Your letter of 29 April has reached us safely, and we’re delighted to see from it that you and Nannerl are both well, your news amused us greatly. I’m heartily sorry, of course, to hear about Sandl Auer but hope that by now she’ll have recovered her wits. As for Sigerl Haffner, 1 I burst out laughing as I know the girl, she was a good friend of our Nandl, who proved such a disappointment, and often came to see her, they’re still friends, she’s a brewer’s daughter from Uttendorf, but she can’t be more than 26, she just looks older as she was worn out working for the colonel. If he’s married her, he’s made a charming match, God bless him he’s no reason to be jealous as no one could possibly fall for her. We hear very little about the war here, but I can well believe what you say about the king of Prussia trying to form alliances, but it’ll be hard as Russia can’t easily commit itself because of the Turks, and the Turks are bent on war. The Swedes certainly can’t do so as the king of France has 30, 000 Swedish auxiliaries and pays them 12 million livres a year. And Denmark, too, is out of the question as its whole army consists of some 30, 000 men, which would empty the country, and do you think they’re not afraid of France, which is fully occupied leading the king of Prussia by the nose for the edification of all the other powers? That’s why he doesn’t attack, otherwise he’d never wait so long as he’s always been the aggressor and not thought things over for so long. Here the whole city is behind the emperor, except perhaps for the Lutherans, and not even all of them, some are behind him as he made himself very popular during his stay here. 2 Something for Nannerl: tell her she should get hold of a smart walking stick, it’s the height of fashion here for all women – except maids – to take their sticks with them not only when they go to church but also when visiting, walking, wherever they go, but only in the street, of course, not when driving, no one goes out on foot without a stick because it’s so slippery here, especially when it’s been raining, some time ago a woman twisted her ankle and when a doctor said it would be better if women used sticks, it immediately became the fashion. Otherwise it’s indescribably expensive here a lb of good butter costs 30 or 40 sous, and even the poorer quality, which you can’t eat, is 24 sous. A lb of beef is 10 sous, veal 12 to 14 sous, a shoulder of lamb 3 livres, a young chicken 3 livres, the wine is expensive and of poor quality, having all been watered down by the landlords here, it’s even more expensive than it was when we were in England. You can’t buy more with a louis d’or than you can with a Bavarian thaler in Germany, and with a thaler you can’t buy more than you can with 24 kr. back home, everything is as expensive again as it was last time. For the rest, we’re well, praise and thanks be to God, and only wish you were both here. I shan’t forget to be bled, but I must first find a good barber. It’s no longer as common as it used to be, just as all fashions change. Best wishes to Herr Cornet Antretter, 3we were sorry to hear that Herr Bullinger was ill but we’re pleased that he’s now better, best wishes to him and to my dear Sallerl, what’s she doing, does she still think of me, Wolfgang and I often speak of her, how often we talk about our acquaintances in Salzburg when we’re sitting together over our supper in the evening.
Addio, keep well, both of you, I kiss you many 10, 000 times and remain your faithful wife
Marianna Mozart
All conceivable good wishes from us to all our good friends, greetings to Tresel.
[Mozart’s postscript]
I’m bearing up, praise and thanks be to God, though often enough there’s neither rhyme nor reason for what I do – I feel neither hot nor cold – I take little pleasure in things; what cheers me up most of all and keeps me in a good mood is the thought that you, dearest Papa, and my dear sister are well – that I am an honest German – and that even if I may not always say what I want, I may at least think it. But that’s all. Yesterday was my 2nd visit to see the envoy of the Palatine Electorate, Count von Sickingen – I’d already had lunch there with Herr Wendling and Herr Raaff – I don’t know if I’ve already told you, but he’s a charming gentleman and a true connoisseur of music, of which he’s inordinately fond.
I spent 8 hours completely alone with him. We were at the keyboard morning and afternoon until 10 in the evening, playing through all kinds of music, praising, admiring, analysing, discussing and criticizing it. He has around 30 opera scores.
I must tell you that I had the honour of seeing a French translation of your violin method. I think it must have been translated at least 8 years ago. I was in a music shop, buying a set of sonatas by Schobert for a pupil of mine. But I’ll return there soon and have a closer look in order to be able to send you a more detailed description. I didn’t have enough time the other day. Farewell. I kiss your hands 1000 times and embrace my sister with all my heart. Mes compliments à tous mes amis, particulièrement à Monsieur Bullinger.
