One of the most important composers during the classical period was Christoph Gluck. Though he was born in Germany in 1714, Gluck studied in Prague and ended up devoting most of his talent to composing operas. His most well-known is “Orfeo ed Euridice,” but Gluck changed his style later. In a controversial move, he began putting more emphasis on the story in his operas rather than arranging them purely to be showcases for the singers. He left out parts of the opera which had been traditional up to that time, resulting in a more immediate and dramatic style. (See References 2)
Yes, there was more than one Mozart. Wolfgang Mozart’s older sister, Maria Anna, was originally deemed just as much of a child prodigy as her brother, and the two toured together as a double act all over Europe. Maria Anna actually received the top billing as late as 1765, and her influence on the younger Mozart was huge. A letter from Wolfgang to Maria Anna in 1781 exhorts her to give concerts and assures her of success. But Maria Anna eventually settled into being a piano teacher and a mother, and it was her brother who sailed on to international acclaim. (See References 3)
Van Cliburn is one of the most celebrated modern classical musicians. Born in Texas, he first began taking piano lessons from his mother. He started winning competitions at a young age, finally travelling to Moscow to win the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition when he was 24. The win came at the height of the Cold War and made him an international celebrity and a national hero. He received a ticker-tape parade back in New York and made the cover of Time magazine under the headline “The Texan Who Conquered Russia.”
Another accomplished modern classical musician is Midori Goto. Goto also began learning music, the violin, from her mother. Soon she was performing concerts in Japan and eventually moved to the United States. Besides her great musical skill, she is also known for her charity work. She was named a U.N. Ambassador of Peace in 2007 and founded “Midori and Friends,” a foundation which works with New York City public schools to combat cuts in musical education. She has also founded a similar foundation in Japan.