Musical appreciationMay 2010Mozart and BeethovenWolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven are two of the greatest composers who have ever written music. Both men lived in the early 18th and 19th centuries, but their music and influences are still felt today. The men have similar experiences, but they both lead very different lives. In total, the pieces composed by these men represent more than 300 published and unpublished works of art. People of their time often had mixed feelings about these men, with some "complaining that Mozart's music presented them with too many ideas and that his melodies moved from one to another more quickly than the audience could handle." could follow them, while the ideas themselves seem natural and easy. , clear and unconstrained. (Bonds 210-211) Criticisms of Beethoven ranged from “genius” to dark abhorrence. Mozart and Beethoven were influenced by events around them such as love, nature and the Enlightenment. Mozart's father, Leopold Mozart, was a somewhat well-known composer and violinist who recognized Wolfgang's talent for the piano very early in his life. The father quit his job to ensure his son could receive the best musical education possible, but he wasn't just thinking about his son's well-being, he was also focused on the financial benefits that could come from his young son prodigy. . Wolfgang also had a very musically talented sister, Maria Anna; their father took them both on concert tours throughout Europe, starting when Wolfgang was six years old. Maria Anna eventually decided to stop touring, perhaps because she was living under her brother's shadow, and realized that because she was a woman, her musical opportunities were limited. While Wolfgang was touring Europe, his mother became very ill... middle of paper ......udwig van Beethoven. 2004 Lorelette Knowles, nd Web. May 26, 2010. http://www.osscs.org/notes/beethoven_op124.html.Works CitedBonds, Mark. Listen to this. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009. 208, 210-211. Print “Beethoven.” Np, and Web. May 26, 2010. http://www.beethoven.org.pl/en/encyklopedia/beethoven/tworczoscBEETHOVEN AND HIS FRIEND FROM BONN. Np, and Web. May 27, 2010. http://raptusassociation.org/freundewegeler_e.html. “A biography of Mozart.” WAMozart. Np, and Web. May 26, 2010. http://www.mozart.biz/. “Ludwig van Beethoven. » COMPOSER. 2001 Sony Music Entertainment, nd Web. May 26, 2010. http://www.essentialsofmusic.com/composer/beethoven.html “Settle Orchestra.” Ludwig van Beethoven. 2004 Lorelette Knowles, May 26, 2010. http://www.osscs.org/notes/beethoven_op124.html..