Mozart: A Life in Letters: A Life in Letters (50 page)

Mozart

My most humble good wishes to Baron Grimm.

I told you that the archbishop is in Laufen and that you shouldn’t leave until I have in my hands the signed decree. Because of the heavy rain no one has driven down there, – but some people went down there today, I’ll write one last time on the 7th inst. and at the same time make contact with
Strasbourg
, I’ll
report back to you
in the same letter.

I beg you, my dear son, to look after your health and, with it, my life, believe me when I say that I’ve thought through everything sensibly, with your own best interests at heart. You will see and discover for yourself that I’m taking you the quickest way to your own happiness, if God wills it so. Your sister kisses you a million times. Once again, my dearest Wolfgang, take pity on your old father and look after yourself.

Mon très cher Père
,

Your 3 letters of 13, 27 and 31 August have all arrived safely; but for now I’ll reply only to the last, as this is the most important one;
¹
when I read it through – Monsieur Heina, who sends you both his best wishes, was here – I trembled with joy, already seeing myself in your arms; it’s true, as you’ll admit, that no great fortune awaits me there, but when I imagine kissing you, my dearest father, and you, my dear sister, with all my heart, no other happiness matters; and this is really the only thing that can serve as an excuse with the people
here who are always going on at me to remain here: I always say to them at once: what do you want? – I’m content, and that’s all there is to it; I’ve somewhere that I can call my home – where I can live in peace and quiet with my beloved father and dearest sister – I can do as I like because, apart from the duties associated with my appointment, I’m my own master – I have a permanent livelihood – can leave when I like – can undertake a longer journey every other year – what more do I want? – If you want to know what I really feel, the only thing that disgusts me about Salzburg is that you can’t really mix with the people there – and that the orchestra isn’t held in higher esteem – and that the archbishop has no faith in intelligent people who have travelled the world – for I can assure you that people who don’t travel – at least people in the arts and sciences – are pitiful creatures! – and I assure you that if the archbishop doesn’t allow me to travel every other year, I can’t possibly accept the engagement; a man of mediocre talent remains mediocre, whether he travels or not – but a man of superior talent – which, without being Godless, I cannot deny is true in my own case – will go to seed if he stays in the same place all the time; if the archbishop were to trust me, I’d soon make his orchestra famous; this is undoubtedly true; – I assure you that this journey wasn’t a waste of time – from the standpoint of my work as a composer, I mean – for I already play the keyboard as well as I can; there’s only one thing I would ask for in Salzburg and that’s that I don’t have to play the violin as I used to – I want to give up being a violinist; I’ll conduct from the keyboard – and accompany the arias; it would have been good if I could have had a written assurance about the post of Kapellmeister; for otherwise I may have the honour of doing two jobs and being paid for only one – and in the end he may again appoint some stranger over my head; my dearest father! I have to admit that if it weren’t for the pleasure of seeing you both again, I really couldn’t agree to this – – and also to get away from Paris, which I can’t abide – even though my situation is starting to improve, and I’ve no doubt that if I could make up my mind to hold out here for a few years, I’d certainly be able to make a go of things; I’m now fairly well known – at least people know
