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Classical 101

Mozart Minute: Mozart's Son

Wolfgang and Constanze Mozart had six children, but only two lived beyond infancy.  Though only five months old when his father died, the younger son, Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, followed in Mozart’s footsteps to become a professional musician.  One of his teachers, Antonio Salieri, said he had a rare talent for music and predicted that his career would be no less auspicious than his father’s had been.  Franz Xaver worked as a music teacher and toured Europe as a professional pianist, eventually settling in Vienna in 1838, six years before his death.  He composed many works, including a festival chorus for the unveiling of the Mozart memorial in Salzburg. . And interestingly, Franz Xaver may have resembled his father in another way, as well.  Both father and son allegedly had deformities of the left outer ear.  CITE SOURCE

Jennifer Hambrick unites her extensive backgrounds in the arts and media and her deep roots in Columbus to bring inspiring music to central Ohio as Classical 101’s midday host. Jennifer performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago before earning a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.