for nearly two years he remained in that city, busied with his duties
at the Archbishop's palace, and composing works of all kinds. The
record of these years is chiefly one of almost ceaseless writing.
Many of Mozart's best and ripest works date from this period. Among
these are the Mass in C, published as No. 1, though really the
composer's fourteenth. This is one of the finest of the series, as
well as one of the most popular. The "Agnus Dei," a solo, the chief
theme of which foreshadows the "Dove sono" of _Figaro_, was formerly
a favourite air with soprani who valued expression above mere
display. Another important work dating from this period is the
incidental music to Gebler's drama _Thamos, König in Ægypten_. This
music consists partly of entr'actes and incidental music, but it also
contains three magnificent and amply developed choruses, which may
justly be described as among the most noble choral pieces that Mozart
ever wrote. The play was a failure, but the composer, regretting
that the music could not be used, had the choruses adapted to Latin
hymns; in this form they have become well-known and popular as the
three great motets, _Splendente te, Deus_, _Ne pulvis et cinis_, and
_Deus, tibi laus et honor_. To this period also belong the two-act
German opera _Zaide_, two vespers, two symphonies, two great
serenades--one being the magnificent one for thirteen wind
instruments--the _Symphonie Concertante_ in E flat, for violin and
viola, the concerto in the same key for two pianos, and some of his
best sonatas for piano solo, besides smaller pieces, vocal and
instrumental, too numerous to mention.
In the latter part of the year 1780, Mozart received from the Elector
of Bavaria a commission to write an opera for Munich, for the
Carnival of 1781. The Archbishop had promised him leave of absence,
and on November 6, 1780, he left Salzburg for the Bavarian capital.
The libretto was written by the Abbé Varesco, Court chaplain at
Salzburg, the subject selected being _Idomeneo_, and it was founded
on a French opera on the same subject that had been composed by
Campra, and produced in 1712.
Mozart, on his arrival in Munich, was received with open arms by his
many friends in that city, and he worked at the opera with an
enthusiasm that may be easily imagined. Though his principal
vocalists were not all that he could have desired, he had a splendid
orchestra at his disposal, and from the first all the performers were
delighted with the music. His letters to his father while writing
the opera are full of interesting details. After the first
rehearsal, Ramm, the first oboe, an old friend of the composer,
assured him that he had never yet heard any music that made so great
an effect upon him. Mozart's father, who was most anxious for the
complete success of the work, wrote urging his son "to think not only
of the musical, but also of the unmusical public. You know, there
are a hundred without knowledge to every one connoisseur, so do not
forget the so-called 'popular' that tickles even the long ears."
Wolfgang replied: "Don't trouble yourself about the so-called
'popular,' for in my opera is music for all kinds of people--only not
for the long ears."
_Idomeneo_ was produced on January 29, 1781, with a success that must
have satisfied not only the composer, but also his father and sister,
who came over from Salzburg to hear it. In this opera we find Mozart
in his full maturity. Whether in the flow of his melody, the
richness of the harmony, the power of dramatic characterization, or
the beauty and variety of the orchestration, this work shows a
decided advance on any of its predecessors, and marks a turning-point
in the history of dramatic music.
Thanks to the fact that the Archbishop of Salzburg was at this time
in Vienna, Mozart was able to prolong his visit to Munich; but in
March he was summoned to join his employer, and on March 12 he
arrived in Vienna. Here he was treated by the Archbishop with the
utmost indignity; not only was he made to take his meals with the
servants, but he was refused permission to take any engagements
whereby he might add to his meagre income. Insult followed insult,
till at length the crisis came, and Mozart resigned the appointment
which his self-respect forbade him longer to hold, and determined to
seek his fortune in Vienna.
Though now thrown entirely on his own resources, Mozart was very
sanguine about the future. At first he earned only a precarious
livelihood by playing at fashionable parties and teaching the piano;
but he looked forward with great hopes to obtaining an appointment
with the Emperor Joseph II. But the monarch, though always affable
and even cordial to the composer, preferred Italian music to the more
solid style of Mozart, whom he esteemed as a pianist rather than as a
composer. "He cares for no one but Salieri," said Mozart of him; and
there can be no doubt that the influence of the Italian on the
Emperor was very great. Salieri, a musician of talent, though not of
genius, saw in Mozart a formidable rival, and, while outwardly
polite, secretly intrigued against him.
