Mozart: A Life in Letters: A Life in Letters (74 page)

Mozart

[
Note added by Michael Puchberg
]

Sent 150 florins.

Your Royal Highness,

I make so bold as to beg your R. H. in all reverence most graciously to intercede on my behalf with H. M. the emperor in respect of my most humble petition to H. M. – A desire for fame, a love of work and a belief in my own abilities prompt me to venture to apply for the post of second Kapellmeister, especially as Salieri, although very well qualified as a Kapellmeister, has never devoted himself to church music, whereas I have made this style entirely my own from my youth onwards. The scant reputation that the world has accorded me for my playing on the pianoforte has encouraged me to ask H. M. to grant me the favour of most graciously entrusting me with the royal family’s musical education. –

In the sure conviction that I have applied to the worthiest mediator, who looks on me with particular favour, I am fully confident and shall strive to the best of my abilities to convince
²

Wednesday
Dearest little wife,

I hope you received my letter; – I’m bound to be a little cross with you, my love! – Even if it’s not possible for you to receive a letter from me, you could still write – does it have to be just a
reply
? – I was fully expecting a letter from my dear little wife – but unfortunately I was wrong – I advise you to make amends, otherwise I’ll not forgive you as long as I live – yesterday I was at the second part of
Cosa
rara
¹
– but I didn’t like it as much as the Antons.
²
– If you drive back on Saturday, you’ll be able to stay here for part of Sunday – we’re invited to a service and to lunch at
Schwechat
³
– adieu – look after yourself – by the way, N. N. – you know who I mean – is an absolute scoundrel – he’s perfectly pleasant to my face but is publicly rude about Figaro – and has caused me appalling harm here in the matter that you know about –
I know this for certain
–

Your husband, who loves you with all his heart,

Mozart

On 23 September, Mozart and his brother-in-law Franz de Paula Hofer set out for Frankfurt am Main to attend the coronation of Leopold II as Holy Roman Emperor in October. They were not part of the official entourage of court musicians, and made the journey at their own expense.

Dearest, most beloved little wife whom I love with all my heart,

We’ve just arrived – it’s 1 o’clock lunchtime – so it took us only 6 days – the journey would have been even quicker if we hadn’t stopped 3 times during the night to rest a little. – We’ve just arrived at an inn in the suburb of Sachsenhausen, indescribably pleased to have managed to get a room at all – at present we don’t know what
our fate will be – whether we’ll stay together or be separated. – If I can’t find a room for nothing and if I find that the inn isn’t too expensive, I’ll certainly stay. I hope you received my letter from Efferding. I couldn’t write to you again as we stopped so infrequently and only long enough to rest. – It was a very pleasant journey. – The weather was fine except for one day; – and even this didn’t cause us any inconvenience as my carriage – I’d like to give it a kiss – is wonderful. – At Regensburg we lunched magnificently, we had some divine table music, angelic service and a glorious Mosel wine. We had breakfast in Nuremberg – a hideous town. – In Würzburg – a beautiful, magnificent town – we fortified our precious stomachs with coffee. – The food everywhere was tolerable – only at Aschaffenburg, 2½ stages from here, was the landlord kind enough to fleece us quite shamefully.

I’m longing for news of you – of your health, our affairs etc. – I’m now firmly resolved to do as best I can here and am already looking forward to seeing you again – what splendid lives we’ll then lead! – I mean to work – work so hard that never again am I reduced by unforeseen circumstances to such desperate straits. – I’d be grateful if you could ask Stadler
¹
to send along N. N. to discuss all this. – His last suggestion was that someone should advance the money on Hoffmeister’s draft alone.
²
– 1000 florins in cash – the rest in cloth.– In this way everything could be paid off, still leaving something over, and on my return I’d only have to work. – The whole matter could be settled by a friend with carte blanche from me. – Adieu – I kiss you 1000 times.

