Don’t take it amiss, my dearest Herr Klein, if I’ve perhaps gone too far in my enthusiasm! – Fully convinced that I’m speaking to a German, I’ve allowed my tongue free rein, something that one is nowadays so seldom allowed to do that after such an unbosoming one could easily drink oneself into a stupor without running the risk of endangering one’s health. – I remain, with the deepest respect, most worthy Privy Councillor, your most obedient servant
W. A. Mozart
In June 1785 Nannerl Mozart, who was expecting her first child, came to Salzburg for the last stages of her pregnancy. A son, Leopold Alois Pantaleon, was born on 27 July and when she returned to St Gilgen in early September, the child remained in Salzburg with his grandfather.
151. Leopold Mozart to his daughter and son-in-law, 2 September 1785, Salzburg
I hope you reached Hof by 1 o’clock and that by 5 you’d been reunited, safe and sound, with your husband and children. Sad though your departure was, I none the less spent a very happy day – except between 12 and 1 – in the company of little Leopold. I kiss my son with all my heart and would ask him not to worry about the Prince of Asturia,1 just as I hope that you too will have confidence in my care and attention, as you know how much I love the child. He was again much friendlier and livelier than yesterday – yesterday, as you know, he endeared himself neither to me nor to the rest of us. But this afternoon his eyes are bright and clear again, and he’s sleeping gently and calmly: in a word, I’m completely reassured and hope to be able to keep him until I can bring him by hand to St Gilgen, but for that I’d have to live another 10 years or so and as a result it would be little Leopold who would be leading me, not the other way round. The postman didn’t call, and when I sent one of the servants round to his rooms, he wasn’t in. I’ll send him the box for the mob caps tomorrow, together with a Sauerbrunn bottle of mead, the children should drink to little Leopold’s health. The Sauerbrunn bottle should be returned, it belongs to Nandl.2 – Here’s the first playbill. It’s a clumsy adaptation of Count Essex.3 Nandl sends her best wishes to you both, as do Monica and Tresel.
[Postscript to his son-in-law]
Dearest Son,
I’d like to ask you once again not to worry about the child, – we mustn’t be overhasty: you have 5 children under your roof – and the 6th will be well looked after here until you come to a decision, Lena is in any case out there with you and would like to be fed in return for her foolish gossip. – Monica can’t start till Michaelmas. – I can keep Nandl, – so why the hurry? Perhaps because of the weather? – Certainly not! – This is the time of year when, if it’s fine in the morning, you can be sure that there’ll be no rain or storms during the afternoon. During the last 14 days of this month you can travel in confidence if you see a fine day ahead of you, as it’s really very warm from 9 in the morning till 4 in the afternoon. So that’s how things stand if you think that little Leopold should be brought out to you and if that’s what you want; leave it to me, I’ll find a day when I can see to it and can do it without the least risk to the child from either the weather or his condition at the time. In a word, it shouldn’t be a cause for the slightest concern to you, as I myself will be there. But if my son will allow me to keep little Leopold here, it will be a pleasure for me to look after him and – if God preserves him – the child will have ‘got over the worst’, as the servants say, when you get him back, as he’ll then be 9 months old. Nandl will stay with me, and I must say that she’s looking after the child wonderfully well. It goes without saying that I shall do all this with pleasure, at my own expense. Now you may do as you like, according to your own insights, depending on what you find best, while bearing in mind that the child will be looked after on his own here, whereas with you your nursemaid will be dealing with 4 or at least 3 other children, and Karl4 certainly needs an eye keeping on him at present. Meanwhile you can keep Lena for whatever purpose, so that she has something to eat and isn’t deprived of the joys of marriage. Monica can then come out to you at Michaelmas or, in the event of the child rejoining you, she can come out with us 8 or 10 days earlier. – You see, my dearest son, everything can be arranged to your liking, without undue haste: – it’s all been thought through! – I must only ask that, if you want little Leopold to be brought out to you, you must leave it all to me and let me work out a suitable time. The postman is waiting! I must close. We all kiss you all.
