A 1000 compliments to all our good friends. – – That my letter reached you after having been opened and resealed surprises me greatly. I posted it in London myself: this never happened in London. – – The most important thing I have to tell you is that I’ve arranged for Monsieur Teissier to send you via Hamburg a very large chest or strongbox. Signed: LM. I don’t know when it will arrive, assuming it hasn’t already done so. Monsieur Teissier informs me that it left for Hamburg on board the Wilhelmus under Captain Adrian Janssen. I’d have preferred it if he’d written to tell me who he’s sent it to in Hamburg. There are all manner of things inside it. Leave it unopened until we arrive, and see that it’s not left somewhere that’s too damp, although the polished steel items that it contains are well wrapped. –
– I also need you to buy me a good stationery box : I mean one like yours, with good large drawers. In short, a beautiful and good box: even if it’s expensive; where else shall I put all my rubbish? – – Could I ask that on receipt of this letter you address your reply to me in Amsterdam and add: Chez Messrs Jean Néel et Fils aè Amsterdam. If I’ve already left, he’ll forward the letter. The word Neel was elided above, which is why I’m repeating it. My best wishes to you and the whole of Salzburg, I am your old friend.
PS: My wife asks you to have 6 Masses said, namely, 3 at St John of Nepomuk in the parish church, 1 at Maria Plain, 1 at Loreto at the Holy Child, and 1 in honour of St Walburgis, which is where you should have it said.
We heard of the emperor’s death in Lille on 26 August.15 Before we left London, I read in the paper that General Plaz16 had died. But I can’t find anything about this in Herr Johannes’s17 list.
In his 2nd chapter, my news reporter Herr Johannes goes on to say that Herr Franz Gschwendtner, 18 Herr Joseph Hagenauer etc. have arrived from Italy. But he says nothing about Madame Fesemayr. Is she still in Venice?– – – tanto meglio! – –
Please give our best wishes to Court Councillor Gilowsky19 and congratulate him for us. It will be a source of infinite pleasure to see him again.
It’s very good that we’re not yet close to Salzburg as there are so many thieves in the country, make sure it’s safe otherwise we’ll stay out of the country even longer. – And how’s the Neutor20 coming along? – – I’ve always assumed that we’d enter by the Neutor.
But why didn’t Herr Estlinger21 wait till we were back so that we could dance at his wedding? – – Congratulations to him. Old love never dies! It’s said that he still reveres an old bass fiddle, even though he has a newer one. Oh, how often he’s patched it up! – – If my old faithful carriage gets me safely home again, it will have done its duty. It certainly sets me thinking when I think of our journey. Ma foi, it’s been quite a jaunt.
The Mozarts spent about eight months in the Netherlands: the children gave public concerts at The Hague (22 January 1766), Amsterdam (29 January, 26 February and 16 April 1766) and Utrecht (21 April 1766); additionally, Wolfgang composed two sets of keyboard variations (K24 and K25), six sonatas for keyboard and violin (K26–31) and the Galimathias musicum K32, which was performed as part of the festivities surrounding the installation of Willem V, Prince of Orange, in March. On 8 May 1766 the family arrived in Brussels; from there they travelled to Paris – where they arrived on 10 May – by way of Valenciennes and Cambrai.
12. Leopold Mozart to Lorenz Hagenauer, 16 May 1766, Paris
Monsieur!
