Rebecca West
Although Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a genius, a prodigy, and, for lack of a better word, above most people with whom he corresponded, there was not an inkling of haughtiness or lack of humility on his part. From the very first letter we can tell that he is incredibly busy and his hands “full of affairs” (227). However, he not only makes time to respond to the professor, but asks for more time to read his opera. Mozart also gives compliments about the professor’s work, saying that it deserves to have some sort of recognition. He ends the letter with not only “most estimable Herr Gehelmrath,” but also “your most obedient servant.” The letter practically screams humility. His decorative writing is incredibly charming and would make even the hardest heart soften. I, for one, sincerely believe that he was incredibly busy and genuinely wants to read the professor’s hard work. If there is any word that would encompass Mozart’s writing, it would be “genuine.”
When writing to his friends about asking for money or aid because of his “miserable condition” (243), he does not begin with what he wants or needs. He begins the letter to Michael Puchberg with a detailed paragraph about his embarrassment and the hardships his family is going through. The reader (poor Puchberg) feels terrible for just reading the letter; it feels that we have received too much information and are intruding on his life. In another letter we see that he represents himself as an open book; his admissions appear candid and humble. Later in that letter he calls Puchberg a friend and brother, which tightens their bond. However genuine and apologetic Mozart appears in a letter describing his inability to pay Puchberg back in a later letter, we see that he sends a letter to a judge asking for 100 florins that he would pay back at the end of the month. This makes it seem like he might never pay back Puchberg for his kindness.
After reading an almost ridiculous number of letters to his wife, we can see that Mozart was an incredibly caring and seemingly wonderful husband. He cries as he writes his letters, misses her as soon as he leaves her presence, and writes that after six days it feels that he has been gone a year. He is the type of loving significant other many of us hope to have some day.
The relationship with his wife seems to be the best and most solid relationship Mozart has. One letter his father sent to his sister describes Wolfgang Mozart’s wish for his father to accompany his wife and children while he was on tour. Leopold Mozart refused forcibly to say the least. This demonstrates a strained relationship between father and son. Wolfgang Mozart’s sister did not inform him of his father’s death, which we learn from a later letter. This shows that their relationship was incredibly strained, or perhaps even nonexistent. This was the only letter we read directed to his sister.
In a letter to his father, we learn that Mozart feels that he has accepted death as the “true foal of our life” (233). He says that he has accustomed himself to accepting that death is always a possibility, and that he should be happy because the next day he might not wake up. He says that although he realizes that each day could be his last, he mentions that his “fellows” would never say that he is “morose or sad” (233). He had just lost a dear friend of his and was reflecting on his loss when writing the letter to his father. This shows that Mozart did indeed have a heart and a deep love for both his father and his friends.
Perhaps it is because of the movie, but I have thus far pinned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as childish, foolish, and a little mad. However, his letters have completely changed my thinking. He seems a kind husband, a good friend, a humble musician. He appears helpful; reading the professor’s opera, sending music to the choirmaster, and looking out for his dear wife and children. These letters have let me become an avid listener and fan once more; these letters let me believe that he was the inspirational musician I had once believed him to be.
