Mozart: A Life in Letters: A Life in Letters (39 page)

I must say that I’m very pleased to have finished these scribblings, which are a damned nuisance when you can’t write at home and are pressed for time. But, praise and thanks be to God, I’ve now finished it. And I hope it’ll be effective. When he saw my first chorus, Monsieur Gossec,
⁹
whom you must know, told Monsieur Legros – I wasn’t there at the time – that it was charming and would undoubtedly be effective, adding that the words were well arranged and in general it was admirably set. He’s a very good friend of mine, and a very dry wit. I shan’t be writing a single act for an opera but a
whole
opera
en deux actes
. The poet has already finished the first act. Noverre – at whose home I dine as often as I want – has taken charge of the matter and provided the basic idea. I think it’ll be called
Alexandre et Roxane
.
¹⁰
Mlle Jenamy
¹¹
is here, too. I’m now going to write a
sinfonia concertante
¹²
for
flute
(Wendling),
oboe
(Ramm),
Punto
(horn)
¹³
and
Ritter
(bassoon). Punto is a magnificent player. I’ve just got back from the
Concert Spirituel
. Baron Grimm and I often give vent to our musical anger at the orchestra here – between ourselves, of course. In public it’s
bravo, bravissimo
, and we clap till our hands hurt. Farewell, I kiss your hands 100 times and am

Wolfgang Amadè Mozart

[
Inside the cover
]

Monsieur Raaff is here and staying with Monsieur Legros so we see each other almost every day. My dearest Papa, I must ask you not to
worry so much and not to be so anxious, as you’ve no cause for it. I’m now in a place where one can undoubtedly make money, even if this requires a frightful amount of effort and hard work; but I’m ready to do anything to please you. What annoys me most of all is that these French gentlemen have improved their
goût
only to the extent that they can now listen to good things too. But for them to realize that their own music is bad or at least to notice the difference – God preserve us! – And their singing! –
Oimè
– As long as I don’t hear a Frenchwoman singing Italian arias, I’d forgive her her French screechings, but to ruin good music! – It’s intolerable. Now for our new address.

Rue Gros Genêt, vis à vis celle du Croissant.

à l’hôtel des 4 fils emont
.

You need to include the number 4 as that’s how it appears on the building.

My Dear Wife and Son,

In the hope that with tomorrow’s post I shall hear from you with news that you’re both well, I’m writing today to say that the late Herr Adlgasser’s Litany was performed
today
and that Haydn’s will be performed
tomorrow
and Wolfgang’s on
Tuesday
.
¹
In the last of them Sgr Ceccarelli will be singing all the solos and in the
Golden Salve
he’ll also sing the
Regina Coeli
that Wolfg. wrote for Frau Haydn.
²
Except when there’s a big concert he comes to our house every evening and always brings an aria and a motet, I play the violin and Nannerl accompanies and plays the solos intended for the violas
or winds. We then play a
keyboard concerto
or a
violin trio
in which Ceccarelli plays the second violin; we sometimes have to laugh as it was here that he started to play the violin and he’s now been playing for 6 months. His time is up at the end of April. If he returns in the autumn or if he now decides he wants to stay, the archb. will pay him 800 florins a year for 6 years. He has declared that he’ll come back for this amount, but for only 2 years, if the archbishop will pay his travelling expenses.
³
He’s now awaiting a reply. If he comes back, he’ll leave all his arias here in the meantime and take only a few with him, before returning on 1 November. He’s sorry not to have got to know you both and regrets that he wasn’t introduced to us right at the outset, as we’re the only people he sees. He joins us for target practice and on 2 occasions he’s won, and as Katherl Gilowsky is
very free
with him, as is her wont, he calls her
La Mattarella
,
⁴
which she doesn’t understand; we painted her on the targets holding a harp, with Ceccarelli, open-mouthed, beating time and holding his music in his other hand – just as he sings. – Count Czernin isn’t content with fiddling at court but would like to conduct as well, and so he’s set up an amateur orchestra that’s supposed to meet at Count Lodron’s rooms
⁵
every Sunday just after 3. Count Sigerl Lodron
⁶
called on us to invite Nannerl – as an amateur – to play the clavier and to ask me to keep the second violins in order. A week ago today, the 5th, we had our first session. Among those present were Count
Czernin
,
primo violino
, Baron
Bapius
,
⁷
Sigerl
Lodron, young
Weyrother
,
⁸
Kolb
, Kolb’s
student from Nonnberg
, and a few students whom I don’t know. Among the
2nd violins
were
me
,
Sigerl Robinig
,
Gussetti
,
Count Althan
,
⁹
Cajetan von Antretter
, a
student
and
Ceccarelli
,
la coda dei secondi.
¹⁰
The 2
violas
are the two ex-Jesuits
Bullinger
and
Wieshofer
. 2 oboes
Weber
the lackey and
Schulz’s son
who acted in the play in Linz. Two watchmen’s apprentices play the horn, and the
doubles basses
are
Cassel
,
Count Wolfegg
and occasionally Ränftl. The
cellos
were the new young canons, Count
Zeil
and Count
Spaur
,
¹¹
Privy Councillor
Mouml;lk
,
Sigerl Antretter
and Ränftl. Nannerl accompanied all the symphonies, and as Ceccarelli sang an aria
per l’appertura della Accademia di dilettanti
,
¹²
she accompanied him as well. After the symphony Count Czernin played a
beautifully written
concerto by
Sirmen
¹³
à la
Brunetti and
doppo un altra sinfonia
¹⁴
Count Althan played a
terrible trio
, although not a living soul can say whether it was scraped or fiddled – whether it was in 3/4 time or common time or even in some new and hitherto unknown tempo. Nannerl was supposed to play a concerto but the countess wouldn’t lend them her good harpsichord – which is
Casus reservatus pro summo Pontifice
,
¹⁵
only the Egedacher
¹⁶
instrument with gilt legs was there, so she didn’t play. Finally the 2
Lodron girls
¹⁷
had to play. There hadn’t been the slightest indication beforehand that they were to do so, but ever since I’ve had them, they’ve been in a position to play at short notice, so they were both a credit to me.

