Mozart: A Life in Letters: A Life in Letters
Page 30
Mama will go with you to Paris, you must confide in her in all things in person and confide in me by writing. I’ll explain everything in my next letter, including all the addresses and letters to Diderot, D’Alembert 5 etc. You’ll also receive a breakdown of your travelling expenses and other calculations relating to board and the cost of engraving music. I must close. Nannerl and I kiss you many thousands of times. I am
Mzt
Everyone sends their best wishes, especially Herr Bullinger.
By the next post I expect to hear how much money you have. By then the chaise will have been sold.
77. Mozart to his father, 24 March 1778, Paris
Mon très cher Père,
Praise and thanks be to God, we arrived here safe and sound yesterday, Monday the 23rd, at around 4 in the afternoon; in other words, we were 9½12; days on the road. We never thought we’d survive. Never in my whole life have I been so bored. You can easily imagine what it was like for us to leave Mannheim and so many dear, kind friends and then to have to spend nine and a half days not only without these good friends but without human company, without a single soul with whom we could associate or speak. But, all praise and thanks to God, we’ve now reached our destination. I hope that with God’s help all will go well. Today we’ll take a cab and call on Grimm and Wendling. Tomorrow morning, however, I’ll be calling on the minister of the Palatinate, Herr von Sickingen, a great connoisseur and passionate lover of music, for whom I have 2 letters from Herr von Gemmingen1 and Monsieur Cannabich. Before leaving Mannheim I had copies made of the quartet that I wrote that evening at the inn at Lodi and of the quintet and Fischer variations and gave them to Herr von Gemmingen.2 He then wrote me a particularly courteous note, expressing his pleasure at the memento that I’d left him and sending me a letter for his very good friend, Herr von Sickingen, with the words: I am sure that you will be a greater recommendation for this letter than this letter can be for you. And in order to defray the copyist’s expenses he sent me 3 louis d’or. He assured me of his friendship and asked me for mine. I must say that all the courtiers who got to know me, as well as the privy councillors, chamberlains, other worthy people and the entire court orchestra were very reluctant and sorry to see me go. There’s no doubt about that. We left on Saturday the 14th, and the previous Thursday afternoon there’d been another concert at Cannabich’s, when my concerto for 3 keyboards3 was played. Mlle Rosa Cannabich played the first, Mlle Weber the second and Mlle Pierron Serrarius, 4 our house nymph, the third. We had 3 rehearsals, and it all went very well. Mlle Weber sang 2 of my arias, the Aer tranquillo from Il re pastore and the new one, ‘Non sò d’onde viene’.5 With this second one, my dear Fräulein Weber did both herself and me indescribable honour. They all said that they’d never been as moved by an aria as by this one; but she sang it as it’s supposed to be sung. As soon as the aria was over, Cannabich exclaimed: Bravo, bravissimo maestro. Veramente scritta da maestro. 6 It was the first time I’d heard it with instruments. I wish you too could have heard it, but just as it was performed and sung on this occasion, with such immaculate style, piano and forte. Who knows, perhaps you’ll still hear it – I hope so. The orchestra never stopped praising the aria and talking about it. I’ve lots of very good friends in Mannheim – distinguished – well-to-do friends – who very much wanted to keep me there. Well, wherever people pay well, I’ll be found. Who knows, perhaps it’ll happen. I hope so; and I still feel – I still hope it will. Cannabich is a decent, honest fellow and my very good friend; he has only one failing, namely that, although he’s no longer all that young, he’s a bit careless and absent-minded. If you’re not always at him, he forgets everything; but if it’s a question of finding a good friend, he roars like a bull and really takes your part, and that produces results as he has great influence. On the other hand, there’s no question of politeness or gratitude and I must admit that, in spite of their poverty and lack of wealth and although I’ve done less for them, the Webers have shown themselves to be the more grateful; for Madame and Monsieur Cannabich didn’t say a word to me, still less did they offer a small memento or even a trifle to show their kind hearts; there was nothing, they didn’t even thank me, even though I’d taken so much time and trouble with their daughter; there’s no doubt that she could now perform anywhere; for a girl of 14 and an amateur, she plays very well; and they’ve me to thank for that, as the whole of Mannheim knows. She now has taste and a trill, she can play in time and her fingering is better, previously she’d none of this. In 3 months they’ll miss me a lot – for I fear that she’ll deteriorate and that she’ll have only herself to blame; if she doesn’t always have a teacher who knows what he’s doing, it will all be in vain, because she’s still too childish and careless to practise seriously and to any useful purpose on her own.
Out of the goodness of her heart Fräulein Weber has knitted 2 pairs of string mittens for me, which she has given me as a memento and a small token of her gratitude. He7 copied out, free of charge, all that I needed and also gave me some music manuscript paper; and he presented me with a copy of Molière’s comedies, as he knew that I’d never read them, with the inscription: Ricevi, Amico, le opere del moliere in segno di gratitudine, e qualche volta ricordati di me.8 And when he was alone with Mama, he said: Our dearest friend, our benefactor, is now leaving us. It’s true, if it hadn’t been for your son! He did a lot for my daughter and took her under his wing, she can never be grateful enough to him; they wanted me to have supper with them on the eve of my departure, but I had to remain at home so I couldn’t accept. Even so, I had to give them 2 hours of my time before supper. They never stopped thanking me and wished only to be in a position to show me their gratitude. They were all in tears when I left. I’m sorry, but my eyes fill with tears whenever I think of it. He came downstairs with me and remained standing in the doorway until I’d turned the corner, calling after me: Adieu.
Our journey, including food, drink, sleep and tips, came to more than 4 louis d’or, for the further we got into France, the more expensive it became. I’ve just received your letter of the 16th. Don’t worry, I’ll certainly sort out my affairs. I’d ask only that you remain good-humoured in your letters; and if war9 gets too close, come and join us. Best wishes to all our good friends. I kiss your hands 1000 times and embrace my sister with all my heart. I am your most obedient son
Wolfgang Amadè Mozart
[ Maria Anna Mozart’s postscript on the cover ]
My dear husband, praise and thanks be to God, we’ve arrived here safe and sound. We’re staying at Herr Mayer’s, in the house where Herr von Waldburg10 stayed. We don’t yet know what we’ll have to pay but we’ll find out tomorrow, today we went to see Baron Grimm, but he wasn’t at home, we left a note there so that he knows we’ve arrived, Wolfgang will go back there tomorrow and deliver his other letters. On the journey here we had the most beautiful weather for 8 days, amazingly cold in the morning and warm in the afternoon, but during the last 2 days we were almost suffocated by the wind and drowned by the rain, so that we both got soaking wet inside the carriage and could barely breathe. We got through customs with no difficulty, except that Wolfgang had to pay duty on his small-sized manuscript paper, which came to 38 sous; there was no inspection at all in Paris. Wolfgang is bored as he hasn’t yet got a keyboard, also the weather’s been so bad that he’s not been able to look round for one. Addio, keep well, I kiss you both many 10, 000 times and remain your faithful wife
Frau Mozart
Best wishes to all and sundry. We drank Herr Bullinger’s health on St Joseph’s Day in Clermont.11