Mozart: A Life in Letters: A Life in Letters (55 page)

Nothing more can be cut in the 2nd act, except in Idomeneo’s 2nd speech.
Idomeneo un Sol Consiglio or mi fà d’uopo. ascolta: Tu sai quanto a Trojani fù il mio brando fatal. Arbace tutto m’è noto etc
.
¹³
It then continues, and no sane person could leave out another word, quite apart from which this whole recit. can’t last long as it contains lots of things that must be declaimed eagerly and rapidly, and you’d gain only
half a minute
! A great gain! Nor can this recit. weary a single soul as it’s
the first one
in the 2nd act. At best you could omit the passage after
Arbace’s recit
.
male s’usurpa un Rè
¹⁴
etc so that
Idomeneo
says immediately:
Il voto è ingiusto
.
¹⁵

You could then omit Idomen:
Intendo Arbace
etc and Arbace
Medica man
¹⁶
etc. etc. Whether it’s worth making a change for such a trifle that would save 2½ minutes at most, I don’t know, especially as these recits. come at points where they can’t be at all wearisome. In the first act everyone is patient, and the opening recit. in the 2nd act can’t possibly be wearisome. It strikes me as risible: at a rehearsal, where there’s nothing for the eye to see, it is, of course, boring, but in the theatre, where between stage and spectators there are so many objects to distract one, such a recit. passes almost unnoticed. You can tell
everyone I said that. If, in spite of this, something still has to be omitted, I would ask that the text is still printed in full. Herr Varesco doesn’t know that I’ve written all this. – If Herr Schachtner
¹⁷
hasn’t done everything to the greatest perfection, you must remember that time was very short. Here are all the arias written out by Aesopus. Also a letter from Schachtner, who sends his best wishes, as does Varesco. We wish you luck and hope that the opera turns out a success. More next time.
Addio
. I wrote all this by candlelight, wearing my spectacles. Best wishes to
everyone
. We kiss you a million times. Your faithful old father

L. Mozart

On 26 January 1781, Leopold and Nannerl travelled to Munich for the premiere of
Idomeneo
on 29 January. They remained in Munich throughout February, and in early March visited Augsburg before returning to Salzburg on 12 March. Mozart meanwhile had been summoned to Vienna by Archbishop Colloredo, who was visiting his father, the imperial vice-chancellor. Although Mozart and his father continued to write regularly to one another, especially during Wolfgang’s first years in Vienna, none of Leopold’s letters have survived for this period – it is presumed that Constanze Mozart destroyed them after Mozart’s death. As a result, the correspondence between Mozart and his father from March 1781 until Leopold’s death in 1787 is entirely one-sided.

Mon très cher Père
,

Your letter of the 20th inst. has arrived safely, and I’m delighted to see from it that you both got back safely and are well. – You have
my wretched ink and pen to blame if you have to spell out this letter rather than read it. –
Basta
; it has to be written – and the gentleman who cuts my nibs for me, Herr von Lierzer, has let me down on this occasion. You presumably know him better than I do – I can describe him only by saying that I think he’s a native of Salzburg and I’ve only ever seen him on the odd occasion at the Robinigs’ so-called 11 o’clock concerts. – But he called on me at once and seems to me to be a well-mannered and – because he cuts my pens for me – polite person – I think he must be a secretary. But the person who really surprised me with a visit was Katherl Gilowsky’s brother – why was I surprised? – because I’d completely forgotten that he’s in Vienna – how quickly a strange city can change a man! – He’ll undoubtedly become an honest, respectable person, both professionally and in his outward demeanour. –