Joseph II. took great interest in the establishment of a school of
German opera, and engaged an excellent company of vocalists, among
whom was Mozart's old flame, Aloysia Weber, for the theatre. Mozart,
who always delighted in writing for the stage, had brought with him
to Vienna his German opera _Zaide_. He scarcely hoped that it would
be produced, as he thought the libretto unsuited to the Viennese
public; but Stephanie, the inspector of the opera, was so pleased
with the music that he promised to give Mozart a good text to set.
The Emperor was quite willing to see what the composer could do in
German opera; and in July Mozart, to his great delight, received the
libretto of _Belmont und Constanze_, now known under its second
title, _Die Entführung aus dem Serail_. Owing to various causes,
among others the cabals of Mozart's enemies, the production of the
opera was much delayed; it was only by the express command of the
Emperor that it was at length performed for the first time on July
13, 1782. It was of this opera that the Emperor said to the
composer: "Too fine for our ears, and an immense number of notes, my
dear Mozart!" which called forth the reply: "Exactly as many notes,
your Majesty, as are needful."
The success of the work was immediate and complete. Here Mozart was
virtually on new ground. Excepting the operetta _Bastien und
Bastienne_ and the _Zaide_ above-mentioned, all Mozart's preceding
operas had been written to Italian words; and though in _Idomeneo_ a
fusion of Italian and German styles is to be seen, it is not till
_Die Entführung_ that we find an important work genuinely German in
character. Of Italian influence there is but little trace except in
some parts of the music allotted to Constanze. This role was
undertaken by Madame Cavalieri, a great bravura singer, but little
more; and many of the florid passages in her songs remind one of the
popular ornate style of the day. It is difficult to speak too highly
of the wealth of melodic invention, the truth of expression, or the
skill shown in differentiating the various characters of the drama to
be found in this work, while the picturesqueness of the orchestration
is perhaps even superior to that of _Idomeneo_, and certainly far
surpasses that of any of the early operas.
At this time Mozart's old friends, the Webers, had removed to Vienna,
and the composer had resumed his intercourse with them. A mutual
attachment had grown up between him and Constanze, a younger sister
of Aloysia, who had jilted him. He wrote to his father asking his
consent to his marriage; but Leopold, knowing that his son had no
regular appointment, and that his income was precarious, strongly
opposed the step, and for some time the course of true love by no
means ran smooth.
Through the influence of a patroness of Mozart, the Baroness von
Waldstadten, the obstacles were ultimately surmounted, and the
marriage was celebrated at the Baroness's house on August 4, 1782.
Though the union was, from one point of view, very happy, owing to
the true affection that existed between husband and wife, it cannot
be doubted that it was, to a great extent, the cause of much of
Mozart's later troubles. Constanze, though endowed with many
excellent qualities, was a bad housekeeper, while Mozart, besides
being generous to a fault, had not the least capacity for business,
nor even any idea of economy. No wonder, then, that when to the care
and expense of a young family was added a long and severe illness of
the wife, they were often in sore pecuniary difficulties. Jahn says
that if Mozart had been as good a man of business as his father, he
would have done very well in Vienna, for he earned a very good
income. As a matter of fact, from this time to the end of his
career, his life was one long struggle, and not always a successful
one, to keep his head above water.
Mozart's chief source of income at this time seems to have been
derived from his playing, for he was in great demand, not only at
concerts, but in the houses of the nobility. According to the
unanimous verdict of his contemporaries, he was the greatest pianist
and (in the best sense of the term) virtuoso of his day. After his
death, Joseph Haydn is reported to have said, with tears in his eyes:
"I can never forget Mozart's playing; it came from the heart." The
Emperor also highly appreciated the composer's genius, and it is
probably only owing to the intrigues of the Italian musicians by whom
he was surrounded that he did not confer some adequately paid
appointment upon Mozart.
In July, 1783, shortly after the birth of his first child, Mozart
took his wife to Salzburg to introduce her to his father and sister.
