Probably the greatest genius in Western musical history, Wolfgang Amadeus was born in Salzburg, Austria, Jan. 27, 1756, the son of Leopold and his wife, Anna Maria Pertl. Leopold was a successful composer and violinist and assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court, whose archbishop, Sigismund von Schrattenbach, encouraged the activities of Leopold and his remarkable children. Wolfgang began composing minuets at the age of 5 and symphonies at 9. When he was 6, he and his older sister, Maria Anna, embarked on a series of concert tours t ....