Obviously, Mozart's titanic talent speaks for itself. But what about the stories about him, for example, that he never made fair copies of music, but wrote everything down, as if taking dictation, as a perfect first draft? Or the story that he memorized an entire mass, note perfect, on just two hearings?
Are these sorts of stories post-hoc puffery, or are they real examples of a genius we haven't seen again on Earth yet? Or somewhere in between?
Not even the demons themselves were able to relieve the composer of all need for reflection, for trial and error, for discard and hard work. Nor does this in the slightest diminish Mozart's genius and, as Jacob Burckhardt put it, his “Reichlichkeit” (the "prodigious abundance" of his talent, so to speak). Reflecting, seeking, toiling -- genius is exempt from none of these. They are, rather, its obvious ingredients, just as is the personal certainty of finding and succeeding.
http://www.aproposmozart.com/Konrad%20-%20Schaffensweise.pdf
Ulrich Konrad, 1992.
Basically Mozart is very romanticized and lots of liberty is taken in his portrayal in modern film and media. Most notably the film "Amadeus" (1984) depicts this sort of image. However he was just a man and still had to work hard. I think there is evidence of some of his first drafts with notes in the margin (cant remember where I saw them though).
(Hope that reference is ok btw).