Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born on January 27, 1756, was one of the most popular Classical composers. He was the seventh child of Leopold and Anna Maria. The couple had seven children, but unfortunately, only two survived: the fourth, Maria Anna and the seventh, Wolfgang Mozart. His incomparable talent didn’t take long to be witnessed by the public. At only age five, he started composing masterpieces. By this age, he was already a master at playing both the piano and violin, as well as composing pieces for both instruments. Wolfgang Mozart was greatly influenced by his father, Leopold. Leopold was a violinist and a composer. Leopold recognized Wolfgang’s potential and dedicated his life to supporting his son’s talent. The Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, edited by Hans Merzan, are a collection of letters that Wolfgang himself wrote to his friends and family while being on journeys. Throughout these letters, we observe that even a god-like figure like Mozart has a human side to him.
Accompanying his son Wolfgang throughout Europe to witness his performances, Leopold’s support might have been one of the reasons of why Mozart turned out to become one of the most accomplished composers ever. After the closing of one of Wolfgang’s concertos, Herr Joseph Haydn, another prolific Classical era composer, tells Leopold Wolfgang: “ I tell you, calling God to witness and speaking as a man of honor, that you son Is the greatest composer I know, either personally or by repute! He has taste, and, in addition, the most complete understanding of composition.”
In the early stages of 1787, Wolfgang Mozart along with his wife, set out on a journey to Prague. After his successful performance of his opera Le Nozze di Figaro, he was invited by a few experts to Prague, and gladly accepted the invitation. While his father is back home, Wolfgang finds out that he is extremely ill. He recognizes how life could finish at any moment, and states, “… I daily thank my Creator and wish with all my heart that my fellow man may share it.” While continuing to be in Prague with his wife, Mozart finds out of his fathers death in the 16th of June 1787. His death was totally unexpected for Wolfgang, and he sends his sister back home a letter, wondering why she hadn’t informed him of this occurrence.
Wolfgang continues to compose and perform operas in foreign countries in Europe, despite not having his father by his side. On June 1788, Mozart writes a letter to his dearest of friends, asking him to spare a “few hundred gulden” (Dutch currency) due to his bad economic state. This is where we come to see Mozart’s human side. He asks for money often throughout these letters, which is shocking for the reader to believe that a man of his stature, and with so many great accomplishments on his resume, would borrow money from his friends to make a living. He shows how desperately he needed the money when he states, “Now pray accept my letter as a true sign and remain ever my friend and bro, as I shall remain, till the grave…”
After finishing his trip in Prague, Wolfgang Mozart travels to Berlin and other cities in Germany to perform. He is alone on this trip, as his wife and son Karl are back home. He expresses much love when writing to his wife and son, showing that he truly misses them while being away. He writes letters ever so often, and concludes them all by saying, “ A million kisses to you.” After performing six pianoforte sonatas for Princess Federica and six quarters for the king, he finds out that his wife is ill due to a foot injury. He continuously wishes she will get well. His sense of humor is seen on one of the letters to his wife, where she says her appetite is good, and then Mozart responds by saying, “I am glad your appetite is good, but he who eats a lot must also ——— a lot? –No walk a lot.”
Mozart continues to be away from his wife, performing in Switzerland and Germany. He expresses how badly he can’t wait for the day he will see her. “Even my work gives me no joy, because I am accustomed to break off from time to time and exchange a few words with you.” He has started paying back some of the money that he borrowed from his “brothers”, but still wasn’t finished. Unfortunately, December 5, 1791 marked the day of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s death. The cause of his death still isn’t clear, but many believe it was due to a disease or poisoning. Wolfgang Mozart’s influence is seen later during Western art music. Beethoven composed his works on shadow of Mozart, while Joseph Haydn wrote that a talent of Mozart’s caliber won’t be seen again in 100 years.
