Biography

In 1791, Wolfgang's librettist and friend Emanuel Schikaneder commissioned him to write "The Magic Flute" - a fairy tale opera (singspiel - opera with spoken interludes).

He was such a gifted student that he completed the third and fourth grades in one year and the eighth grade in six months. In his last year of school he became interested in chemistry.

Anna settled at the Ivy House in Golders Green, London, in 1912.

A meringue-based dessert, pavlova, was named after Anna.

Shakespeare’s works have inspired filmmakers. Some 420 full-length films were based on his works.

Eight-year-old Amadeus gave concerts at Versailles for Louis XV and at Buckingham Palace for George III.

"Northanger Abbey" is a parody of the so-called Gothic novel, a literary genre extremely popular in Britain at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.

In 1813, Napoleon suffered defeat in the "battle of nations" at Leipzig - the largest battle in the history of the Napoleonic Wars.

He loved telling stories and anecdotes, especially in situations where he could not openly express his opinion.

He left his job with the archbishop and moved to Vienna.