Mozart: A Life in Letters: A Life in Letters (28 page)

W. A. Mozart

Mon très cher Fils
,

I must congratulate you on your name day!
¹
But what can I wish you today that I don’t always wish you? –– I wish you the grace of God, that it may accompany you everywhere and never abandon you, as indeed it will never do if you strive to fulfil the obligations of a true Catholic Christian.

You know me. – I’m no pedant, I’m not holier than thou, and I’m certainly no hypocrite: but you surely won’t refuse a request from your father? – It is this: that you should be concerned for your soul’s welfare and not cause your father any anxiety in his hour of death, so that at that difficult time he won’t have to reproach himself for neglecting your soul’s salvation. Farewell! Be happy! Lead a sensible life! Honour and esteem your mother, who has much toil in her old age, love me as I love you. Your truly solicitous father

Leop. Mozart

Mozart and his mother left Augsburg on 26 October, arriving at Mannheim – electoral seat of the Palatinate since 1720 and widely considered one of the most brilliant courts in Europe – on 30 October.

Monsieur mon très cher Père
,

We wrote to you the day before we left Augsburg, but you mustn’t have received it yet. I hope it hasn’t got lost as I wrote a lot. It contains a description of the whole concert;
¹
there’s also something in it about
Stein’s
daughter, as well as my thanks for your congratulations on my name day. But I hope you’ll have received it by now. This is my second letter from Mannheim. I’ve been to see Cannabich
²
every day so far. Today Mama came with me. He’s completely changed, the whole orchestra says so too. He’s very taken with me. He has a daughter who plays the keyboard very well, and in order to make a true friend of him, I’m now working on a sonata for his daughter,
³
it’s finished except for the rondeau. As soon as I’d completed the opening allegro and the andante, I took them round to their house in person and played them; Papa can’t imagine how much they applauded the sonata. Some members of the orchestra were there, young Danner,
⁴
a
horn player
by the name of Lang, and the oboist, whose name I’ve forgotten but who plays extremely well, with an attractive and refined tone.
⁵
I made him a present of my oboe concerto. It’s being copied out
in a room at Cannabich’s. The fellow is beside himself with delight; I played him the concerto on the pianoforte at Cannabich’s today; and although everyone knew
it was by me
, they still liked it a lot. No one said that it wasn’t
well written
on the grounds that the people here don’t understand these things – – they should only ask the archbishop, who’ll waste no time in putting them right.

I played all six of my sonatas
⁶
at Cannabich’s today. Herr Kapellmeister Holzbauer himself took me to see the intendant, Count Savioli,
⁷
today. Cannabich was there too. Herr Holzbauer spoke to the count in Italian, saying that I’d like to have the privilege of being heard by His Excellency the Elector.
⁸
I was here 15 years ago.
⁹
I was then 7, but now I’m older and bigger and also more knowledgeable about music. Ah, said the count, that is – – heaven knows who he thought I was, but Cannabich interrupted him, I pretended not to have heard and started talking to some other people. But I noticed that as he was speaking to him he looked very serious. The count then said to me, I hear you play the keyboard very passably. I bowed. I must now tell you about the music here. On Saturday – All Saints’ Day – I was at High Mass in the chapel. The orchestra is both large and very good. On each side there are 10 or 11 violins, 4 violas, 2 oboes, 2 flutes and 2 clarinets, 2 horns, 4 cellos, 4 bassoons, 4 double basses and trumpets and timpani. They can perform wonderful music, but I wouldn’t care to have one of my masses played here. Why?– – Because of its brevity? – No, everything has to be brief here as well
¹⁰
– – because of the church style? – No, not that either. But because, as things stand
at present
, you have to write in the main for the instruments, because you can’t imagine anything worse than the voices here. 6 sopranos, 6 altos, 6 tenors and 6 basses against 20 violins and 12 basses is in the exact ratio of 0 to 1. Isn’t that true, Herr Bullinger? – – This is because the Italians are now held in
wretchedly low regard here. They’ve only 2 castratos, and even these are already old. They’re simply being left to die out. The soprano would rather sing the alto part. He can no longer get his top notes. The few boys that they have here are pitiful. The tenors and basses are like our funeral singers. The assistant Kapellmeister
Vogler
,
¹¹
who wrote the recent mass, is a musical joker with a very high opinion of himself but few abilities. The whole orchestra dislikes him. But today – Sunday – I heard a mass by Holzbauer that’s already 26 years old but which is actually very good. He writes very well. A good church style. Writes well for voices and instruments; and good fugues. They’ve 2 organists here who alone would be worth making a special visit to Mannheim. I had a chance to hear them properly as it’s not usual to include a
Benedictus
here, instead the organist has to keep playing. On the first occasion I heard the second organist and the second time it was the first one. But in my own view I think even more highly of the 2nd than the first. When I heard him, I asked who was playing the organ? – Our 2nd organist. He played wretchedly. When I heard the other one, I again asked who it was. – – Our first one. He played even more wretchedly. I think that if you put them together, something even worse would emerge. Watching these gentlemen is enough to make you die laughing. When he’s at the organ, the second one is like a child having a shit; you can see from his face what he’s up to. But the first one at least wears glasses. I went and stood by the organ and watched him with the aim of learning something from him; at every note he raises his hands as high as he can. But his great strength is to play in 6 parts – except that mostly he just adds fifths and octaves. He often omits the right hand as a joke and plays with only his left hand, in a word he can do as he likes, he has complete mastery over his organ.

