. 1783) |
| Parent(s) | Anna Maria Pertl Leopold Mozart |
| Relatives |
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| Family | Mozart |
Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart (born July 30, 1751 – died October 29, 1829) was a talented musician. She was often called "Marianne" and nicknamed Nannerl. She was the older sister of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Her parents were Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria Mozart.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Talent
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Maria Anna Mozart was born in Salzburg, a city in Austria. When she was seven years old, her father, Leopold Mozart, began teaching her to play the harpsichord. She quickly became very skilled.
Leopold took Marianne and her younger brother Wolfgang on long tours. They traveled to many big cities like Vienna and Paris. The goal was to show off their amazing musical talents. In the beginning, Marianne was often the main performer. People recognized her as an excellent player of the harpsichord and fortepiano.
However, as Marianne grew older, it became harder for her to continue her music career. This was due to the common beliefs of the time. From 1769 onwards, she was not allowed to travel and perform with her brother anymore. This was because she had reached an age where she was expected to marry.
While Wolfgang traveled and achieved great success, Marianne stayed home in Salzburg. She taught piano lessons there. Her teaching helped improve her father's reputation as a music teacher. There are hints that Marianne also wrote her own music. Wolfgang even wrote letters praising her compositions. Sadly, none of her musical pieces have survived to this day.
Marriage and Family Life
Unlike her brother Wolfgang, Marianne always had a good relationship with her father. In 1783, she married Johann Baptist Franz von Berchtold zu Sonnenburg. He was a magistrate, which is a type of judge.
Marianne moved with her husband to St. Gilgen, a village near Salzburg. Johann had been married twice before and had five children. Marianne helped raise these stepchildren. She also had three children of her own: Leopold Alois Pantaleon (born 1785), Jeanette (born 1789), and Maria Babette (born 1790).
Even after marriage, Marianne continued to play the piano. She practiced for three hours every day and kept teaching music.
Raising Her Son Leopold
An interesting part of Marianne's life happened when her first child, Leopold, was born in 1785. She gave birth in Salzburg, but when she returned home, she left her baby with her father. Her father, Leopold Mozart, wanted to raise the child himself for the first few months. This arrangement continued until her father passed away in 1787.
Historians have different ideas about why this happened. Some think the baby was sick and needed to stay in Salzburg. Others suggest Marianne's health was delicate, or she needed to care for her stepchildren. Some believe her father wanted to train another musical genius, just like he did with Wolfgang.
Relationship with Wolfgang
When Wolfgang was a very young child, Nannerl, who was four and a half years older, was his hero. It is said that Wolfgang was inspired to learn music by watching his father teach Marianne. They were very close and even made up a secret language. They also created an imaginary "Kingdom of Back" where they were king and queen.
Wolfgang's early letters to Marianne show how much he cared for her. He even wrote some funny, playful notes in her diary. Wolfgang also wrote several musical pieces for Marianne to perform.
As they grew older, their relationship changed. Some experts believe they remained close. Others think they grew apart. For example, after Wolfgang visited Salzburg in 1783, he and Marianne never saw each other again. They also never met each other's children. Their letters to each other became very few and stopped completely by 1788.
Wolfgang died on December 5, 1791. Around 1800, Marianne read a book about Wolfgang's life. This book was written by Franz Xaver Niemetschek. It contained many things Marianne didn't know about her brother's struggles. She wrote that reading it made her cry and helped her understand the sad situation Wolfgang had been in.
Later Years
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Marianne's husband passed away in 1801. She then moved back to Salzburg with her two living children. She was financially comfortable and continued to give piano lessons. She was also a respected piano soloist in concerts.
In her old age, Marianne met Wolfgang's widow, Constanze, for the first time since 1783. This meeting happened in 1824 when Constanze moved to Salzburg. Even though Marianne didn't know Constanze was still alive, their meeting was friendly. Marianne helped Constanze write a book about Wolfgang by lending them her family letters. These letters included important messages between Wolfgang and his father.
In 1821, Marianne had a visit from Wolfgang's son, Franz Xaver Mozart. She had never met him before. He came to Salzburg to conduct a performance of his father's famous Requiem.
In her final years, Marianne's health declined. She became blind in 1825. A visitor in 1829 described her as "blind, weak, and nearly speechless." Marianne died on October 29, 1829, at 78 years old. She was buried in St Peter's Cemetery in Salzburg.
Nannerl in Stories and Films
Many authors and filmmakers have created characters based on Maria Anna Mozart.
- The song "Whatever Happened to Nannerl?" by Leon Rosselson is about her.
- The Secret Wish of Nannerl Mozart (1996) by Barbara Kathleen Nickel is a novel for young adults.
- Sharon Chmielarz wrote a book of poems about her called The Other Mozart (2001).
- Alison Bauld's novel Mozart's Sister (2005) tells Nannerl's life story.
- Nancy Moser wrote Mozart's Sister: A Novel (2006).
- In La sorella di Mozart (2006) by Rita Charbonnier, Nannerl writes letters about her life.
- Ann Turnbull's novel Mary Ann and Miss Mozart (2007) also features Maria Anna Mozart.
- Carolyn Meyer wrote about Nannerl's life in her 2008 novel In Mozart's Shadow: His Sister's Story.
- Mozart's Sister is a 2010 French film about Nannerl.
- In Matt Rees's 2011 novel Mozart's Last Aria, Nannerl investigates her brother's death.
- The Other Mozart is a one-person play from 2013 where Sylvia Milo plays Nannerl.
- Nannerl appears in some episodes of the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle.
- The Kingdom of Back (2020) by Marie Lu is a historical fantasy novel for young adults, with Nannerl as the main character.
Images for kids
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Maria Anna Mozart, around 1785.
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Maria Anna Mozart as a child (1763)
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Wolfgang and Nannerl Mozart, around 1763
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Crypt 54 (St Peter's Cemetery, Salzburg): communal vault where Mozart's sister Maria Anna is buried
See also
In Spanish: Maria Anna Mozart para niños