You’ll undoubtedly be exceedingly surprised not to have received a letter from me for so long. I wouldn’t have left you without news of our circumstances if I’d not been assured that you’d received news of us on at least two occasions from Herr Kulman of Amsterdam. The only reason why I didn’t send you and my friends as detailed a description of Holland as I did of France and England was because my children have been ill. We returned to The Hague from Amsterdam for the celebrations held by the Prince of Orange – they began on 11 March and went on for some time – when our little composer was asked to write 6 keyboard sonatas with violin accompaniment for the prince’s sister, namely, the Princess of Nassau-Weilburg, which were engraved straightaway.1 He also had to write something for the prince’s concert2 and compose arias for the princess etc. All of which will be produced on our arrival. I asked Herr Kulman to send you a small chest in Salzburg. As soon as it arrives, please open it and look for the small wide parcel with the word ‘Musica’ on it that’s not sealed. In it you’ll find two copies of the sonatas engraved in The Hague; take one of these copies, together with the violin part that goes with it, and have both the keyboard part and the violin part bound separately, and then present them most humbly to His Grace in our name. In the same parcel there are also two sets of variations that Wolfgang had to write on an aria that was composed for the prince’s coming of age and installation; and one that he dashed off hurriedly on another melody that everyone in Holland is singing, playing and whistling.3 – – These are trifles! If you want to add a copy of each, you may do so as they are unusual. I shall have the honour of showing you my violin tutor in Dutch.4 This has been translated by the Dutch in the same format, with a dedication to the prince, and was presented to him in my presence at the festivities accompanying his installation. The edition is uncommonly fine, even finer than my own. The publisher – the printer in Haarlem – came to me with respectful mien and handed me the book in the company of the organist, 5 who invited our Wolfgang to play on the famous large organ in Haarlem, which he did the next morning from 10 to 11.
It’s an extremely fine instrument with 68 stops. NB: everything’s tin, as wood doesn’t last long in this damp country.
It would take too long to describe our journey from Holland through Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, across the Maas, and then across an arm of the sea at Moerdijk to Antwerp. Still more impossible would it be to describe the present sorry state of the once very great trading centre of Antwerp and list the reasons for its decline; we shall speak of this anon. We travelled via Mechlin, where we visited our old acquaintance, the local archbishop, 6 to Brussels, where we rested for only a day, leaving by the mail coach at 9 in the morning and arriving in Valenciennes at half past 7 in the evening. In Brussels we bought some lace for our requisites and in Valenciennes some batiste or cambric linen for our own personal use, namely, one bolt of plain and one of a floral pattern. In Valenciennes I saw the intricate clock in the town hall and in Cambrai the tomb and marble bust of the great Fénélon, 7 who achieved immortality with his Télémaque, his book on the education of young girls, his dialogues of the dead, his fables and other sacred and secular writings. Then, without any further stops, we travelled on to Paris, where we moved into the rooms reserved for us by our friend Monsieur Grimm. I’ll tell you when I see you how we are lodged and what it costs.–––
Could I ask you to reply to this letter as soon as you receive it so that I get your letter before I leave? You may care to add only: A Monsieur Mozart, chez Monsieur Grimm Secrétaire des commandements de Msgr le Duc d’Orléans Rue neuve Luxembourg. AParis.
Thank God we found our luggage here in good condition; and since we have to dress in black again, one can see how much my children have grown. We are all well, for which we are infinitely grateful to God, and we commend ourselves with all our hearts to you, your wife and all your family and good friends. I doubt if anyone in Salzburg will recognize Wolfgangerl any longer; we’ve been away a long time, and since then he has seen and got to know many 1000s of people. I’ll be sending a large trunk from here, then a somewhat smaller one and, I think, another small chest. On top of all my other preoccupations, it’s a real torment having to organize these matters; no one can appreciate this if they’ve not experienced it for themselves. In addition to all this, we’ve still got our large trunk with us, as well as a smaller one, also a large valise and 2 seat-chests, together with the boot, which is full of luggage. We arrived here a day after Monsieur de Lally, the former viceroy of Pondicherry, was beheaded; I expect you’ll already have read about i
