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Mozart’s Character

Fred Erlikh-

Throughout his personal letters, Mozart communicates himself most amiably, gracefully, conscientiously, and even fervently expressing his thoughts and feelings. Often he is exclaiming his reactions to certain circumstance, and typically reflects on his experiences with great forethought, giving the reader a deeply contemplated impression. Figurative language is his default speech, and rightfully so, it is his strong suit. Especially when accentuating the sensitivities of his being, Mozart is provocative, eloquent, and a simply very charming and charismatic individual.

Mozart is consistently open about his troubles and concerns, and ultimately channels them to his advantage. He writes in a letter discussing a composition position to Sebastian Winter Royal-Groom of the Chambers, “… I should be able to work with a more collected mind, being sure of having work to do!” (p. 230). If he is certain to be compensated for his pieces, he could effectively write more with a ‘sound’ mind. He inquires to Winter as to whether or not the Prince would be interested in orchestrations for his ensemble. Mozart would compose various types of pieces for the Prince’s orchestra, if given a fixed annual salary. Mozart conveys anxiety towards the Prince’s response, hoping he does not take the offer as inappropriate, even should he not be willing to accept it. He even describes the drive behind the proposal “…arises from an impulse of genuine zeal to serve his Highness diligently”. Mozart is exceptional at reinventing flattery to aid his whim.

He implements flattery as well as humility several times in letters to Michael Puchberg, a dear and loyal friend. In a 1788 letter, he expresses great distress over not having enough money to settle his affairs. He exclaims, “If you, my most worthy Brother, will not help me in my predicament, I shall lose honor and credit, which of all things I wish dearly to preserve.” (p. 239). In a dignifying and pervasive attempt to preserve his own values, he projects characteristics that his “most worthy Brother” (whom he also humbles himself to with such a description) would find easily respectable. It also precisely the spirit by which Mozart addresses his patrons, especially Puchberg when asking, “in whom am I to put my trust? In no one but you my best friend!” One might even say he guilt-trips his friend, towards the end of the letter claiming to be ‘visited frequently by black thoughts’, an allusion to his darker and more sorrowful states of mind. His melancholy and woes are continuously reflected on in a state of tenderness.

Mozart’s sensitivity is most clearly expressed in letters to his wife, where he conveys deep love and longing for her. Often he is pressed by financial matters, and forced to travel for business. He consistently notes that the few days or weeks, which he is away from her feel like years. His desire to see his wife is a dire dilemma when it comes to his work abroad. He proclaims, “…the thought always came to me how bitterly I should regret it if I were to separate myself so long from my beloved wife without certain prospect of success, and perhaps quiet fruitlessly!” (p. 252). Working as an artist, he may be going on a potentially fruitless journey with the possibility he could be away from his wife for a long period of time without compensation. This was a major concern for Mozart after his wife fell ill, at which point he was driven to stay with her as often as he could.

One of the most prominent composers of the Romantic era was not by any means bad with words. He was especially fluid and lucid in his thoughts and inflections. He was a deeply affectionate man, and this enabled him to communicate himself effectively and truthfully. He explored the dismal side of his emotions, as much as the joyful side, and even when he made himself contemplate the worst, he surely did vigorously and continuously hope for the best.

Looking at Art

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In the text, Looking At Art by Alice Elizabeth Chase, the author exposes changes in artistic style over various cultures and through different periods of human history. She outlines contrasting ideas and methods to the artistic approach. At first, exploring views and scenery, and initially observing the contrasts in the representation of wide and boundless landscapes. She points out, an artist, “…must do something with the landscape to express his ideas about it. Perhaps… [the artist] will select and emphasize.” (p. 19). Chase observes that scenic art is not entirely about the appearance of view, but that the image accentuates mans’ inflections of the view.

Chase observes a general trend, that art gradually becomes more focused on landscape. She even identifies a methodology for landscapes as they increase in popularity, claiming “artists established a formula by which they could turn the out quickly without bothering to study actual effects of light and air.” (p. 26). The formula is done with alternating areas of light and dark, in effect to carry the eye to the distant horizon. Consequently the works of Europe throughout the eighteenth century were teeming with such scenes. By contrast, at the same point in America, most western settlers were in such vast and open territories, they did not especially want to see more of the outdoors. In the next century, development had increased, “… and the new patriotism and enthusiasm for America showed itself in an interest in the countryside.” (p. 29). The West had been thoroughly romanticized and Eastern urbanites took delight in the wide expanses of nature.

The painting cannot merely be a record of what man sees, it portrays and expresses mans’ internal reference frame. In Chapter 4, ‘The Artist Looks at People and Space’, Chase contrasts the approaches of photography and painting. Referring to the spacing of objects not-to-scale, “Representing things in this way may not be true to what the eye sees, but if often shows what is going on better than a photograph could.” (p. 35). A photograph cannot always display a long range of scenery, and yet still maintain the intimacy of its subjects. Expressing ‘what is going on’ led to the technique of vanishing point perspective. This enabled artists to present a scene over a long-ranged distance by identifying where they wanted the light to vanish out from the point of view. Eventually, experiments with more than one vanishing point came to fruition; while other graphical perspectives implemented in non-Western cultures portrayed other ‘ways of seeing’.

As stated by Chase, “Vanishing-point perspective is what we are used to, is truer to what the eye sees, but there are things that can be shown more truly by another system.” (p. 53). She means that all ways of seeing have their own focus and are therefore uniquely purposed. Architects in the West implemented the Oriental isometric perspective to expose more of a building’s interior and exterior structures. This is just one example of how an artistic methodology can be reworked beyond its original purpose. New and inspiring uses for well-established artistic techniques are what spurs progress for such art forms, and thus more effective ways of conveying the human expression.

-Fred Erlikh

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Author Archives: frederlikh

Mozart’s Character

Looking at Art

St. Anne’s Bedroom