2016-05-21 Sat

Music has the power to take you a different world, relieve you from all your worries and relax your mind. From a very long time, human beings have indulged themselves in all kinds of music and it has become an important element of cultures from around the world.

Many famous musicians like From Brahms and Strauss to Louis Armstrong and Stephen Foster and Sir Edward Elgar have been depicted on coins. Apart from that Great medieval and modern period musicians like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig von Beethoven, Bob Marley and John Lennon have also found a place on various forms of money across the globe.

Let’s find out more about the maestro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Born in Salzburg, Mozart was brilliant at composing and playing the harpsichord from a very young age. He toured a lot and belonged to the Viennese or classical school. After moving to Vienna he taught music, composed many songs and also served for Emperor Franz Joseph II. Even then, he lived in poverty. He composed 600 works including operas, operettas, cantatas, arias, duets, quartets and more.

To celebrate the 175th birth anniversary of Mozart in 1931, a .640 fine silver 2-schilling coin was issued by Austria. Similarly to honour the 200th birth anniversary of this legendary musician a 25-schilling coin was issued in 1956. In 1991, two 100-schilling coins, one 500-schilling coin and a 1,000-schilling coin was issued by Austrian Mint to observe the 200th death anniversary of Morzat.

The reverse of the 1991 100-schilling coin depicts him with his father and the obverse features him composing alone. The 500-schilling coin celebrates Mozart’s Don Giovanni opera, while the 1,000-schilling coin honours his famous work “The Magic Flute opera”

The €1 coin featured him on the obverse before it came into circulation in 2002. His 250th birth anniversary was commemorated by Austrain Mint by issuing a Proof gold €50 coin.