He had, before his marriage, made a vow that, if ever Constanze
became his wife, he would compose a new Mass for performance at
Salzburg. The work was not quite completed, but he supplied the
missing numbers from one of his earlier Masses. As the Archbishop of
Salzburg refused permission for the Mass to be performed in the
cathedral, it was given in St. Peter's Church, Constanze singing the
principal soprano part. The Mass, which is in C minor, is laid out
on a much larger scale than those which Mozart wrote for Salzburg,
the "Gloria" being in seven movements, while two of the choruses are
in five and one in eight parts. The work is a curious mixture; many
of the choruses are quite elevated in style, and not unworthy of the
"Requiem" itself. The solos are much lighter, and of a florid
character. Mozart never finished the Mass, but he used the music two
years later for his cantata, _Davide Penitente_.
During his visit to Salzburg Mozart began work on two new buffo
operas, _L'Oca del Cairo_, the libretto by Varesco, who had written
the text of _Idomeneo_, and _Lo Sposo Deluso_, by an unknown poet.
Neither work, however, was completed.
After his return to Vienna in October, 1783, Mozart's time was fully
occupied with concerts and composition. The year 1784 saw the birth
of many of his finest works, which at this time were exclusively
instrumental. Among them are several of his best piano concertos,
which he wrote for his own performance at concerts in which he took
part. The list also includes the great sonata in C minor for the
piano, a work not without influence on Beethoven, and the beautiful
sonata in B flat for piano and violin, composed for Mdlle.
Strinasacchi, a young violinist for whose benefit concert, Mozart had
promised to write a new work. Being pressed for time, Mozart had
deferred writing the sonata till the day before the concert, when the
young lady, with much trouble, obtained from him the violin part
only. She practised it the next morning, and in the evening played
it with the composer without any rehearsal. The Emperor was present
at the concert, and, looking through his opera-glass, noticed that
Mozart had a blank sheet of music-paper before him. After the sonata
was finished, the Emperor sent a message that he wished to see the
manuscript. The composer brought the blank sheet. "What, Mozart!"
said Joseph, "at your tricks again?" "Please your Majesty," was the
reply, "there was not a note lost." Only musicians will be able
fully to appreciate the wonderful feat of memory which such a
performance involved.
In 1785 Leopold Mozart returned his son's visit, and it was at this
time that he made the acquaintance of Joseph Haydn, with whom
Wolfgang was on intimate terms. Leopold met Haydn for the first time
at a party at his son's house, where three of Mozart's recently
composed quartetts were played. It was on that occasion that Haydn
said to the proud father: "I declare to you before God, and as a man
of honour, that your son is the greatest composer that I know; he has
taste, and beyond that the most consummate knowledge of the art of
composition."
In February, 1786, was produced the music to _Der
Schauspieldirector_, a German comedy in one act, for some festivities
given by the Emperor at Schönbrunn. Mozart's share of the work
consisted merely of an overture and four vocal numbers. Though the
music is extremely melodious, it adds nothing to the composer's fame.
Far more interesting and important were the two piano concertos in A
major and C minor, both written in March of the same year. But all
other compositions of this time sink into insignificance by the side
of the opera _Le Nozze di Figaro_, which was produced in Vienna on
May 1, 1786. The libretto was adapted by Lorenzo da Ponte, a
theatrical poet who was a favourite with the Emperor, from
Beaumarchais' comedy, "Le Mariage de Figaro." The subject was
suggested by the composer himself. As on so many previous occasions,
there were violent intrigues against the piece; but, thanks probably
in a great measure to the support of the Emperor, these were
unsuccessful, and the Irish singer, Michael Kelly, who took the part
of Basilio at the first performance, says in his "Reminiscences":
"Never was anything more complete than the triumph of Mozart and his
_Nozze di Figaro_, to which numerous overflowing audiences bore
witness." Almost more enthusiasm was shown at Prague, where the
opera was given a few months later. At the invitation of some of his
friends, Mozart went to Prague to witness the success of his work.
His reception there was overwhelming. Two concerts which he gave in
the city realized a profit of 1,000 florins. At the first of these
was produced the fine symphony in D known as the "Prague Symphony."
At the same concert he extemporized, in his own masterly manner, for
half an hour, after which, in reply to a call for "something from
_Figaro_," he improvised variations on "Non più andrai." This visit
had an important result. Mozart remarked to Bondini, the manager of
the theatre, that, as the people of Prague appreciated him so much,
he should like to write an opera for them, whereupon the manager took
him at his word, and commissioned an opera from him for the following
season.
