[Frontispiece: MOZART AS A YOUNG MAN. (_From a print by Schwërer._)]
Bell's Miniature Series of Musicians
MOZART
BY
EBENEZER PROUT, B.A., Mus.D.
PROFESSOR OF MUSIC, DUBLIN UNIVERSITY
LONDON
GEORGE BELL & SONS
1905
First Published, November, 1903.
Reprinted, 1905.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SOME BOOKS ABOUT MOZART
THE CHILD (1756-1768)
THE YOUTH (1769-1778)
THE MAN (1779-1791)
HIS ART--AN APPRECIATION
LIST OF WORKS BY MOZART
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
MOZART AS A YOUNG MAN ... _Frontispiece_
(_From a print by Schwërer._)
MOZART AT THE AGE OF SEVEN
(_From a scarce French print._)
MOZART WITH HIS FATHER AND SISTER
(_From a rare print._)
THE MOZART FAMILY
(_From the painting by Van de la Croce,_
1780, _in the Mozart Museum._)
MOZART IN 1791
(_From an original at Salzburg._)
PART OF THE SCORE OF THE "DE PROFUNDIS"
MOZART, BY JÄGER
SOME BOOKS ABOUT MOZART
Among the more important biographical and critical works on Mozart
are the following:
NISSEN, G. N. VON. "Biographie W. A. Mozart's." Leipzig. 1828.
HOLMES, EDWARD. "Life of Mozart, including
His Correspondence." London. 1845.
Second Edition, edited by the writer of this book. 1878.
JAHN, OTTO. "W. A. Mozart." First Edition,
4 vols. Leipzig. 1856-59. Second Edition,
2 vols. 1867. English translation, 3 vols.
London. 1882.
KÖCHEL, DR. LUDWIG RITTER VON. "Chronologisch-thematisches
Verzeichniss sämmtlicher Tonwerke Wolfgang Amade
Mozart's." Leipzig. 1862.
POHL, C. F. "Mozart und Haydn in London." Vienna. 1867.
NOHL, LUDWIG. "Mozart nach den Schilderungen seiner
Zeitgenossen." Leipzig. 1880.
The article on Mozart by C. F. Pohl in the second volume of Grove's
"Dictionary of Music and Musicians" is also well deserving of study,
being, in fact, an epitome of Jahn's great work.
LIFE OF MOZART
THE CHILD (1756-1768)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born at Salzburg on January 27, 1756.
His full name, as given in the church register, was "Joannes
Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus"; his father used the German
equivalent "Gottlieb" of this last name, and the composer himself
subsequently adopted the Latinized form "Amadeus."
His family had long been settled in Augsburg, where Wolfgang's
father, Leopold Mozart, was born on November 14, 1719. With the
object of studying jurisprudence, Leopold entered the university of
Salzburg, supporting himself by teaching music and playing the
violin. He was a musician of considerable attainments, and in 1743
the Archbishop of Salzburg took him into his service, later
appointing him Court composer and leader of the orchestra. He was a
voluminous composer, but his works show little inventive power. His
fame as a musician rests chiefly on his "School for the Violin,"
printed in 1756--the year of Wolfgang's birth. This work, from which
Otto Jahn in his great monograph on Mozart gives several extracts,
was for many years the only work published in Germany on the subject,
and was held in great esteem not only for the thoroughness of its
instructions, but for the excellence of its style.
In 1747 Leopold Mozart married Anna Maria Pertlin (or Bertlin), by
whom he had seven children, only two of whom survived infancy. The
elder of these two was a daughter, Maria Anna, born July 30, 1751;
the younger was the subject of the present volume.
[Illustration: MOZART AT THE AGE OF SEVEN. (_From a scarce French
print._)]
Like her illustrious brother, Maria Anna (generally spoken of in the
family by the pet name of "Nannerl") very early showed great aptitude
for music. At the age of seven her father began to give her lessons
on the clavier, on which she made remarkable progress. It was during
these lessons that Wolfgang's wonderful musical genius first showed
itself. Though the child was then only between three and four years
of age, he took the greatest interest in what his sister was doing,
and would amuse himself with picking out thirds on the clavier. When
he was four his father, more in joke than otherwise, began to teach
him little pieces, which he learned with astonishing ease. For a
short piece he required only half an hour, for longer pieces an hour,
after which he could play them with perfect correctness. What is
even more astonishing is that before he was five years of age he
began to compose and play little pieces which his father wrote down.
Some of these juvenile efforts have been preserved, and show that
while the young musician had not at that time acquired any
individuality of style, he had an instinctive feeling for clearness
of form, while his harmony shows a correctness which is absolutely
amazing in so young a child.
J. A. Schachtner, Court trumpeter at Salzburg, an intimate friend of
the family, has preserved some reminiscences of the child's early
years in a letter which he wrote to the composer's sister soon after
Mozart's death. In this letter Schachtner relates how, on returning
from church one day with Leopold Mozart, they found little Wolfgang,
then four years old, hard at work writing:
"Papa. What are you writing?