You will in the meantime have received the letters from the emperor
¹
and Prince Kaunitz – What you say about the archbishop – the way in which I flatter his ambition – is to a certain extent true – but what use is it all to me? – – You can’t live on it; – believe me only when I say that he acts as a kind of
screen
for me – what distinction does he confer on me? – Herr von Kleinmayr and Bönike have a separate table with the illustrious Count Arco;
²
– it would be a mark of distinction if I sat at that table – but not with the valets who,
apart from occupying the best seats at table
, have to light the chandeliers, open the doors and remain in the anteroom,
when I’m there
– and with the cooks. – And then, whenever we’re summoned to a house where there’s a concert, Herr Angerbauer has to remain on watch outside till the Salzburgers arrive, at which point he sends a lackey to say that they can come in – when Brunetti said this in the course of a conversation, I thought: Just wait till I get there! – So, recently, when we had to go to Prince Galitzin’s,
³
Brunetti said to
me in his usual polite manner:
tu, bisogna che sei qui sta sera alle sette, per andare insieme dal Principe Galitzin. L’Angerbauer ci condurrà.–ho risposto: va bene – ma – se in caso mai non fossi qui alle sette in punto: ci andate pure; non serve aspettarmi – so ben dov’è sta, e ci verrò sicuro
;
⁴
– and so I made a point of going on my own as I feel ashamed of going anywhere with them; – when I got upstairs, Herr Angerbauer was standing there, waiting to tell the servant to show me in – but I paid no attention either to the valet or to the servant but went straight through the other rooms to the music room as the doors were all open. – And I went straight over to the prince and paid him my respects, remaining where I was and continuing to talk to him; – I’d completely forgotten Ceccarelli and Brunetti as they were nowhere to be seen – they were hidden away, leaning against the wall behind the orchestra, not daring to come out. – If a courtier or a lady talks to Ceccarelli, he just laughs. – And if anyone talks to Brunetti, he turns red and gives the driest answers. – Oh, it would take for ever to describe all the scenes that have taken place between the archbishop and Ceccarelli and Brunetti since I’ve been here and before I arrived. – I’m only surprised that he’s not ashamed of Brunetti; I’d be ashamed in his position. – And how the fellow hates being here – everything’s far too grand for him – I think he’s at his happiest when he’s at table – Today Prince Galitzin expressed a desire to hear Ceccarelli sing – next time I expect it’ll be my turn – this evening I’m going with Herr Kleinmayr to see a good friend of his, Court Councillor Braun,
⁵
who everyone says is the greatest lover of the keyboard – I’ve lunched twice with Countess Thun
⁶
and go there virtually every day – she really is the kindest and most charming lady I’ve ever met; and she
thinks very highly of me, too – her husband is still the same strange but well-meaning and honest courtier. – I’ve also had lunch with Count Cobenzl, an invitation I owe to his cousin, Countess Rumbeke, the sister of the Cobenzl in the Pagerie, who was in Salzburg with her husband.
⁷
–

My chief object is now to introduce myself to the emperor in a suitably well-mannered way as I’m absolutely determined that he
shall get to know me
. – I’d very much like to whip through my opera
⁸
with him and then play some fugues, as that’s his thing. – Oh, if only I’d known that I’d be in Vienna for Lent, I’d have written a short oratorio and performed it for my benefit at the theatre, as everyone here does – I could easily have written it beforehand as I know all the voices; – and how much I’d like to give a public concert, as is the custom here, but I wouldn’t be allowed to, I know that for certain, because – just imagine – there is, as you know, a society here that gives concerts for the benefit of the widows of musicians
⁹
– everyone who is anyone in music performs there for nothing – the orchestra is 180 strong – no virtuoso with even an iota of love of his neighbour refuses to play here if the society asks him to do so for in this way he can make himself popular with both the emperor and the general public. –

Starzer
¹⁰
was commissioned to ask me and I agreed at once, but he said that I first had to get my prince’s approval – for my own part, I had no doubt at all that he’d give it as it’s a charitable concern and unpaid, but just involves doing good work; –
he wouldn’t allow me
; – the nobility were all much aggrieved at this. – I’m sorry about this, but only because I wouldn’t have played a concerto. Instead – because the emperor sits in the proscenium box – Countess Thun would have
lent me her beautiful Stein pianoforte
¹¹
and I’ve have extemporized on my own and then played a fugue and finally the variations on ‘Je suis Lindor’.
¹²
– Whenever I’ve played all this in public, I’ve always received the greatest applause as the pieces set each other off and everyone has something to savour; but
pazienza
; –

Fiala has risen 1000 times in my estimation for refusing to play for less than a ducat. – Hasn’t my sister been asked to play yet? – I hope she’ll
demand
2. – We’ve differed from the other court musicians
in every other respect
, so I wouldn’t like it if we didn’t differ on this point too – if they don’t want to pay her, they should forget it – but if they want to have her, in God’s name they should pay her. –

I’ll be going to see Madame Rosa
¹³
one of these days and you’ll certainly be pleased with your clever go-between – I’ll handle the affair as delicately as
Weiser
when the death knell tolled for his wife’s mother; –

Herr von Zetti offered right away to take charge of my letters, he’ll send them off with the parcel. –

I don’t need the 2 quartets or the Paumgarten aria.
¹⁴

By the way, what’s happening about the elector’s present?
¹⁵
– Has anything been sent yet? – Did you call on Countess Paumgarten before you left?