Ever your Mzt

Dearest, most beloved little wife, –

I’ve now received 3 letters from you, my love. – The one dated 28 Sept. has just this minute arrived. The one you sent with Herr von Alt hasn’t arrived, but I’ll make enquiries at once with Le Noble. – By now you should have received 4 letters from me. This is the 5th.– You won’t be able to write to me again as I’ll probably not be here by the time you read this: I’m intending to give my concert on Wednesday or Thursday and think that my best plan is then to fly away on Friday – tschiri tschitschi. – Dearest little wife! I hope you’ll have seen to the matter I mentioned in my recent letter – or that you’re still seeing to it; – I’ll certainly not make enough here to be in a position to repay 800 or 1000 florins on my return – but if the business with Hoffmeister has at least reached the point at which all that is missing is
my presence
, then, after taking account of
gross
interest at 20 percent, I’ll have 1600 out of 2000 florins. – I can then pay out 1000 florins – and I’ll have 600 florins left. – During Advent I shall in any case begin a subscription for quartets
¹
– I’ll also take on some pupils – I need never repay the sum as I’m writing for
H
²
– as a result everything will be in order. – But if you want me to return, please sort things out with
H
. – If only you could see into my heart – the desire and longing to see you again and to embrace you contends with the desire to bring home lots of money. – I’ve often thought of
continuing
my travels, but whenever I forced myself to take a decision, it again occurred to me how much I’d regret it if I were to be parted for so long from my dear wife for such
uncertain
and possibly
fruitless
ends – I feel as though it’s years since I last saw you – believe me, my love – if you were with me, I might find it easier to make up my mind – but – I’ve grown far too accustomed to you – I love you too much to be able to be
separated from you for long – also, what people say about these imperial cities is all mere bluster. – It’s true that I’m celebrated, admired and loved here, but the people are even more guilty of penny-pinching than in Vienna. – If the concert turns out at all well, it will be thanks to my
name
– and also to Countess Hatzfeld and the Schweitzer family, who have taken a great interest in me.
³
– But I’ll be glad when it’s all over.– Once I’m working hard in Vienna and have some pupils, we’ll be able to live very contentedly; and nothing can dissuade me from this plan apart from a
good engagement
at a
court
.–

Have words with
Redcurrant Face
⁴
or
someone else
and try to
sort things out with Hoffmeister
, and also
spread the word
that I’m planning to accept pupils; then we’ll surely want for nothing. Adieu – my love – you’ll be receivingsome more lettersfrom me, whereas I, unfortunately, can’t receive any more from you. – Love me for ever, your

Mozart

The coronation is tomorrow. –

Look after yourself – and be careful when you go out
walking
.–
Adieu.

Dearest little wife whom I love with all my heart,

I’ve still not received any word from you in reply to my letters from Frankfurt, which makes me not a little uneasy – my concert was today at 11 o’clock, in terms of my honour it turned out magnificently, but with regard to the money the outcome was meagre.
¹
–
Unfortunately some prince or other was giving a big dinner and there were major manoeuvres by the Hessian troops – but there’s been some hindrance every day that I’ve been here. You can’t imagine – –––in spite of all this I was in such a good mood and people enjoyed it so much that they begged me to give another concert next Sunday
²
– I’ll then leave on the Monday. – – I must stop now, otherwise I’ll miss the post. – I see from your letters that you’ve not yet received any letters from me from Frankfurt, although I’ve written 4 – also, I think I detect a tendency on your part to doubt my punctiliousness or, rather, my eagerness to write to you, something that pains me very much. You should know me better than that – oh God! Love me only half as much as I love you and I’ll be content.

Ever your
Mozart

Mozart left Frankfurt on 16 October, travelling by way of Mainz (where he gave a concert on 20 October), Mannheim (where he heard Le nozze di Figaro), Augsburg and Munich (where he performed for Elector Karl Theodor on 4 or 5 November), arriving backat Vienna about 10 November. In March 1791 he composed the clockwork fantasy K608 and gave a symphony at the Lent concerts of the Tonkünstler-Sozietäton 16 and 17 April.

Most worthy

Most wise Members of the Municipal Council of Vienna

Dear Sirs,

When Kapellmeister Hofmann
²
was ill, I was on the point of taking the liberty of applying for his post as my musical talents and works, together with my skill in composition, are well known abroad, my name is everywhere honoured and respected and I myself have for several years had the privilege of being employed as composer to the court here; and so I hoped that I was not unworthy of this post and that I deserved to be favourably regarded by a most learned municipal council.