"Wolfgang. A piano concerto; the first part is nearly finished.
"Papa. Let me see it.
"Wolfgang. It is not ready yet.
"Papa. Let me see it; it must be something pretty.
"His father took it, and showed me a daub of notes, mostly written
over blots that had been wiped out. (N.B.--Little Wolfgang in his
ignorance had dipped his pen every time to the bottom of the
inkstand, and so made a blot each time he put it on the paper; this
he wiped out with his flat hand, and went on writing.) We laughed at
first over this apparent nonsense; but the papa then began to notice
the principal thing, the composition. He remained motionless for a
long while, looking at the page; at last two tears--tears of
admiration and joy--fell from his eyes. 'Look, Herr Schachtner,'
said he, 'how correctly and regularly it is all arranged, only it
cannot be used because it is so extraordinarily difficult that nobody
can play it.' Little Wolfgang broke in: 'That is why it is a
concerto; it must be practised till one gets it right. Look, this is
how it must go!' He played it, but could only just make enough out
of it to show us what he meant.'
* * * * *
"Soon after they returned from Vienna, and Wolfgang brought with him
a little fiddle that had been presented to him. The late Herr
Wentzl, an excellent violinist, who also did a little in composition,
brought six trios with him which he had written during your father's
absence, and asked his opinion on them. We played the trios, your
father taking the bass part on the viola, Wentzl the first violin,
and I was to play the second. Wolfgang begged that he might play the
second, but his father refused the foolish request, as he had not had
the slightest instruction on the violin, and the father thought he
was not in the least able to do it. Wolfgang said: 'To play a second
violin one need not have learned!' When his father insisted on his
going away and not disturbing us any further, he began to cry
bitterly, and rushed out of the room with his fiddle. I begged them
to let him play with me. At last papa said: 'Well, play with Herr
Schachtner; but so quietly that nobody hears you, else you must go.'
So Wolfgang played with me. I soon noticed with astonishment that I
was quite superfluous. I quietly put down my violin and looked at
your father, down whose cheeks tears of admiration and happiness were
rolling, and so we played all six trios. When we had finished
Wolfgang grew so bold with our applause that he declared he could
play the first violin part too. We tried it for a joke, and nearly
died of laughing when he played this part also, though with quite
incorrect and irregular fingering, yet so that he never stuck fast."
In January, 1762, Leopold Mozart took his children to Munich, where
they played before the Elector. Their visit lasted three weeks, and
was so successful that in September of the same year they started for
Vienna. They travelled leisurely, staying five days at Passau at the
request of the Bishop, and giving a concert at Linz under the
patronage of the Governor-General of the Province, Count Schlick.
The astonishment and delight at the performances of the two children
were unbounded. On arriving at Vienna, they received a command to
visit the Emperor at Schönbrunn. Both he and the Empress were good
musicians, and many incidents are related by Mozart's biographers
showing not only the interest taken in the youthful prodigy, but also
the tests of ability to which the Emperor submitted him. It was, of
course, only natural that the example set by royalty should be
followed by members of the Court, and the Mozarts were invited by all
the nobility of Vienna. Their visit must have been a source of
considerable profit, as many valuable presents were made them. Their
success was interrupted for a time, from Wolfgang being attacked by
scarlet fever; happily, the attack was not very severe, though
sufficient to confine him to the house for a month. The family
returned to Salzburg early in January, 1763.
Encouraged by the success of his first venture, Leopold Mozart
resolved on a much longer tour, and on June 9, 1763, he, with his
wife and the two children, left home for Paris. At Wasserburg their
carriage broke down, and a day's delay was caused while it was being
repaired. Leopold Mozart writes to his friend Hagenauer:
"The latest thing is that, to amuse ourselves, we went to the organ,
and I explained the pedals to Wolferl, whereupon he at once, _stante
pede_, began to try them. Pushing back the stool and standing, he
preluded, stepping about on the pedals just as if he had practised
for many months. All were amazed; it is a new gift of God, which
many only attain after much trouble."
After passing through Munich, Augsburg, Mainz, Frankfort, Cologne,
and Brussels, giving many concerts by the way, they reached Paris on
November 18, where they were the guests of the Bavarian Ambassador,
Count von Eyck, whose wife was the daughter of an official at
Salzburg. By means of introductions which he had brought with him,
Leopold Mozart soon obtained permission for his children to play at
Court, where the King's daughters showed themselves extremely
friendly to them. The father in one of his letters tells how they
went on New Year's Day to the supper-room of the royal family, and
how Wolfgang stood near the Queen, who fed him with sweetmeats and
talked to him in German, interpreting his answers to the King, who
did not understand the language. Every where the child's
performances excited the greatest wonder and admiration. Not only
would he play anything set before him at first sight, but he would
transpose or accompany from a full score; his improvisations are also
spoken of as remarkable, not only for their melodic interest but for
their harmony.