Monday the 13th

We still haven’t had a letter from you today. Although the postman came, it was only with a letter from
Mysliveček
, who tells me that instead of the 25 or 30 ducats he was expecting to receive for the 6 concertones that he rewrote at the archb.’s behest, he received only
12 ducats a titolo per il Viaggio
.
¹⁸
– He also says he’ll be leaving Munich on
Maundy Thursday
etc. and, having written to me many times to ask me to lend him a hand, always adding some ridiculous excuse about the
scrittura
that he claims he’s expecting with every post from Naples, he now writes:
Finora da Napoli non ebbi la scrittura; ma spero di finir quest’ affare alla mia Venuta, per ove partirò Giovedì Santo; frattanto sono a pregarla d’una grazia
¹⁹
– NB:
otherwise he wouldn’t have written at all
–
cio è di mandarmi gli 6 Concerti di Bach etc. etc. io Sono stato pregato dal Sgr. Hamm per questa finezza etc etc.

– Non ardiscono loro stessi di Scriver a V.S. etc
.
²⁰
I can well believe that;
Herr Hamm
didn’t have the
courtesy
to reply to my letter of 5 months ago when I asked him for only
200 florins
for his daughter’s full
board and lodging, including teaching
. – Now Mysliveček has had to ask for the concertos for him, – they’ll be waiting for them for a long time – I’ll write and tell Myslivecek the reason. The second amateur concert took place on Palm Sunday, the 12th: symphonies by
Stamitz
²¹
were played at both the first and the second and were much liked as both are very noisy. Baron Bapius played a very simple violin concerto, but at least it was in tempo and in tune, he’s having lessons from Pinzger. – Herr Kolb then played your cassation
²²
to the most amazing applause. Count Czernin, who had never heard Kolb play before and didn’t know your piece, stood behind him and sometimes beside him, turning the pages for him and showing the greatest attention: he was amazingly fulsome in his praise and, hearing that it was by you, was all eagerness and asked me 3 or four times – when did he write it?––I can’t have been here – with his familiar
bright red face and quivering voice he couldn’t help expressing his admiration for the piece and its execution. They all listened in total silence, and after each movement Count Wolfegg, Count Zeil, Count Spaur and the others all cried out
bravo il Maestro e bravo il Sgr Kolb!
Countess Lodron and Countess Lützow etc. all listened attentively and liked what they heard, only when she heard the variations, which you often had to play for her, did the countess realize that they were by you, she ran over to me in her delight and told me so – I was playing the 2nd violin,
Kolb’s pupil
the viola,
Cassel
the bass and the two watchmen, who’d often played it at Kolb’s, the horn. The concert ended with a wretched performance at the keyboard by the 2
Kletzl girls
, the eldest was indescribably bad, enough to drive you away; it was simply unbearable, even worse than when they sang in Kuenburg’s play. On Easter Sunday the 2
Lodron girls
are to
sing or croak
– I don’t know which, as I haven’t heard them for a long time. Nannerl has already been asked to accompany them.

