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 Table of Contents

Prologue
Overview
Introduction
Chapter 1: Background and Early Childhood
Chapter 2: European Concert Tours
Chapter 3: Trials and Triumph in Vienna and Italy
Chapter 4: Travels to Germany and Paris with his Mother
Chapter 5: Concertmaster
Chapter 6: Mozart in Vienna
Chapter 7: Mozart in Prague
Chapter 8: Mozart’s Last Years
Chapter 9: Mozart’s Legacy
Epilogue
Sources

 Prologue

When Mozart and his librettist—the lyricist for an opera—began work on The
Marriage of Figaro in 1786, they knew it was potentially explosive, even
revolutionary, material.

The French playwright and polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, who had written
their source material, had become one of Europe’s best known authors, but this
had as much to do with controversy and scandal as his undeniable talent.
Beaumarchais’ father had been a watchmaker of France’s struggling Protestant
minority, but his son had managed to rise into the lower nobility with the success
of his play The Barber of Seville (adapted after Mozart’s lifetime into Giaochino
Rossini’s famous opera). But it was The Marriage of Figaro that made
Beaumarchais’ name on the world stage—and caused a good deal of political
trouble.

The play thoroughly satirized the nobility, finishing with a thorough defense of
liberty and denunciation of inherited rank by its lower-class hero, Figaro. Marie
Antoinette is said to have enjoyed it, but King Louis XVI stormed out from a
private reading of the script, ironically declaring that “the Bastille would have to
be destroyed if the performance of the play is not to have dangerous
consequences.” When aristocratic and wifely pressure finally persuaded the king
to allow the play to be staged, it was a smash hit. Figaro’s fifth act rant in
particular always received an ovation, and so many people packed the theater
that there were occasional fatalities from people being crushed to death.

In the long run, Louis was exactly right, of course. Georges Danton, a famous
revolutionary, declared that The Marriage of Figaro had “killed the nobility” in
France, and Napoleon Bonaparte later voiced a similar sentiment. The French
Revolution was still a few years in the future when Mozart was writing—in fact,
Marie Antoinette outlived the composer by several years. But Mozart was reliant
on Marie Antoinette’s brother, the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, for
patronage, and Joseph was determined not to repeat his sister’s mistakes.

Knowledge of Mozart’s political views is sketchy and speculative, but it is at

least clear that he was no Beethoven, passionately dedicating his third
symphony, Sinfonia Eroica, to the self-made Napoleon, and then just as
passionately tearing up that dedication when he felt Napoleon had betrayed
democratic ideals. Mozart appears to have been interested in Figaro simply
because it was funny and successful, and he thought an operatic adaptation of it
could make him a good deal of money. Opera composers were paid with flat
fees, and published scores were almost nonexistent, but a major public success
would at least win him future contracts and patronage.

To make it more acceptable to his patrons, Mozart’s librettist, Da Ponte,

scrubbed the text of its political implications wherever he could. Da Ponte was a
somewhat revolutionary character himself, a man who later generations
recognized as a Bohemian artist. He was born a Jew, converted to Catholicism,
and even joined the priesthood for the free education it provided. But he was not
a religious man at heart, and indeed was a companion to the famous lover
Casanova on many of the latter’s escapades. Banished from Venice for fifteen
years for his omnivorous sexual tastes, Da Ponte began writing librettos in
Vienna for such popular composers as Antonio Salieri—then considered the
superior talent to Mozart.

At its heart, The Marriage of Figaro remained the story of an intelligent man of
the lower classes winning a victory over a foolish noble—there was nothing Da
Ponte could or would do about that. However, he took out the sharpest of
Beaumarchais’ critiques. Figaro’s famous rant against inherited privilege
became, instead, a long aria railing against the faithlessness of women. The
censors approved the revised version without much objection; Joseph II is said to
have approved it personally.

Mozart’s opera was therefore not revolutionary for its politics. Instead, it was
revolutionary for its music.

Biographer Paul Johnson observes that Mozart appears to have worked harder on
Figaro than on any other piece in his life, but given Mozart’s ability to compose
at terrific speed, this simply means that the composer worked on the opera for
six weeks instead of two or three. The result was magical. At last, Mozart had a
project on which he could bring all of his musical gifts to bear: his genius for
melody, his startling ability to convert emotion into sound, and his rich
knowledge of the strengths and limitations of each of the orchestra’s instruments
(Mozart could play them all, it was said, save for the harp). Yet perhaps because
of Mozart’s ability to compose so quickly, the effect is one of unity, despite the
multiplicity of voices and styles that make up the whole.

Figaro remains one of the most beloved operas ever written and a modern staple,
known by performers as the opera that “can’t go wrong.” A century after its
premiere, Johannes Brahms said “every number in Mozart’s Figaro is a miracle
to me; I find it absolutely incomprehensible how someone can create something
so absolutely perfect; nothing like it has ever been done again.”

On May 1, 1786, Figaro premiered at the Burgtheater, built forty years before by
Joseph and Marie Antoinette’s mother, Empress Maria Teresa, as Austria’s
National Theater. Mozart conducted the orchestra while playing the keyboard.
At first, it seemed that he had a hit on his hands. The audience demanded so
many encores that Emperor Joseph II issued rules banning “excessive applause”
at the theater so that he could return to the palace in time for bed. This was
surely an improvement over his famous complaint about Mozart’s previous
opera: “Too beautiful for our ears, my dear Mozart, and monstrous many notes.”
Mozart conducted the second performance and then handed over the conductor’s
duties to another in order to return to composing.

But despite this flash of success, Figaro fizzled in the coming weeks. The calls
for encores diminished. A rival composer’s faction paid hooligans to hiss and
boo the best numbers from the galleries. A competing opera (also scripted by Da
Ponte) with stereotypical characters and straightforward music opened and
promptly stole Mozart’s crowds. Figaro finally had to close after just nine
performances. Perhaps Mozart had included “too many notes” again after all. He
was 450 florins richer, his initial flat fee, but he still hadn’t attained the fame he
sought. We can only imagine how he must have felt to have the best work of his
life—and surely a man with his ear knew it was his best work, arguably the best
he ever wrote—disappear so quickly.

But then came Prague. Figaro was staged there by some of Mozart’s friends at
the end of the year, and the reaction was all the composer could have wished. He
rushed there himself to find a city in the grip of Figaro fever. Men and women
were whistling and dancing to its songs in the streets. Mozart wrote that “they
talk about nothing but Figaro. Nothing is played, sung, or whistled but Figaro.
No opera is drawing like Figaro—nothing, nothing but Figaro!” He came home
from his short visit with a thousand florins in his pocket from new commissions.
He also had a contract from a Prague impresario for him and Da Ponte to write
another opera in the same style for the following season: Don Giovanni.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had finally arrived, and the world’s music would
never be the same.
 Overview

Chapter 1: Background and Early Childhood This chapter introduces
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and describes his musically-gifted family, as well
as his early training to become a child prodigy.

Chapter 2: European Concert Tours This chapter follows young Mozart on
his “child prodigy tours,” performing in the great European capitals—London,
Paris, Vienna—and meeting royalty, including Louis XV of France and Maria
Theresa of Austria.

Chapter 3: Trials and Triumph in Vienna and Italy In this chapter, Mozart
makes his first serious efforts at composition with pasticcio concertos,
symphonies, and a failed comic opera. The young genius continues to travel
widely, is formally certified as a master composer, and becomes the
concertmaster of Salzburg.

Chapter 4: Travels to Germany and Paris with his Mother This chapter
looks at several of Mozart’s early love affairs, as well as his decision to try to
make his fortune in Paris. But Mozart no sooner arrives than he is thrust into a
controversy tearing the opera world asunder.

Chapter 5: Concertmaster

In this chapter, Mozart resumes his former post as concertmaster of Salzburg,
but his growing ego leads him into a clash with the archbishop that nearly
destroys his career.

Chapter 6: Mozart in Vienna

Mozart moves to Vienna, where he marries and continues to win respect for his
growing skill, though he remains shut out of the official musicians’ society. The
chapter also examines his relationship with his contemporary and friend Joseph
Haydn.

Chapter 7: Mozart in Prague

In this chapter, Mozart finally finds his audience with the Prague premiere of his
masterpiece, La nozze di Figaro. At the height of his popularity and skill, he
follows it with the equally great success of Don Giovanni.

Chapter 8: Mozart’s Last Years

In the final years of his short life, Mozart continues to clash with his Habsburg
patrons, but produces further operatic masterpieces, such as Cosi fan tutte and
The Magic Flute. The chapter closes with Mozart’s premature death, and his
frantic drive to complete his famous Requiem before passing away.

Chapter 9: Mozart’s Legacy

This chapter examines Mozart’s ongoing contribution to world culture, and how
the great man’s music continues to influence genres ranging from opera to jazz
to heavy metal.
 Introduction

Genius comes in a wide variety, but can be broken down into two types:
practical and creative. While practical geniuses have contributed to society in
ways that are completely unfathomable—picture, for a moment, what life would
be like without Philo Farnsworth’s invention of the television, for instance—it is
the creative geniuses that have always been the ones to capture the collective
imagination of society. Perhaps it is because many of their skills seem like things
average people can actually learn—after all, there is no formal education
necessary to write the next Great Novel; just ask Harper Lee, H.G. Wells, or
Charles Dickens—but learning about their lives and finding out what motivated
them has always fascinated people. Maybe they hoped to find the key to these
people’s success, to discover what made their minds come up with things that
were extraordinary, even revolutionary.

Sadly, at least as far as some geniuses are concerned, there is simply no
substitute for natural talent.

Mozart’s personal repertoire simply could not have been written by someone
who was merely studious and hardworking; it required a level of intelligence and
intuition that cannot be taught. The way he worked, the way he thought, was so
unique and groundbreaking that it changed music forever. He and his
contemporary, Joseph Haydn, were directly responsible for literally creating an
entirely new genre of music: Classical.

But his achievements and genius are both well-documented elsewhere. What is
truly astonishing about Mozart is the level of dedication he demonstrated from
the tender age of three and continued throughout his tragically short life. By the
time he died at thirty-five, Mozart had composed greater than six hundred
individual pieces, from operas to quartets—though his most famous remains
Twelve Variations on “Ah vous dirai-je, Maman,” the melody that became
“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

While many geniuses may have found their work turned into a mere children’s
song, Mozart likely would have been perfectly happy that so many people fondly
sing it to this day. He was equally studious and precocious, playful and
hardworking, and took great pleasure in seeing his work recognized for its value.
Though many modern depictions portray Mozart as slightly mad, there is little, if
any, evidence to support such a claim. The truth is that the talented composer
was, quite simply, a genius, and his ordered, complex music could not have been
the work of a madman.

But that does not make his life any less interesting. Indeed, the simple fact that
he went through what he did and did not succumb to insanity makes what
follows all the more interesting, as you’ll see. 
Introduction

Child prodigies are rare and remarkable, but few are so extraordinary that their
influence lasts a quarter of a millennium. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was one
such prodigy. He wrote his first composition at age three, embarked on a
European tour at six, and was granted a court appointment at thirteen.

Mozart amazed audiences with the magic that poured from his miniature fingers,
but what emblazoned him in history books, music repertoires, and popular
culture are the ways in which, as an adult, he made people fall in love, and how
he made them cry. Mozart’s compositions are still performed today because they
are as powerful now as they were in his own time. He invented musical devices
that had the power to heighten the drama of a scene and to hold people tense
with anxiety. He figured out how music could pluck at peoples’ heartstrings and
make them think about their own destinies.

Mozart was an affectionate husband who sent love letters that would make any
person in any period of time swoon. He joined the Freemasons and found solace
in mystic ideas. The establishment did not always approve of Mozart, but they
understood he was a genius who would not soon be forgotten.

In Mozart’s devastatingly short life, he experienced the ugliness of rejection and
the enthrallment of fame. He learned what it meant to drown in debt and to live
like a king. He experienced heartbreak and passionate love. He was a father, a
husband, a brother, and a son. But most of all he was a teacher and a pioneer.
The innovations he developed in the world of classical music were unparalleled
by those who came before and after him. To this day, Mozart’s operas,
symphonies, piano, chamber, and choral compositions exist as ubiquitous
backdrops to our lives.
Chapter 1: Background and Early Childhood

“You know that I immerse myself in music, so to speak—that I think about it all
day long—that I like experimenting—studying—reflecting.”—Mozart

Music in 18th Century Salzburg

On January 27, 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most important
musical geniuses in history, was born in Salzburg, an ancient town nestled on the
northern edge of the Austrian Alps. At the time of Mozart’s birth, Salzburg was
a provincial Catholic town decorated with baroque churches and impressive
fortresses. From the middle ages until the early 19th century, the Holy Roman
Empire, of which Salzburg was a part, was made up of small territories ruled by
archbishops and different noble houses.

The archbishop of Salzburg when Mozart was born was Sigismund Graf von
Schrattenbach. Luckily for Mozart, Schrattenbach, the ruler in Salzburg, had a
long history of supporting the arts. Prior to Mozart’s birth, for example, a
famous violin virtuoso moved from Bohemia to Salzburg to play music and
climb the social ranks to the noble class. If Mozart had been born in a different
town or at a different time, his life may have been dramatically—and
disastrously—different.

Mozart’s Father

Leopold Mozart, Amadeus’s father, was one such musician who had moved
away from his hometown hoping to join the court of Salzburg. It took a few
years and a lot of hard work, but he eventually became fourth violin chair and a
composer for the court.

Four years after making fourth chair, Leopold married Maria Anna Walburga
Pertl, a poor woman prone to illness. At the time, most people married because it
put their families in better social positions. For example, a merchant in Venice
might arrange for his daughter to marry a man in Milan in order to establish a
trade route between the two cities or to grow a market for his goods in a foreign
place. Among the nobility, royal parents found husbands and wives for their
daughters and sons that helped the family gain more territory, power, or
influence.

Leopold Mozart and Maria Anna Pertl’s marriage was different; theirs was a
love story.

Leopold met Maria Anna soon after he arrived in Salzburg, and they quickly fell
in love—but they had a problem. Maria Anna had no family money to bring into
the marriage, a typical requirement for eligible bachelorettes. Leopold, however,
did not care; he loved Maria Anna, and he wanted to marry her. But, before he
proposed, he wanted to make sure he had a stable job and could provide for a
family. After several years, Leopold received his appointment with the court of
Salzburg. Finally, he and Maria Anna could marry.

Nine years after marriage, Maria Anna gave birth to her seventh son. Little did
she know that her son would become a man who, like Madonna and Oprah in the
20th century, would come to be known by a single name—Mozart.

At the time of Mozart’s birth, Leopold was promoted to the position of composer
at the archbishop’s court. His roots however, were much more humble; he was
the first son of a man named Johann Georg, a bookbinder in Augsburg, a city
located in present-day Germany. In his childhood years, Leopold learned to sing,
as well as to play violin and organ. After dropping out of university after one
year, he found work as a valet and musician for one of the cathedral canons, a
branch of the Salzburg government. Four years and six church sonatas later,
Leopold was employed by the court musical establishment. He continued to
work his way up within the court orchestra over the course of fifteen years,
while also working as a music teacher and composer. Leopold wrote an
astounding number of compositions and played often. He even wrote a violin
textbook titled Violinschule that became standard for all aspiring violinists.