WoAMozart
83. Leopold Mozart to his wife and son, 11 June 1778, Salzburg
My dear wife and son,
I’ll start with a wedding as I don’t know if I’ve already told you that Nicoladoni, who’s in partnership with Herr Spängler and who used to be married to Spängler’s daughter, has just married Nannerl Gschwendtner. 1 It took place at the Eizenberger-Hof.2 Huber, the currier, suffered a fall last winter and was almost fully recovered when he fell again as he was still too weak to walk. He now has to use 2 crutches and can’t take a bath as one of his legs is withered. But otherwise he’s hale and hearty and walks past our gate on his 2 crutches. The statuarius’s mother, 3 old peasant woman, has died. Haffner’s4 heirs and in-laws have agreed neither to the wedding nor to the sale of the property at Seeburg. Herr Triendl5 wouldn’t be opposed to the latter, but he only wants to buy it because of Lucretia in order to stay in Seeburg and be close to his cook, who’s with her sister in Trum. So Haffner intends to wait another 3 years until he’s no longer a ward of court:6 and he’ll then bang his foolish head against the wall. – Meanwhile a lot can change. The amateur concerts are still taking place every Sunday in Lodron’s hall. The 2 Lodron girls have already played 3 times each, on each occasion it was music that I gave them as they couldn’t have managed a single one of the pieces that they’d studied during 5 years with the late Herr Adlgasser. Little Leopold Arco7 has also played 3 times. They were all a credit both to me and to themselves, Fräulein von MÖlk played once after Nannerl had had several lessons with her. Mlle Villersi8 was also invited to play, Countess Lützow had Wolfg.’s concerto9 copied out for her some time ago, and Spitzeder worked through it with her. Thinking she could play it, she rehearsed it with the violins in her room; Herr Bullinger was also there; and they all said – and she herself agreed – that she played it appallingly badly. She then came to our house in tears and asked us to show her how it should be played, postponing her appearance for a fortnight and in the end learning to play it so well that she was the greatest possible credit to herself. She’s now having lessons with Nannerl and comes here so that the parlourmaids at the Langenhof don’t know about it as Spitzeder is still seeing her. The count and countess10 know. The countess now regrets her whim and doesn’t know what to do with the girl, who in 5 whole years has learnt absolutely nothing. The Lodron girls played again on 7 June, the elder gave a superb performance of the concerto by Lucchesi.11 Sigerl Robinig has already played twice, the first time Wolfg.’s piece in B flat (I think) from the graduation music, the second time another easy little concerto – he played it more than passably, only the cadenzas were terribly Pinzgerish.12 – Did I tell you that last carnival little Perchtl opened a coffee-shop in the Linzergasse near Rosenwirth and that it’s doing a roaring trade as he makes good coffee? – The evening of the 7th. Your letter of 29 May reached us on the 7th and we were delighted to read that both of you are well, praise be to God, we too are well, thank God: only occasionally am I overcome by a sense of melancholy when I think how far away we are from each other and wonder when – or if – I shall ever see you again.––I must seek to banish these sad thoughts through work –– and through manly fortitude an
d leave it to God’s will. I never doubted that everything would be very expensive and, indeed, more expensive than it was last time in Paris as the same is happening everywhere, year in, year out. It’s an infallible rule that where there’s lots of money, everything is expensive; but where everything is cheap, there’s less money. Nannerl intends to start a fashion for women’s walking sticks next winter as it’s slippery to walk here, – fans are unsuitable in winter and yet women are used to having something in their hands. – The war? – Yes, what about it? – It’s still the same: nothing but the most terrifying preparations! – And meanwhile one courier after another reporting negotiations. – Today we get reliable news of an agreement – and tomorrow equally reliable news that no agreement is possible. Among the many reasons for this delay may be the no slight wish to delay the affair – as far as is possible – until the harvest is over and the crops have been brought in, because both armies and the whole nation would be exposed to a terrible famine, and Prussia in particular has a far less adequate supply of foodstuffs than Austria, with all its hereditary dominions, especially Hungary.13 Moreover, Prussia has sown a certain amount of discord between the house of Austria and the elector of the Palatinate, 14 so that the elector wants to make an exception of some of the places included in the agreement and is most displeased, as a result negotiations have started between the ministers in Munich, with Count Seinsheim at their head, and the imperial ambassador Baron Lehrbach, 15 and all these matters will be laid before the imperial diet at Regensburg. The fortress at Eger16 is being constantly reinforced, and in general the best possible arrangements are being made not only to ensure the availability of all that the Austrian troops need but to obtain everything as cheaply as possible. The Austrian monasteries have even been selling their wine at a fixed and very cheap price, and this is then passed on to the army. – So we must await the outcome with patience – may God grant us peace! I also told you some time ago that the elector won’t be leaving Munich in the foreseeable future. – God knows when the Mannheimers will see him again: if things pass off peacefully, there’s no doubt that he’ll spend most, if not all, his time in Bavaria.
