Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756, the son of a composer at the court of the Archbishop of Salzburg. While very young, he gave signs of great genius. From the time he was 6 years old. He played and composed brilliantly. Mozart and his talented older sister, Maria Anna, were taken by their father on concert tours to all the royal courts of Europe. Both children played the harpsichord, an instrument that preceded the piano. Mozart also played the organ and the violin. Audiences were amazed by the children's superb talent, and lavished presents and praise on them. At the age of 12, Mozart composed his first opera. He started to write masses and symphonies in Salzburg the next year travels in Italy followed and Mozart was honoured there by the pope and several Italian cities. His father had hoped that Mozart would become court composer for some rich nobleman. But none was willing, and, until 1781, when he could not bear it any longer, Mozart laboured in the service of the strict Archbishop of Salzburg. Next year, he married a singer, Constanze Weber. He had unsuccessfully courted her older sister, Aloysia, four years earlier.