Vanessa Sun
Mozart Summary/Description
The first impression of Mozart gleamed from his letter is that he is a respectful and honorable. The manner in which he writes is charmingly formal yet personal. He knows how to flatter, as evident by how he calls Herr Geheimrath “A man of so much insight and experience” (227). This lightens the mood of Mozart’s first letter to Herr Geheimrath. Although he is begging for more time to complete the opera, Mozart presents himself as a hardworking man, perhaps a perfectionist. By stating that operas need to be read many times in order to be finished, Mozart asserts that he is planning on perfecting this work in progress. He is working in what we would consider overtime today, as he writes that he has “scarce a minute” to spend for his personal life, nary a break (227).
Mozart exhibits in his next letter that he has connections with other talented musicians as he evokes his sister-in-law’s name, Madame Lang, as well as Madame Cavallieri, Adamberger, and Madame Teuber, who he must know. He is therefore very well connected to opera singers. This raises his reputation to his reader’s eyes, no matter if the recipient is someone who knows him well. Mentioning the singers he knows launches him into a rant about the failure of the German opera. Mozart therefore has a strong sense of pride for his country, or patriotism, as suggested in the title for the letter. He fiercely anguishes over how the German opera could be sustained but is instead ruined. He establishes both his credibility and character trait of being prideful and protective of his country or his country’s artistic culture.
The next letter that Mozart wrote was again a charmingly formal yet personal one. His persuasive and charismatic personality shines in this letter. He is humble as he asks his friend to update the prince of his activities. He acquiesces to the prince’s power by calling him “his Highness,” and juxtaposing this with calling his work “poor” and his willingness to bow down to the prince’s authority. Here is a musical genius, who has to graciously ask for good pay, who has enough wits and persuasive writing voice to say he would “well and punctually serve” the royalty (230). Mozart crafts his writing so that he does not appear to be egotistical in asking for a salary. He is “ever at his Highness’s service” and does not seem to be asking the prince for much (230). His words seem to be convincing and everything the prince would want to hear and yet, he adopts a natural and genuine voice that speaks volumes about his apparently good nature.
The young Mozart might have been deceptively so, though. In his next letter to his father, he spends a lot of time insulting a musician named Ramm. Perhaps his opinions do not reflect badly on his character, but it is worth considering the questionable way to which Mozart presents himself to others as compared to his close family members. He bashes Ramm saying that he “does not deserve his fame,” which is excessively lowly of him, and calls him akin to a “bad beginner” (232-233). This may be excusable, however, as what person does not become frustrated at others from time to time? It is natural that Mozart does not like everyone. He is not a terrible person because of the way he talks about one man, but it is still eye-opening to see how he corresponds to someone as close as a father in comparison to his other letter recipients.
This is proven in Mozart’s next few letters to his friends and relatives- he cares immensely for his loved ones and tends to adopt a lighthearted personality when writing to them. He is humorous as he retells the story of the woman who tried to prevent Figaro from being performed. He begs friends for money but always in a polite way that asserts his righteous means of how to use this money. He also paints a tale of sorrow as he is away from his wife and inquires for her state of health. He is romantic to her, promising to be “true til death” (240). He is therefore seemingly a virtuous husband, as her writes her letters counting the days he has been away from her, how long ago it seems to him. His little letters to her show how he sets aside a little in his busy work day to acknowledge her. He appears to have kept up this loving relationship until he died.