My dear Wolfgang, your I’m bearing up, praise and thanks be to God, though often enough there’s neither rhyme nor reason for what I do – I feel neither hot nor cold – I take little pleasure in things shows me that you’re dissatisfied, that something has annoyed you and that you wrote this in a bad mood. – I don’t like this. I can’t say anything as I don’t know the cause of this ill humour. Having to earn one’s own living is very different, of course, from living a life free from such concerns and leaving someone else to see to it. Experience alone makes us wiser! You can now appreciate all the work, the effort and the daily cares that I’ve had to endure in the 30 years that I’ve been married in order to support a family, worries that will continue to plague me until my dying day. You’ve no reason to be unhappy. God has given you great talents. – You could scarcely wait to leave Salzb. – you’ve now discovered that much is as I predicted; otherwise you seem to think that I should long ago have left Salzb., taking my handful of belongings with me. – But you’ve finally reached a place where, even though things are exceptionally expensive, a lot of money can be made. Yes! It needs toil and hard work! – Nothing can be done without toil! You’re young! – Whereas I have to torment myself with 5 pupils in my 59th year for a mere pittance ! If some things don’t turn out as you want, hope or imagine – if you have enemies – if you’re persecuted– in a word, if things don’t work out as you supposed in your thoughts that they would, remember that it has always been like this in the world and will always be so, a circumstance to which everyone, from king to beggar, must submit. – So, wasn’t your sinfonia concertante performed at all ? Were you paid for it? – – And didn’t you get your score back? – – You didn’t say a word about the French opera – no word about your composition pupil 17 etc. In short, you only ever tell me about the latest things that are happening at the time you’re writing the letter, and on this occasion you must have been particularly absent-minded as you even wrote par Augsburg, Strasbourg at the top, as though the letter had to go to Augsb first and then to Strasb. etc. etc. You can see that I always tell you both a whole series of things and never forget anything: but I’d no doubt not remember many things if I didn’t have a sheet of paper in front of me on which I note everything down in a few words as soon as it occurs to me and then quickly cross it off as I’m writing to you. As for the post of organist at Versailles, I replied to this recently, namely, in my letter of 28 May. I consider the whole affair to be a pious wish on the part of Herr Rodolphe. But it has given rise to the following incident here: a few days ago I happened to be passing the countess18 on the stairs when, as she often does, she asked me how you both were and whether I had any news. I told her very drily and rather hastily (I was hurrying back for lunch) that you were both very well and that, if you’d wanted, you could have had one of the 2 posts of royal organist and so on – in short, exactly what you told me in your letter. So yesterday Herr Bullinger comes to see us at his usual hour, bursting with the news that Abbé Henri19 had gone specially to see him and told him what I’d told her. She told him that she was very sorry that she had been away when this business blew up; she wanted to know whether I’d like to have you back here; she could assure me that in time to come you’d definitely be appointed Kapellmeister but that for the sake of the prince’s reputation this was at present impossible as you’d resigned from his service; and for the present you’d be returning as concert master and organist (which would only mean performing on the big organ and accompanying at court) for 50 florins a month. She asked Abbé Henri to speak to Herr Bullinger and find out if he could give him any information (concerning my opinion and intentions). Bullinger replied that I would of course be delighted to have my wife and son living with me again but that he could assure him that when I told them the story about the organist’s post at Versailles I had no such intention and that Monsieur Henri should just discuss the matter very frankly with me and that as an honest man I’d speak quite openly to him and the countess. I’ve been keeping an eye on this bit of nonsense for some time, but I didn’t want people to notice, and although we need another organist, I said nothing but let them get on with it in order not to give the impression that I had any ulterior motive. You can imagine how bad things have become as Lipp has been accompanying at court since Adlgasser’s death. And whenever Ceccarelli has sung, he’s cursed loudly and publicly. I’m in no hurry to speak to Abbé Henri, as that would show them that I’m not particularly keen on their proposal: but as soon as I’ve spoken to him, I’ll write and let you know what’s going on. The archbishop has been firing off letters all over