Mozart
Following the birth of Nannerl’s son, much of the correspondence between father and daughter concerns domestic matters and Wolfgang is mentioned only infrequently. On 3 November 1785 Leopold wrote:
I’ve not heard a word from your brother, his last letter was dated 14 Sept. and since then the quartets were supposed to have come by mail coach. If he’d been ill, Herr Artaria would have told me in his letter of 28 Oct. I met the journalist a few days ago and he said: It really is amazing to see what a lot of things your son is bringing out just now: in all the musical announcements I see nothing but Mozart. When advertising the quartets, the Berlin advertisements said only: It is unnecessary to recommend these works to the public; suffice it to say that they are by Herr Mozart. There was nothing I could say, as I knew nothing, not having received a letter for 6 weeks now. He also said something about a new opera. Basta! We’ll no doubt hear about it!
The new opera was Le nozze di Figaro (‘The Marriage of Figaro’). On 11 November Leopold wrote again to Nannerl:
I’ve finally received a letter from your brother, dated 2 Novemb. and running to 12 lines in length. He apologizes for not writing as he’s up to his eyes in his opera Le nozze di Figaro. He thanks both me and you for our good wishes and asks me to apologize on his behalf to you in particular. I’m to give you his best wishes and say that he doesn’t have time to reply to your letter at once: in order to keep his mornings free for composition he’s had to move all his pupils to the afternoon etc. etc. I know the play, it’s a most wearisome piece, and the translation from the French will most certainly have had to be changed if it’s to be effective as an opera. God grant that it turns out well in terms of the action; I’ve no doubt that the music will be good. It’ll mean a lot of running round and arguing before the libretto is adapted to suit his purpose: – and in keeping with his delightful habit, he’ll no doubt have kept postponing things and taken his time, but he’ll now have to make a serious effort as Count Rosenberg is driving him on.
Mozart composed two Masonic choruses, K483 and 484, for the amalgamation on 14 January 1786 of three Viennese lodges, ‘Gekrönte Hoffnung’, ‘Wohltätigkeit’ and ‘Drei Feuer’ as ‘Zur neugekrönten Hoffnung’ (‘The new crowned hope’). On 18 January he began composing the one-act opera buffa, Der Schauspieldirektor (‘The Impresario’), which was performed at Schönbrunn on 7 February together with Salieri’s Prima la musica e poi le parole. And on 13 March Mozart privately performed Idomeneo with the newly composed numbers K489 and 490 in the private theatre of the palace of Johann Adam, Prince Auersperg (1721–95).
152. Leopold Mozart to his daughter, 23 March 1786, Salzburg
Little Leopold is well!
We had another of our usual concerts yesterday. Marchand played the concerto in D minor that I recently sent out to you; since you have the keyboard part, he played from the full score and Haydn turned the pages for him and had the pleasure of seeing how skilfully and intricately it’s written and how difficult it is as a concerto.1 I chose this concerto because you have the keyboard parts of all the others, whereas I still have the full score of this one and was able, therefore, to perform it; it was rehearsed in the morning, the orchestra having to play through the rondo 3 times before they got it right as he took it fairly briskly. There were again lots of people there. All the ecclesiastical councillors and university professors. Madame Schlauka made a good profit on it as there was an interval halfway through and all the members of the orchestra went downstairs, with the result that everyone else squeezed in after them and took some refreshments, which were beautiful
ly, neatly and liberally served. In a word, the emperor himself could have been there. The archb. didn’t leave till after 9 o’clock.
On Friday – tomorrow – the two abbots are being confirmed, those of St Peter’s and of Baumburg. And on Monday, St Rupert’s Day, there’s the benediction at St Peter’s Church. The abbot of Baumburg is from Franconia.2
Tresel sent everything out to you yesterday morning with the servant of the wife of the owner of the iron depot. The other fellow then arrived completely unexpectedly in the afternoon.
The Hagenauers and even the old man3 were at the concert – the Haslbergers have been to them all. They all send their best wishes.