[Illustration: MOZART WITH HIS FATHER AND SISTER. (_From a rare
print._)]
It was while he was in Paris that his father had his first
compositions printed for him. These were four sonatas for piano and
violin, published in two sets, the first of which was dedicated to
the Princess Victoria, the second daughter of the King, and the
second to the Comtesse de Tesse, lady-in-waiting to the Dauphiness.
It is not too much to say that these four sonatas are the most
remarkable examples in existence of precocious musical genius. It is
not so much that they show great originality in their subject-matter,
though in the slow movements, especially in that of the fourth
sonata, foreshadowings of the riper Mozart may be seen; it is the
wonderful command of form, the feeling for rhythm and for balance in
the different parts of a movement which excite astonishment. The
harmony, too, is for the most part absolutely correct, though in one
place--in the minuet of the fourth sonata--consecutive fifths are to
be seen. Leopold Mozart had corrected them in the proofs, but the
correction had not been made before printing, and the father consoled
himself with the reflection that they would serve as a proof that the
boy had really composed the sonatas himself, which people might
otherwise have been not unnaturally inclined to doubt.
In April, 1764, the Mozarts left Paris and came to London. George
III. and Queen Charlotte were both extremely fond of music, and the
success the children had met with in Paris was even surpassed at the
English Court. Wolfgang played at first sight pieces by Wagenseil,
Bach, Abel, and Handel, which the King placed before him; he
accompanied the Queen in a song and a flutist in a solo; finally, he
took a bass part of one of Handel's songs, and extemporized a
beautiful melody above it. His father wrote of him at this time: "It
surpasses all conception. What he knew when we left Salzburg is a
mere shadow to what he knows now. My girl, though only twelve, is
one of the cleverest players in Europe; and the mighty Wolfgang, to
put it briefly, knows all, in this his eighth year, that one could
ask from a man of forty. In short, anyone who does not see and hear
it cannot believe it. You all in Salzburg know nothing about it, for
the matter is quite different now."
On June 5 Leopold Mozart gave a concert to introduce his children to
a London public. The result was a great success, and he, in his own
words, "was frightened at taking one hundred guineas in three hours."
Subsequently Wolfgang played the piano and organ at a concert given
at Ranelagh Gardens for a charitable object. In August Leopold
Mozart was attacked by a dangerous inflammation of the throat, which
confined him to the house for seven weeks, during which time no music
was heard. Wolfgang utilized the occasion by writing his first
symphony for orchestra, and his sister afterwards told how, when she
was sitting at his side, he said to her: "Remind me to give the horns
something good." Like the first sonatas already spoken of, the first
symphony, though not remarkable for its themes, shows the wonderful
knowledge of instrumental forms that the child had almost intuitively
acquired.
After the father's recovery the family were again invited to Court on
October 29 for the festivities on the fourth anniversary of the
King's coronation. In recognition of the royal favour, Leopold
Mozart had six sonatas by Wolfgang for piano and violin engraved at
his own expense. They were dedicated to the Queen, who rewarded the
composer with a present of fifty guineas. These sonatas, though
concise in form and bearing marks of immaturity, already show a
perceptible advance on those printed a year earlier in Paris.
It was in London, at the Italian Opera, that the young composer first
had the opportunity of hearing great singers. Chief among these were
the male soprani, Manzuoli and Tenducci, the former of whom gave him
lessons in singing. How he profited by them we learn from his friend
Grimm, who, hearing him in Paris on his return there in the following
year, writes that he sang with as much feeling as taste. With so
impressionable a nature as his, it can scarcely be doubted that these
early lessons contributed not a little to the formation of that pure
style of vocal writing so characteristic of his music for the theatre
and the church.
Finding that, when the novelty had worn off, the performances of his
children no longer attracted the same attention as before, the
Mozarts left London on July 24, 1765, on a visit to the Hague, as the
Princess von Weilburg, sister of the Prince of Orange, was very
anxious to see the boy. They were most graciously received, but had
not been long at the Hague when Marianne was taken so dangerously ill
that her life was despaired of, and extreme unction was administered.
Scarcely was she recovered when Wolfgang was seized with a violent
fever, which confined him to his bed for several weeks. Even during
this illness his ruling passion showed itself. He would have a board
laid upon his bed on which he could write, and even when he was
weakest it was difficult to restrain him from writing and playing.
In January, 1766, two concerts were given in Amsterdam, the
programmes of which consisted entirely of Wolfgang's instrumental
compositions. Two months later they returned to the Hague to be
present at the festivities of the coming of age of the Prince of
Orange. Here Wolfgang, at the desire of the Princess of Weilburg,
wrote six more sonatas for piano and violin, besides several smaller
pieces for her.
We must pass briefly over the remainder of this long tour. Passing
through Mechlin, they returned to Paris, thence by Dijon and Lyons to
Switzerland, where they stayed some time. It was not till the end of
November, 1766, that, after an absence of nearly three years and a
half, the family found themselves once more at home at Salzburg.
It has been advisable to give in considerable detail the particulars
of Mozart's earliest years because the precocious development of his
genius is absolutely without a parallel in the case of any other
composer. The limits of the present volume will render it needful to
be somewhat more concise in dealing with the rest of the biography.
