Other meanings of Maria Anna Mozart
Biography
Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart (1751–1829), known as Nannerl, was an Austrian musician and the elder sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A gifted keyboardist and composer in her own right, she performed across Europe as a child prodigy, but her musical career was curtailed by her father's traditional views on women's roles. Her surviving letters and musical manuscripts offer a rare window into the life of a talented woman in 18th-century musical culture.
Maria Anna Mozart was born in Salzburg to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. She received keyboard and violin lessons from her father from an early age, and by age five she was performing at the court of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg.1 Her brother Wolfgang, four years her junior, was inspired by her playing and began composing at age five. The siblings toured together extensively, with Nannerl often praised as one of the best pianists in Europe. Her father Leopold, however, saw her talents as secondary to her brother's, and once Wolfgang's fame grew, Nannerl's musical education was increasingly sidelined.
At age 18, Nannerl reached the age of marriageability, and her father forbade her from further public performances, deeming it inappropriate for a young woman of her station.2 She continued to compose, but her works were largely suppressed by her father, who feared they would overshadow Wolfgang's output. In 1784 she married Johann Baptist von Berchtold zu Sonnenburg, a magistrate, and moved to St. Gilgen, where she raised her stepchildren. After her husband's death in 1801, she returned to Salzburg, where she gave piano lessons and occasionally performed in private salons.
Only a handful of Nannerl's compositions survive, including a set of keyboard pieces and a song, 'Der Zauberabend'. Her brother praised her playing in letters, and she was a significant influence on his early development. In the 20th century, feminist musicologists brought her story to light, and her life has been dramatized in novels and films. Her legacy is now recognized as a poignant example of the barriers faced by women in classical music.
Nannerl was an accomplished violinist as well as a keyboardist, a fact often overlooked.3 She also kept a detailed diary that provides valuable insights into the Mozart family's daily life. After her marriage, she maintained a correspondence with Wolfgang, and her letters reveal a close but sometimes strained relationship. In her later years, she became blind, yet she continued to teach. Her grave in Salzburg's Petersfriedhof is a pilgrimage site for Mozart enthusiasts.
This article focuses on Maria Anna Mozart, the elder sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
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