Mozart: A Life in Letters: A Life in Letters (21 page)

Amadeo Wolfgango Mozart

[
Leopold Mozart’s postscript
]

We spent Wolfg.’s name day most enjoyably with the 2 Pizzini brothers in Ala. We also broke our journey in Verona, which is why we reached Milan later than planned. The weather is always fine here – it rained only once on our journey, during the afternoon of the day after St Simon and St Jude,
²
that was all. Keep well!
Addio!

Best wishes to all our friends.

We’ve seen comic operas both here and in Verona.
³

We’re hale and healthy, thank God, like fish in water as it’s been raining astonishingly heavily, day and night, for the last week, so it’s no wonder that we’re still waiting for the post that should have arrived today. Apart from the heavy rain and wind, there was a violent thunderstorm during the night of the 19th to the 20th, starting with lightning at 10 at night and lasting without a break until 4 in the morning, with lots of violent thunder. For my own part, I was woken by a violent clap of thunder at 2 and then again after 5 but fell asleep again straightaway, whereas Wolfg., having gone to bed around 12, heard none of the rest of the storm. We’ve got far better rooms than we’ve had in the past, more beautiful, more comfortable, even closer to the theatre and as a result some 50 yards from Madame d’Asti,
who has lent us a few good pillows as these Italian bacon rinds are too hard for us. I should add that whereas our previous bed was 9 spans wide, the present one is 10 spans. I don’t doubt that you’re well. Today is our wedding anniversary. It must be 25 years since we had the idea of getting married – – although we’d had the idea many years before that. All good things take time! The
primo uomo
, Sgr Rauzzini,
¹
has now arrived, so there’ll be more for us to do and things will start to get livelier. There’ll be no lack of the little dramas that are usual in the theatre, but these are mere trifles! The figs that Joseph
²
gave Wolfg. when he left were as miraculous as the loaves and fishes in the Gospel, as we were still eating them at our evening meal yesterday, a meal that consists of nothing but grapes and bread and a glass of wine. Best wishes to all our friends. The day is short! There’s a lot to do, if it’s not work, it’s just chores. We kiss you – – as often as you want – – and, together with Wolfg., I am your old

Mozart

[
Wolfgang’s postscript to his sister
]

Thanks, you know what for. I hope Herr von Heffner
³
will forgive me for not having got round to replying to him. But it was impossible and is still impossible: for as soon as I get home, there’s something to write, there’s often already something on the table, and I can’t write out of doors, in the street. If you see him, read him the following and ask him to be satisfied with this for the present. I shan’t take it amiss that my worthless friend hasn’t replied, as soon as he has more time, he will assuredly, doubtlessly, undoubtedly, certainly, unfailingly do so. Best wishes to all our good friends. I kiss Mama’s hands. Well fare and news me soon some send. The Germany from post hasn’t arrived yet.

Oidda.

always as am I

Milan aá 2771 November 12 the      Mozart Wolfgang

On 21, 22 and 23 December, Mozart tookpart in concerts at the palace of Count Firmian;
Lucio Silla
was premiered on 26 December in the presence of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife. On 17 January 1773, Rauzzini performed Mozart’s newly composed motet ‘Exsultate, jubilate’ K165 at the Theatine church, and on 30 January Leopold and Wolfgang saw a performance of
Sismano nel Mogol
by the Neapolitan composer Giovanni Paisiello (1740–1816)
,
the second carnival opera of the season. Leopold and Wolfgang remained in Milan until the beginning of March.

A Happy New Year!

Last time I forgot to wish you a Happy New Year as I was writing not just in a hurry but in a state of some confusion, my thoughts were elsewhere as we were just on the point of leaving for the theatre. The opera passed off successfully, even though a number of extremely annoying incidents took place on the first night. The first problem was that the opera was due to start, as usual,
one hour after the Angelus
but in the event began 3 hours after it, in other words not until around 8 o’clock German time, and didn’t end until 2 in the morning. The archduke finished his midday meal only shortly before the
Angelus
and then had to write 5 letters or New Year greetings to Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, and he writes very slowly etc. etc.

Just imagine: the whole theatre was so full by half past 5 that no one else could get in. At every first night the singers are always very nervous at having to appear for the first time before such a distinguished audience. For 3 hours the singers were kept anxiously waiting, while the orchestra and entire audience – many of them standing – had to wait in a state of impatience for the opera to start, growing increasingly hot as they did so.

Secondly
, you need to know that the tenor, whom we’ve had to take
faute de mieux
, is a church singer from Lodi and had never performed in such a prestigious theatre and had appeared as
primo
tenore
only about twice before in Lodi, and was signed up only about a week before the opening night.
¹
He has to gesture angrily at the
prima donna
in her first aria, but his gesture was so exaggerated that it looked as though he was going to box her ears and knock off her nose with his fist, causing the audience to laugh. Fired by her singing, Sgra de Amicis
²
didn’t immediately understand why the audience was laughing and was badly affected by it, not knowing initially who was being laughed at, so that she didn’t sing well for the whole of the first night, in addition to which she was jealous because the archduchess clapped as soon as the
primo uomo
came onstage. This was a typical castrato’s trick, as he’d ensured that the archduchess had been told that he’d be too afraid to sing so that the court would encourage and applaud him. In order to console Sgra de Amicis she was summoned to court at noon the very next day and for a whole hour had an audience with Their Royal Highnesses, only then did the opera start to go well, and whereas the theatre is normally very empty for the first opera, it has been so full on the first 6 evenings – today is the seventh – that it’s hardly been possible to slip in, and generally it’s the
prima donna
who has maintained the upper hand and had her arias encored. I’m writing this at Madame d’Asti’s. She sends her regards and wishes you a Happy New Year. Best wishes to all our good friends at home and abroad. We kiss you many 1, 000, 000s of times. I am your old

Mzt

Wolfg. sends his special greetings, we are well, thank God.