It is characteristic of the young Wolfgang that his simple nature
does not appear to have been in the least spoiled by successes which
were enough to have turned the head of an adult. Jahn tells us that
he would ride round the room on his father's stick, or jump up from
the piano in the middle of his extemporizing to go and play with a
favourite cat. Doubtless the judicious training he received from his
good and wise father furnishes the explanation of this estimable
trait in his character.
For nearly a year the family remained at home, Wolfgang working hard
both at playing and composing. The chief works belonging to this
period, on none of which it is necessary to dwell, are the first four
concertos for the piano, a small sacred cantata, _Grabmusik_, and the
Latin comedy, _Apollo et Hyacinthus_, written for performance by the
students of the Salzburg University. In September, 1767, the whole
family left home on a second visit to Vienna, with the intention of
being present at the marriage of the Archduchess Maria Josepha with
King Ferdinand of Naples, which was shortly to take place.
Unfortunately, within a month after their arrival the Archduchess was
carried off by small-pox, and Leopold Mozart with all his family fled
to Olmütz. His children, nevertheless, did not escape; both were
attacked by the complaint, with such severity in the case of Wolfgang
that he lay blind for nine days. With the greatest kindness the Dean
of Olmütz, Count Podstatsky, who was also a Canon of Salzburg, and
therefore knew Mozart, received the whole family into his house,
procuring for them the best medical attendance and nursing.
Returning to Vienna in January, 1768, they soon experienced
difficulties of all kinds. The Empress Maria Theresa, it is true, as
soon as she heard of the dangerous illness of the children whom she
had so admired five years before, sent for them; but this visit
brought them little profit, for the Emperor was parsimonious, and the
nobility followed his example. Even more adverse were the conditions
as regards the general public. The Viennese at that time, as Leopold
Mozart says in one of his letters, had no desire to see anything
serious and sensible, and little or no idea of it; all they cared for
was buffoonery, farces, or pantomime. The infant prodigy had been a
"draw" in 1762; but they cared little or nothing for the development
of the artist a few years later. Added to this was the active
opposition of envious musicians. Those who had admired the young
child now dreaded the boy of twelve as a dangerous rival. The father
says:
"I found that all the clavier players and composers in Vienna opposed
our progress, with the single exception of Wagenseil, and he, as he
is ill, can do little or nothing for us. The great rule with these
people was carefully to avoid all opportunity of seeing us or of
examining into Wolfgang's knowledge. And why? So that they, in so
many cases when they were asked if they have heard this boy and what
they think of him, might always be able to say that they had not
heard him, and that it was impossible it could be true; that it was
humbug and harlequinade; that matters had been arranged, and that the
things given him to play were what he knew already; that it was
ridiculous to think he could compose. You see, that is why they
avoid us. For anyone who has seen and heard him can no longer say
this without the risk of dishonour. I have trapped one of these
people. We had arranged with someone to let us know quietly when he
would be present. He was to come and bring an extraordinarily
difficult concerto. We managed the matter, and he had the
opportunity of hearing his concerto played off by Wolfgang as if he
knew it by heart. The astonishment of this composer and performer,
the expressions which he used in his admiration, gave us all to
understand what I have just been pointing out to you. At last he
said: 'I can, as an honourable man, say nothing else than that this
boy is the greatest man now living in the world; it was impossible to
believe.'"
Isolated cases of this kind could do but little to stem the torrent
of calumny and depreciation to which the young composer was exposed.
But now the Emperor came forward and proposed that Wolfgang should
write an opera. The proposal was eagerly accepted; the father saw
that a success would not only establish the lad's reputation in
Vienna, but would pave the way for further successes in Italy. The
text of an opera buffa, _La Finta Semplice_, was obtained from
Coltellini, the poet connected with the theatre, and Wolfgang set to
work at once. The score, which contained twenty-five numbers and 558
pages, was soon completed. Jahn, who gives a detailed analysis of
the whole opera, concludes his criticism by saying that the work was
fully equal to those at that time to be heard on the stage, while in
single numbers it surpassed them in nobility and originality of
invention and treatment, while it pointed clearly to a greater
future. And this, be it remembered, was the composition of a boy of
twelve!
In spite of the support of the Emperor, the unscrupulous intrigues of
Mozart's enemies, of which his father's letters convey a vivid idea,
so influenced the manager of the theatre, Affligio--a scoundrel who,
it is satisfactory to learn, ended his days at the galleys--that the
opera was never produced. By way of consolation, however, the father
had the pleasure of hearing a German operetta by Wolfgang performed.
This was _Bastien und Bastienne_, a piece in one act, which was
written for Dr. Messmer, a rich amateur who had built a small theatre
in his garden. Wolfgang was also commissioned to compose the music
for the dedication of the chapel of an orphan asylum, and to conduct
the performance of the same. For this occasion he composed his first
Mass (in G major), and an offertorium, _Veni sancte Spiritus_, of
which the latter is the more striking.
