Maria Anna Mozart: The Forgotten Prodigy

‘The other Mozart’ is remembered as the much-loved sister who may have been a musical genius in her own right.
Maria Anna Mozart: The Forgotten Prodigy
Maria Anna Mozart, cropped from "The Mozart Family," by Johann Nepomuk della Croce. Public Domain
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Everyone knows about the genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Comparatively few, though, are aware that he had an older sister who was also an immensely talented musician.

In their youth, both children were whisked around Europe on equal footing, performing before the high and mighty. As time went on, however, Maria Anna Mozart was sidelined in favor of her brilliant brother. Her talents were ignored, and, until recently, she was all but forgotten. What happened?

Two Talented Siblings

Leopold Mozart (1719–87) and his wife Anna Maria (1720–78) had seven children, but five died in infancy. Of the two surviving children, the fate of one is world famous. Johann Chrysostomus Wolfgang Theophilus Mozart, better known as Wolfgang Amadeus (1756–91) grew up to become one of the greatest composers of all time.
Andrew Benson Brown
Andrew Benson Brown
Author
Andrew Benson Brown is a Missouri-based poet, journalist, and writing coach. He is an editor at Bard Owl Publishing and Communications and the author of “Legends of Liberty,” an epic poem about the American Revolution. For more information, visit Apollogist.wordpress.com.