me
, even if I don’t know them. My 2 symphonies
²
–
the 2nd of them was performed on the 8th – have helped my reputation no end; now that I’ve said I’m leaving, I should really have written an opera – but I told Noverre: if you’ll guarantee that it’ll be
produced
as soon as it’s finished – and if I’m told exactly what I’ll get for it, I’ll remain here for another 3 months and write it – I couldn’t reject the idea out of hand, otherwise people would have thought that I’d no faith in my own abilities; but they wouldn’t agree to this – I knew in advance that they wouldn’t as it’s not the custom here; as you probably already know, the situation here is that when the opera’s finished, it’s put into rehearsal and if these stupid Frenchmen don’t like it, it’s not performed – and the composer has written it in vain; if they like it, it’s staged, and the more successful it is, the more the composer is paid; but there’s no certainty; in general, I’m saving up these matters to discuss with you in person; but I can tell you in all honesty that things were starting to look up for me; nothing can be hurried;
chi va piano, va sano
;
³
my willingness to please has won me friends and patrons; if I were to write and tell you everything, my fingers would hurt; I’ll tell you all about it in person and explain to you in detail that Monsieur Grimm may be able to help
children
but not grown-ups and – but no, I don’t want to write about it – and yet I must; please don’t imagine that’s he’s the same person he was before; if it weren’t for Madame d’Épinay, I wouldn’t be in his house at all; and he needn’t be so proud about this fact as there are 4 houses where I could have had board and lodging; the good man didn’t know that if I’d
remained here
, I’d have moved out next month and gone to a less stupid and dull-witted household where people can do you a favour without constantly flaunting it in your face – in this way I could all too easily
forget
a favour done to me – but I mean to be more generous than he is – I’m only sorry that I’ll not be remaining here in order to show him that I don’t need him – and that I’m just as good as his Piccinni – even though I’m only a German; the greatest
kindness he’s shown me consists of 15 louis d’or, which he lent me bit by bit while my dearly departed mother was still alive and then at the time of her death – do you think he’s afraid of losing them? – If he has doubts about this, he really deserves a kick up the backside – as he’s distrusting my honesty – which is the only thing capable of making me angry – and also my talent – but I already know this, as he once told me himself that he didn’t think I was capable of writing a French opera; I shall return the 15 louis d’or when I leave, accompanying my thanks with a few well-chosen words; my dearly departed mother often used to say: I don’t know, but he strikes me as completely changed; but I always took his part, even though I was secretly convinced that it was so; he spoke about me to no one – or if he did, it was always stupid and clumsy; – mean-spirited; he wanted me to keep running off to see Piccinni and Garibaldi – – there’s a wretched
opera buffa
on at present – but I always said: No, I shan’t take a single step in that direction
etc
. In a word, he’s in the Italian faction
⁴
– he’s false – and he’s trying to hold me back; it’s incredible, isn’t it? – But it’s true; here’s the proof: I opened up my whole heart to him as a true friend – and he certainly made good use of it; he invariably gave me bad advice because he knew that I’d follow it – but he succeeded only 2 or 3 times as I didn’t ask him any more after that, or if he gave me his advice, I didn’t act on it; but I always said yes, so that I wouldn’t suffer any more of his rudeness;

