Born on this date (1756) -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

from Writer's Almanac (Garrison Keillor's list serv sent daily)

It's the birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in Salzburg, Austria (1756). His whole life was devoted to music. He was a child prodigy: by the time he was five he could perform difficult pieces on both piano and violin. He made a name for himself as a composer when he was in his teens, and he went on to write some of the most popular operas of all time, including The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and The Magic Flute (1791).

He died at the age of 35, while he was in the middle of composing his last piece, Requiem in D, which he wrote as his own funeral march.