Early Childhood

Mozart was born with the full name of Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgang
Theophilus. Despite being Maria Anna’s seventh child, Mozart had only one
five-year old sister, Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia. The other five children had
died in their infancy. The entire family called her by the nickname “Nannerl.”
Having lost five children, Leopold and Maria Anna cherished and coddled
Mozart and Nannerl, and even referred to them together as a “borrowed
blessing.”

Mozart’s parents were very social people. From an early age, Mozart and
Nannerl were accustomed to people visiting the family home on a daily basis,
often to play music. Despite always being around people, Mozart had some
notable eccentricities, even as a young child. Daniel Barrington, who
interviewed Mozart when he was eight, noticed Mozart spoke without thinking
and was incapable of dressing himself. While these behaviors may not seem so
unusual today, in Mozart’s time, children were treated and thought of as little
adults rather than as “children” in the way we think of them today. Therefore,
Mozart’s behavior was considered strange and impolite. Mozart’s sometimes
shocking behavior was largely excused however, as he and his sister were both
considered prodigies from very early ages.

For her eighth birthday, Mozart’s sister Nannerl was given a music book written
by Leopold. Mozart was no more than three-and-a-half-years old. Despite his
young age, Mozart noticed his sister practicing on the keyboard, and expressed
interest in learning to play. Young Mozart worked at a pace so extraordinarily
fast Leopold felt compelled to record his, and not Nannerl’s, progress. Even
more remarkable, Mozart used the empty pages at the end of the book to attempt
his very own compositions. He was only a toddler.

Leopold was enthusiastic to have two musically-inclined children. He was so
excited that he gave up all his spare time, including the time he previously
dedicated to his own compositional work, in order to teach his children music.
The whole family woke up at six o’clock in the morning to learn music in the
hours before Leopold went to work. Mozart and Nannerl studied mathematics,
reading, writing, literature, languages, and dancing during the day. When
Leopold came home in the evening, their music education resumed, often in the
company of Leopold’s musician friends and colleagues. As the children grew
older, Nannerl was required to undertake housekeeping duties, while Mozart’s
music talents were further cultivated.

As a child, Mozart was described as having an overly active imagination and a
drive toward perfection. His sister made these and other observations in her
diary, and recalled them later, when she wrote a memoir about her brother.
Nannerl said her brother’s wild fantasies were best understood by the fact that
Mozart did not appear to live in the real world. His thoughts were not on earth
and in the present, but rather in the stars, always dreaming and fantasizing.
Nannerl remembered one occasion on which Mozart asked the family servant to
draw a map of the make-believe kingdom that Mozart believed he ruled. He
knew every last detail of this made-up world. It was this power of imagination
that helped make Mozart one of the greatest composers in all of history.
 Chapter 2: European Concert Tours

“Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to
the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.”—Mozart

Child Prodigy Tour: Vienna

In the 18th century, performers and exhibitions traveled throughout Europe to

provide audiences in many different countries with entertainment. Leopold saw
an opportunity to capitalize on his children by touring them as child prodigies. In
1762, when Mozart was only six years old and his sister ten, Leopold took them
to play a concert in Munich. They stayed for three weeks. Shortly after returning
to Salzburg, they embarked on yet another journey to the imperial capital of
Vienna.

Maria Anna joined her children and husband. On the journey, Leopold wrote
regular letters to their landlord, banker, and friend in Salzburg. These and other
letters written throughout Mozart’s life are the critical documents that allow
modern researchers to properly piece together the story of Mozart’s life.

In addition to reports of Mozart and Nannerl’s successes, Leopold’s letters gave
detailed accounts of the places and people the family visited. These letters made
Leopold sound like an official ambassador of the Salzburg court. Leopold hoped
they would be shared among various social circles in Salzburg, and especially
hoped his reports would impress the Salzburg court. These letters were the first
signs in Mozart’s early life that Leopold had grand plans for his son—and some
may even say that these plans were for Leopold’s own benefit, not for his son.

Though traveling was not uncommon in the 18th century, it was certainly more
difficult than it is today. For musicians, traveling was important not only to
spread one’s popularity, but also to exchange ideas and genres of style. While
modern travel is convenient and fast, traveling 250 years ago was dangerous and
required wagons and horse-drawn carriages. In addition to the danger, it was
slow. For example, a trip from Salzburg to Munich was a two-day journey.
Today, one can travel between the two cities by train in only 90 minutes.

Traveling was expensive, and so the Mozarts stopped often on their travels to
play concerts and earn extra money. When they reached Vienna in October of
1762, the children played a concert at the court of Archduchess Maria Theresa of
Austria. In his letters, Leopold gave exciting details about Mozart’s
performances, but hardly mentioned Nannerl. Leopold boasted, “Wolfgang had
played the organ at Ybbs so well that people had left a meal they were eating to
wonder at him.” On another occasion he wrote, “…all the ladies in Vienna had
fallen in love with Wolfgang.” At just six, Mozart had left a significant
impression on the nobility.

The young Mozart children had, in fact, impressed the Archduchess herself.
Maria Theresa gifted them costumes to wear at the next imperial reception. She
also sent the family 100 ducats, which was more than Leopold’s annual salary.
Most importantly, she asked the family to stay in Vienna. The Mozarts obliged,
and prolonged their stay.

Upon returning to Salzburg after three and a half months, Leopold immediately
began planning more concerts for Mozart and Nannerl. He started by writing to
friends in his childhood home of Augsburg. In his letters, Leopold bragged about
his children’s successes in Vienna, and, notably, over-exaggerated how much
they were in demand in important cities like Paris. Three months later, a
newspaper in Augsburg published an article discussing the Mozart children’s
performances in Vienna. This was only one of many articles that helped spread
the young musicians’ fame across Europe.

Child Prodigy Tour: Germany

Leopold was wise to promote his children the way he did, because when he
approached the Salzburg court asking for a leave of absence, the court was
happy to grant him the request, though it was not entirely unusual for court
musicians to spend time away from the court. Many of them viewed traveling
musicians as a way to spread their court’s influence and reputation, especially if
the musicians were particularly talented.

In June of 1763, the Mozart family embarked on a three-and-a-half year journey
across Europe. This time, they traveled all the way to England. The Mozarts
lived like nomads, playing concerts in one city to finance their travels to the
next. In each new city, Leopold brought letters of introduction to important
people to attempt to secure a concert during their stay. If Leopold was unable to
schedule a concert upon arrival, the family continued traveling. This was to
avoid spending money on accommodations in a city that gave them nothing in
return.

When Leopold secured a public concert, the process was easy. The children
rehearsed selected music, advertisements were published in the press, the concert
was played, fees were collected, and then the Mozarts continued on their
journey. If Leopold was successful in arranging a court performance, matters
were more complicated. The family had to wait until they were summoned, and
then wait once more after the concert to see whether or not they would be
financially rewarded. Leopold was often disappointed that nobles and royalty
paid in souvenirs and gifts rather than cash. More often than not, the children
were forced to give up their gifts so Leopold could sell the special treasures and
earn enough money to keep his family on the road.

Luckily for historians today, Leopold was a meticulous record-keeper. From his
notes, it is known that between June and November 1763, Mozart played for at
least five courts, including those in Munich and Bavaria, and gave public
concerts in several German cities, including five in Frankfurt, three in Augsburg,
and two in Mainz. Newspaper articles praised Nannerl for her piano playing and
young Mozart for his diverse range of musical talents, which had come to
include the violin and organ, in addition to the keyboard. Advertisements also
mentioned the impressive fact that Mozart could improvise during his
performances.

In addition to playing concerts and practicing music, the Mozart children were
exposed to the major sights in the towns and cities they visited. The world and
their travels was their school. They learned about the people, religion, art,
politics, history, and traditions of the towns they visited. Their education was
grander and more inclusive than the vast majority of children during this time,
particularly where art was concerned; for example, while waiting to be
summoned by the court in Brussels, Leopold took his children to see the art
collection of the 16th century painter Peter Paul Rubens.

Child Prodigy Tour: Paris

After five months on the road, the Mozarts reached Paris. They stayed in the
French capital for five months, until April of 1764. Their time in Paris was busy,
to say the least. The adventure began in the Palace of Versailles. On December
24th, the children were presented at the court of King Louis XV. Rumor has it
that Mozart wanted to kiss the king’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour. Funnily
enough, six year old Mozart said Madame de Pompadour looked like the
family’s cook in Salzburg. (This might be considered one of those instances
when better behaved children would have refrained from making such
comments, especially about royalty). While Madame Pompadour politely
rejected young Mozart’s advances, both he and Nannerl were pleased to receive
kisses from the daughters of King Louis XV during the family’s official
reception.

On New Year’s Day of 1764, the Mozarts were granted the great honor of
joining King Louis XV’s dinner table. This was no ordinary dinner, but rather an
extravagant banquet during which the Mozarts were seated on either side of the
king and queen. Luckily, Queen Marie Leszczynska was Polish, and spoke fluent
German, and was able to translate between the Mozarts and the French king. The
Queen was more receptive to Mozart’s affections than was Madame Pompadour,
and apparently accepted his many kisses to her hand.

Following dinner, King Louis XV asked Mozart to play the organ in the royal
chapel. The entire court was pleased, and at the end of their fifteen-day stay,
King Louis XV gifted the Mozart family a beautiful gold snuffbox, used to hold
tobacco, a common gift in the 18th century tradition of royal gift exchange.
What was particularly interesting about this snuffbox was that it contained an
inscription, which said that, should Leopold need the money, he could return the
gift to the king, who would buy it back for four times Leopold’s annual salary.
Whether or not Leopold ever sold it back to Louis XV remains a mystery.

A few weeks after arriving in Paris from the Palace of Versailles, Mozart fell ill.
He recovered in March, and immediately wrote two sonatas for the harpsichord.
They were published in Paris and dedicated to Madame Victoire, the second
daughter of King Louis XV. Earlier, two German composers living in Paris gave
Mozart some of their own compositions to show their recognition of the young
genius. It is evident that the sonatas Mozart dedicated to Madame Victoire were
influenced by the work of these two men.

Throughout his life, Mozart proved to have an excellent talent for imitating
others. He was highly perceptive and could adapt to almost any style or genre.
At this young age, Mozart was almost certainly looking to the work of others for
guidance. It is also likely that his father, who was experienced in composing
music, helped him write his first compositions. But because these sonatas shared
distinct characteristics with Mozart’s more mature works, there is no doubt that
these early sonatas were works of his own.

The next month, Mozart and Nannerl were scheduled to perform a public concert
in Paris. Prior to their concert day, an article was printed in the local newspaper
proclaiming their prodigious talent. The article put special emphasis on the fact
that Mozart, having just turned eight years old, was proficient at composing his
own music. The article also noted he played a range of instruments, not just the
keyboard. “All those who know about music were in the highest degree
surprised to see a child carry out what they would have admired in the most
consummate maître de chapelle [...] He will accompany by ear tunes that are
sung to him, and he will even vary them on the spot in endless ways,” the article
reported. The Parisians were so fond of the Mozart children that an anonymous
fan even wrote a poem relating their talents to the powers of gods and kings.

Child Prodigy Tour: London

Thirteen days after leaving Paris, the Mozart family arrived in London, and two
weeks later, they performed for the court of King George III and Queen Sophia
Charlotte. The British royals were impressed by the Mozart children and invited
them back to play for the court on several occasions. To curry even greater favor
with the British, Mozart dedicated six sonatas for the violin and flute to the
queen.

The royal family and the British public adored Mozart. In May, he played the
harpsichord as part of a “Grand Concert of Vocal and Instrumental Music.” In
the newspaper article announcing the concert, Mozart was described as, “a real
Prodigy of Nature; he is but Seven Years of Age, plays any thing at first Sight,
and composes amazingly well.” This was just one concert in which young
Mozart was featured, and he appeared in concerts with Nannerl on several
occasions throughout the summer. Some of them featured Mozart and Nannerl
playing duets on a single keyboard using all four hands, a particularly impressive
feat.

Other articles highlighted Nannerl’s talents on the keyboard and Mozart’s ability
to improvise with her rehearsed notes. One article from August 1765 reported,
“It was quite enchanting to hear the fourteen-year-old sister of this little virtuoso
playing the most difficult sonatas on the clavier with the most astonishing
dexterity and her brother accompanying her extempore on another clavier. Both
perform wonders!”

Leopold came up with a clever scheme to earn extra money and further spread
the reputations of his children; he opened the doors to their Cornhill
accommodations in the Swan and Harp Tavern and hosted private concerts for
the curious London public, which had a taste for music.

Though the Mozart children were well-received in London, their time there was
not without hardship. London was not very busy in the summer, as the wealthy
left the hot city for their country homes. This meant that although Mozart had
the opportunity to perform, there were not many people in the city to attend the
concerts. In addition, Leopold was struck with such an illness that he required
three months to fully recover. By the time the Mozarts were ready to leave
London, they were exhausted and dissatisfied with the British capital.

The most important part of Mozart’s time in London was not his concerts, but
rather his meeting and studying under Johann Christian Bach, the son of the
more famous Johann Sebastian Bach, who died before Mozart was born. At the
time, Bach was the music master to Queen Sophia Charlotte. Previously, he had
been the keyboardist for Frederick the Great in Berlin, and published the text
Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments. As music master to the
Queen of England, Bach was responsible for finding accommodations for the
Mozart family and for organizing concerts. This role meant Bach and Mozart
met on many occasions, and got to know one another and each other’s music
quite well.

Mozart was rapidly learning and developing his playing and composition style,
and Bach became a strong influence for him. Scholars know this because a book
of compositions written by Mozart from this time still survives. Now known as
The London Sketchbook, these original pieces for keyboard share some
similarities with Bach’s music. In addition to The London Sketchbook, Mozart
produced his first symphonies while in London. These symphonies are also
similar to music by Bach, as well as that by Carl Friedrich Abel, a German
composer who lived and played concerts with Bach in London. In fact, one
symphony is a direct copy of one by Abel, and others closely mimic Bach’s
melodies. After leaving London, Bach remained an important influence on
Mozart. In a letter to his father years later, Mozart wrote, after reuniting with
Bach for the first time since London, “I love [Bach] and respect him with all my
heart,” and after Bach’s death, Mozart wrote, “What a loss to the musical
world.”

Child Prodigy Tour: The Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Germany

After London, the Mozarts spent a productive eight months in the Netherlands,
where Mozart composed two symphonies and at least ten other musical pieces.
He also played in several Dutch cities, including Amsterdam, where
advertisements encouraged attendees to bring any piece of music they wished, as
a way to challenge the young prodigy. Leopold promised Mozart could sight-
read anything. Sight-reading refers to the ability to play music simply by
viewing the score, without having time to study it or, more importantly, to hear
it. Mozart did not need to glance at the written notes before he began. Naturally,
he succeeded every time.