On the return of the Mozart family to Salzburg, about the end of
1768, the Archbishop, gratified at the success obtained by a native
of the city, had the opera performed by musicians who were in his
service. He further appointed Wolfgang concertmeister--that is,
leader of the orchestra--and his name appears in this capacity in the
Court calendars of 1770.
THE YOUTH (1769-1778)
The greater part of the year 1769 was spent quietly at Salzburg,
where Wolfgang, under his father's direction, diligently pursued his
studies. In December of that year the father and son set off for
Italy, Leopold rightly feeling that such a tour would not only be
advantageous to Wolfgang's reputation as a musician, but would
enlarge his views and give him wider experience of the world.
The lad was now no longer an infant prodigy, but, it might almost be
said, already a mature artist, whose powers were ripening daily,
thanks hardly less to his father's judicious training than to his own
natural genius. It is noteworthy that he never seems to have been in
the least spoiled by his successes; he remained the same natural,
affectionate boy that he had always been. The letters that he wrote
during his tour to his sister at home are full of charm. While often
overflowing with fun, they also show how acute a critic he was of the
music which he heard, and how keen an observer of all that passed
around him. In this respect they may be compared with the letters
written from Italy more than sixty years later by Mendelssohn.
Travelling by way of Innsbruck, Roveredo, and Verona, and meeting
everywhere with a most enthusiastic reception, Mozart, with his
father, reached Mantua on January 10, 1770. The Philharmonic Society
of the city gave a concert on the 16th of the same month, which was
in reality a public exhibition of Wolfgang's powers. The programme
has fortunately been preserved, and we learn from it that in addition
to two of his symphonies, of which he probably directed the
performance, he played at first sight a concerto for the harpsichord
that was placed before him. He also played at sight a sonata,
introducing variations of his own, and afterwards transposed the
whole piece into another key. More remarkable still was his
improvisation. He extemporized a sonata and a regularly constructed
fugue on themes given him at the moment. He also sang and composed
extempore a song on words not previously seen, accompanying himself
on the harpsichord.
The travellers' next stay was at Milan, where they found a warm
friend in Count Firmian, the Governor-General of Lombardy, who
interested himself with such success on behalf of Wolfgang that the
latter received a commission to compose an opera for the next season,
after giving proof of his powers for serious opera by setting three
songs from the poems of Metastasio.
Passing through Parma, Bologna (where they made the acquaintance of
the celebrated theorist Padre Martini) and Florence, the Mozarts
arrived in Rome during Holy Week. It was on this occasion that
Wolfgang performed the feat, so often recorded, of writing down from
memory Allegri's _Miserere_ after having heard it sung, in the
Sistine Chapel. After a visit for a month to Naples, they returned
to Rome, where the Pope invested Wolfgang with the order of the
Golden Spur.
Revisiting Bologna on his return journey, the lad received the honour
of being elected a member of the Philharmonic Society of that city.
As a test-piece he composed an antiphon in four parts, _Quœrite
primum regnum Dei_, in the strict contrapuntal style of the old
Church music. His father, writing home an account of the affair,
says:
"The princeps academiæ and the two censors, who are all old
kapellmeisters, put before him in the presence of all the members an
antiphon from the Antiphonarium, which he was to set in four parts in
an adjoining room, to which he was conducted by the beadle and locked
in. When he had finished it, it was examined by the censors and all
the kapellmeisters and composers, who then voted upon it with black
and white balls. As all the balls were white, he was called in, and
all clapped on his entry, and applauded him after the princeps
academiæ had announced his reception in the name of the society. He
returned thanks, and all was over. I was meantime shut up in the
library on the other side of the hall. All were astonished that he
had done it so quickly, as many take three hours over an antiphon of
three lines. You should know, though, that it is no easy task, for
there are many things forbidden in this kind of composition, as he
had been previously told. He finished it in exactly half an hour."
While staying at Bologna, Mozart received from Milan the libretto of
the opera which he was to write. According to his custom, he wrote
the recitatives first, deferring the composition of the airs till he
had made acquaintance with the singers, in order that he might suit
them the better with their parts. On October 18, Wolfgang and his
father returned to Milan, and the boy at once set to work diligently
to finish the opera, which was to be produced at Christmas. The
subject of the work was _Mitridate, Re di Ponto_, the libretto being
written by a poet of Turin named Cigna-Santi. All the airs were
written after consultation with those who were to sing them.
As at Vienna, so at Milan: jealous musicians intrigued to hinder the
success of the work, but their efforts were in vain. The principal
singers and the members of the orchestra were delighted with the
music, and on December 26 it was produced, with so brilliant a result
as to silence the detractors. The opera was repeated twenty times to
always crowded houses, and with ever-increasing success. At the end
of March, 1771, Wolfgang was again in Salzburg.