t in the newspapers.8 My dearest Herr Hagenauer! in Amsterdam we met someone from Salzburg who because of certain circumstances has become a Calvinist. There was nothing I wanted more than to lead him back to the right path. I did all I could. It was this that persuaded me to return to Amsterdam and kept me longer in Holland than I’d intended. And perhaps I’d have achieved my objective if a single thing had not stood in my way. Don’t waste time thinking who it may be; you can’t possibly guess, even though you once knew him and still know all his relations. It’s too long ago! I shan’t say who it is as long as a glimmer of hope remains. Good God! in what a state of confusion he left us! The most bitter tears prevented him from speaking. How many troubled and thoughtful hours this man has caused me! This is the result of persuading young people to choose a profession that is against their calling. Sad consequences! – – So many examples that I have experienced for myself in the course of my travels have confirmed me in my firm conviction that it is very wrong, and tantamount to selling souls, to force young people to take a vow before they are 25. If the supreme head of the church and all the prelates of the church – I don’t know about the prelates in the monasteries – were to travel through England, Holland and Switzerland and were properly informed about all this, they wouldn’t hesitate for a moment but would postpone the taking of monastic vows until the 25th year of life. England, and especially Holland, is teeming with these unhappy individuals, I can give you a whole list of them: and you mustn’t think that they’re all lascivious youths. Oh, I know many who are single, who have not even changed their religion and who lead thoroughly edifying lives. It’s impossible to write about things as they are. I’ll have to leave it until we can talk about it in person: my heart bleeds whenever I think about such things. Why not delay it until their 25th year? Perhaps because many a wealthy candidate or worthy individual might in the meantime question his calling and realize – the one with his money, the other with his clever mind – that he might better pursue his calling by serving not a dead body but a living, universal state. Don’t take my zealousness amiss: I love my fellow humans and value their peace of mind: but my heart is oppressed whenever I see someone wretched and tormented all his life, with only a miserable eternity to look forward to. Let’s change the subject.
Has Herr Otto9 in Frankfurt not paid anything through Herr Wallner? I must now try gradually to recover all that I’m owed from Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Augsburg, London, Paris etc., so that I can sort everything out. By the way, has Godfather P.10 not yet handed over the half-dozen silver knives, spoons and forks? No? No! Well, I expect he’s preparing to present them to us on our return: he cannot help but be deeply moved to have held up for their holy baptism two children who have caused such a stir in the world. I’ve bought various things for our own use, but in the case of the above, I’ve relied on our godfather’s promise. Give him our good wishes! You’re surprised, aren’t you, at this request of mine, which is so completely out of character? But, remember, I’m coming straight from Holland! People take something with them from every country: and in Holland you learn to be selfish. Now I expect you’d like to know when we plan to arrive in Salzburg. Had it been left to us, we’d have been home long ago; and now that we’re in Paris, it seems to us that, judging by the distance we’ve covered so far, we’re already halfway home. That we’re staying here for a short time is correct; and that’s why I’d be grateful if you could write to me soon, so that the letter arrives while I’m still here. But if, at all events, I’ve already left, our friend Monsieur Grimm will send on the letter. But you’ll understand that we’re not about to mount our horses and drive straight back to Salzburg. It would be too much of a strain on my children and my purse. There are many people who will still contribute to our journey, even though they do not yet know it. Enough! We’ll do all in our power to return home soon. In the meantime please commend us to His Grace etc. etc. Give our good wishes to our friends, and rest assured that we await with impatience the moment when I may say to you in person that I remain yours etc.
Let me say in haste that Herr Kulman is a man of means; the rest when we see each other.
Let’s see how things will turn out for us in Salzburg.
I’ll let you know more once we get closer.
At the beginning of July 1766, the family left Paris for Dijon, at the invitation of Louis-Joseph de Bourbon, Prince de Condé; from there they travelled to Lyons, and then to Switzerland, stopping in Geneva and Lausanne, where Mozart composed the flute solos K33a, now lost, for Ludwig Eugen of Württemberg. They continued to Donaueschingen, the seat of the princes of Fürstenberg, finally arriving at Munich on 8 November.
13. Leopold Mozart to Lorenz Hagenauer, 10 November 1766, Munich
Monsieur!