He also performed both by himself and with Nannerl for the Court of Utrecht at
The Hague on several occasions. One such performance was included in a five-
day celebration honoring Prince William of Orange, who had turned 18 and was
now eligible to become Stadholder, or chief magistrate. At least nine works by
Mozart were performed during this special occasion. One work, the Gallimathias
musicum, was a lighthearted and familiar melody. Scholars today suspect
Leopold helped Mozart with the composition. Regardless of the music’s true
author, Mozart’s father claimed the melody enthralled the entire country. He
wrote in a letter that “everyone all over Holland [was] singing, playing, and
whistling [a song Mozart wrote especially for the prince.]” Mozart shared the
spotlight in the Netherlands not only with his sister, but also with his father.
Leopold presented a Dutch version of his textbook Violinschule to the prince.
Events such as this have caused scholars to question Leopold’s motives during
this tour. Some have even suggested that Leopold sought to enhance his own
reputation and esteem rather than celebrate his children’s talents. The truth of
this is likely somewhere in the middle, but definitive answers will never be
known.

From the Netherlands, the Mozarts traveled through Belgium and onto France.
They stayed in France for two months. While in Dijon, Mozart and Nannerl
played at the Town Hall as part of a very important meeting during which
noblemen from all of Burgundy were in attendance. They played their typical
repertoire of concertos on harpsichord, symphonies written by Mozart, and
Mozart’s impressive trick of playing whatever music was spontaneously handed
to him. But there was one surprise: Mozart sang.

Some did not believe Mozart was talented enough to actually sight-read any
piece of music he was given, and accused Mozart of improvising passages he
found too difficult. One Swiss composer related that Leopold approached him
and asked him to write an original, very difficult sonata for Mozart to play the
following day. During the performance, Mozart played without so much as a
hiccup, impressing all those in attendance. However, the composer knew the
notes were not those he had written for the young virtuoso, and came to the
conclusion that Mozart was not as technically talented as the Mozart family
claimed he was.

After stopping and playing in several Swiss cities, the Mozart clan continued
their journey into Germany. In a city just over the Swiss border, the Prince of
Fürstenberg and his director of music welcomed the Mozarts. The prince was a
great lover of music, and was especially fond of the Mozart children. Every
evening for nine days, the Mozarts played four hours of music for the prince.
When the Mozarts left, the prince rewarded the family with diamond rings for
both Mozart and Nannerl. These were just some of the many rings—some
diamond, others gold— the Mozarts received on their tour.

Later in their journey, ten year old Mozart met another child prodigy, twelve
year old Siegmund Bachmann. The two boys engaged in a competition, for
which they were granted the honor of playing an organ in a baroque church built
100 years earlier. Bachmann, who was supposedly able to play more than 200
pieces of music from memory at age nine, was a worthy opponent for Mozart.
They played for a crowd, who then debated the children’s individual merits. In
the end, both Mozart and Bachmann were found to be excellent and awe-
inspiring musicians.

After the competition, Mozart and his family continued on to Leopold’s
childhood home of Augsburg, through Munich, and finally to their home in
Salzburg. It had been three and a half years.
Chapter 3: Trials and Triumph in Vienna and
Italy

“I live in a country, where luck does not smile on music.”—Mozart

Back Home in Salzburg

When the Mozart family returned to Salzburg, they were greeted with awe and
admiration from their fellow townsfolk. There were even rumors that the Mozart
family would soon leave again to tour in Scandinavia and Russia, and as far
away as China. A librarian in Salzburg who knew the Mozart family recorded
each of the gifts they received during the European concert tour. Among the
items, he counted nine gold watches, twelve gold boxes for tobacco, including
one filled with coins from Louis XV, gold jewelry, knives with gold blades, pens
and writing pads, and toothpick boxes.

Back home in Salzburg, Mozart composed works for the court. Among these
was an aria for the archbishop’s birthday, and Die Schuldigkeit des ersten
Gebots (“The Obligation of the First Commandment”). This was Mozart’s very
first dramatic work. The form however, was familiar to Mozart and the people of
Salzburg. These pieces of music were usually accompanied by lyrics written by
Benedictine teachers and were meant to teach moral lessons. But Mozart’s
version was exceptional. The score was an amazing 201 pages long. This proved
that by age eleven, Mozart had a vast repertoire and was able to learn and adapt
new styles with finesse and ease.

It was during this time that Mozart starting making use of other composers’
work. While in Paris, Mozart’s father wrote letters noting his positive
impressions of the many German composers living there. It is likely Leopold
took music written by these composers back home to Salzburg and encouraged
Mozart to adapt their written pieces as concertos. Leopold devised a scheme in
which he and young Mozart worked together to create concertos by combining
sonata movements written by other composers.

Whether or not Leopold’s intent was malicious is hard to tell. He called these
works “pasticcio concertos,” directly stating that the concertos were made from
many different elements fitted together. In some ways, these works were like
remixes or DJ sets in music today. And just like today’s remixes, pasticcio
concertos were not easy to create. They were special challenges for Mozart. The
task required turning keyboard ideas into orchestral masterpieces. Some say
these works were so complex and masterful that they serve as precursors to the
great piano concertos Mozart wrote in the 1780s.

A Tumultuous Fifteen Months in Vienna

After only a few months back home in Salzburg, the Mozarts once again set out
on a journey. Their destination was Vienna, where the Mozarts hoped to play at
the wedding of the Archduchess Maria Josepha and King Ferdinand I of Naples.
This was a very big deal for the Mozarts, as all the noble families of Austria,
Hungary, and Bohemia were attending. Leopold knew this was an excellent
opportunity to further spread Mozart’s fame and to reach new potential patrons
and connoisseurs. However, something entirely unexpected occurred: smallpox
ravished the city. Many people died, and both the city and the court were in
complete chaos.

It was a scary time in Vienna. The disease was spreading rapidly, and no one
knew who would be the next victim. Even the young Archduchess Maria
Josepha died from the disease, as did several other nobles. To escape the
outbreak, Leopold took his family from Vienna to the Bohemia city of Brünn,
where they were housed in a palace owned by the brother of the archbishop of
Salzburg. They stayed for a short while before moving to another small town.
There, Mozart became ill, plagued with a fever and delirium. According to
Nannerl, Mozart was blinded for nine days and broke out in a rash of small red
spots. Thankfully, less than two weeks later, the rash started to disappear.
Though Mozart survived this spell, the pockmarks left on his skin forever
scarred him.

Two months later, the Mozart family was back in Vienna. Leopold insisted on
staying until the Mozarts fulfilled their purpose of playing concerts and currying
favor with the Viennese public. Mozart and Nannerl played for the imperial
family, and at first were warmly welcomed. Mozart was so well liked that
Emperor Joseph II invited him to compose and direct an opera. This was one of
the biggest commissions Mozart had been granted, and Leopold was excited at
the prospects of fame and fortune for his son.

In Vienna, comedic operas were in fashion and better received than serious, sad
ones, possibly because of the dire nature of the smallpox epidemic. Opera buffa,
or comedic opera, was also in fashion because it was much cheaper to produce in
comparison to opera seria. Emperor Joseph II asked Mozart to compose an opera
of approximately three hours. He wanted the music to be set to the text of La
finta semplice (“The Feigned Simpleton” or “The Fake Innocent”). La finta
semplice was set in the Lombardy region of Italy in the 1700s, and told a story
of two women who wished to marry the loves of their lives, but are prohibited
from doing so by their brothers. The women refuse to accept their brothers’
orders, and instead come up with elaborate, comedic, plans to deceive their
brothers and marry their lovers.

Although it was a great plot, Mozart was only twelve years old. How was he
supposed to understand such complex tales of love? Nevertheless, Mozart
worked hard on the composition. Unfortunately, his efforts were not recognized.

Leopold had made quite a few enemies among the composers and musicians in
Vienna. This fueled the fire of ridicule surrounding Mozart’s opera, and the
premiere was consequently postponed. In a letter, Leopold explained, “[...] every
means was used to impede the production of the opera. [...] The orchestra would
now say they did not want to be directed by a boy [...] Meanwhile, several
people spread word that the music wasn’t worth a blue devil.”

In the end, La finta semplice was never performed in Vienna. It was Mozart’s
largest score to date at an astonishing 558 pages. Mozart waited to see it staged
until the following year, when it was shown at the court theater at the Palace of
the Archbishop in Salzburg. But then the opera was lost to history, and was only
revived at the turn of the 20th century. In 1907, it was staged at Covent Garden
in London, and in the 1920s, it was performed for audiences in Germany,
Denmark, and the Czech Republic.

At the time of its composition in 1768, not only did fellow musicians and
composers sneer at Mozart, but the public also sullied his name. He was accused
of pretending to sight-read and of false authorship. Some even accused Mozart
of lying about his age. Unsurprisingly, Leopold’s writings cite jealousy as the
main cause for Mozart’s condemnation. But Leopold was also victimized by the
critical voices of Vienna. He was accused of exploiting his children like one
would circus animals. After yet another fifteen months on the road, the Mozarts
returned to Salzburg, defeated and exhausted.

Mozart’s time in Vienna was not all bad, however. During this time, Mozart
successfully composed a one-act German opera titled Bastien und Bastienne.
This piece of music is a parody of a popular French opera, and is still popular in
Germany today. Mozart also had the opportunity to conduct a mass during the
consecration of a church in an orphan asylum. Further, in order to make up for
the embarrassment of the La finta semplice affair, Emperor Joseph II
commissioned Mozart to compose an original mass. Mozart played the church
music in front of the entire court. All in all, Mozart’s work in Vienna was varied
and exciting.

But Mozart’s failures with La finta semplice were also important, for they taught
the preteen important life lessons. He learned that opera composition was no
easy task, and the world of music was not always the kindest work environment.
It was competitive, and jealousies could break a musician if he or she was not
strong enough to fight for his or her art. Though he was still young, Mozart was
old enough that the incident in Vienna had a significant impact on the rest of his
life. From then on, he worked to make sure his operas were no less than perfect.

The First Italian Tour

When the Mozarts returned to Salzburg from the disastrous trip to Vienna, they
were not as warmly welcomed as they had been when returning from their
European tour two years earlier. Archbishop Schrattenbach suspended Leopold’s
court pay for reasons unknown to this day. Maybe he was annoyed by the
frequency of Leopold’s travels, or had heard the rumors that Leopold was
seeking a court appointment elsewhere. Maybe the Mozarts’ negative reputation
in Vienna had reached the musicians’ hometown.

Despite Leopold’s dismissal from the court, Mozart’s La finta semplice was
produced for the court theater in Salzburg in May 1769. In the comfort of his
parents’ home, Mozart was reinvigorated. He composed a great number of new
works that were impressive in their complexity and innovation. He was so
successful that the same archbishop who ousted Mozart’s father made the
thirteen year-old boy concertmaster. Despite this honor, Leopold chose to once
again whisk away his prized son. This time, father and son traveled to Italy.

Italy was considered the best place for music training. There were Italian
composers in nearly every European court, and the music produced in the
country itself was most respected. In fact, the opera genre itself had its roots in
16th century Italy.

The Hapsburg Empire that controlled Salzburg also reigned over the Lombardy
region in modern-day Italy, and it was easy for Leopold to establish contacts
there. Leopold was armed with a letter of introduction to the governor-general of
Lombardy, who also happened to be the nephew of the former prince archbishop
of Salzburg. Leopold set out with Mozart in hopes of securing his teenage son a
position at one of the Italian courts. In a pre-Internet and pre-TV age, when news
traveled by word of mouth or in letters, traveling far away was Leopold’s best
bet for meeting a noble entirely unaware of the family’s embarrassments in
Vienna.

The plan worked. Over the course of four years, between December of 1769 and
March of 1773, Mozart spent twenty-four months in Italy. In these months, the
Mozarts were praised, Leopold was happy, and Mozart continued to write music.
Similar to their travels before, Leopold and Mozart stopped in cities along the
way to play concerts and earn extra money.

Four days before Mozart’s fourteenth birthday, they reached Milan. They stayed
at the Monastery of San Marco for two months, where Mozart wrote the opera
Mitridate, Re di Ponto. The opera was later produced during Carnival, the
festival in February or March that celebrates the time before the Catholic period
of Lent. To thank Mozart for performing in Milan, the governor-general of
Lombardy gave the young musician a special gift, a bound nine-volume edition
of the works of Pietro Metastasio, an Italian poet who wrote the words for many
opera seria. This kind gift was meant to both thank and inspire young Mozart.

After Milan, the Mozarts traveled to Lodi. Here, Mozart was inspired by the
composer Giovanni Battista Sammartini to write his first string quartet.
Sammartini was one of the most important Italian composers to have ever lived.
He tutored many of the best composers from across Europe, including Mozart,
and was often cited as the inspiration for their works. He continued to be
important to Mozart throughout his short life.

Mozart and Leopold continued their travels to Bologna, where they met a
representative of the court of Austria named Count Gian Luca Pallavicini.
Mozart played a concert for the Pallavicini family and a prestigious audience
that included two German princes, two cardinals, and several Bolognese nobles.
The Pallavicinis were drawn to the Mozarts, largely because their own child
prodigy was Mozart’s exact age.

At the end of March of 1770, Leopold and Mozart traveled from Bologna to
Florence, the birthplace of Italian opera. It also proved to be a particularly
fruitful city for Mozart. He visited a singer who had tutored him in London and
befriended Thomas Linley, a violinist the same age as Mozart. But the visit was
short, and in April Leopold and Mozart left for Rome. The day of their arrival,
Mozart and his father walked into St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Religion
was important to the Mozart family, and this experience must have been
extraordinarily special. They stood near Pope Clement XIV as he served the
poor at mass. The Pope took them to the Sistine Chapel, the famous church
where Michelangelo painted the ceiling. There they listened to a carefully
guarded piece of music called Miserere. Known as “Forbidden Music,” Miserere
was composed in 1514 by Gregori Allegri, but only a handful of important
composers had heard the music in its then 250-year history. Mozart both
impressed and angered the Vatican by memorizing the entire 10-minute piece
after hearing it only twice. He proceeded to copy it. Although the original copy
no longer survives, Mozart is credited with making the music available to the
common public. Without him, Miserere might still be locked up in a vault
somewhere deep in the Vatican archives.

From Rome, Mozart and Leopold went to Naples, where they stayed for six
weeks in the summer. Ferdinand IV, King of Naples, delighted in Mozart’s
accomplished work, and encouraged his subjects to applaud the fine musician
and composer.