Two important musical works were the result of the success of
_Mitridate_. The impresario at Milan engaged Wolfgang to write an
opera for the season of 1773, while the Empress Maria Theresa
commissioned him to compose a theatrical serenata for the marriage of
the Archduke Ferdinand, which was to take place at Milan in October,
1771. The work was _Ascanio in Alba_, which was produced on October
17 with very complete success. The celebrated Hasse, a friend of the
Mozarts, and an honourable man, who had always sided with Wolfgang
against his detractors, had written an opera, _Ruggiero_, for the
same festivities. Leopold Mozart writes home: "I am sorry that
Wolfgang's serenata has so eclipsed Hasse's opera that it is
indescribable." Hasse himself was generous enough to acknowledge his
defeat, and to say: "This youth will make us all to be forgotten," a
prophecy that has been amply fulfilled.
During the greater part of the year 1772 Wolfgang was at home,
composing music of almost every kind. An event which took place at
this time had an important influence on his future. This was the
death of the Archbishop of Salzburg, and the election in his place of
Hieronymus, Count of Colloredo, a haughty and surly man, who cared
nothing whatever for music. For his installation Mozart composed the
one-act allegorical opera, _Il Sogno di Scipione_--not one of his
stronger works. In November of the same year we find him once more
in Milan, busy with the new opera that he had been engaged to write.
This was _Lucio Silla_, the words of which were written by a local
poet. It was produced on December 26, and repeated more than twenty
times to crowded houses. The opera contains some beautiful numbers;
but Mozart had not yet emancipated himself from tradition, and it is
not till some years later that his dramatic genius shows itself in
its full strength. After the production of _Lucio Silla_, Leopold
Mozart, with his son, remained some time in Italy, in the hope of the
latter obtaining an appointment in the Court of the Grand Duke
Leopold at Florence. This hope was not realized, and in March they
returned to Salzburg.
[Illustration: THE MOZART FAMILY. (_From the painting by Van de la
Croce, 1780, in the Mozart Museum._)]
With the exception of a two months' visit to Vienna, Mozart remained
at home for the rest of the year and for nearly the whole of the
following one, composing almost incessantly and in nearly every
style. To this period belong two of his best Masses--those in F and
D--the fine _Litaniœ Lauretanœ_ in D, four symphonies, six
quartetts, concertos for various instruments, serenades,
divertimenti, and smaller pieces of all kinds. In the course of the
year 1774 Mozart received a commission to write a comic opera for
Munich for the Carnival of 1775, and in December of that year he went
there with his father. The opera which he had to write was _La Finta
Giardiniera_, the libretto of which had already been set to music by
Piccinni in 1770 and Anfossi in 1774. The first performance took
place on January 13, 1775, with a success which the composer
described the next day in a letter to his mother:
"My opera was produced yesterday, and had, thank God! such success
that I cannot possibly describe to mamma the noise and commotion....
At the close of every air there was a terrible noise with clapping
and shouting 'Viva maestro!' ... I and my father afterwards went into
a room through which the whole Court pass, and where I kissed the
hands of the Elector, the Electress, and others of the nobility, who
were all very gracious. His Highness the Bishop of Chiemsee sent to
me early this morning with congratulations on my success."
Very interesting is the following extract from Schubert's "Teutsche
Chronik":
"I have also heard an opera buffa by the wonderful genius Mozart; it
is called _La Finta Ciardiniera_. Flames of genius flashed forth
here and there; but it is not yet the quiet fire on the altar which
rises to heaven in clouds of incense--a perfume sweet to the gods.
If Mozart is not a plant forced in a hot-house, he must become one of
the greatest musical composers that has ever lived."
In the music of _La Finta Giardiniera_ a great advance on any of
Mozart's previous operas is to be seen. Not only is there a richness
of melodic invention worthy to compare with that of his later and
greater works, but there is more organic unity in the music as a
whole. Though some of the airs now appear unduly spun out, it must
be remembered that long solos were the fashion of the day. The
orchestra is treated with more independence than hitherto, and the
score abounds with beautiful effects of colouring, though in most
numbers but few wind instruments are employed. The great duet toward
the close of the third act and the elaborate finales which conclude
the first and second acts are admirable, and might be inserted into
_Figaro_ without producing too strong a feeling of incongruity.
Among those who witnessed the triumph of Mozart's opera was the
Archbishop of Salzburg, who was at the time on a visit to the Elector
of Bavaria. Though he did not himself hear the work, he was
congratulated upon it by the members of the Court, and, as Mozart
records, "was so embarrassed as to be unable to make any reply except
by shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders."
