The two main labels that have been used to describe the
nationality of
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are "
Austrian" and "
German".
[1] However, in Mozart's own life, those terms were used differently from the way they are used today, because the modern
nation states of Austria and Germany did not yet exist.
[2] Any decision to label Mozart as "Austrian" or "German" (or neither) involves political boundaries, history, language, culture, and Mozart's own views. Editors of modern encyclopedias and other reference sources differ in how they assign a
nationality to Mozart (if any) in light of conflicting criteria.