In general, people from Naples were superstitious, and spent a good part of their
lives trying to solve life’s mysteries. They could not believe Mozart could play
equally as well with his left hand as he did with his right. The locals started a
rumor that Mozart’s talent was a blessing bestowed upon him by a magic ring
worn on his left hand. Audiences begged Mozart to remove his ring. He
humored them and removed the ring, and when he continued to play with the
same expertise as before, the people of Naples praised him with even more
enthusiasm. This praise opened the gateway for Mozart and Leopold to make
many friends among the nobility. Mozart even played a concert in the
ambassador’s residence. When he was not playing concerts, he and Leopold
went sightseeing. They visited the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum,
and even saw the volcano Mount Vesuvius, which smoked and fumed at the
time. Though Mozart and Leopold certainly enjoyed their time in Naples, they
still had not succeeded in finding a permanent court position for the teenage
composer.

The Mozarts’ return journey to Rome was particularly arduous. At one point, the
horses carrying their coach fell, and Leopold suffered a wound in his leg. The
injury was so serious that Leopold was bedridden for nearly a month. Mozart
however, walked away from the accident unharmed. When they finally reached
Rome, Mozart was made a knight and honored with the title of Cavalier of the
Order of the Golden Spur. Cardinal Lazzaro Pallavicini gave Mozart this decree,
and days later Mozart visited with Pope Clement XIV.

Mozart and Leopold once again left Rome for Count Pallavicini’s summer
residence, located outside Bologna. There, Mozart studied the relationship
between voices that have different rhythms but still harmonize together. This
relationship is known in classical music as counterpoint. Mozart learned
counterpoint from Padre Martini, a Franciscan friar, who sang and played the
violin and harpsichord. Martini’s teachings had some of the greatest impacts on
Mozart’s understanding of music and his overall career as a composer. He was
largely responsible for showing Mozart just how expressive a piece of music
could be when different compositional techniques were applied. This level of
expressiveness is exactly what made Mozart’s later works so remarkable.

Martini was further important in the life of Mozart because he encouraged
Mozart to take the exams to certify him as a master composer. The Accademia
Filarmonica di Bologna, one of the most prestigious music associations
throughout 18th century Europe, administered the exams. Martini reminded
Mozart that he was growing older and could not rely on his young age for his
prestige. He needed something more official to prove his talent.

Although Leopold wrote in a letter to Mozart’s mother that their son had
successfully completed the exams in less than half an hour, official documents at
the Accademia Filarmonica tell a different story. Apparently, Mozart did
complete the exam in record time, but the judges were not impressed by that, and
only found his work “satisfactory.” Nevertheless, he was admitted to the
association as a master. The diploma was an important milestone in his career, as
it was the first time Mozart’s technical knowledge and mastery was formally
acknowledged.

It was also an important turning point in the teenage musician’s personal life. In
letters to Mozart’s mother, Leopold remarked the ways in which Mozart was
physically changing. “He has no longer any singing voice. It has gone
completely,” Leopold wrote. He added, “He is most annoyed, for he can no
longer sing his own compositions, which he would sometimes like to do.” This
change was difficult for Mozart to cope with, because in this period, singers
were more highly regarded than composers. A child’s high-pitched voice was so
prized that sopranos were castrated before puberty in order to preserve their
singing voices.

Further, this audible change formally ended Mozart’s days as a child prodigy. He
could no longer rely on his age to enthrall audiences, and would be evaluated
among and against his adult peers. Leopold also noted that Mozart had grown so
much he required a new suit. The one he chose for his son was a handsome
scarlet suit with light blue lining. Though he was growing into a man, Mozart
did not grow enough facial hair in his teenage years to be shaved. He would have
to wait until the ripe age of twenty-two to deal with that problem.

In October of 1770, Mozart and Leopold returned to Milan. On the 26th of
December, Mozart was granted the high honor of inaugurating the Milanese
opera season. For the occasion, he directed Mitridate, an opera seria set in
ancient Rome, which Mozart wrote earlier in the year. To be commissioned for a
serious opera for the royal theater was an admirable assignment for a composer
of any age, and this commission was of special importance to fourteen-year old
Mozart.

In the late 18th century, the opera house was not as sacred as it is today. While
people in the 21st century may be used to sitting in silence and carefully
watching a performance, in Mozart’s time, people talked, ate, played cards, and
flirted while the opera was being performed. It was commonplace for people
who owned boxes to go to the opera or theater every single evening. If they
wanted, they had the liberty to close the curtains around the box and convert the
space into a private drawing room. Rather than watch the opera, they listened to
the music as we do the radio today—as background noise.

Despite the jocular nature of Italian opera in the 18th century, Mozart took his
art very seriously. He concentrated especially hard after the trauma of Vienna
just a few years earlier. Mozart even wrote in a letter to his mother, “Mamma, I
beg you to pray for me, that my opera may go well.” His hard work paid off.
Mitridate was a three-act opera with twenty-one arias (a long solo), a duet, and
final chorus. In total, the performance lasted six hours. The night of the
premiere, it ended with a standing ovation and cries of “Viva il maestrino!” The
opening was followed by more than twenty performances. Mozart was well paid
for each performance, and Leopold was happy.

Not only did the audience love the opera, but there is also proof the singers and
copyist, the person responsible for making copies by hand of Mozart’s arias,
found the work exceptional. In fact, the work was so well received, Empress
Maria Theresa, the duchess of Parma, and the court of Lisbon all requested
copies of the complete score, as did the organizer and financier of the theater in
Milan. The resounding success of Mitridate even earned Mozart a commission to
compose music for the festivities celebrating the marriage of Empress Maria
Theresa’s son, Archduke Ferdinand.

Italy was not all work and no play for fourteen year old Mozart. He and his
father arrived to Venice the day before Mardi Gras, on what was known as
Carnival Monday. They stayed in the center of the city near the Piazza San
Marco and traveled by gondola. The Mozarts had a friend from Salzburg, Johann
Wider, who lived in Venice. Wider adopted the name “Signor Giovanni” and
introduced Mozart to his six daughters, who ranged in age from five to twenty-
eight. Mozart was quite fond of the girls, as he was with most women. He even
wrote letters to his sister asking about girls from their hometown. By doing so,
he revealed his many crushes. Mozart was known to play word games, make
jokes, and even playfully chase young women. In general, despite the
seriousness with which he addressed his work, Mozart had a playful and
childlike personality that lasted into his twenties, later than most men.

The evening that Mozart and Leopold arrived in Venice, they attended the
theater in the company of Wider, his Venetian wife, and his daughters, who in
his letters, Mozart referred to as “pearls.” The following day, they attended the
theater once more, went dancing, and dined. They concluded the evening by
celebrating the end of Carnival at Venice’s famous masked ball in Piazza San
Marco.

Mozart’s father disapproved of his son’s play and interest in the Wider girls. In a
letter to Mozart’s mother, Leopold wrote, “[Venice is] the most dangerous place
in Italy [for young people.]” In general, Leopold was an overbearing father. He
looked down upon Mozart’s deviations as immoral. It is also likely that Leopold
foresaw and feared the day when Mozart would turn away from his father
completely. He struggled as his sweet, docile prodigy started to grow away from
him. In fact, people who knew the Mozarts observed Leopold’s discontent in
Venice. They also noticed and disapproved of Leopold’s tendency to dote on his
son. One composer who first met Leopold and Mozart in Vienna remarked, “I
hope [Mozart] will not be spoil of the father’s adulation, but will grow into an
honest fellow.”

The Second and Third Italian Journeys

After a short, four-month stay back home in Salzburg, Mozart and Leopold
embarked on their second Italian tour. They needed to return to Milan for the
marriage of Archduke Ferdinand to Princess Maria Beatrice Riccardia de’Este.
Mozart was commissioned to compose a mythical opera combining singing and
ballet to celebrate their union. Mozart’s Ascanio al Alba was performed
alongside a heroic opera written by Johann Adolph Hasse, a famous composer
more than seventy years old, who met Mozart in Vienna and praised his work, a
great compliment for the fourteen year old composer.

The seventeen year old Archduke Ferdinand was highly impressed by Mozart.
He wrote a letter to his mother, the empress, asking to take Mozart into his court.
To the dismay of the Archduke, and especially to Leopold who had only ever
wanted his son to enter court service, Empress Maria Theresa denied her son’s
request. She recalled the Vienna controversy that occurred three years before,
and warned the Archduke of the consequences of going against her advice. In
her letter, she called Mozart “useless,” and warned her son, “If they are in your
service it degrades that service when these people go about the world like
beggars.”

Mozart and Leopold departed for Salzburg before the scathing letter from the
empress reached Milan. Their home was in a period of transition, as Archbishop
Schrattenberg had died. This was an especially harsh tragedy for the Mozarts, as
Schrattenberg had been their noble protector both at home and abroad.

Count Hieronymus Joseph Franz von Colloredo replaced the vacant seat of
archbishop in Salzburg. Colloredo supported the Enlightenment, and was
primarily concerned with raising taxes and reorganizing the local government,
but was not adverse to extravagance, and neither were his subjects. Colloredo
was known for splitting his time between the church and hunting, while it was
said the people of Salzburg “all live[d] for pleasure.”

In order to gain the favor of Colloredo, Mozart composed a dramatic serenata
known as Il sogno di Scipione (Scipio’s Dream). Mozart dedicated the piece to
the new archbishop. Unfortunately, Mozart never had the chance to hear his
entire serenata performed. In order to save money, only one aria, the final
chorus, and the dedication were sung. The Mozarts faced further affronts when
Colloredo gave the title of concertmaster not to Leopold, but to an Italian named
Domenico Fischietti. This was not a good way for Mozart to start off with the
new leader and his presumed protectorate, and a poor sign for music under the
new archbishop.

Luckily, four months later, in August of 1772, Archbishop Colloredo bestowed
upon Mozart the title of concertmaster, and gave him an annual salary. Leopold
was still dissatisfied with the direction of the Salzburg court, and felt Mozart’s
salary was too low. He believed there was something better for his son. So they
left, once again, for Italy.

In October of 1772, Mozart and Leopold left Maria Anna and Nannerl once
more. When they reached Milan two months later, Mozart got to work
rehearsing his new three-act opera, Lucio Silla. The opera was scheduled to
premiere on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas. Lucio Silla was an entangled
love story set in classical Rome, and was so well received in Milan by both the
court and the public that it was performed twenty-six times during Carnival.
While in Milan, Mozart and Leopold were wined and dined by the nobility they
befriended on the previous two journeys. However, the friendliness of the court
in Milan and throughout Tuscany stopped short of offering Mozart a position.
After five months, Leopold and Mozart returned to Salzburg.

A Second Try in Vienna

Once Leopold realized the effort to secure Mozart a position in an Italian court
was futile, he decided to try his luck once more in Vienna. Leopold and Mozart
returned to Salzburg for four months, during which Mozart composed at least
four symphonies. In July of 1773, they gathered their bags and set out for
Vienna. Like their first trip to the imperial city, this mission was doomed from
the start. Most of Vienna’s nobility had already left the capital to spend the
summer months in their country estates. Mozart did, however, perform for
Empress Maria Theresa, the same empress who prohibited her son, Archduke
Ferdinand, from hiring Mozart. Though Mozart was well received, Leopold
made the mistake of going behind the empress’s back to meet with the first
violinist and other court insiders to make a plea from within to secure Mozart a
court position. This sort of mischief did not work, and only succeeded in
revealing more of Leopold’s unsavory, and at times desperate, character.

The most important part of Mozart’s 1773 trip to Vienna was his exposure to the
accomplished composer Joseph Haydn. Haydn was so beloved by the Viennese
he was named the “darling of our nation.” Needless to say, his style came to
dominate the music scene in Vienna. Mozart did not meet the esteemed
composer until years later, but he surely became increasingly familiar with
Haydn’s music during this jaunt.

Concertmaster in Salzburg

Back in Salzburg, Mozart was busy as the concertmaster and first violin. In
addition to playing solos in the symphony orchestra, Mozart was required to
assist the conductor. Despite the great honor and responsibility, he was unhappy.
Archbishop Colloredo treated Mozart like he was a servant. Perhaps worse, he
did not share Mozart’s taste in music. Colloredo had a bias towards Italians, and
regularly promoted musicians of Italian descent while looking down upon those
from Salzburg. Despite Mozart’s bitterness, he wrote prolifically during this
time. He was required to produce music for a variety of purposes, including
celebrations at the court, university, and church.

Colloredo supported entertainment and even opened a large room in the town
hall for gambling, concerts, and Carnival festivities. In 1775, he built a new
theater that featured touring acts from Munich and France. Mozart however,
spent the majority of his time working, and only rarely joined in the fun.
Whether or not this was Mozart’s choice his father’s is another matter. In a letter
from Leopold to Mozart from February of 1778, he tried to make Mozart feel
guilty. He wrote, “I never spent a farthing on the smallest pleasure for myself
[...] When you were children, I gave up all my time to you.”

Instead of spending his free time in the gambling halls, Mozart filled the
additional hours in his day composing for aristocratic patrons. For example, in
1776, Mozart wrote music for the wedding of a family friend. Mozart also
worked as a music teacher. He called on the homes of the daughters of nobility
and kept up his own independent studies. Remarkably, a series of grey-blue
covered exercise books remain from this period. These prove Mozart never
stopped practicing and perfecting the art of composition. He also underwent
advanced studies of piano, organ, and violin at this time. In addition to his music
studies, Mozart practiced Latin, French, and Italian, and likely read books in
various languages and studied mathematics.

Mozart remained in Colloredo’s service until 1777, when he was fired. The final
dispute between Mozart and Colloredo occurred after Mozart and Leopold
requested paid time off to travel and play in other cities. Colloredo was annoyed
with the Mozarts, and fired them both. While Leopold’s dismissal was later
rescinded, Mozart was left without a job.
 Chapter 4: Travels to Germany and Paris
with his Mother

“A man of ordinary talent will always be ordinary, whether he travels or not;
but a man of superior talent will go to pieces if he remains forever in the same
place.”—Mozart

Growth and Heart Break in Germany

Mozart was relieved of his duties with the Salzburg court, so he set out to find a
job in Paris. His mother accompanied him, instead of his father. This was
because Leopold’s dismissal from the court had been rescinded, and he was
required to stay in Salzburg. Nevertheless, Leopold tried to control the journey
from afar. He made contacts and arranged for Mozart and Maria Anna to stay in
noble residences. He sent them on a predesigned route, and gave Mozart written
reminders not to drink and indulge in excess. Leopold also warned Mozart
against traveling as a beggar, and instead advised him to command respect first
through his outward appearance and only secondly with his music.

On September 23, 1777, Mozart and Maria Anna left for Munich. With the help
of the empress, the administrator of Munich’s court theaters, and the Archbishop
of Chiemsee, Mozart gained an audience with Munich’s city elector. Mozart
hoped to find a vacancy right there in Munich. Unfortunately, he was almost
immediately denied a position in the court. Nevertheless, Mozart wanted to stay
in Munich and forge a path for himself there, but was compelled to obey his
father. Leopold told Mozart in a letter, “As soon as you find that you can earn no
more, you must try to get away at once.” This meant as soon as Mozart was
denied a court position, he must move on to a new city.

