Wolfgang Amadaeus Mozart, after whom our lodge has taken its name, was born in Salzburg, Austria, January 27th, 1756. Wolfgang being born a musical prodigy was only four years old when he started very earnestly to interest himself in music. At the age of five, he composed his first minuets. Just a few weeks later he composed his first concert, which astounded his father and friends because it was so difficult.
On a concert tour, at the age of five, Wolfgang created a sensation in Munich. At the age of six his father gave him his first lesson on the violin and organ. Mozart had a great reception at the Royal Court in Paris and London, where he played for the king and queen. He later composed his first mass for the consecration of the church, which he conducted himself. Pope Clems XIV awarded him personally with the order of the Golden Spors, so Mozart, at the age of fourteen, became a knight. At the age of fifteen, Mozart was known as a genius the world over.
Mozart was not only a great composer, but also a great thinker. He became a Mason in 1785, being a member of “Crowned Hope Lodge,” in Vienna. He believed in their tendencies and aims and was so sincere that he introduced his father to also become a Mason. He composed many songs and hymns to Free Masonry, several of which compositions can be seen in the Congressional Library, in Washington, D.C. He wrote music for all three degrees, one of the most famous was “Ode to the Fellowcraft”. How seriously and earnestly he took the tendencies of Masonry is illustrated in his last opera, “Die Zauberflote” (The Magic Flute). The first performance of this opera was on September 30th, 1791, which he also conducted personally and which was a great success. In the same year he also composed the cantata, “Das Lob der Freundschaft” (The Praise of Friendship), for a new Masonic Lodge.
On his sickbed, Mozart dictated his requiem to one of his pupils. With tears in his eyes he said, “I told you I would write this requiem for my last hour of life.” On December 5th, 1791, at one o’clock in the morning, Mozart passed away in the prime of life, being only thirty-five years of age.
Excerpts from, “The 75th Anniversary of Mozart Lodge”