But enough of this – we’ll talk about it more in person; Madame d’Épinay is certainly more kind-hearted; the room where I’m staying belongs to her, not to him; it’s the sickroom – when anyone in the house is ill, they’re taken there; there’s nothing attractive about it apart from the view; just bare walls; no cupboard or anything else – you can see now that I couldn’t have put up with it any longer; I’d have told you this long ago but was afraid you wouldn’t believe me

– but, whether you care to believe me or not, I can’t stay silent any longer – but I’m certain that you’ll believe me – I still have enough
credit with you to convince you that I’m telling the truth; I also take my meals with Madame d’Épinay; you mustn’t think he pays her anything as I cost her next to nothing – they have the same meals whether I’m there or not; – they never know when I’ll be eating with them so they don’t count on me; and at night I eat only fruit and drink a glass of wine; throughout the time I’ve been in the house – which is now more than 2 months – I’ve not lunched with them more than 14 times at most; and so, apart from the 15 louis d’or, which I’ll be returning with thanks, he’s incurred no expenses with the exception of the candles; and I’d be more ashamed of myself than of him if I were to offer to supply my own; – I really couldn’t bring myself to say such a thing – on my honour; that’s the sort of person I am; recently, when he spoke to me in a quite gruff, silly and stupid way, I couldn’t bring myself to say that he needn’t worry about his 15 louis d’or – because I was afraid of offending
him
; I just put up with it – and asked him if he’d finished – and then said only that I was his most obedient servant; he claims that I should leave in 8 days’ time;
he’s in such a hurry
– I told him I couldn’t – and gave him the reasons; well, that makes no difference, it’s what your father wants – I’m sorry, but he wrote to say that only when I received his next letter would I see when I should leave – just be ready to leave – I’m telling you that I can’t possibly leave before the beginning of next month – or by the end of this month at the earliest, as I still have to write 6 trios
⁵
– for which I’ll be well paid – I still have to be paid by Legros and the Duc de Guines – and as the court is going to Munich at the end of this month, I’d like to be there to present my sonatas
⁶
to the electress in person, which may perhaps lead to a present; I’ll pack my things together and talk to Herr Gschwendtner – and I’ll send them off at once or at least as soon as possible; it’s not advisable to leave things with him; in return for cash I’ll send 3 concertos – the ones for Jenamy and Lützow and the one in B flat
⁷
– to the engraver who engraved my sonatas – and, if possible, I’ll do the same with my
6 difficult sonatas;
⁸
even if it’s not very much – it’s still better than nothing. One needs money for the journey. As for the symphonies, most are not to the taste of the people here; if I’ve time, I’ll rearrange some of my violin concertos
⁹
and make them shorter as the taste with us in Germany is for long works – but it’s better that they should be short and sweet – in your next letter I shall no doubt find some instructions for my journey – I only hope that you’ve written just to me as I don’t want anything more to do with him; I hope so – and it would also be better – in general, a Gschwendtner and a Heina can arrange things better than such an upstart baron
¹⁰
– certainly I owe Heina more than I owe him if you examine the matter aright by the light of even the shortest piece of candle – well, I await an early reply to this letter and shan’t leave till I receive it; I’ve already worked it all out; you’ll receive this letter on 22 September and will reply straightaway; the post leaves on Friday the 25th, and I’ll receive your answer on 3 October; I can then leave on the 6th, as I don’t need to hurry, and my stay here isn’t futile or fruitless as I can shut myself away and work in order to earn as much money as possible; but there’s something I want to ask you – I still don’t know how you want me to travel; as I shan’t have much extra luggage with me – when I have a moment, I’ll send on in advance what I don’t need – I could perhaps get someone to give me a nice cabriolet of the kind that’s now very fashionable here – that’s what Wendling did; I can then continue the journey as I like and take the mail coach or a
vetturino
; the cabriolets here aren’t as they used to be, namely, open, but are closed – with glass – it’s just that they have 2 wheels and can seat 2 not very fat people; well, I can arrange all this when I receive your reply to this letter. I’ve something else to ask you and hope that you won’t refuse, namely, that if it’s the case that the Webers have not gone to Munich but have remained in Mannheim (although I
hope and believe that this isn’t so), I’d like to have the pleasure of passing through and visiting them. – It’s a detour, of course, but only a small one – or at least it wouldn’t seem very much to me – but I don’t think that it’ll be necessary – I’ll meet them in Munich – I hope to be assured of this by a letter in the morning; but if this proves not to be the case, I’m already convinced in advance by your kindness that you won’t refuse me this pleasure. Dearest father! If the archbishop wants a new singer, by heaven I know of none better;
¹¹
he won’t get a Teyber or a de Amicis; and the rest are undoubtedly worse; I’m only sorry that when people go there from Salzburg for the coming carnival and
Rosamunde
is performed, it’s quite possible that they won’t like poor Fräulein Weber, or at least that people won’t judge her as she deserves to be judged as she has a wretched part, almost a
persona muta
¹²
– she has only a few verses to sing between the choruses, together with an aria in which you might expect the ritornello to be good, but the vocal line is
à la
Schweitzer, suggesting nothing so much as yelping dogs; she has only one number – a kind of rondeau in the 2nd act – where she has any sustained singing and can show what she can do; yes, unhappy the singer who falls into Schweitzer’s hands, for as long as he lives he’ll never learn how to write for the voice! Once I’m in Salzburg, I shall certainly not fail to show great enthusiasm in speaking out in favour of my dear friend – in the meantime I would ask you not to fail to do all you can for her, you can give your son no greater pleasure than that; I can think of nothing now except the pleasure of soon embracing you again – please make sure that everything that the archbishop has promised is fully assured – and the same applies to what I asked you about, that my place is at the keyboard; every good wish to all our good friends, especially Herr Bullinger; oh, what fun we’ll have together! – I can think of nothing else and can already see it all in my mind’s eye; adieu. I kiss your hands 100,000 times and embrace my sister with all my heart; hoping to receive a reply at once, so that I can leave straightaway, I am your most obedient son