Mozart and Maria Anna moved onward to Leopold’s hometown of Augsburg,
where they stayed with Leopold’s uncle, Franz Alois. Mozart became fond of his
cousin, Maria Anna Thekla, and even gave her the affectionate nickname of
“Bäsle,” which means “little cousin.” Letters from Mozart to Bäsle hint at the
fact that they may have been lovers. One such letter reads, “I’m kissing your
hands, your face, your knees, even your—, in a nutshell, anything you let me
kiss!”

Girls were not Mozart’s only discovery in Augsburg. He also showed an interest
in French keyboard. He performed for the local magistrate, and even more
importantly, met keyboard maker Johann Andreas Stein. Stein was impressed by
Mozart’s keen observations, and even though he was much older than Mozart, he
reached out to the teenager for advice.

Stein believed his own eight year-old daughter was a prodigy. He asked Mozart
to give his opinion of her talents, though he was likely disappointed when
Mozart answered honestly. He said the girl was gifted, but did not understand
tempo and would never be an exceptional musician. This exchange shows
Mozart was not concerned with being polite. Some would even say Mozart
adopted Leopold’s attitude, and was rather pompous. In one instance, Mozart
went so far as to call another composer’s work “wretched as usual.”

Mozart and Maria Anna stayed in Augsburg for one month, then set out for
Mannheim, a German city where the court was modeled after Versailles. The
French influence was so strong in Manheim that the city was at times described
as a French colony. Mannheim was a rich cultural center with a library, natural
history museum, and academy of drawing and sculpture. It even had a classical
gallery complete with plaster casts of well-known sculptures and collections of
paintings and engravings. Just three years before the Mozarts arrived in
Mannheim, the ruling elector sponsored a major project of translating comic
operas from French to German. By doing so, he instigated the tradition of
German opera and started a new nationalist movement. Mozart was in
Mannheim at a precipitous time; the French influence was still very palpable, but
the tides were quickly turning in favor of the city’s native German culture.

Mozart involved himself in some of the most important literary and musical
debates of the day. However, the musicians in Mannheim did not take kindly to
Mozart. They not only attacked his music and ideas, but they also made fun of
Mozart’s appearance. Overtime however, the musicians warmed to his unique
personality, and even came to admire his musical talents.

Mozart worked hard to win over the musicians in Mannheim. He found them
much more interesting and cultured than the musicians he knew from back home
in Salzburg. He wanted their companionship, and he wanted to learn from them.
Luckily, Mozart was charming enough to eventually be accepted into their social
circle, and became particularly friendly with Christian Cannabich, a talented
musician who taught all the violinists in the Mannheim orchestra. Mozart and
Cannabich saw each other daily, and they often ate meals together that ended in
fiery conversation and playful music making. This was a big swing in Mozart’s
attitude and manner. Now free of his father’s expectations for Mozart to be
serious and somber, he could be jocular and lively.

Though it was surely Cannabich’s friendship that Mozart most treasured, the
teenage composer was also enticed by his friend’s eldest daughter, Rosa. Though
Rosa was only thirteen, Mozart found her attractive and mature for her age. He
wrote a sonata for Rosa and gave her music lessons.

Cannabich introduced Mozart to other musicians, including flutist Johann
Baptist Wendling, a talented and dedicated musician who played with the
Mannheim orchestra for more than twenty years. He was also well known for
keeping his house open for all to visit. Wendling also had a daughter, Augusta,
who so enchanted Mozart that he “had to kiss [her.]” Mozart wrote a French
song for Augusta and other music pieces for the rest of the family.

Wendling and three other musicians from the Mannheim orchestra told Mozart
they planned to travel to Paris and play concerts in the French city. It was the
perfect opportunity. But first, Mozart had to convince his father. In December of
1777, Mozart wrote a letter to Leopold explaining the situation. Wendling had
been to Paris once, and promised to show Mozart around the music scene and to
introduce him to the appropriate people. His friend promised Mozart fame and
fortune. He used these oaths to appeal to his father, and luckily Maria Anna
supported the idea. She wrote to Leopold, “Paris is the only place to achieve
anything. [..] Herr Wendling has assured me that he’ll be a father to him, he
loves him as if he were his own son, and he’ll be as well looked after as if he
were with me.”

Leopold stressed how important it was for Mozart to find a position in
Mannheim. He did not want Mozart to lose sight of his goals. But he reminded
his son once more that he should move on if no additional opportunities
presented themselves in Mannheim. In this way, Leopold gave his blessing for
Mozart to go to Paris.

The trip to Paris was planned for spring. Until then, Mozart continued to impress
the court and the public in Mannheim. Following one concert at the court, the
empress told Mozart, “You play incomparably well.” Despite praise for Mozart,
his finances were dwindling. Mozart was more determined than ever to find a
permanent post in Mannheim. Cannabich helped advise his friend on how and
when to approach the elector, but despite all of Mozart’s efforts, the elector
continued to deny him a permanent position in the court.

As an alternative solution, Wendling suggested soliciting the help of a friend
known as “the Indian.” The Indian was a wealthy man who offered to pay 200
florins for three short flute concertos and a few flute quartets. Wendling further
volunteered to help Mozart by offering the composer both lunch and dinner at
his place. Another friend said he would host Mozart for the remainder of his stay
in Mannheim. Mozart found this to be the perfect solution. He must have also
been excited about the prospect of living without his mother. He promptly set
out to find her a small apartment. Leopold was pleased with this plan, but he
implored his son to stay with his mother. “You should not and must not leave
Mama alone [...] be sure to stay with her and take care of her, so that she lacks
nothing, just as she cares for you,” Leopold wrote in a letter to his son. Though it
seemed Leopold was concerned about Maria Anna’s well-being, he was more
worried Mozart was letting his own moral and religious values go out the
window. In response to Leopold’s concerns, Mozart wrote his father, “[....] just
let me ask you one thing, and that is not to have such a low opinion of me! I like
to enjoy myself, but rest assured that I can be as serious as the next man.” Letters
like these show Mozart was, in many ways, just like any other young adult
seeking respect from his parents while forging his own path and identity in the
world.

His father’s letter convinced him to abandon his plan of living without his
mother. Mozart and Maria Anna stayed in an apartment of a noble. Instead of
paying rent, Mozart gave harpsichord lessons to their host’s fifteen-year old
daughter. Though the daughter was not of exceptional talent, she was a diligent
student. Her studies with Mozart cumulated in her playing his concertos during a
party at her parent’s house. Before leaving Mannheim, Mozart gifted his student
a keyboard sonata.

In the two months that Mozart and his mother stayed in the apartment, he was
fairly busy. In one letter in December of 1777, he detailed his daily schedule. In
a time before electric light bulbs and alarm clocks, Mozart had to wake up with
the sun. During the winter, the sun did not rise before eight o’clock. He dressed
around ten o’clock and composed for two hours. At noon, he went to Wendling’s
home where he continued to write until half past one. Lunch lasted until around
three o’clock. The remainder of the afternoon was filled with lessons. On this
particular day, Mozart gave three separate lessons, including one to Cannabich’s
daughter. On that evening, he stayed at the Cannabich household for dinner.
Following dinner, they talked or gambled. He then read from a book he carried
in his pocket.

Because Mozart’s schedule was so full, Maria Anna was left alone quite often.
However, she rather enjoyed this arrangement. In the evenings, she gossiped
over dinner with the wife and daughter of their nobleman host. Mozart made an
arrangement to give another nobleman’s daughter music lessons in exchange for
Maria Anna’s lunch each day. Instead of joining his mother, Mozart ate all of his
meals with Wendling.

In January of 1778, Mozart discovered the emperor had plans to establish a
German opera in Vienna, saw the fame and fortune that potentially lay ahead,
and decided to go after the job. The first step was to solicit his father for help.
Mozart wrote Leopold a letter, telling him the good news of the potential
vacancy. He asked his father to write letters to all of his friends in Vienna,
seeking recommendations. At the same time Leopold sent out letters on Mozart’s
behalf, he received letters from friends in Vienna. These letters asked Leopold
why Mozart was not already in Vienna. They told him of all the jobs available,
and even offered to host Mozart in their homes.

At the same time, the organ player in Salzburg suffered a stroke and died.
Leopold and the famous composer Haydn were asked to make a
recommendation to replace the organ player, and they both immediately
recommended Mozart.

The date of Mozart’s Paris departure drew near, and he had a big decision to
make. There were no clear prospects in Paris. In contrast, possible appointments
awaited him in Vienna and Salzburg. Mozart told Leopold he planned to travel
to Paris with only a few of his things and leave his other belongings behind in
Mannheim. Leopold interpreted this to mean Mozart’s jaunt in Paris would be
short. He predicted Mozart would travel back to Mannheim when his friends
were finished playing concerts. Leopold thought this plan was reckless. In order
to gain fame and glory, not to mention financial reward, Mozart would need to
spend several months in the French capital. With this in mind, Leopold warned
Mozart to take everything with him, especially every last one of his music
scores.

In the end, Mozart came to his own conclusions. He decided not to travel to
Paris with Wendling and the other musicians. Mozart, who had been raised in a
strictly religious household, blamed his choice on the fact that Wendling was not
religious. Mozart even tried to shock Leopold by telling him Wendling’s
daughter had been someone’s mistress. “[...] the mere idea of being, even though
it is only on a journey, in the society of people whose way of thinking is so
entirely different from my own (and from that of all honorable people), horrifies
me. [...] I have not the heart to travel with them,” Mozart wrote in a letter to his
father just days before he was supposed to depart for Paris.

In truth, Mozart’s real motive for abandoning Paris had nothing to do with
religion or morals. In the same letter, he proposed staying in Mannheim to finish
the commission on which he was currently working. In his letter, he noted, “I
can stay here as long as I like and neither board nor lodging costs me anything.”
In yet another letter, Mozart showed a rather ugly side of himself that was
pompous and overly self-assured. He claimed, “I am a composer and was born to
be a [concertmaster].” Mozart declared he only wished to write French operas, as
opposed to German or Italian operas or any other “lesser” music. He further
stated his disregard for teaching and announced his refusal to call on students in
their own homes.

Leopold was not happy with Mozart’s choice. He believed Paris was the only
place Mozart could make a good living, and so he all but begged his son to act in
the interest of the family. He reminded Mozart the purpose of his trip was to
secure a permanent position in a foreign court, and if not that, to at least earn
money in a big city. “Both plans were designed to assist your parents and to help
on your dear sister, but above all to build up your own name and reputation in
the world,” Leopold wrote Mozart. He further condemned his son for being so
pretentious. “Never let yourself be carried away by your enthusiastic notions and
blind fancies,” he wrote.

The real reason behind Mozart’s decision was a girl. He had fallen in love with a
young girl named Aloysia Weber, the daughter of a singer in the Mannheim
court. The Webers were humble people of a lower social class. Though Leopold
married Maria Anna, who came from a poor family, he did not like his son to
associate with people who were anything but nobles. He thought people of a
lower social class were of no use to Mozart’s advancement in society. But
Mozart did not care; he was in love.

Aloysia was seventeen and an accomplished singer when she met Mozart. He
mentioned her in his letters to his father, saying she could be a “prima donna.”
During his stay in Mannheim, Mozart went on a trip in the company of the
Weber family. Mozart’s mother stayed behind. During the trip, Mozart and
Aloysia got to know one another. He wrote in a letter to his father, “[...] we
never enjoyed ourselves better than when we were on our own together.” Mozart
was so enamored with Aloysia that he paid half the expenses for the entire
family on the trip. To account for the loss, he was honest with his father. He
promised that next time he would only pay for himself. It is clear from his
indication of a “next time” that Mozart saw a future for himself with the Webers.

The Weber family was fond of Mozart, and devised a plan to keep him in
Mannheim. The father offered to schedule concerts for Mozart and to
accompany him to the various destinations. Mozart tried to appeal to his father
by saying, “When I travel with him, it’s just as if I were travelling with you [...]
he is just like you and has exactly the same character and way of thinking.”
Unfortunately for Mozart, Leopold was not convinced, and neither was his
mother. In a letter to her husband, Maria Anna warned that Mozart was willing
to sacrifice everything for the girl. “We mustn’t ignore our own interests,” she
urged.

Mozart listened to his mother and father. In March, he painfully departed from
Aloysia. At their parting, Aloysia gifted Mozart two pairs of mittens. Her father
also had gifts for Mozart. In addition to copies of a famous French comedy, he
told Mozart’s mother, “Our best friend and benefactor is leaving us. Your son
has done a lot for my daughter and taken an interest in her. She can never be
grateful enough to him.”

Trials and Tribulations in Paris

The Mozart family had a friend in Paris, Friedrich Melchoir Grimm, who met
Mozart when he was a child prodigy playing concerts there, and who had visited
the family in Salzburg. Leopold warned Mozart things were very different in
France than they were in Germany. People were more polite and went about
finding patrons and scheduling concerts in a manner very different from what he
was used to. Since Leopold was not there to guide young Mozart, he advised
Mozart to ask the family friend, Grimm, for help. Grimm could show Mozart the
way around both the music scene and the noble’s court. When Mozart arrived in
Paris, Grimm tried to help by introducing Mozart to nobility. He hoped some of
the aristocrats would commission works from Mozart or at least hire him as a
music tutor. However, his help only went so far. The few people Mozart did
meet thanks to Grimm’s introductions were polite, but disinterested. The
relationship between Mozart and Grimm was further strained by the fact that
Mozart did not feel as if Grimm genuinely believed in his genius. Mozart
became increasingly frustrated with Grimm. He even called him “stupid, clumsy,
base and false.” Yet Grimm continued to help Mozart. Some speculate Grimm
only stuck with Mozart as a favor to Mozart’s father, whom he greatly admired.

Mozart was challenged to make many of his own friends and to seek out his own
mentors. One of the most important composers Mozart became familiar with was
André Grétry. Grétry was born into a musician family in the city of Liège,
located in present-day Belgium. When he was twenty-six years old, he moved to
France and became French in every possible way. Though his name might not be
as well-known as Mozart’s today, he was very famous during his time and is one
of the most important characters in the history of classical music. He composed
more than fifty operas and was particularly well known for his works of opera
comique. This genre of French opera originated in the Paris theaters and was
characterized by the use of spoken French interspersed with sung arias. This was
very different from the classical French opera that developed one hundred years
earlier in the court of Louis XIV, which usually told stories of classical
mythology, while Grétry’s opera comique could be based on anything from
contemporary literature to fairy tales.

One of the first performances Mozart saw in Paris was a production of Grétry’s
Les trois ages de l’opéra. The opera was basically a story about the history of
opera. Mozart had never seen anything like it. It was an important piece to see,
for it introduced Mozart to the discussions and controversies about opera that
were circulating in Paris at the time.

Italian opera had reigned supreme since it was first invented in Florence in the
late 1500s. In the 18th century, Italian opera developed into two main genres:
opera seria and opera buffa. Opera seria was based on classical myths and poetic
ideals. These productions aimed to affirm moral values and strove to be as
simple as possible in composition and style. Opera buffa, on the other hand, was
a comedic genre with simple plots that focused on action and humor.