Wolfgang and his father spent four months in Salzburg before setting out again, this time for Vienna, where they arrived on 16 July. They had an audience with Empress Maria Theresa on 5 August.

All your letters have arrived safely. Although Her Majesty the Empress was very kind to us, that was all – I’ll have to save it up and tell you on our return, as it’s not something I can set down in writing. As for the enclosure, this too contained nothing to our advantage because this gentleman lives a solitary life, remote from every court, although I have to say that his letter was uncommonly polite, and he certainly suggested something that I have in any case been thinking about for a long time, but as always there are obstacles.
¹
His Grace
²
is returning from Laxenburg today and will be spending a few days with his father at Sierndorf before returning to Salzb., which is unlikely to be before next Saturday or Sunday, with the result that he won’t be back until next week. You’ll hear by the next post when we’ll be leaving. Herr Gscheider isn’t here but is with his employers in Bohemia. Frau Leutgeb called on me again today, she’ll be staying here until Sunday week. We were recently at Herr von Mölk’s,
³
the day before yesterday we met him with Herr von Geyer and Herr von Mehofer on the Bastey. Herr von Geyer and Herr von Gilowsky recently called on us at home. If we don’t set off next Monday, we shan’t be back until early September, I’ll know for certain today or tomorrow. Fräulein Franzl
⁴
was again close to death, and blisters had to be applied to her arms and feet, but she’s now so much better that she has knitted a red silk purse for Wolfg. in bed and given it to him as a keepsake. She sends you her best wishes, as do
all of them, the whole litany of the Landstrasse, the 2 Frau Fischers and Herr Fischer,
⁵
the Bonnis etc. etc.

Young Mesmer’s boy
⁶
is really talented, so much so that I wish he were my own son or at least were living with me. As for the girl, she’s none other than the daughter of Dr Auenbrugger.
⁷
In fact both his daughters – but especially the older one – play incomparably well and have a total grasp of music. We’ve dined with them, but they don’t have a pension from the empress. Young Herr Mesmer has a prestigious post, he’s in charge of organizing the training college for all the Empire’s hereditary regions, with a courtier as its governor. Do you know that Herr von Mesmer can play Miss Davies’s musical glasses extremely well? He’s the only person in Vienna to have learnt it and has a much finer set of glasses than Miss Davies. Wolfg. has already played on them, and I only wish we had a set of our own. On the Feast of St Cajetan
⁸
the Fathers invited us to have lunch with them and to attend their service, and as their organ was not good enough for a concerto, Wolfg. borrowed a violin and a concerto from Herr Teyber
⁹
and was cheeky enough to play a violin concerto. – One of Wolfg.’s masses – the Dominicus mass – was performed in the octave of the Feast of St Ignatius at the Jesuit church
am Hof
.
¹⁰
I conducted, and it was amazingly well received. We’re pleased that the graduation music
¹¹
passed off successfully, Wolfg. will be writing to thank Herr Meissner, for the present we send our best wishes.

I’ve told you lots of things, we send our best wishes to all our good friends at home and abroad and kiss you many 100, 000 times. I am your old

Mzt

[
Wolfgang’s postscript to his sister
]

hodie nous avons begegnet per strada Dominum Edlbach welcher uns di voi compliments ausgericht hat, et qui sich tibi et ta meàre Empfehlen lässt. Addio
¹²
W. M.

†

I hope that on Dr Niderl’s departure you will have been prepared for what is certainly a sad occurrence, so that you will not be as pained to hear of his death as I was when I called on him and found that he had already passed away.
¹
He was operated on between 10 and 11 on the morning of Thursday the 9th, in the presence of all the experts in their field and so successfully, moreover, that it was all over in 1½ minutes or even quicker. I had the stone in my hands shortly afterwards, it was bigger than a large walnut. I left him that same afternoon, when he was as well as such a patient can be, there weren’t the slightest ill omens at that stage. On Friday the 10th we called on him between 10 and 11 in the morning in order to ask after his condition. We were full of hope, so you can imagine my shock when we found him stretched out on the bed and people busy washing him, as he had just died – 24 hours after the operation.

As far as I could gather in my haste and the most terrible state of shock, everything changed after midnight, when it became clear that he was going to die.
Requiescat in pace!
I feel completely devastated, as I’ve now had 2 restless and virtually sleepless nights, as I woke at 4 on Thursday, feeling as though it was I who had to undergo the operation, and on Friday morning at 4 I woke up wondering how he was, and today I was already awake at half past 3, and his operation,
his death and the sudden and unexpected sight of his dead body lay on my mind and stopped me from sleeping and robbed me of a third night’s sleep. And the burial is still to come. This too is bound to give me pause for thought, all the more so in that it reminds me of the fact that I now have to accompany a friend to his grave in Vienna, just as I had to accompany another friend in Munich, Herr von Robinig.
²
Herr von Günther will tell you the remaining details. That’s all I have to say on this sad tale. –

The Jesuits are starting to move out of their monasteries.
³
The court Fathers, those who preached at St Stephen’s etc. and 6 Father Confessors left yesterday and will perform their functions next Sunday as usual,
but in lay preachers’ clothes
, as the higher Jesuits have been told that no one may hear confession or preach in Jesuit dress. I am too annoyed and dull-witted to write any more today. We send our best wishes to all our good friends at home and abroad and kiss you many 100, 000 times. I am your old

Mzt

I had to send for Madame Rosa
⁴
yesterday, and she duly came. I’d just met her in the street as she had to paint the poor doctor as there wasn’t even a portrait of him in the Niderls’ house.