Maria Anna Mozart (July 30, 1751 - October 29, 1829)
While Mozart is a common household name even today, most people think of Amadeus without realizing he had a sister Maria Anna (also affectionately called Nannerl).
Maria Anna toured with her father and younger brother Mozart and even composed her own pieces, none of which survive today. Some believe she copied some of Mozart’s music down when he was too young to write. Others believe some of her compositions may be mistakenly attributed to her brother.
Nannerl is also thought to have composed pieces to help her younger brother learn piano! An article about this can be found through the library website.
Although she was as talented as Amadeus, maybe even more so in childhood, her father stopped taking her on tour when she reached marriageable age.
Sylvia Milo wrote a one-woman play about the life of Maria Mozart titled The Other Mozart after seeing a portrait of the Mozart family and wondering who the woman was playing the harpsichord so close to Amadeus (pictured above). In an article by the Guardian, Milo discusses the importance of including such influential women musicians and composers in music theory and history education.
Including the links above, the Presser Music Library also has online access to a historical fiction movie about Maria Mozart titled Nannerl, la sœur de Mozart (The Sister of Mozart).
0 Comments.