Grétry wanted to promote French culture and the French nation. With this goal
in mind, he neglected the Italian genres and introduced an entirely new genre of
opera to Parisian audiences. He called these works opera comique. Although
comique sounds like comedy, these operas were not necessarily comedic. In fact,
many of the most famous opera comique were tragedies. What united these
works was the use of spoken language.

Grétry’s main opponent in the battle between old and new was Christoph
Willibald Gluck, a Bohemian composer who studied Italian opera under
Sammartini more than thirty years before Mozart trained under the same
Milanese composer. Gluck had very strong opinions about what opera should be.
He thought human drama should be at the center of opera. For example, the first
of his commissioned works to premier in Paris was an opera based on the Greek
mythical tragedy of Troy. It weighed the moral question of whether or not a king
should sacrifice his daughter to save his subjects. Ideas such as these were in
stark contrast to the beliefs of Grétry, who was more interested in using opera to
think about popular ideas and themes related to the current times.

The debates between new French opera and classical Italian opera prompted
Mozart to think more critically about opera and his role in the format. He was
faced with the question of what kinds of operas he wanted to write, and knew
this decision could make or break him. Choosing whether you embraced the new
genre or adhered to the old tradition was like making the decision to keep the
religion you grew up with or to convert to something new.

Mozart was torn. His guide to Paris, Grimm, said staying neutral would be the
end of Mozart in Paris; he had to choose. Grimm himself was a strong supporter
of the Italian school, and thus of Gluck. Mozart was not a fan of Gluck’s work,
but he did agree with Grimm that Italian opera was preferable to French. This is
perhaps unsurprising, as Mozart came to dislike the French. He described French
people as “rude” and “frighteningly arrogant.” He also thought the French
language was unsuited to music. Mozart and Grimm both went so far as to say
the French language was “the root of all evil.” He instead believed opera should
only be sung in Italian, as it had been since the 16th century. He further
criticized French singers, saying their voices were more akin to screaming and
howling than they were to actual singing.

By the end, Mozart not only felt disdain for the French people, but also came to
despise the French music scene. “If this were a place where people had ears to
hear, hearts to feel and some measure or understanding or taste for music, I’d
laugh heartily at all that has happened, but (as far as music is concerned) I’m
surrounded by nothing by beasts and animals,” Mozart wrote Leopold. In order
to avoid conflict and competition, Mozart chose not to compose operas, but
instead to focus on instrumental music.

Mozart was not commissioned for an opera while in Paris. He was instead
invited to compose a dramatic ballet for the Académie Royale de Musique. The
maître de ballet instructed Mozart to compose the work in the style of Gluck.
When Mozart told his father of the commission, Leopold responded with
enthusiasm, and urged him to take the commission seriously. It was important
that Mozart master the French language—not only its words and grammar, but
also its intonation and particularities—and become an expert on French culture
and taste. Leopold reminded Mozart how important it would be to seek the
advice and critique of Grimm when writing the drafts and final composition. He
knew what the French liked better than Mozart ever would.

Unfortunately, the project fell through, and the work was never performed.
However, this failure was an important lesson for Mozart. He was once again
faced with questions regarding his morals and motives in his work as a
composer. He was also reminded that it was absolutely necessary to secure a
fixed contract, and that it was dangerous to become overly excited about a
project before it was guaranteed to materialize.

Mozart’s one success in Paris was a symphony he wrote especially for a public
concert occurring on the Feast of Corpus Christi. Mozart wrote the symphony to
please French tastes, but was still terrified the concert would be a disaster. He
was especially worried because the musicians did not play to his liking during
rehearsal. Mozart was so afraid they would embarrass him, he resolved the night
before the big event not to go. However, he changed his mind in the morning,
and to his pleasant surprise, the concert was a resounding success.

Shortly after the concert, Mozart was struck with tragedy. Mozart’s mother,
Maria Anna, was ill from the time they arrived in Paris. Her condition worsened
over time due to dingy accommodations and poor food quality. Grimm sent a
doctor to treat Maria Anna, but there was no hope. Mozart stayed at his mother’s
bedside for two weeks until she died on July 3, 1778.

Mozart did not know how to break the news to his father. Neither he nor his
mother had even mentioned Maria Anna’s illness in their letters. Mozart decided
to write a letter to his father telling him of his mother’s serious illness in order to
prepare him for the horrific news of his wife’s death. At the same time, he wrote
a letter to Leopold’s good friend telling him the truth as to make sure there
would be someone there to console his father. Mozart wrote a second letter to his
father giving a detailed account of his mother’s death, all the while trying to
comfort him and assure his father that he was grieving but doing okay.

Though recent times had been difficult for Mozart, life soon changed for the
better. Shortly after Maria Anna’s death, the position of organist opened in
Salzburg. As much as Mozart hated Paris, though, he thought worse of his
hometown. He hated the music scene there and thought the musicians inferior to
those in just about any other European city. It would take the greatest effort to
bring Mozart back to Salzburg.

The same family friend who consoled Leopold at the time of Maria Anna’s death
wrote a letter to Mozart persuading him to come back to Salzburg. He argued the
organist job was a good one, and it would make Leopold very happy to work
alongside his son at the court. He also made the argument that a soprano position
would soon open, creating an opportunity for Mozart to reunite with his love,
Aloysia. In another letter, Leopold promised to work hard to promote Aloysia
among the Salzburg music community and within the court. Appealing to the
young man’s heart, Leopold successfully convinced Mozart to return to Salzburg
and to bring Aloysia with him.

Mozart was faced with more disappointment, however. Aloysia found work as
an opera singer, in Munich and was paid a good salary. Mozart tried to convince
Aloysia to come to Salzburg with him by writing her an aria expressing his love.
The aria was called Popoli di Tessaglia, and came from a 1767 opera written by
Gluck. The aria is still famous today for its inclusion of the highest musical note
possible for a soprano. The pitch is so high that only a select few singers in
history have been able to stretch their voices to reach the note. Aloysia was one
such gifted singer. It is telling and touching that Mozart wrote the aria especially
to showcase her exceptional talents. But, despite the thought and love Mozart put
into the aria, Aloysia still rejected Mozart’s pleas. It was a choice of work over
love.

Mozart was deeply pained by Aloysia’s rejection. The agony he experienced
must have been further amplified by the grief Mozart still felt over the loss of his
mother. However, these two experiences undoubtedly helped Mozart access
emotional parts of himself he never knew before. This tragic time in his life was
a turning point in Mozart’s maturation both in work and in life.
 Chapter 5: Concertmaster

“I am not thoughtless but am prepared for anything and as a result can wait
patiently for whatever the future holds in store, and I’ll be able to endure
it.”—Mozart

Life as Concertmaster in Salzburg

On his way back to Salzburg, Mozart stopped in Mannheim. There he met with
Cannabich’s wife, Marie Elisabeth, who told Mozart all the city gossip. By this
time, Mozart had many friends in Mannheim, and preferred to stay there instead
of Salzburg. He tried to convince his father to let him stay. In a letter to his
father, he said that in order for him to come back home, the Archbishop of
Salzburg would need to pay him a higher salary than previously promised.
Mozart argued that he was in high demand in Mannheim. In his letter, he wrote,
“Mannheim loves me as much as I love Mannheim.”

To Mozart’s dismay, Leopold stuck to his old plan. “You’re not to take up an
appointment in Mannheim or anywhere else at present,” was Leopold’s blunt
reply. He ordered Mozart to come home at once, before the Archbishop of
Salzburg took back his offer completely.

Mozart inevitably listened to his father. However, he made his reluctance and
grief clear. He stopped once more on the journey. This time he visited another
former love, his cousin Bäsle. Though Mozart was unsuccessful in convincing
Aloysia to join him in Salzburg, he was able to persuade Bäsle to accompany
him home.

On January 15, 1779, just twelve days before his twenty-third birthday, Mozart
stepped foot once more on home soil. One month later, Mozart was made
concertmaster and court organist for the Salzburg court. Mozart’s music now
rang throughout the court, the chapel, and the cathedral. His responsibilities
included leading and composing original scores for the court and the church, as
well as giving keyboard lessons to the choirboys. Though Mozart was sad to be
back in Salzburg, he was pleased with his new salary, three times more than the
first concertmaster salary he received between the years of 1772 and 1777.

Much of Mozart’s work at this time was concerned with music for religious
purposes. However, his personal interests increasingly focused on secular
theater. He got to know many of the people working with operas and plays. One
such man was Emanuel Schikaneder, who began his career in Bavaria as a
singer, ballet dancer, and actor. But his real talent, like Mozart’s, was
composition. He had a theater troupe that traveled to Salzburg in 1780, which is
when Schikaneder got to know Mozart. Their meeting was the start of a long and
fruitful collaboration.

One of the more interesting theater pieces the two men worked on together was a
dramatic play set in ancient Egypt. It was called Thamos, König in Egypten
(“Thomas, King in Egypt”). Its subject matter offers clues about Mozart’s time,
in which eastern lands and ideas about the “exotic” captivated the minds of
people in the west. On another occasion in 1786, Mozart amused the attendees at
a masked ball when he dressed as an Indian philosopher and passed out leaflets
with proverbs and riddles. Both Thamos and this anecdote suggest Mozart, who
later became a member of the mystic society of Freemasons, had a longstanding
interest in and connection to mysticism.

A Big Break in Munich

Mozart received a big break in 1781 when he was commissioned by the court of
Munich to compose an opera seria for the Carnival celebrations, an important
task. But what excited Mozart even more was the opportunity to leave Salzburg,
even if only for a short time. The Munich court wanted him to write the music
for a work of Greek mythology titled Idomeneo, re di Creta (“Idomeno, King of
Crete”). The work was an exciting and heart-wrenching story of love and family
loyalties.

Mozart traveled to Munich in October of 1780 to work collaboratively on the
score with the Munich singers. Back on the road, Mozart was again in his
element. He wrote to Leopold upon reaching Munich, “My arrival here was
happy and enjoyable!” The nobility and musicians of Munich were glad to see
Mozart back in their city. In another letter, Mozart wrote, “[...] the most
distinguished and influential families of the nobility are on my side, and the
leading musicians are all for me.”

Mozart assured his father in letters that he was happy with the performances
during rehearsals and he had no doubt the premiere would be met with applause.
It is interesting that instead of outright congratulating his son, Leopold reminded
the twenty-four year old genius that he needed to keep the general public in
mind, who would be his harshest critics. “[...] you know that for every ten real
connoisseurs there are a hundred ignoramuses;—so don’t neglect the ‘popular’
style,” he warned.

He had nothing to worry about. Mozart’s praises in Munich even reached
Salzburg. Leopold told his son this good news in a 1780 letter. He wrote, “The
whole town [Salzburg] is saying how good your opera is.”

In January of 1781, Mozart’s father and sister visited him in Munich. They saw
his production of Idomeneo at the Court Theater, and two months later, the three
traveled to Augsburg to visit Leopold’s family. They were not there long before
Mozart was ordered to meet the archbishop of Salzburg in Vienna.

Trouble with the Archbishop

In the spring of 1781, Mozart traveled to Vienna on the orders of the archbishop
of Salzburg. The ruler of Salzburg was traveling to participate in the celebrations
surrounding Emperor Joseph II’s ascension to the throne of the Habsburg
Empire. Such occasions naturally required music. Mozart always had a big ego,
but when the archbishop of Salzburg treated him as no more than a servant, his
pride was wounded as never before. He was especially annoyed because the
archbishop would not permit him to play a concert only containing compositions
written by Mozart himself. In a letter to Leopold, Mozart complained about this
situation, and even went as far as to refer to the ruler as an “arch-oaf.” He further
claimed the archbishop treated him as a “street urchin.”

Tensions between Mozart and the Archbishop came to a crescendo when the
Archbishop announced his intention to send his musicians back to Salzburg.
Mozart responded to this order by saying, “I can’t tell you what pleasure it will
give me to thumb by nose at the archbishop.” Mozart apparently thought he was
immune to the Archbishop’s wrath. He finished his thought by claiming the
archbishop “won’t be able to do a thing.” Mozart was convinced he would find
success in Vienna. There were pupils who needed teaching, the emperor
promised to summon Mozart any day now, and a seat in the Vienna court would
soon be vacant. With all these prospects brewing, Mozart could not justify
leaving.

In May of 1781, Mozart learned he was not any more special than the other court
musicians. When he disobeyed and angered the archbishop, he was subject to the
same punishments. In a letter to his father, he told a life-changing story.

It began when Mozart was told he needed to move out of his state-sponsored
Viennese apartment immediately. He packed his things and moved into the home
of Aloysia’s mother. Fortunately for Mozart, she moved with her other daughters
to Vienna after Aloysia left for Munich. Mozart claimed he planned to go home
as ordered, but first needed to collect the money that was owed to him. When
Mozart met with the archbishop the day of his planned departure, the archbishop
fired Mozart, but only after bombarding him with harsh insults. According to
Mozart’s account, the archbishop called him “a wretch, a scoundrel, and a
cretin.” The ruler told the composer he wanted nothing more to do with him, and
Mozart responded with the same language.

The next day, Mozart delivered his formal resignation to the archbishop.
However, the archbishop would not accept the resignation and demanded Mozart
get the permission of his father, to whom he was indebted. One month and three
resignation letters later, Mozart went to the archbishop’s residence one last time.
He met the archbishop’s steward and asked to see the archbishop. The exchange
must have turned into a shouting match, because Mozart wrote that the steward
called him a “clown,” and then gave him an actual “kick in the arse.”

Up until this point, Mozart had certainly experienced his fair share of failures,
but this affair was perhaps the most embarrassing situation to which he had been
subjected.

When Mozart told his father this news, he also assured Leopold that his honor
was intact and that there was much work to come for him in Vienna. He even
told his father that he and Nannerl could come live with him in Vienna should
they face any hardship from the archbishop.

It is not surprising that Leopold did not respond to Mozart’s letter with grace and
kindness. He was instead completely enraged that Mozart acted with such
insolence. He felt as if Mozart had given up everything, and had made the worst
possible decision of his life.
 Chapter 6: Mozart in Vienna

“It is a mistake to think that the practice of my art has become easy to me. I
assure you, dear friend, no one has given so much care to the study of
composition as I. There is scarcely a famous master in music whose works I
have not frequently and diligently studied.”—Mozart

A Free Man in Vienna

Mozart was angry. He was angry with the court at Salzburg and he was angry
with his father. He had been burdened and controlled by both bodies for far too
long. At twenty-five years old, he was glad to cut ties with both his father and
his fatherland. Instead of seeking another court appointment in which he risked
being bossed around by yet another ruler, Mozart decided to try working as a
freelance musician and composer. Unfortunately, his timing was not great. As
before, summer in Vienna yielded few opportunities for commissions. Most of
the nobility had left the city for their country homes and would not be back until
autumn.