As far as I recall, my last letter was from Lyons, which we left after a 4-week stay in order to go to Geneva. There we found the civil war1 still raging, though this did not prevent us from staying 3 weeks there, and after seeing some of the sights and making the acquaintance of persons famed for their skill and special talents, we continued our journey to Berne. You perhaps know that just outside Geneva the famous Monsieur Voltaire has his castle, where he lives and which is called Ferney.2 If you want to go to Berne, you have to travel through Lausanne; and although we had intended to stay there only until after lunch, the servants of Prince Ludwig of Württemberg, 3 Madame d’Aubonne, Madame d’Hermenches and Monsieur de Sévery etc. came up just as we were alighting from our carriage, and I could not but allow these distinguished people to talk me into staying 5 days in Lausanne. I must wait until I see you in person to tell you the sort of man that His Serene Highness Prince Ludwig is. It will be enough to say that Württemberg could think itself fortunate to have this worthy man as its regent. He was still with us when we got back into the carriage and, even after we’d already taken our seats and I was shaking his hand, I had to promise that I’d write to him often and let him know how we are faring. – – I am saying nothing here about most of our journey. – – I know how differently people judge things, depending on the differences in their often feeble understanding. From Lausanne we went to Berne and thence to Zurich. In the former place we stayed only 8 days, in the latter 14. In both places we had a chance to meet men of learning: in the latter place the two Gessners, both men of learning, made our stay most agreeable and were very sad when we left.4 We took away with us tokens of their friendship. From there we drove via Winterthur to Schaffhausen, where our 4-day stay was again very pleasant, and when we arrived in Donaueschingen, Herr Meissner came into our carriage to welcome us and helped us and our luggage out! He stayed with us in Donaueschingen for a further 4 days. I was the first person to tell him about his wife’s indisposition. I was as astonished at his ignorance as he was by my account. But within days he had received a letter from his wife. I gave him a letter of recommendation to my friends in Switzerland and hope that things will work out for him, especially in Berne. His Serene Highness5 welcomed us with extraordinary kindness; we didn’t have to announce our arrival but were already eagerly awaited, as Herr Meissner can testify, and the director of music, Councillor Martelli, came at once to pay his respects and invite us to call on him. In short, we were there for 12 days. On 9 of them there was music from 5 in the evening till 9; on each occasion we did something special. If the season had not been so advanced, we would still be there. The prince gave me 24 louis d’or and to each of my children a diamond ring; he was in tears when we took our leave, and in fact we all wept on saying goodbye; he asked me to write to him often, and, indeed, our stay was as agreeable as our departure was sad. We then travelled at breakneck speed via Messkirch to Ulm, Günzburg and Dillingen, where we stayed only 2 days, picked up 2 rings from the prince6 and, after spending a day in Augsburg, arrived in Munich. Herr Provino will be sending you a small packet or safebox for me. Haha, you’ll say. You’re now in Munich. That’s good. I promised not to come until I could drive in through the Neutor; but I now hear that no one is yet being allowe
d to enter by the Siegmund Gate: that would be most unwelcome news. I await your reply, we’re staying at Stürzer’s and I foresee that we shan’t get away from here for some time. We arrived the evening before last; yesterday – Sunday – we visited His Highness the Elector at table and were most graciously received. Even while we were still at table, Wolfgangl had to compose a piece while standing beside the elector, who sang the beginning or, rather, a few bars of the theme, and he then had to play it for His Highness after dinner in the music room.7 You can easily guess how astonished everyone was to see and hear this. During the night, however, I noticed that he was not at all well. He had a very disturbed night. And so I’ve had to keep him in bed today and may have to keep him at home for a few days. But I hope it will soon be over, as indeed it shows every sign of doing. With this weather, it’s no wonder that so delicate a frame should have to suffer a little, especially as we’ve had to get used to having the room heated by a stove: it’s just a nuisance that it has held us up. Every good wish to your wife, your whole family, our good friends. I am your old friend.
Mozart: A Life in Letters: A Life in Letters Page 9