The 16th
. Still no letter from you. We hope you’re well and are fully aware that you’ll initially have a lot to do, calling on everyone, making new contacts and renewing old ones. Herr
Mehofer’s
son is here from the mountains, finally – after a great deal of trouble – he’s now
managing a foundry
in Lungau, at least he’s moved on from lead and sulphur to silver and gold and is earning 230 florins a year in addition to
board and other emoluments
. The architect
Hagenauer
has left and won’t be coming back. In our building the
elder
of the carpenter’s two daughters has died of dropsy, they used to sew clothes and their brother waxed Wolfgang’s boots and those of the pageboys. The
assistant riding master
²³
is getting married on Wednesday the 22nd. Herr
von Mölk
will pronounce them man and wife at Mirabell in the morning, after which they’re off to
Altötting
. The bride looks in a very poor way,
²⁴
she’s very worried when she thinks of the past, present and future. There’s a cellist here with his wife. He plays
extremely well. His name is
Xaverio Pietragrua
. He’s played at court for
10 ducats (the fee was agreed in advance)
and is giving a concert on the 21st. He and his wife – she’s a singer but I don’t know how good she is – send you their best wishes even though they don’t know you. They’ve visited us 3 times and are coming to our target practice tomorrow, as I’m writing this on Sunday the 19th.

Monday the 20th

There was another amateur concert yesterday, but it was very short as it didn’t begin until after the
Regina Coeli
– admirably sung by the castrato – in the cathedral. I found your letter of the 5th inst. waiting for me when I got home from the service. I’m amazed that it took so long. It must have been posted later as letters normally take 9 days to get here from Paris. I recommend you to write par
Strasbourg, Augsburg
– on them as your first letter also arrived late, having come via Mannheim. There are several Salzburgs. These words must be written alongside the others: par Strasb. etc. Augsb.
à Salzburg
.

My dear Wolfgang, I’m heartily glad that you’ve already got some work and am only sorry that you had such a rush to complete the choruses, a task that needs time if it’s to do you credit. I wish and hope that they’re well received. With the
opera
you’ll no doubt have to be
guided by the taste of the French
. As long as you
meet with approval
and are
well paid
, the devil may take the rest! If people like your opera, there’ll soon be something in the newspapers. I’d like to see this in time, in order to spite the archbishop.

I’d like to hear the
sinfonia concertante
with these fine people. If you were able to track down a decent piano
²⁵
in Paris, similar to the one we’ve got here, I’m sure that you’d prefer it and that it would suit you better than a harpsichord. I’m sorry to hear that French taste remains largely the same: but, believe me, it’s bound to change in time, however hard it may be to remould an entire nation. For the present, it’s enough that they can also listen to good music; they’ll
gradually notice the difference. Before you write for the theatre, you should listen to their operas and find out what they particularly like. You’ll now become a real Frenchman and I hope you’ll take steps to acquire a correct accent. Nannerl and I are well, thank God, and I’m no longer worried but am very happy to know that our very good friend Baron Grimm has taken you under his wing and that you’re now in a place which thanks to your innate industriousness can make you famous throughout the world. As long as I don’t have to worry so much about you, I’m well: and you know me, all that matters to me is honour and reputation. You acquired this as a child – this must continue. – This was always my aim, and so it remains; these are now the years that you must put to good use both for yourself and all of us. May God keep you both in good health. Best wishes from Nannerl and myself to Baron Grimm, Monsieur and Mme de Noverre, Mme Jenamy, Mme d’Épinay, Monsieur Wendling, Monsieur Raaff, Monsieur Gossec etc. etc. etc. etc. 100, 000 good wishes to you both from the whole house and the whole orchestra etc., also Herr Bullinger (who thanks you for drinking his health in Clermont), Sallerl, Katherl Gilowsky, Herr Hagenauer, Herr Deibl etc. etc. It’s target practice today, on the target is Katherl Gilowsky in her cradle as it was her birthday yesterday, with the castrato
²⁶
standing beside her, playing the lullaby on his violin. – The castrato is putting up the prize. My dear wife, I’m very sorry to hear that your food is so bad. Isn’t it possible to find someone who can cook in the German way? You really must look round for some better food and pay more. I’ve always been worried about this. Can’t you cook for yourself?––In the longer term you’ll have to think of some alternative as you’re not in Paris for just a few months, – – this is now the safest place to be, partly because you can make some money there, partly because you can live without fear of war. I really don’t like to think of Russia and Turkey being at lasting peace, still less do I like the idea of total peace being concluded between them. Otherwise I’m afraid that Russia