The postman has just brought your letter and its enclosure of 1 florin 30 kreuzers. – I couldn’t say whether the chocolate was good or bad as I didn’t try it. But I suppose that, as everything is getting more expensive and the price of this particular item has remained the same, the item itself is of an inferior quality, I’ve noticed this for some time with the chocolate at 1 florin 15 kreuzers.
You can rest assured that I’d have come out to see you with the organ builder4 long ago if we’d not been prevented from doing so by various untoward events; initially we were also prevented by the weather and the bad roads. I’d applied for leave from 30 March, but this is now impossible as Gluck’s opera Orfeo is to be performed at the Accademia on 5 April, for which the wordbooks need to be printed and at least 4 rehearsals held with the orchestra, when my presence and that of the organ builder are indispensable. In addition, Herr Altmann has to copy out the Italian text from the score and as he doesn’t understand how to put it into verse in the recitatives, I’ll have to lend him a helping hand and then read the proofs when it’s been set. As a result, I’ll have to delay my visit until 6 April in order to be back here by the evening of the 8th at the latest, unless I’m prevented by the weather and unless work on sorting out the main organ – work that the late Herr Egedacher so neglected – isn’t so extensive that the organ builder can’t come down with me. So you can see that even if I could come myself, it’s possible that the organ builder won’t be able to come down with me.
The weather here has been permanently fine and warm for some time. To begin with, though, it was very muddy inside and outside the town: but now it’s mainly dry. I went walking both when it was muddy and when the roads were dry; but not as long as I used to, I’ve had so much to do since my return from Vienna or else the house has been overrun and I’ve been prevented from going out.
I’ve seen neither the shadowplays nor the marionettes: no one had a good word to say for them. I’d only have gone there for Pimperl.5
I was asked yesterday by Herr Haslberger if it’s true that Herr Sonnenburg,6 the head clerk, has been elected administrative commissioner for Lofer? – I could only say that I’d not heard a word to that effect. Not a word!– I hope it’s true.
I’m very sorry to hear that Lenerl7 is ill and wish her a speedy recovery. I too have a patient. Old Tresel has erysipelas all over her face so that her mouth is swollen and she can’t really eat even a bowl of soup. And you know how hard it is to get her to take anything.
I assume that the 2 black hats that you want are 2 straw hats. Is that so? – –
As for a housemaid, I’ve already made enquiries and have spoken to the forest warden’s wife, among others, she sends you both her best wishes and thinks of you constantly.
Dr Joseph Barisani keeps asking me how you are: – and Frau Gualbert Daubrawa came up to me at the Casino and told me you were pregnant. The family of Privy Councillor Hermes, the Schiedenhofens, Hagenauers, Barisanis, Mölks and God knows who else keep on asking me time and time again, as does Countess Lützow, the Kletzls, Baroness Schaffmann etc, the bishop of Chiemsee, the dean of the cathedral, Count Daun, the prince’s equerry, and even Bishop Schrattenbach of Lavant asked about you yesterday at the Casino as you’ve not been seen for so long; Herr d’Ippold sends you his best wishes for all eventualities.
Your brother sent me the printed enclosure that you’ll find herewith.8 – Please let me have the cutting back.
Please also send me the sonatas by Clementi that belong to Bullinger.
Little Leopold sometimes eats from my table. He kisses you: and I kiss him for you. Heinrich often carries him in his arms and showers him in kisses. Heinrich sends his best wishes and hopes to see you here soon. Each time the Marchands have written, they’ve asked for their best wishes to be passed on to you in St Gilgen. I’m sending 4 lemons at 10 kreuzers each. I kiss you with all my heart, say hello to the children. I am ever your honest father
Mozart
The bell was tolled for Louise Robinig at 7 o’clock this morning, the 24th, announcing that she was close to death.
Little Leopold is well, he’s just having some soup, Heinrich is off to the consistory for the service, and I have to attend Vespers at half past 8 in the cathedral.