[Illustration: MOZART IN 1791. (_From an original at Salzburg._)]
As the libretto of _Figaro_ had suited him so well, it was only
natural that Mozart should again apply to Da Ponte for a book for the
new work. The subject chosen was the old legend of _Don Giovanni_,
and in September, 1787, Mozart and his wife went to Prague in order
that he might, as was his custom, be near the artists who were to
sing in the work. Meanwhile his pen had been by no means idle. From
the autograph catalogue of his works, which he began to keep in 1784
and continued till his last illness, we find that between _Figaro_
and _Don Giovanni_ he wrote thirty works, including some of the more
important of his compositions in the domain of chamber music. Among
these maybe specially named the string quintetts in C major and G
minor, the two great pianoforte duet sonatas in F and C, the charming
trio in E flat for piano, clarinet, and viola, and the sonata in A
for piano and violin.
Arrived in Prague, Mozart first lodged at an inn, but later removed
to the house of his friend Duschek, in the suburbs of the city. Here
a great part of the opera was written, each number being sent to the
singers as soon as it was completed. Visitors to Prague are still
shown the summer-house with a stone table in the garden of Duschek's
house, at which Mozart used to work at his opera while his friends
were playing at bowls. It is said that he would leave his work from
time to time to take his part in the game, and then resume it without
having lost the thread of his ideas. The story has often been told
how, on the night before the production of the opera, the overture
was still unwritten. Mozart had parted late in the evening from his
friends, and his wife mixed him a glass of punch and sat up with him
while he wrote, telling him fairy tales to keep him awake. At last
sleep overpowered him, and she persuaded him to lie down for an hour
or two. At five she woke him, and when at seven the copyist came for
the score the overture was ready. There was barely time to get the
parts copied before the evening, and the excellent orchestra played
it at sight without rehearsal. Mozart, who was conducting, said to
the players near him: "A good many notes fell under the desks, but it
went very well."
The first performance of _Don Giovanni_ took place on October 29,
1787, and excited the utmost enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the
composer's father was not able to witness his son's triumph, as he
had died in the preceding May, after a long illness. Mozart returned
to Vienna shortly after the production of his opera, but his success
brought about but little improvement in his pecuniary circumstances.
True, the Emperor appointed him "kammermusikus" in December, but the
salary attached to the post--800 florins--was ridiculously small.
His only duty was to write dance music for the masked balls of the
Imperial Court; this caused him to make the bitter remark that his
salary was too much for what he did, and too little for what he could
do.
On May 7, 1788, _Don Giovanni_ was given at Vienna. For this
performance the composer had written three additional numbers, two of
which were Don Ottavio's air, "Dalla sua pace," and Elvira's "Mi
tradi quell' alma ingrata." The work, nevertheless, proved a
failure; the style was too novel for the taste of the audience. The
Emperor, after hearing it, said: "The opera is divine--perhaps even
more beautiful than _Figaro_--but it is no food for the teeth of my
Viennese." When this was repeated to Mozart, he said: "Let us give
them time to chew it, then!" and, by his advice, the opera was
repeated at short intervals until the public became accustomed to its
beauties. The applause increased at each fresh performance.
The most important works composed in the year 1788 were the three
great symphonies in E flat, G minor, and C major (generally known as
the "Jupiter"), the last of forty-nine which Mozart wrote. In these
he rises to a height which in his previous instrumental works he had
seldom attained. The symphony in G minor, unquestionably the finest
work ever written for a small orchestra, has never been surpassed in
its combination of passion and pathos; while the finale of the
"Jupiter" symphony, with its elaborate fugal counterpoint, still
remains without a rival in its combination of the most consummate
learning with the utmost profusion of melodic invention.
It was toward the close of this year that the Baron van Swieten, an
enthusiastic lover of Handel's music, commissioned Mozart to arrange
_Acis and Galatea_ for performance at some concerts with which the
Baron was connected, and of which he superintended the preparation.
In Mozart's autograph catalogue, already spoken of, we find that the
arrangement was made in November, 1788. In the course of the
following year he made a similar arrangement of the _Messiah_, and,
in 1790, of _Alexander's Feast_ and the _Ode for St. Cecilia's Day_.