But Kapellmeister Hofmann recovered, and in the circumstances – as I genuinely wish him a long life – I thought that I might perhaps be of service to the cathedral and of benefit to yourselves if I were to be appointed unpaid assistant to the now somewhat elderly Kapellmeister and in that way have the opportunity to lend a helping hand to this worthy man, thus earning the approval of a most learned municipal council by actually performing duties that I regard myself as being peculiarly fitted to carry out on the strength of my knowledge of – among others – the ecclesiastical style.
³

Your most humble servant
Wolfgang Amadé Mozart
Imperial and Royal Court Composer

Constanze was pregnant, for the sixth time in eight years, and was frequently in Baden throughout the summer of 1791. Mozart was at work on
Die Zauberflöte
(‘The Magic Flute’) to a text by his friend the impresario Emanuel Schikaneder. The most successful singspiel of its time,
Die Zauberflöte
dramatizes the quest for emotional fulfilment and enlightened knowledge.

Ma très chère Epouse, –

Criez avec moi contre mon mauvais sort! – Mlle Kirchgässner ne donne pas son Acad´mie Lundi! – par cons´quent j’aurais pu vous poss´der, ma chère, tout ce jour de Dimanche – mercredi je viendrai sûrement
.
¹
–

I must hurry
²
as it’s already a ¼ to 7 – and the coach leaves at 7 – – mind you don’t fall when you take a bath and never stay in alone – – and if I were you, I’d miss out a day in order not to overdo things. I hope that you weren’t alone all last night. – I can’t tell you what I’d not give to be with you in Baden instead of being stuck here. – Out of sheer boredom I’ve written an aria for my opera
³
today – I was already up by half past 4 – amazingly I’ve managed to open my watch; – but – because I didn’t have a key, I couldn’t, unfortunately, wind it up, isn’t that sad? – Schumbla! – Another word to think about – I wound up the
big clock
instead. – Adieu – my love! – I’m having lunch with Puchberg today – I kiss you 1000 times and

say to you in my thoughts: Death and despair were his reward! –

Ever your loving husband

W. A. Mozart

See that Carl behaves himself, kiss him for me.

(Take some electuaries if you’re costive – but not otherwise.)

(Take care of yourself in the morning and evening if it’s cool.)

Dearest, most beloved little wife,

Why didn’t I receive a letter from you yesterday evening? – Is it to keep me worried even longer about your bath? – This and something else ruined the whole of yesterday for me; – I went to see N. N. in the morning and he promised me
parole d’honneur
¹
to come and see me between 12 and 1 in order to sort everything out.
²
As a result I was unable to have lunch with Puchberg but had to wait in, – I waited – by now it was half past 2, – he still hadn’t come, so I wrote a note and got the servant to take it to his father, – meanwhile I went to the Crown of Hungary as it was too late to eat anywhere else – even there I had to eat
on my own
as the other guests had already left – you can imagine my lunch, anxious as I was about you and annoyed with N. N. – if only I’d had a single soul to console me a little. – It’s not good for me to be on my own when I’ve got things on my mind,– I was back home by half past 3 – the servant wasn’t back yet – I waited – and waited – she arrived with a note at half past 6. – Waiting is always disagreeable, of course, – but even more disagreeable when the result isn’t what you expect – it was nothing but excuses, saying he’d not been able to find out anything definite, and nothing but assurances that he’d certainly not forget me and most certainly keep his word, – in order to cheer myself up I then went to see Kasperl
³
in the new opera,
Der Fagottist
, that’s been causing such a stir – but which is nothing to write home about. – As I was passing, I called in at the coffee-house to see if Loibel was there – but he wasn’t. – In the evening I again ate at the Crown (simply in order not to be alone) – I at least had a chance to talk – then went straight to bed – I was up again at 5 the next morning – got dressed straightaway – went to see Montecuculi
⁴
– whom I found at home – then to N. N., but he’d
already fled – I’m only sorry that I couldn’t write to you this morning because of all this
unfinished business
– I so much wanted to write! –