Luckily, Mozart did receive one exciting commission during the summer of
1781. Emperor Joseph II invited Mozart to compose a Singspiel, a genre of
comedic opera that includes spoken language in addition to sung arias. It is a
specifically German form of opera. Mozart’s Singspiel was titled Die
Entführung aus dem Serail (“The Abduction from the Seraglio”). It premiered in
July of 1782, and told the fictional story of an Englishman who rescued his love
from a Turkish pasha. Mozart presented a twist in the plot. The Turkish man was
the hero, and thus considered more moral than the Westerner. Such an ending
was considered controversial in Mozart’s day, but this was a typical theme in
Mozart’s works; he almost always rooted for the underdog.

The performance was so successful and so exciting that the famous composer
Gluck requested an extra performance be staged. After the production, Gluck
befriended Mozart. It is notable that although Mozart sent the completed score to
his father, Leopold did not offer a single word of congratulations to his son. It
seemed their relationship had suffered permanent damage.

As a freelance musician between 1782 and 1786, Mozart produced an
astounding number of keyboard compositions. This was a very exciting time in
the history of the piano. Prior to this era, the most common keyboard instrument
was the harpsichord, the precursor to the modern piano. But in 1780s Vienna,
both the musical and non-musical public was excited about a new instrument:
the pianoforte. By this time, all young girls were expected to learn to play the
piano. It was part of their womanly duties to perform nightly concerts, during
which family members played and sang along. Some scholars estimate Vienna
was home to 6,000 keyboard instruments by 1784, the same year Mozart bought
his own pianoforte. It was therefore very honorable for Mozart to be considered
the city’s best pianist.

Mozart Marries Constanze Weber

In 1862, Mozart moved into the Weber house with Aloysia’s mother and three
unmarried sisters. He was happy to be in the company of a family who treated
him as royalty. However, the people of Vienna gossiped about Mozart’s living
situation, as it was highly unusual at the time for a bachelor to live in a home
with all women. The inevitable did occur, and Mozart fell in love with one of the
girls.

Constanze Weber was eight years younger than Mozart. When they married in
August 1782, Mozart was twenty-six and she eighteen. She was perhaps a better
match for Mozart than her sister. Unlike Aloysia, Constanze did not have
ambitions of pursuing a career as a singer or otherwise, and was content in her
role as housewife, and especially as muse to Mozart. (The heroine in “The
Abduction” is named Constanze, and many scholars believe the character was
inspired by Constanze Weber, whom Mozart had not yet married, but was
courting at the time of his writing the opera). In the proceeding eight years after
her marriage to Mozart, Constanze gave birth to six children. Only two survived
past infancy.

One year after marrying Constanze, Mozart and his new wife traveled to
Salzburg for a three-month visit with Leopold and Nannerl. It was the first time
Constanze met the rest of Mozart’s family. During this time, the Mozart family
played a lot of music together. Constanze sang, while Mozart and Nannerl
played the piano, just as they did as children. At times, Mozart also played the
violin, as did Leopold. Family friends often joined, and at times a bassoon or
obo accompanied the string instruments. In addition to making music at
Leopold’s home, Mozart and Constanze spent their time sightseeing around
Salzburg and attending the theater.

Financial Troubles and Society Memberships

When Mozart returned to Vienna in November of 1783, he was concerned about
his finances. Although he was paid well the previous concert season, Mozart was
not very good at saving money. He enjoyed his luxuries and was a lavish
spender. Besides, his ego was so big at this point that Mozart could not possibly
foresee a future in which he did not have enough commissions and concerts to
get him through the current season.

In a way, he was right about having enough work to get over the obstacle of zero
savings. In 1784, Mozart was busy composing music for both the theater and the
church. He also performed concerts in the evenings and taught students in the
mornings. In one letter to Leopold, Mozart listed plans for twenty-two concerts
in a single month. In another letter, Mozart explained the coming weeks would
be so incredibly busy that he would not have time to write his father.

However, this was not always the case. Mozart was popular in his day, but he
was not without his critics. In February of 1785, Mozart sought entry into a
prestigious concert association known as the Tonkünstlersozietät (literally
translated as “Musician Society”). The association was the first of its kind in
Vienna. It dated to 1771, and served as a club for court and other professional
musicians, and provided social security for its members. Each member was
required to pay an initial fee, as well as a small annual fee. Once a musician was
a member, he could participate in official Tonkünstlersozietät concerts, which
were extremely well attended and earned enough income to provide social
security for retired members of the association. Members of the association were
also promised that their widows and children would be taken care of after their
deaths.

Mozart wanted to join the association not only for the financial security, but also
for the prestige. The court was closely tied to the association, and members of
nobility were often seen at the concerts. Empress Maria Theresa had authorized
its founding, and even donated a substantial amount of money. If Mozart ever
wanted to join the ranks of the court musicians in Vienna, it was essential he be
a member of the society.

Mozart composed music for and played in society concerts as early as 1773. One
can imagine his surprise when he was denied membership. When he asked the
association why he was not granted membership, he was told he needed to
present a birth certificate. Whether or not this was an excuse for denying him
membership is still up for debate. Regardless, Mozart never handed over his
birth certificate, and never gained official membership in the
Tonkünstlersozietät.

Mozart did, however, become a member of another society. In December of
1784, Mozart was initiated into the Freemasons. The fraternal organization dates
to the 14th century, and is organized by lodges. The lodge Mozart joined was
called Zur Wohltätigkeit (Beneficence). Its members included officials of the
imperial court, as well as musicians and composers, like Joseph Haydn.

The tradition of Freemasonry involved mystic symbols and rituals. Just as the
church and court required music for its various rituals, so too did the
Freemasons. As a member, Mozart provided much of this music. Mozart’s
scores were played during funerals, processions, and the opening and closing of
lodges, among other rituals and events. During Leopold’s visit to Vienna in
1775, he too became a Freemason. The same month of Leopold’s initiation,
Mozart wrote a cantata titled Die Maurerfreude (“The Mason’s Joy”) to honor a
master, or elected leader of a masonic lodge.

Freemasonry then and now is based on spiritual values of integrity, generosity,
and kindness. Freemasons seek to become the best people they can be by living
morally and striving for the truth through education and self-knowledge. This
process includes both mysticism and rituals. Scholars and freemasons alike
recognize these and other masonic themes in much of Mozart’s music. For
example, the English titles of the compositions written after Leopold’s initiation
include “The Enchanter” and “Contentment.”

Mozart and Haydn

Mozart’s masonic brother, Joseph Haydn, was the founder of the string quartet, a
music ensemble consisting of two violins, one viola, and one cello. It is unclear
when exactly the two composers met, but by the end of 1784, they were good
friends and strong influences on one another.

Around the time that Mozart and Haydn befriended one another, Haydn wrote
La fedelta premiata (“Fidelity Rewarded”). When it premiered at the theater in
Vienna, it was performed to a sold out audience. Among the audience members
were Mozart and the entire court of Emperor Joseph II.

Haydn scored two different finales (one for Act I and one for Act II) for La
fedelta premiata. These finales were the most impressive parts of the score,
because they were some of the most complex pieces of music ever written up
until that point. Little did he know that Mozart would take these finales even
further.

In 1786, Mozart wrote a comedic opera titled Le nozze di Figaro (“The Marriage
of Figaro”). It was set in 18th century Seville, and told the story of two servants
in love who must trick and fool their adulterous master before they can
successfully marry. In many ways, the opera was the story of an underdog who
triumphed over the arrogance of nobility, the same general theme as Die
Entführung, in which the Turkish pasha is triumphant over the Englishman.
When the opera first premiered in Vienna, the music was so complex that many
of the orchestra members struggled to play the piece accurately. Further, the
majority of the audience members were unsure how they felt about the music. It
was certainly different from what they were used to hearing. This was largely
because Mozart had transformed Haydn’s finales from La fedelta premiata into
his own complex finales.

Before Mozart wrote Le nozze di Figaro, he borrowed yet another element of
Haydn’s oeuvre. In 1785, Mozart dedicated six string quartets to Haydn. On
several occasions, Mozart credited Haydn with teaching him how to compose
string quartets. While Mozart had traditionally been extravagant in his choice
and variety of themes, Haydn showed Mozart that simplicity and economy were
sometimes more impressive and more impactful than was complexity. This
simplicity and clarity became the defining feature in Mozart’s most successful
compositions. They also characterized the Classical era that scholars say Mozart
and Haydn pioneered.

In Mozart’s dedication of the string quartets to Hayden, he described his
compositions as his sons, and “the fruit of a long and laborious effort.” He asked
Hayden to “receive them kindly, be their father, guide, and friend!” Perhaps
Mozart was talking more about his own relationship with Haydn, who was
twenty-four years his senior. Maybe this was his way of thanking his friend for
being the kind and supportive father that Mozart felt Leopold never was.

The respect between Mozart and Haydn was mutual. During Leopold’s visit in
1785, Mozart introduced his father to his esteemed friend. After a performance
of three of the “Haydn Quartets” in Mozart’s home, Haydn reportedly told
Leopold, “I tell you before God, and as an honest man, that your son is the
greatest composer I know, either personally or by reputation: he has taste and
moreover the greatest possible knowledge of the science of composition.” The
respect lasted beyond Mozart’s lifetime. Seven years after Mozart’s death,
Haydn wrote, “If I could only impress on the soul of every friend of music, and
on high personages in particular, how inimitable are Mozart’s works, how
profound, how musically intelligent, how extraordinarily sensitive.”
 Chapter 7: Mozart in Prague

“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.”—Mozart

Music in Prague

Prague had a long history of music appreciation that permeated every bit of
society. It was tradition that each year, every head of school wrote a new mass
for his students to perform. The students were watched closely, and when a
member of nobility or the church recognized extraordinary talent in one of the
young boys or girls, the aristocratic body sponsored his or her placement in an
institution for musical education. These young boys and girls grew into fine
musicians and were often placed in service of the court, the church, or a wealthy
nobleman. Music was so important that riflemen were required to perfect the art
of blowing the bugle before they were permitted to wear their uniforms, and the
servants of noblemen were only considered competent if they had some degree
of music knowledge.

These traditions existed not only in the big city of Prague, but also in the smaller
towns and villages of Bohemia. It was therefore expected that all members of
society, no matter their social positions, had exposure to music and music
education.

Le nozze di Figaro Premieres in Prague

The Mozarts had a friend in Prague, Franz Duschek, one of the poor village boys
recognized for his musical talents and sent to a seminary to study music. After
his school days, Duschek studied pianoforte under a Viennese master, and later
promoted the art form in Prague. In his adult life, Duschek supported foreign
artists and often opened his home to musicians visiting from abroad. He was
married to a rather colorful figure in history, an accomplished pianoforte player
and singer named Josepha. Josepha was not only known for her musical talents,
but also for her reputation as being somewhat risqué. She was the one who
initially invited Mozart to produce Le nozze di Figaro in Prague, not Duschek.
Some say her invitation was motivated not only by fandom, but also by a love
interest in the Austrian composer.

Regardless of Josepha’s motives or intentions, she was not the only music
connoisseur interested in bringing Mozart to Prague. He liked the idea, and in
January of 1787, he premiered his Italian opera in Prague. In stark contrast to the
lukewarm reception he received in Vienna, Le nozze di Figaro was met with
astonishment and applause. The people loved it.

Don Giovanni

Mozart was so excited to have finally found an audience that appreciated and
believed in his music the way he did that he set out to write an opera especially
for Prague. The opera company that performed Le nozze di Figaro liked this
idea, and commissioned Mozart to compose a new opera.

Mozart returned to Vienna and got to work straight away on the new opera. He
worked with the poet who wrote the words for Le nozze di Figaro, Lorenzo Da
Ponte. Da Ponte recommended they use the Spanish fiction of Don Juan, a 17th
century immoral playboy who became (and still is today) a symbol of
libertinism. The resulting opera was titled Don Giovanni.

When Mozart returned to Prague to rehearse Don Giovanni with the local opera
company, he was nervous his new production would not be as successful as Le
nozze di Figaro. The musicians and singers, many of whom Mozart worked with
on the production of Le nozze di Figaro, were unprepared. Mozart himself had
left pieces unwritten, and Da Ponte wanted to make last minute revisions to the
words. Mozart could not possibly imagine how he would pull everyone together
before the big night.

After two postponed premieres, the curtains finally went up. On October 29,
1787, audiences gathered in droves in and around the National Theater in
Prague. Everyone was teeming with excitement, and conversations buzzed with
wonder at what Mozart would do next.

To Mozart’s great relief, the premiere was wildly successful. Newspapers in
cities as far away as Vienna reported the triumph. One article read, “Musicians
and connoisseurs are agreed in declaring that such a performance has never
before been witnessed in Prague. Herr Mozart himself conducted, and his
appearance in the orchestra was the signal for cheers, which were renewed at his
exit.” The newspaper article also mentioned the overflowing audience that came
to witness the performance.

Shortly after Mozart returned to Vienna in November of 1787, the distinguished
composer Gluck died. This event prompted Emperor Joseph II to appoint Mozart
to the position of chamber musician. While Mozart did not replace Gluck, his
death incited widespread changes throughout the entire court music institution.
In his new role, Mozart was responsible for conducting an ensemble of singers,
woodwind, and string musicians. This ensemble was specifically tasked with
giving private concerts for the emperor, who played cello and piano and also
sang; the emperor clearly had a strong appreciation for music. In addition to
these duties, Mozart was responsible for writing dance music for annual balls.
He had finally achieved a court position, but he felt unfulfilled by the work. He
wrote, “[I’m paid] too much for what I do, too little for what I could do.”

Mozart likely felt bitter towards the emperor because the emperor did not want
to stage Don Giovanni. Meanwhile, the well-received opera traveled to more
than a dozen German cities where, as in Prague, it was generally met with
applause. The opera was so well liked that it became part of the standard
repertoire for theaters across Europe. Records mention 116 performances in
Prague over a period of ten years, and more than 200 in Berlin in the opera’s
first fifty years. It remains one of the most popular and often performed operas
today.
 Chapter 8: Mozart’s Last Years

“I pay no attention whatever to anybody’s praise or blame. I simply follow my
own feelings.”—Mozart

Mozart’s Activity During the Austro-Turkish Wars

The success of Don Giovanni throughout Europe further inflated Mozart's
already heavy ego. He felt as if he was on top of the world; he had a supportive
wife and a well-paid court appointment and, perhaps most important to the
composer, his name was finally known throughout all of Europe.

1788 was a busy and productive year for thirty-two year old Mozart. It also
marked the beginning of a massive war between the Austrian and Ottoman
Empires. At the time of Mozart’s court appointment, the emperor was not even
in Vienna, and was instead engaged in the war effort at an army camp near
Belgrade. Over the next three years, Vienna’s economy was devastated and
progressive social and political reforms ground to a halt. For Mozart, this meant
there was virtually no chamber music to be played. Productions had to be cheap
and subject matters needed to reflect the somber atmosphere of the times.