An assessor consistorii from Augsburg, a young cleric who’s the son of Dr Baader of Munich, is here to practise at the local consistory – the elector of Trier is paying for him. He preached in the cathedral last Saturday. The sermon lasted a good half hour and as people were leaving, they were laughing to themselves as no one had understood a word. His voice wouldn’t even fill my dining room, and the common people who were standing, open-mouthed, beneath the pulpit and who might have heard him, didn’t understand what he was saying. I, Berhandsky, and Eyweck were standing together beneath the pulpit and understood everything of course: but, I said, it’s an excellent speech for learned listeners, but not a sermon, more of a rough sketch or outline, allowing you to make two wonderfully executed sermons out of two parts made up of nothing but the ends of his sentences: that’s just how it was. Tomorrow, God willing, I’ll hear Herr Rieger, who gave such a good sermon last year, and, in heaven’s name, what a crowd there’ll be on the 24th, when Herr Hübner9 preaches. But he has a good voice.
It’s not at all surprising that so many people were at the Casino as it’s possible to take out a subscription for your whole family for only a ducat, so that there are often 4, 5 or more people from a single household there for this sum. Prof. Steinhauser is always there with 4 people. Private tickets at 36 kreuzers are available only for amateurs who pay on the door and who sometimes come and sometimes don’t. – I should add that this music at the Casino is very popular. The university professors are all assiduous attenders. Most of the town’s businessmen and councillors are also subscribers. Privy Councillor Hermes invariably comes with 5 or 6 other people, and so on etc.
On 20 April, Mozart completed Le nozze di Figaro, his first operatic collaboration with the poet Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on Beaumarchais’ subversive comedy Le mariage de Figaro (completed in 1781 but not staged in Paris until 1784). Both Da Ponte and the Irish tenor Michael Kelly, who sang the roles of Don Curzio and Don Basilio, say in their memoirs that the idea for the opera was Mozart’s, although Joseph II had forbidden the play to be performed in Vienna. It was a sequel to Beaumarchais’ Le barbier de Séville (‘The Barber of Seville’, 1775), which Paisiello had already turned into a successful opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia (premiered at St Petersburg in November 1782 and first given at Vienna in 1783). Mozart and Da Ponte’s Le nozze di Figaro opened on 1 May and received nine performances; Mozart was paid 450 florins for its composition. Shortly before he completed Figaro, Mozart also composed the A major and C minor piano concertos K488 and 491.
153. Mozart to Sebastian Winter, 30 September 1786, Vienna
Dearest Friend, –
The music you asked for will be going off tomorrow by the mail coach,1 – you’ll find at the end of this letter the amount due for copying. – It’s entirely natural that some of my pieces should be sent abroad – but these are pieces that I’m deliberately sending out into the world – I sent you only the themes as it was possible that they hadn’t reached you yet. But the works that I’m keeping back for myself or for a small circle of music lovers and connoisseurs – with
the promise not to let them out of their hands – can’t possibly be made known abroad as they’re not even known here; – this is the case with the 3 concertos that I have the honour of sending to His Highness; in this case I was obliged to add to the cost of copying a small honorarium of 6 ducats for each concerto, with the request that His Highness does not let these concertos out of his hands. – The concerto in A2 includes 2 clarinets. – If you don’t have these at your court, a skilful copyist should transpose them to a suitable key; the first can then be played by a violin, the second by a viola. – As for the proposal that I took the liberty of making to your worthy prince,3 I first need to know what kind of works His Highness would prefer or find most useful and how many of each genre he would like to have each year, which I’d like to know in order to be able to make my calculations. – Please lay my request at His Highness’s feet and inform him of my wishes. – And now, my dearest friend! – Companion of my youth! – As I have naturally often been in Ricken4 these many years and yet never had the pleasure of meeting you there, my greatest wish would be that you should visit me in Vienna or that I may visit you in Donaueschingen. – The latter, forgive me, would almost be preferable as I should then not only have the pleasure of embracing you but also have the privilege of paying my respects to your most gracious prince and recalling even more vividly the many favours that I received at your court during my younger years,5 favours that I shall never forget as long as I live. – Awaiting an early reply and in the flattering hope of perhaps seeing you once again in this world, I remain ever your most obedient friend and servant
Mozart: A Life in Letters: A Life in Letters Page 55