Returning to Salzburg in March, 1775, Mozart remained there for
nearly three years--probably the least happy of his life. The entire
want of appreciation showed him by the tyrannical Archbishop rendered
his position most irksome. Though the final rupture did not come
till later, he was subjected to constant indignities, while the
remuneration he received was ridiculously disproportionate to the
services that he rendered, both as composer and performer. Yet his
activity in production never ceased. The catalogue of the
compositions he produced during these years is nearly as astonishing
for the large number of masterpieces it contains as for the variety
of style that it shows. Nearly a hundred works, including four
symphonies, fifteen serenades and divertimenti, ten concertos for
various instruments, six sonatas for clavier, six Masses, the grand
Litany in E flat, a number of smaller works for the Church, the opera
_Il Rè Pastore_, many songs, some with orchestra, others with piano,
bear witness no less to his industry than to the fecundity of his
genius. Many of these works were written for performance at the
Archbishop's palace, at which concerts were frequently given; but the
Archbishop, though fully knowing what a treasure he had in Mozart,
not only never paid him for any of his compositions, but insulted him
by contemptuous remarks about them, thinking this the best means of
keeping the young master from asking for an advance in his salary,
which, it should be said, amounted at this time to about £15 sterling
per annum! On one occasion, as we learn from a letter written by
Leopold to Padre Martini, the Archbishop went so far as to tell
Wolfgang that he knew nothing about his art, and that he ought to go
to Naples to study. It became more and more evident that there was
no prospect of the young man's obtaining an honourable and
remunerative post at Salzburg. It was therefore decided that
Wolfgang should make another tour, in the hope of obtaining a better
appointment. But when he applied for leave of absence that he might
earn some money as an addition to his small salary, the Archbishop
refused with the ungracious remark that "he could not suffer a man
going on begging expeditions." Wolfgang thereupon tendered his
resignation, which the Archbishop angrily accepted.
As it was impossible for Leopold to accompany his son on this
journey--the Archbishop having refused him leave of
absence--Wolfgang's mother went with him. They left Salzburg on
September 23, 1777, for Munich, where they stayed till October 11,
Wolfgang hoping either to find a post there or to obtain a commission
to write an opera. From Munich they went to Augsburg, where Mozart
gave a concert which brought him much glory but very little profit.
On October 30 Mozart and his mother arrived at Mannheim. The long
stay of between four and five months which they made in this place
had in more than one respect an important influence on Mozart's
future. The orchestra at Mannheim was considered the finest in
Europe, and the young composer writes of it to his father in
enthusiastic terms. He was especially struck by the clarinets, which
he here for the first time met with in the orchestra. He writes:
"Ah, if we only had clarinets! You cannot believe what a splendid
effect a symphony makes with flutes, oboes, and clarinets." The
Mannheim orchestra included among its members many of the finest
performers on their respective instruments then living, and
contemporary testimony was to the effect that they were unsurpassed
in execution and finish. The first kapellmeister was Christian
Cannabich, an excellent violinist, and a very good friend to Mozart;
the second was the Abbé Vogler, a clever but eccentric man, of whom
Mozart writes: "He is a fool, who fancies that there can exist
nothing better or more perfect than himself. He is hated by the
whole orchestra. His book will better teach arithmetic than
composition." In another letter he gives a criticism of Vogler's
music which is so characteristic as to deserve quotation:
"Yesterday was again a gala day. I attended the service, at which
was produced a bran new Mass by Vogler, which had been rehearsed only
the day before yesterday in the afternoon. I stayed, however, no
longer than the end of the 'Kyrie.' Such music I never before heard
in my life, for not only is the harmony often wrong, but he goes into
keys as if he would pull them in by the hair of the head, not
artistically, but plump, and without preparation. Of the treatment
of the ideas I will not try to speak; I will only say that it is
quite impossible that any Mass by Vogler can satisfy a composer
worthy of the name. For though one should discover an idea that is
not bad, that idea does not long remain in a negative condition, but
soon becomes--beautiful? Heaven save the mark! it becomes
bad--extremely bad, and this in two or three different ways. The
thought has scarcely had time to appear before something else comes
and destroys it, or it does not close so naturally as to remain good,
or it is not brought in in the right place, or it is spoiled by the
injudicious employment of the accompanying instruments. Such is
Vogler's composition."
It is hardly surprising that there should be little sympathy or
cordiality between Vogler and Mozart, but there is no ground for the
suspicion entertained by Leopold Mozart that the Abbé was plotting
against his son.
Mozart was very desirous of obtaining an appointment at Mannheim
under the Elector, and this was one of the causes of his long stay
there. But, as usual, nothing came of it. The Elector was very
complimentary to the composer, but after a delay of nearly two months
finally said that he could do nothing. It was therefore the father's
wish that they should continue the journey towards Paris. Mozart,
however, was in no hurry to leave Mannheim; the society of the
members of the orchestra, some of whom--among them Wendling, the
flutist, and Ramm, the oboist--were close personal friends, was very
congenial. But there was another and more powerful reason: he had
for the first time fallen seriously in love. The object of his
affection was a young singer, Aloysia Weber, the second daughter of
Fridolin von Weber, at that time copyist and prompter in the Mannheim
theatre. She was very beautiful, had a fine voice, and sang with
great taste and expression. For her Mozart wrote one of the finest
of his concert arias, _Non so donde viene_; he also gave her lessons.
His affection would seem to have been returned, but his father was
not unnaturally opposed to the youth's fettering himself by such a
union. Wolfgang's idea was to make a professional tour in company
with the Webers, and to try to procure engagements in Italy for the
young lady as a prima donna, and for himself as a composer, Leopold,
however, was experienced enough to see clearly that such a scheme was
impracticable, and that a young girl who had never appeared on the
stage would have no chance of success in an Italian theatre, however
well she might sing. He therefore, in order to free his son from the
entanglement, wrote a long letter to him, putting the case very
plainly and sensibly, and urging him at once to go to Paris to try to
make a position there. Like a dutiful son, as he always showed
himself, Wolfgang obeyed, and left Mannheim with a heavy heart on
March 14, 1778, arriving nine days later at Paris.