Mama has asked me to tell Nannerl that the lining for the coat is in the large box, on the right-hand side and at the very bottom; there’ll be all sorts of patches on top of it. Black, white, yellow, brown, red, green, blue etc. Mama sends her best wishes to you all.

She can’t write as she still has to say her office. We got back home so late from the rehearsal for the main opera.
¹²
The cotton thread isn’t in skeins but in a ball, wrapped in a blue cloth. Yes, that’s exactly how it is. Tomorrow, after High Mass, I have to see the stern electress
¹³
who absolutely insists on teaching me to knit; I’m really worried about it. Both she and His Excellency the Elector want me to knit in public at the great gala scumcert next Thursday evening. The young princess, who’s been passed off as the elector’s daughter,
¹⁴
also knits very nicely; Duke Zweibrücken and his missus arrived here at 8 o’clock on the dot. By the way, Mama and I ask Papa very nicely to be so kind as to send a souvenir to our dear cousin. We both regretted that we’d nothing with us, but we promised to write to Papa and ask him to send her something. Or, rather, two things. From Mama, something like a double headscarf similar to Mama’s and from me a trinket. A box or toothpick case etc or whatever you like, as long as it’s beautiful; for she deserves it. She and her father went to a lot of trouble and spent a lot of time with us. My uncle collected the money at the concert.
Addio. Baccio le mani di vostra Paternità, ed abbraccio con leggiertà la mia sorella, e facendo i miei Complimenti da per tutto sono di tutto Cuore
¹⁵

Wolfgango Amadeo Mozart

[
Maria Anna Mozart’s postscript on the envelope
]

A certain Signor Gervasio and his wife, who knows you from Holland, congratulate you on your virtuoso of a son, he plays the mandolin and she sings, they gave a concert today. Best wishes to the whole of Salzburg, especially our true friends, Herr Bullinger and Mistress Sallerl.

[
Mozart’s postscript on the envelope
]

Katherl Gilowsky, Frau von Gerlichs, Herr von Heffner, Frau von Heffner, Frau von Schiedenhofen, Herr Gschwendtner, Herr Sandner and all who are dead. The targets,
¹⁶
if it’s not too late, I should like to be as follows: a small man with fair hair, bending over and showing his bare arse. From his mouth come the words:
Enjoy the spread
. The other should be shown in boots and spurs, a red suit and a fine wig according to the latest fashion; he must be of medium height and positioned in such a way that he appears to be licking the other man’s arse. From his mouth come the words:
Ah, there’s nothing to beat it
. Just like this, please.

If not this time, then another time.

My dearest little cousin dozen,

I’ve duly received retrieved your kind letter and see free from it that my uncle furuncle, aunt can’t and you stew are very well tell; we too, thank God, are in good health stealth. Today I got spot the letter better from my Papa haha. I hope you’ll have received aggrieved the letter wetter I sent you from Mannheim. All the better, better the all. But now for something sensible.

