Mozart's sister might have been an even better composer

We've all heard of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most celebrated composers of all time. But could his sister have been just as good - or even better - if only she'd been given the same chances as her brother?

Maria Anna Mozart, also known as Nannerl, was born in 1751 in Salzburg, Austria, as the eldest child of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. She was a gifted musician and played the harpsichord and violin from a young age, alongside the brother Wolfgang. The siblings were both home-schooled in music, with their father Leopold as their primary teacher.

As children, Nannerl and Wolfgang performed together in the royal courts of Europe, gaining fame and recognition for their musical talents.

But childhood was where any such equality stopped. In the 18th century, it was simply not considered proper for a woman to pursue a career in music, as it was believed that it could damage their reputation and make them unsuitable for marriage. Women were expected to focus on domestic duties and to be submissive to their husbands.


As Maria Anna approached adolescence, Leopold stopped taking her on the performing trips, and began to focused on promoting his son's career. Wolfgang was given more opportunities to perform and compose, while Nannerl was relegated to playing music privately at home.

Despite this, Nannerl continued to compose music and to perform in private, alongside her brother. In his letters to his sister, Wolfgang praises his sister's compositional talents, and other renowned musicians of the time, such as Johann Christian Bach also praised her work. However, her talent was never given the same recognition as her brother's, and her musical career remained limited.

Nannerl eventually got married and had children, which further restricted her ability to pursue music. She stopped performing publicly and only played music at home. Her brother, on the other hand, continued to gain fame and recognition, becoming one of the most celebrated composers of his time.



None of Maria Anna's compositions survive, and her life is a sad momento to all the other lost wonders that the world never got to see because of the way women's talents were overlooked. Who's to say that, given the same opportunities as her brother, she might not have been an even greater composer than him?