What is Franz Xaver Süßmayr?
'''Franz Xaver Süßmayr''' (also spelled ''Süssmayr'', born Schwanenstadt, [[Austria]], 1766; died [[Vienna]], 17 September 1803) was an [[Austria]]n [[composer]]. He is often remembered for finishing [[Mozart]]’s [[Requiem (Mozart)|Requiem]] which Mozart had not finished when he died. His father was a [[sacristan]] and [[teacher]]. His mother died when he was 6, and he left home at 13. He went to Kremsmünster to study in a [[Benedictine]] [[monastery]]. When his voice changed, he became a member of the [[orchestra]] as a [[violin]]ist. The abbey performed [[opera]]s and [[Singspiel]]e, so he had the opportunity to study the operas of [[Christoph Willibald Gluck]] and [[Antonio Salieri]]. He composed a number of stage works and a good deal of church music for the abbey. After [[1787]] he became a student of Salieri in [[Vienna]]. In [[1792]] he also became the vice-director and composer at the Kärntnertortheater. He helped [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] by copying out the music for ''[[La clemenza di Tito]]'' and ''[[Die Zauberflöte]]'' in [[1791]]. In the same year Mozart died. He had not finished composing his [[Requiem (Mozart)|Requiem]]. Süssmayr finished composing it and handed the completed work to Constanze, Mozart’s [[widow]]. He composed Singspiele (German operas with spoken dialogue), and became [[Kapellmeister]] at the [[Burgtheater|National Theater]] From this time until 1800, he was very successful and popular on the Viennese music scene. However, he became ill with [[tuberculosis]] and had to stop work. He died three years later in [[1803]]. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sussmayr, Franz Xaver}} [[Category:1766 births]] [[Category:1803 deaths]] [[Category:Austrian composers]] [[Category:Classical era composers]] {{bio-stub}}