I’m very sorry to hear that the prelate pellet
¹
has had another stroke broke, but I hope that with God’s sod’s help the consequences won’t be serious deleterious. You tell me knee that you’ll perpetrate the promise that you gave me before I left Augsburg
²
and do so soon moon; well, I certainly look backwards to that. You also write, nay, disclose, reveal, announce, let me know, declare, make it abundantly plain, demand, desire, wish, want, indicate, order, hint, inform me,
tell me that I should also send my portrait to you screw.
Eh bien
, I’ll certainly send spend it to you.
Oui, par ma la fois
, I’ll shit on your nose so it runs down your chin. By the way, have you got the spuni cuni fait too? – – – What? – – Do you still love me – – I think you do. All the better, better the all. Well, that’s the way of the world, or so I’m told; Tom has the purse, and Dick has the gold; which do you prefer? – – It’s me, isn’t it? – – I think it is. But now it gets worse. By the way, don’t you want to go and see Herr
Gold
schmid again soon? – But what’ll you do there? – – What? – – Nothing! – – Just ask him about the spuni cuni fait, nothing else. Nothing else?– – – Very well; all right. Long live all those who – who – – who – – – how does it go on? – – Now I wish you good night, may your bed burst with shite; sleep sound as a log with your arse in your gob; now I’m off to fool about, then I’ll sleep a bit, no doubt. Tomorrow we’ll talk more sensibly defensibly; I’ve things of lots to tell you, you simply believe it can’t, but tomorrow you hear it will. Till then, goodbye, ow, my
arse
is burning like fire! What can it mean? – – Perhaps some
shit
wants to get out? – Yes, yes,
shit, I
know you, see you, taste you – – and – – what’s that? – – Is it possible? – – Ye gods! – – Can I believe my
ears
? – – Yes, indeed, it’s – – what a long, sad sound! – – Today written I’ve letter fifth the is this. Yesterday I spoke with the strict electress and tomorrow, the 6th, I’m playing at the great gala concert, and then I’ll play again for her in private, or so the tresselec tells me. Now for something sensible!

(1) a letter or letters addressed to me will fall into your hands and I must ask you – – what? – – Well, a fox is no hare – – yes, where was I? – – Yes, indeed, I was just coming; – – yes, yes, they’ll come – – yes, who? – who’ll come – – yes, now I have it. Letters, letters will arrive – – but what sort of letters? – – well, letters to me, of course; please be sure to forward them, I’ll let you know where I’ll be going after Mannheim. Now for no. 2! I must ask you – why not? I must ask you, my dearest loon – why not?– – If you write to Mme Tavernier in Munich, please remember me to the two Mlles Freysinger,
³
why not?
– – Strange, why not? – – And please ask the younger of them, Fraulein Josepha, to forgive me, why not? – Why shouldn’t I ask her to forgive me? – – Strange! – I don’t know why I shouldn’t. – – I ask her to forgive me for not yet having sent her the sonata
⁴
I promised, but I’ll forward it as soon as possible. Why not? – – What – – Why not? – – Why shouldn’t I send it? – Why shouldn’t I forward it? – – Why not? – – Strange, I don’t know why I shouldn’t. – – Well, will you do this favour for me? – – Why not?– –Why shouldn’t you? – – Why not, strange! I’d do it for you if you wanted, why not? – – Why shouldn’t I do it for you? – – Strange! Why not? – – I don’t know why not. – – Don’t forget to give my best wishes to the Papa and Mama of the 2 young ladies, as it’s a gross failing to forget bet let wet your father and mother. Once the sonata’s finished, I’ll send it to you with an accompanying letter and hope you’ll be good enough to forward it to Munich. But now I must stop, I’m so mad I could hop. Dear cousin, let’s go at once to the Holy Cross and see if anyone’s still up.– –We’ll not stay long, just ring the bell, nothing more. But now I must tell you a sad little story that has just this minute happened. Just as I was doing my best to write this letter, I heard something in the street outside. I stopped writing – – got up, went over to the window – – and – couldn’t hear anything any more – – I sat down again, resumed writing – – I’d hardly written 10 words when I heard another sound – – I got up again – – as I was getting up, I could again hear something, this time quite faint– –but I could smell something burning – – wherever I went, it stank. When I looked out of the window the smell disappeared, but when I looked back into the room, the smell got worse – – finally Mama said to me: I bet you’ve let one off. – – I don’t think so, Mama. Yes, I’m certain. I made a test, put my first finger up my arse and then to my nose, and– –
Ecce Provatum est
; Mama was right. Goodbye now, I kiss you 10, 000 times and remain as always your little old Piggy