Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)

Mozart's reputation as a child prodigy - performing for royalty at six, composing symphonies at eight - often overshadows his achievements as an adult composer. His mature works reveal a level of sophistication that went far beyond youthful talent.

The final decade of his life produced an astonishing output: three symphonies in six weeks, six string quartets that astounded Haydn, and operas like Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute that transformed the art form. His death at thirty-five, while working on the Requiem, left one of history's great unanswered questions: what might he have achieved with another thirty years?