The time of his visit was not favourable to his hopes. Musicians in
the French capital were busy with the great struggle for supremacy in
opera between Gluck and Piccinni, which was then at its height.
Besides this, the frivolous Parisian public, who had been so
attracted by the infant prodigy, cared little for the mature artist.
Mozart obtained an introduction to Le Gros, the director of the
Concert Spirituel, who gave him a commission to write some movements
of a _Miserere_, of which, however, only two choruses were performed.
Besides this, Mozart composed for the same concerts a _Sinfonie
Concertante_ for four wind instruments, with orchestra. But once
more the intrigues of enemies pursued him. Two days before the
concert was to be given the parts of the new work had not been
copied, and when Mozart went to Le Gros to inquire the reason, the
latter merely said that he had forgotten it. Mozart suspected, and
probably correctly, that Cambini, an Italian composer whom he had
unintentionally offended, was at the bottom of it.
For the Duc de Guines, to whom he obtained an introduction through
his old friend Grimm, Mozart wrote a double concerto for the unusual
combination of flute and harp, to be played by the Duke and his
daughter. The two instruments were those which Mozart detested; yet
the concerto, though not a great work, is most effectively written
for both instruments, and is very pleasing music. Besides this, he
gave lessons in composition to the Duke's daughter, who, though a
clever performer, seems to have had but little idea of writing.
Mozart, in one of his letters to his father, gives a very amusing
account of a lesson in which he had tried to make the young lady
compose a minuet. He wrote later that she was both stupid and lazy,
and he finally gave up the lessons in disgust.
Mozart's great desire, as always, was to write an opera, and, through
Noverre, the ballet-master of the Grand Opera, whose acquaintance he
had made in Vienna six years before, there seemed to be a fair
prospect of the realization of his wish. Noverre set a librettist to
work, and the text of the first act of an opera was soon ready.
Meanwhile Noverre wanted some ballet music, and Mozart wrote for him
the overture and incidental dances for _Les Petits Riens_. Nothing
more, however, came of the opera. The composer, nevertheless, had
one musical success during his stay in Paris. This was the
production at the Concert Spirituel of his symphony in D, known as
the "Parisian." In a letter to his father Mozart tells how warmly it
was received, and how the audience were struck with certain passages
and began applauding in the middle of the movements. There is no
doubt that the symphony was the finest that he had composed up to
that time; being written to suit the Parisian taste, it is lighter
and more brilliant in style than most of its predecessors, without
becoming thereby tawdry or frivolous. This was the first symphony
that Mozart had scored for full orchestra, and the rich and varied
colouring of the wind instruments shows how he had profited by
listening to the fine performances at Mannheim.
Whether the success of his symphony would have led to Mozart's
ultimately obtaining a good appointment at Paris cannot be said, for
almost immediately after the production of the work a sad event
brought about an entire change in his plans. This was the death of
his mother, which occurred on July 3, 1778, after a fortnight's
illness. His father was anxious, for more than one reason, that he
should return home. Not only was there the natural desire for his
son's company and support in his bereavement, there was also the
apprehension that the young man, now that his mother's restraining
influence was removed, might fall into the hands of bad companions.
At this juncture an opening unexpectedly presented itself in
Salzburg. The Archbishop had by this time become conscious of the
mistake he had made in allowing the young genius to leave him, and
was anxious to have him back if possible. The death of the old
kapellmeister Lolli, which occurred at this time, gave the Archbishop
the opportunity he desired, and, after long negotiations, Lolli's
post was offered to Leopold Mozart, and that of second kapellmeister
to his son, whose salary was to be 500 florins a year. It was also
conceded that he should have leave of absence whenever he wanted to
write an opera.
Greatly as Mozart disliked Salzburg--and with good reason, after the
Archbishop's treatment of him--he at once yielded to his father's
wishes, and accepted the post. There can be no doubt that he did so
all the more readily in consequence of one piece of news contained in
his father's letter. This was that his beloved Aloysia Weber was
engaged to sing at Salzburg, and would be living with the Mozarts.
He therefore left Paris on September 26, travelling by way of
Strasburg, Mannheim, and Munich, at each of which places he remained
for some time. At Munich he visited the Webers, who had removed
thither from Mannheim. Here a great disappointment awaited him. His
beloved Aloysia had proved faithless, and received him coldly.
Mozart thereupon sat down to the piano and sang, "Ich lass das Madel
gern, das mich nicht will," (I willingly leave the maid who does not
want me). Aloysia subsequently made an unhappy marriage with an
actor named Lange, and became a distinguished prima donna. In her
later years she confessed that she had failed to realize the genius
of Mozart, and saw in him nothing but a little man.
THE MAN (1779-179l)