Space will not allow a detailed criticism of these arrangements; it
must suffice to say that, while often extremely beautiful, they are
not always in accordance with Handel's spirit or intentions, the
probable explanation being that Mozart, as we learn from Otto Jahn,
knew but little of Handel's music till introduced to it by Baron van
Swieten.
In 1789 Mozart accepted an invitation from his pupil and patron,
Prince Karl Lichnowsky, to accompany him on a visit to Berlin. The
composer, whose pecuniary position was still very precarious, no
doubt hoped that he might find some post in the North of Germany
which would be worthy of his acceptance and relieve him from his
pressing embarrassments. Leaving Vienna on April 8, he arrived four
days later at Dresden, where he played before the Court, receiving
for his performance the sum of 100 ducats. Thence he proceeded to
Leipzig, where he made the acquaintance of Rochlitz, who, in his "Für
Freunde der Tonkunst," has preserved some interesting reminiscences
of his visit. It was here also that, through Doles, the cantor of
the Thomas-Schule, he learned to know the great motetts of Sebastian
Bach, for which he expressed the highest admiration.
On his arrival at Berlin, Mozart was at once conducted by Prince
Lichnowsky to Potsdam, to be presented to the King, Frederick William
II., who was a great lover of music and a good performer on the
violoncello. The King received him very warmly, and took special
pleasure in hearing him improvise. Mozart, however, derived but
little pecuniary advantage from his visit. The King, it is true,
offered him the post of kapellmeister at his Court with a salary of
3,000 thalers, but the composer, with whom worldly considerations had
little weight, declined the offer, saying: "Can I leave my good
Emperor?" The only profit made by the tour was a present from the
King of 100 friedrichs d'or, which was accompanied by a wish that
Mozart should write some quartetts for him. Three string quartetts
(in D, B flat, and F), in all of which the part for the violoncello
is of more than usual prominence, were written for and dedicated to
the King.
After his return to Vienna Mozart's embarrassments became more
pressing than ever. The ill-health of his wife involved him in
constant expense, and his income was at all times precarious. By the
advice of his friends he informed the Emperor of the offer that had
been made him by the King of Prussia. The Emperor asked if he were
really going to leave him, and Mozart replied: "Your Majesty, I throw
myself upon your kindness; I remain." No improvement, however,
resulted in his position, though it was at the suggestion of the
Emperor that he was commissioned to write a new opera for Vienna.
This was the two-act opera buffa _Cosi fan tutte_, the libretto of
which was again from the pen of Da Ponte, and which was produced on
January 26, 1790. The first performances appear to have been
successful; but the death of the Emperor in the following month
caused the theatre to be closed for some time; in all it was given
ten times, and then fell out of the repertoire. The plot of the
opera is weak and improbable, and the indifferent quality of the
libretto is without doubt the chief reason why the music is as a
whole inferior to that of _Don Giovanni_ and _Figaro_. _Cosi fan
tutte_, nevertheless, contains some of its composer's best work,
especially in the concerted movements, such as the trio "Soave sia il
vento," the quintett and sextett in the first act, and the two
finales. The orchestral colouring also is almost richer and more
varied than in any of Mozart's preceding operas.
The accession of Leopold II. to the throne of Austria brought no
improvement in the composer's circumstances, for the new Emperor's
tastes differed widely from those of Joseph, and it soon became
evident that those who had enjoyed the favour of the latter had but
little to hope from his successor. Mozart applied for the post of
second kapellmeister, and also asked to be allowed to teach the young
Princes; but both requests were refused. Thinking that the
coronation of the Emperor at Frankfort might afford him a favourable
opportunity for an artistic tour, Mozart, who was obliged to pawn his
plate in order to procure the necessary funds, started for that city
on September 26, and gave a concert of his own compositions in the
Stadt-Theatre on October 14. But neither here nor at Mannheim and
Munich, which he visited on his return journey, did he make much
profit, and he returned to Vienna with little or no improvement in
his circumstances. Here he had the pain of parting with one of his
dearest friends, Joseph Haydn, who was just leaving for London with
Salomon, who had engaged him for a series of concerts.* Salomon also
entered into negotiations with Mozart for a similar series in the
following year, but before that time the composer was no more. He
and Haydn never met again.
* It was for these concerts that Haydn composed his best-known and
finest symphonies--those called in this country the "Salomon Set."