Italy but still can’t find a Kapellmeister, – he’s written to Vienna and Prague and K×niggrätz20 but can’t find a decent organist and keyboard player. – Among the Kapellmeisters nothing can be done with Bertoni – and – you’ll laugh at this! – Luigi Gatti from Mantua, 21 whom the archb. of Olmütz22 has recommended as a distinguished keyboard player and whom you’ll remember as having written out your mass23 in Mantua and to whom the prince of Olmütz had to write, refuses to leave Mantua for more than 2 or 3 months. Ceccarelli, too, has been commissioned to find a Kapellmeister and a tenor. I should add that Meissner hasn’t sung for the last 3 months – he’s finished! – Among keyboard players Hasse won’t leave KÖniggrätz, not that anyone would ask him any longer, now that our canoness Theresia Arco has been telling everyone that he’s one of the most infamous drunkards and jokers.24 – Haydn’s promotion is no longer up for discussion, the whole business has taken on a quite sordid aspect since little Judith25 gave birth to Brunetti’s child on the eve of St Joseph’s Day and the child was baptized in the cathedral at half past 6 in the evening and christened Josepha Antonia. The wench was always at Haydn’s, with the result that before her confinement he had to send her home to her father’s, otherwise the abbot at St Peter’s would have given Haydn noti
ce to quit. Everyone has gone very quiet – why? Because this is Brunetti’s 2nd lapse, and people are now waiting for the 3rd in order to report him to the privy council and have his contract annulled, as happened with Marini. 26 If Count Czernin leaves, Brunetti will go too! Now for my violin tutor. – If my name’s on it, try to buy a copy and send it to me by mail coach, I already have the Dutch translation, so I’d like to have the French one too;27 I told you recently that if you can find some decent keyboard pieces suitable for students, you might send them to me when you have an opportunity. – You could do so when you send me the French translation: but there’s no great hurry, we can easily wait till Wolfg. sends us something of his own, even if it’s only keyboard caprices 28 for his sister – and only if he has time. – Vogler in Mannheim is said to have brought out a book that the government of the Palatinate has prescribed for the use of all the country’s teachers of the keyboard, singing and composition. 29 I shall have to see this book and have already given instructions to be sent a copy. It’s bound to contain some good things as he was able to copy the keyboard method from Bach’s book, while instructions for a method of singing come from Tosi and Agricola and the instructions for composition and harmony from Fux, Riepel, Marpurg, MAt theson, Spiess, Scheibe, D’Alembert, Rameau and a whole host of others;30 these have been reduced to a shorter system of a kind that I’ve long had in mind; I’m curious to know whether his ideas agree with mine. You should get hold of this book – these things are a great help when you’re giving lessons, it’s only through experience that you’re alerted to certain benefits when giving lessons and learn how to tackle this or that problem, and these benefits don’t always occur to you at once. You know very well – but that reminds me ! It’s St Anthony’s Day the day after tomorrow, and you’re not here! Who’ll do the serenade for the countess?31 – Who? – La Compagnie des Amateurs, Count Czernin and Kolb are the 2 principal violins with amazing solos, the work is made up of the allegro and adagio by Hafeneder and the menuetto with 3 trios by Czernin, all of them – mark you – newly written. The march is by Hafeneder, but it’s all inferior produce, stolen from others, an absolute ragbag ! And as false as the world in general! I should add that Gussetti is playing the horn, the courtiers and privy councillors will all accompany the march (the only exception is me), as I’ve unfortunately lost the ability to learn things by heart. We had the most pitiful rehearsal here yesterday. The first piece will be played at Countess Lützow’s, the second one – an old cassation by Hafeneder – not until they reach Countess Lodron’s, ouch, ouch, that’ll do! – Something important! In her next letter Mama should tell me what I should pay Tresel. She’s received nothing since you left: and we don’t even know when we last paid her. Mama will no doubt remember, all we can find is a note dating from February 1777, according to which she was paid 15 florins and 20 kreuzers for 5 quarters. There are some actors at the tavern, as the theatre is being renovated, but there are only 9 or 10 of them. I hear they’re not very good; they’re giving some short plays and singspiels. Today is Grétry’s Das Milchmädchen. 32 Everyone asks to be remembered to you, especially Bullinger and Sallerl, who are always thinking of you and talking about you, Mitzerl, Tresel, dear Pimperl, – Antretter, Hagenauer etc. etc. and we kiss you millions of times. I am your old
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