Mozart's Grand Tour

Today In History with The Retrospectors

Mozart’s grand tour of Western Europe, began on 9th July 1763, when the boy wonder was just 7 years old.

Taking in Germany, France, and England, Wolfgang and his sister Maria Anna played for Royal families, leading musicians, and even wowed the crowd in a pub, the Swan and Hoop in Moorgate.

In this episode, The Retrospectors speculate as to how much cash Mozart’s father Leopold may have pocketed for himself; reveal how, at the age of eight-and-a-half, Mozart had a younger ‘showbiz age’; and explain why the illness that plagued the family was actually stroke of good luck for fans of Mozart’s music…

Further Reading:

• ‘Mozart's biography: his first concert and European tour (1762 - 1765)’ (Classic FM): https://www.classicfm.com/composers/mozart/guides/biography-part-2/

• ‘Mozart, By Julian Rushton' (Oxford University Press, 2006): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Mozart/WKcRyYvC_8cC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=mozart%27s+grand+tour&pg=PA7&printsec=frontcover

• ‘Why Was Mozart's Birth So Special?’ (BBC Select, 2022): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzWPlND3k0k

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024.

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