Full name Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) in Salzburg to a musical family. From an early age, the young Mozart showed all the signs of a prodigious musical talent. By the age of five, he could read and write music, and he would entertain people with his talents on the keyboard. By the age of six, he was writing his first compositions, and by the age of eight had composed his first symphony. Mozart was generally considered to be a rare musical genius, although he was also diligent in studying other great composers such as Haydn and Bach. Mozart was one of the most influential, popular and prolific composers of the classical period. A child prodigy, from an early age he began composing over 600 works, including some of the most famous pieces of symphonic, chamber, operatic, and choral music.