Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was one of the most prominent musical figures of the Classical era. His music brought great fame and fortune to his name, thus making him an idol for musicians everywhere even today. However, those extravagant concertos and operas that he constructed don’t reveal much details about his personal life. Therefore, Hans Mersmann’s collection of letters written by Mozart to his wife, friends, and other acquaintances helps us understand Mozart’s life by telling us a great deal about Mozart’s character. By examining these letters, we learn that Mozart was a humble man who had an immense amount of love for his family.
First off, Mozart’s letters to his friends, including his “best of friends” Michael Puchberg, demonstrate the immense amount of humility that he had. Mozart expresses in his letters that he faced countless difficulties in making money to just meet his day-to-day expenses. As a result, he had to resort to asking his loved ones for financial help. In a letter to his best friend Puchberg, Mozart explains how he gets orders to compose music by members of royalty, all on his own charge, which is why he is forced to come up with some way to make money. He writes in Letter #118 to Puchberg, “O God! here I am with fresh entreaties instead of with thanks!- with new demands instead of with payments! If you know me thoroughly, you must feel how all this torments me!” (243). The fact that it “torments” Mozart to plead for money from his dear friends tell us how humble he is. He is ashamed that he can’t earn to sustain himself. He wishes that he had thanks to give to his friends for already helping him in countless other situations, instead of continuously annoying them with more “entreaties” for money.
In addition, Mozart’s humility is accentuated by the way he ends certain letters. For instance, before signing his name at the end of the aforementioned letter to Puchberg, Mozart writes, “Ever your most indebted servant, true friend and brother” (244). Similarly, in Letter #127 to Puchberg, Mozart signs, “Your true friend, servant, and brother” (250). In Letter #131 to the Municipal Council of Vienna, Mozart signs, “Your most humble servant” (254). The usage of “servant” exemplifies Mozart’s submissive yet modest attitude towards others. Also, the fact that he still signs as “servant” to those who didn’t even give him compensation for his musical creations tells us that he considered his acquaintances as equals and always demonstrated his respect everyone around him.
Furthermore, another aspect of Mozart’s character that is revealed to us through his letters is his caring and loving nature. Mozart’s letters to his wife demonstrate the love he has for her. In almost all these letters, he calls her his “beloved little wife!” In several letters, Mozart writes exquisitely in French, as a romantic lover would do to court his maiden. Lastly, in many of these letters, Mozart gives “kisses” to his wife through words. For instance, Mozart ends Letter #116 by writing, “A million tenderest kisses to thee. I am ever thy tenderly loving husband” (242). After this signature, he adds a post scriptum, enquiring about their son Karl and his well-being. Through these letters, we see that for Mozart, family is priority. The way he yearns for his wife to write back to him shows us how enormous of an attachment he has with her and how he needs her presence to survive being away from his family. Despite being a long distance from them, he still cares for what goes in his household.
In fact, Mozart’s love for his wife and children is so strong that it is the force that drives him to acquire financial success. He writes in Letter #128 to his wife, “I long for news of you, of your health, our affairs, etc. I am firmly resolved to make all the money I can here and then return to you rejoicing. What a fine life we shall then! I will work – work so hard – so that no unforeseen accident shall ever reduce us to such desperate straits” (251). Mozart desires for him and his family to live without experiencing any hardships, which is why he tries so diligently and with great effort to earn money. In fact, this might add to the shame that he feels when asking his friends for financial help. His ambition is to use his musical skills to acquire enough wealth to support his family, but he can’t do that because his profession doesn’t give him this luxury. He hates that in order to gain money for his family, he has to turn to others for help. This humility only serves to emphasize his love for his wife and children.
It is evident that while Mozart did suffer financially and had to resort to desperate measures that included borrowing money from his friends, he had the morality and goodness of character to feel humble about it. Mozart’s goal was to support his wife and children, proving that he was, first and foremost, a family man. I think it’d be appropriate to say that his love for family was one of the driving forces that inspired him to write such brilliant pieces of music that are still revered by people today.