Under these circumstances, Mozart had a rather unusual amount of free time to
work on private projects. However, whatever he produced, whether for the court
or a private patron, was necessarily entangled with the Viennese court. Because
the court employed Mozart, the composer was viewed as a quasi-representative
of Vienna. Anything he produced could and would be interpreted through the
lens of the Viennese court. Further, the emperor essentially owned any and all
rights to Mozart’s works. This also meant the emperor possessed the right to
approve or disapprove of anything he composed. Although this may seem
slightly dramatic, it is important to recognize that Mozart’s appointment was
largely a way to claim ownership for Vienna over Mozart’s creative genius.
Court documents say the reason Mozart was granted his title and salary was so
“such a rare musical genius [not] be obliged to seek his earnings and subsistence
abroad.”

After Leopold’s death in May of 1787, Mozart no longer had anyone to send
letters to on an almost daily basis. Therefore, the details of his life from this time
up until his death three years later are scarce, especially in comparison to the
rich details known about his earlier years.

What is known is that life in Vienna and throughout the Hapsburg Empire
changed dramatically at this point in time. When Emperor Joseph II finally gave
his approval to stage Don Giovanni in Vienna, both he and Mozart were
disappointed that the war prevented the emperor from attending any of the
fifteen performances.

Unfortunately, Emperor Joseph II never saw Don Giovanni or any of Mozart’s
further operas. He died on February 20, 1790. The entire empire was in
mourning, but worst of all for Mozart was the fact that all further productions of
Mozart’s new opera, Così fan tutte (“All Women Do the Same”) were cancelled.
The opera, with only six singers, was already restricted out of economic
necessity, and in light of the emperor’s death, it was stopped completely.

In September of 1791, more than one and a half years after the death of Emperor
Joseph II, Mozart premiered La clemenza di Tito, an opera about a benevolent
ruler. It was performed in Prague to celebrate the coronation of Leopold II,
Joseph II’s forty-two year old brother, who was now King of Bohemia.

Leopold II was familiar with Mozart. He first heard him play as a child prodigy
in 1762 when Mozart’s father took him to Vienna. In 1770, Leopold II, then
Grand Duke of Tuscany, received him in Florence, and in 1773, Mozart’s father
petitioned Leopold II to give young Mozart a court position. Despite this history
with Mozart and his brother’s advocacy for the arts, Leopold II was entirely
indifferent to cultural affairs. In a time when the economy was plummeting and
the empire was engaged in a bloody battle, Leopold II had neither time nor
concern for music. It was not long before Mozart was frustrated with the
stagnated position into which Leopold II had forced him. Nevertheless, he made
the best of the tumultuous year of 1791 by traveling and presenting his operas
throughout Germany.

1791: Mozart’s Last Year

Mozart needed to make three trips to the German town of Baden in 1791. His
wife fell ill and was staying in the spa town with her and Mozart’s seven year-
old son. Constanze was also joined by Franz Xaver Süssmayr, Mozart’s student
and collaborator. Mozart sent Süssmayr to Baden to keep Constanze company,
but the true nature of his relations with Mozart’s wife remains unclear. When
Constanze gave birth to a son on July 26, 1791, rumors circulated that the child’s
father was not Mozart, but Süssmayr. The rumors must have been very
widespread and highly bothersome to Constanze, because thirty-eight years later,
Constanze published two drawings comparing the peculiarly shaped ears on both
her grown son and late husband.

Mozart may have suspected his wife and Süssmayr were lovers, but if he did, he
was not entirely bothered by the possibility. In August, Süssmayr joined
Constanze and Mozart on a trip to Prague, where La clemeza di Tito and Don
Giovanni were staged in honor of Leopold II.

While in Vienna, Mozart received invitations from London and Russia. These
invitations attest to the level of fame Mozart reached in his lifetime.
Unfortunately, Mozart never made these trips, as his sudden death came just
three months later.

On September 28, 1791, Mozart completed his very last opera, Die Zauberflöte
(“The Magic Flute”). It was an instant success. After its second showing in
Vienna, Mozart wrote in a letter to Constanze, who was still in Baden, “You can
see how this opera is becoming more and more esteemed. . . .And the strangest
thing of all is that on the very evening when my new opera was performed for
the first time with such success, ‘Tito’ was given in Prague for the last time with
tremendous applause.”

In Die Zauberflöte, a prince embarks on a mystical journey to rescue a
kidnapped princess. To create the opera, Mozart collaborated with a fellow
Freemason, Emanuel Schikaneder. It is therefore unsurprising that the mystical
and supernatural production was linked to Masonic symbols and ideas.
Schikaneder pushed Mozart to be his very best. He sometimes demanded Mozart
write and rewrite whole sections and individual notes four or five times. It was
important to Schikaneder that every single note matched the words and
conveyed the intended emotions. His demands paid off; Die Zauberflöte is still
one of Mozart’s most highly lauded works.

Things were looking better than ever for Mozart. There is strong evidence
however, that Mozart had been suffering depression for the better part of the
year. He missed Constanze, felt annoyed by Leopold II, and was anxious about
his heavy debts. His physical health was also compromised. He experienced
fainting spells and suffered from exhaustion.

In the summer of 1791, Mozart received a visit from a strange man with a
message. A “distinguished man” wanted Mozart to write a Requiem, or mass for
the rest of deceased souls, to celebrate the anniversary of a woman’s death. At
the time, Mozart did not know who the anonymous patron was. Today, records
revealed it was an amateur musician named Franz Count von Walsegg, whose
wife had died the year before. Walsegg commissioned the piece anonymously
because he wanted to claim authorship, and did not want any traceable contact
between him and Mozart. Without this knowledge, Mozart was intrigued by the
mystery and accepted the commission.

Mozart was quite busy at the time, and likely only began the composition in the
fall. By this time, Mozart was feeling increasingly ill. He was visited by a doctor
on November 20, and spoke frankly and calmly about death. It seemed Mozart
knew his death was imminent. In a letter to his friend and collaborator Da Ponte,
Mozart wrote, “I know from what I suffer that the hour is come; I am at the point
of death.” He started to say that he was writing the Requiem for himself. In the
same letter to Da Ponte he explained, “No one can measure his own days, one
must resign oneself, it will be as providence wills, and so I finish my death-song;
I must not leave it incomplete.”

Constanze was back home at this point. She noticed Mozart was making himself
crazy trying to finish the Requiem before his own death, so she took the
Requiem away from him, and his health actually did improve. Without the
Requiem to work on, Mozart focused on a Masonic cantata. When it was well
received and Mozart was feeling better, Constanze again allowed her ailing
husband to work on the Requiem. But Mozart’s illness was relentless. Soon, his
hands and feet became swollen, and he suffered from constant vomiting. When
he was in such extreme pain that he could not leave his bed, he followed Die
Zauberflöte in his mind while it played in the Viennese theater.

Mozart’s Death

Mozart died at 12:55 AM on Monday, December 5, 1791. He was thirty-five
years old, and was surrounded by Süssmayr, Constanze, and his sister-in-law,
Sophie Haibl.

According to Haibl, Mozart said to her, “You must stay here tonight and see me
die.” When she tried to tell him otherwise, Mozart said, “I have the flavor of
death on my tongue—I taste death; and who will support my dearest Constanze
if you do not stay with her?”

After hearing these words, Haibl went to the church to find a priest. Her request
was dismissed. When she returned to Mozart’s bedside, she found the dying
composer talking with Süssmayr.

“Did I not say that I was writing the Requiem for myself,” Mozart supposedly
said.

Mozart’s last utterances were the drum passages of the Requiem.

Haibl wrote her account of Mozart’s death thirty-three years after the event.
Whether or not it happened this way is impossible to know. Whatever the truth,
it is clear that Mozart had a high fever and lost consciousness when a doctor
wrapped cold bandages around his head. He died soon after.

At the time, there was no known cause of death. However, doctors and
researchers in the 21st century theorize Mozart died from a complication of strep
throat that ultimately led to kidney failure. Researchers used firsthand accounts
and other records from Mozart’s time to figure out that Mozart was not the only
young man who died with similar symptoms. It has been suggested that at and
around the time of Mozart’s death Vienna experienced a minor epidemic of
streptococcal disease, or strep throat. Unfortunately, the esteemed composer was
one of its many victims.

The morning after his death, Mozart was dressed in a black robe and carried into
the sitting room, where he was laid near his beloved piano. Visitors came to
mourn.

Constanze was paralyzed with grief. To help her, friends of the family arranged
a quiet ceremony outside St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. Mozart was buried
in St. Marx Cemetery without any pomp or ceremony. Not even Constanze
accompanied the undertaker. He was buried in a mass grave containing five or
six other corpses, as was the custom. Because no one except the undertaker was
there to witness the burial at an unmarked grave, it is still unknown today where
exactly Mozart’s body rests.

Shortly after Mozart’s death, Süssmayr finished the Requiem, as Mozart had
requested. Süssmayr imitated Mozart’s handwriting to convince the score’s
patron it had been entirely written by Mozart. The trick worked. However, when
the Requiem was performed in Vienna five years later, it was general knowledge
that Süssmayr had written certain sections of the score.

Constanze sold copies of the Requiem to various noblemen in order to help pay
the many debts Mozart left behind. She was lucky Mozart was so beloved.
Benefit concerts and sales, such as those of the Requiem score, made it possible
for Constanze to pay Mozart’s debts and to support her two sons.

In 1799, Constanze contacted the publisher Johann Anton André and asked him
to publish Mozart’s complete works. Ten years later, Constanze married a
Danish diplomat named Georg Nikolaus Nissen, who, together with the historian
and librarian Friedrich von Schlichtegroll, wrote the first biography of Mozart’s
life. The biography catalyzed Mozart as a subject of academic study throughout
the 19th century.
 Chapter 9: Mozart’s Legacy

“All I insist on, and nothing else, is that you should show the whole world that
you are not afraid. Be silent, if you choose; but when it is necessary to speak—
and speak in such a way that people will remember it.”—Mozart

Preserving Mozart’s Legacy

The first monument to Mozart was erected eight years after his death. It took the
shape of a terra cotta statue of a lyre and tragic and comedic mask. In this way,
the statue honored Mozart’s virtuoso as a composer of both tragic and comedic
works. Four decades later, the city of Salzburg raised money from public citizens
in order to erect a statue commemorating Mozart. The resulting figure showed
Mozart in toga and contained allegorical representations of church, concert, and
dramatic music.

In 1859, the city of Vienna decided that they too should commemorate Mozart
with a public monument. Hans Gasser designed the statue of a mourning muse
made out of granite. The statue held the score of the Requiem in her right hand,
while her left hand rested on a pile of Mozart’s works. This attested to the
outstanding number of compositions Mozart wrote in his lifetime. The pedestal
of the statue contained Mozart’s portrait and the Vienna coat of arms. The city of
Vienna always wanted to claim Mozart as a part of its heritage, and this
expression of ownership was quite literally carved in stone. The monument was
originally installed in St. Marx Cemetery where Mozart was buried. It was later
moved to Vienna’s Central Cemetery, where it stands today among honorary
graves for musicians. The spot in St. Marx where the monument once stood now
contains a stone slab and column.

Organizations Inspired by Mozart

Beyond Mozart’s remarkable contribution to music history, Mozart’s legacy is
incredibly important for the ways in which the story of his life and music
continues to inspire music education.

The first of these organizations supporting music education was founded in
1838. The Mozart Institution’s mission was to encourage and aid young people
with musical talent. In the same year the statue commemorating Mozart was
revealed in Salzburg, the Salzburg Mozarteum was founded. The goal was to
preserve the Mozart family documents and objects that Mozart’s sons kept over
the years. Nearly 175 years later, the institution still exists as a non-profit
organization. Today, the Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg hosts concerts, runs
museums, and supports academic research.

Contribution to Music

Today, Mozart is a household name. The honor is not without merit. Many
believe he was among the greatest composers and musicians in the history of
music. Many of his more than 600 compositions are still beloved—and, indeed,
performed—around the globe today.

Much of Mozart’s music can be described as “homophonic,” meaning the music
has just one melodic idea that carries throughout. This quality makes the music
sound clear and balanced, the defining features of the Classical era of music.
Other composers that made music in this style include Mozart’s good friend,
Joseph Haydn. Before Mozart, music of the Baroque era, like that of Johann
Christian Bach, had many melodies and sounded much more chaotic. Without
Mozart, this shift in style may never have happened.

Another defining feature of Mozart’s composition style is the way he created
tension in his dramatic scores. This makes his music very exciting and different
from anything that was performed in earlier years. Mozart often followed these
moments of tension with long stretches of release. This kind of music is like
holding your breath underwater and then coming up for air and feeling a wave of
relief. These types of musical devices are what make Mozart’s compositions so
incredibly emotional; they deliberately play on a person’s psyche. It is for this
reason some even refer to Mozart as “the first modern psychologist of opera.”
He knew exactly how to construct and manipulate mood, both of the music and
the listener.

Mozart has undoubtedly influenced countless composers and musicians in the
250 years since his death. Gioacchino Rossini, an Italian composer born one year
after Mozart’s death, wrote, “[Mozart] is the only musician who had as much
knowledge as genius, and as much genius as knowledge.” Ludwig van
Beethoven, whose mother saw Mozart perform as a child prodigy, made obvious
nods to Mozart in many of his piano concertos and other compositions. Other
famous composers who have cited Mozart as an influence include Frédéric
Chopin, Franz Schubert, Pater Ilich Tchaikovsy, Robert Schumann, and Max
Reger. Many of his musical devices even spill over into other, radically
different, genres, like jazz and heavy metal.
 Epilogue

Mozart was a fascinating and dynamic character in the history of music. He was
impassioned and independent, but also highly critical and judgmental.

There is no doubt that Mozart was remarkably gifted and very intelligent.
However, the influence his father had on him cannot be underestimated. Leopold
cultivated and culled Mozart’s talent from the time his son was a toddler. He
pushed Mozart to practice long hours and pressured the young prodigy to
transform his talent from an innate talent to a skill perfected. It worked. The
creativity seemed to pour out of Mozart. In just thirty-five years of life, Mozart
produced more than 600 pieces of music. This astonishing output is astoundingly
varied and proves his eclectic talent.

There are very few days of Mozart’s life that were not recorded in letters. These
firsthand accounts paint the image of a man who was fiercely independent and
wildly imaginative. He was self-confident and had a mind of his own. Even
when his oppressive father reprimanded him or members of nobility scoffed at
him, Mozart pressed forward. This perseverance is what made Mozart special.
He never gave up, even when it seemed he would never receive a court position
or be paid enough.

Mozart believed in his art, and knew he would eventually get the recognition he
deserved. Luckily, Mozart did not need to wait until after his death, as so many
great artists do. In his lifetime, Mozart was lauded as one of the greatest
composers and musicians of all time. He captured the hearts of the tens of
thousands who poured into theaters all over Europe in order to hear his
compositions. He read his name in newspapers and heard it whispered in the
streets. Mozart would not be surprised, but he would be proud and honored, to
know that 250 years after his death, his music continues to touch the hearts and
lives of people around the world.
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