Please give my good wishes to all our good friends, especially Katherl – Schachtner and Fiala. – Herr von Kleinmayr, Zetti, Ceccarelli, Brunetti, the
contrôleur
, 2 valets, Leutgeb
¹⁶
and Ramm, who’s leaving on Sunday, send their best wishes to you all;

By the way, Peter Vogt is here. – Farewell now I kiss your hands
1000 times and embrace my sister with all my heart. Ever your most obedient son

Wolfg. Amadè Mozart

The
buffo
Rossi is here too.

28 March. I didn’t manage to finish this letter as Herr von Kleinmayr arrived to fetch me in his carriage to go to the concert at Baron Braun’s – so I can now tell you that the archbishop has allowed me to play at the widows’ concert. –
Starzer
went to the concert at Galitzin’s and he and the whole of the nobility nagged him until he gave his permission. –
I’m so happy
; – since I’ve been here, I’ve lunched at home on only 4 occasions; – it’s too early for me – and the food is really bad. – Only if the weather’s very bad do I stay at home – like today, for example –

Write and let me know what’s going on in Salzburg, as I’m being asked a frightful amount of questions about it, – the people here are far more eager for news of Salzburg than I am –

Frau Mara is here; – she gave a concert at the theatre last Tuesday. – Her husband didn’t dare show himself, otherwise the orchestra wouldn’t have accompanied her as he’d published a piece in the newspapers, claiming that there was no one in the whole of Vienna capable of accompanying her. –
Adieu
.

Herr von Moll
¹⁷
called on me today – I’ll be having breakfast with him tomorrow or the day after and shall take my opera along with me. – He sends his best wishes to you both – I’ll visit Herr von Auernhammer and his fat daughter
¹⁸
as soon as the weather improves. You’ll see from this that I’ve received your last letter of the 24th. Old Prince Colloredo
¹⁹
– at whose house we gave a concert – gave each of us 5 ducats – Countess Rumbeke is now my
pupil
– Herr von Mesmer – the schools’ inspector – and his dear wife send their regards.
– His son plays
magnifique
– except that, fancying he always knows enough, he’s lazy – he’s also a gifted composer – but is too indolent to devote himself to it – his father doesn’t like that. Adieu.

Mon très cher Père
,

I’d already started a longer and more sensible letter – but I wrote too much about Brunetti in it; and was afraid that he might open it, perhaps out of curiosity as Ceccarelli is here –

I’ll send you this letter by the next post and also be able to write more than I can now – in the meantime you’ll have received my other letter. – I told you about the applause at the theatre, but I should add that what delighted and surprised me most of all was – the amazing silence – and the cries of bravo while I was still playing. – For Vienna, where there are so many keyboard players and such good ones, too, this was an honour indeed. –

Today – I’m writing this at 11 o’clock at night – we had a concert.
¹
3 of my pieces were played – new ones, of course; – a concerto rondeau for Brunetti – a sonata with violin accompaniment for me – I wrote it yesterday evening between 11 and 12 – but, in order to finish it, I wrote out only the accompanying part for Brunetti and retained my own part in my head – and then a rondeau for Ceccarelli
²
– which he had to repeat. – I must now ask you to write as soon as possible and give me your fatherly and most friendly advice on the following. It’s said that we’re to return to Salzburg in two weeks’ time – I can stay here not just without detriment to myself but to my
advantage
– And so I intend to ask the archbishop to allow me to remain here – dearest father, I love you very much, you can see this from the fact that for your sake I am renouncing all my wishes and
desires – if it weren’t for you, I swear to you on my honour that I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment but would
resign
my position at once – I’d give a big concert, – take four pupils and get on so well that I’d make at least a thousand thalers a year. – I assure you that it’s often hard enough to set aside my own happiness – As you say, I’m still young, that’s true, but to idle away one’s youth in inactivity in such a beggarly place is sad enough and such a loss – I’d value your fatherly and considered advice on this – but soon – – as I have to explain what I mean to do – but you must have every confidence in me – I’m now more sensible – farewell I kiss your hands 1000 times, and I embrace my sister with all my heart. I am ever your most obedient