I’ll Never Be That Me Again

i’ll never be that me again

More Posts from Grotesquesoul09 and Others

grotesquesoul09

6 months ago

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART - BIOGRAPHY -

Discouraged by the parsimony of the Emperor, failing to become teacher to Princess Elizabeth, and feeling unappreciated, Mozart decided to leave Vienna for France and England. At that time, he was known in Vienna primarily as a pianoforte player; only after the appearance of the "Magic Flute" was he recognized as a great operatic composer—but by then it was too late. Leopold opposed his son's plans and even wrote to the Baroness von Waldstädten to reason with him, adding, "What is there to prevent his having a prosperous career in Vienna if he only has a little patience?" Mozart thus stayed, giving lessons, concerts in the Augarten, and performances in the theatre and various halls, where his concertos and playing were highly successful. His old love Aloysia sang, and Gluck applauded from a box.

Mozart's subscription concerts were crowded, and he earned well. Yet, despite these successes, he struggled financially. Lacking business sense, he was often short on money and regularly borrowed small sums to pay off debts. Attempts at reform, such as keeping an account book from March 1784 to February 1785, proved ineffective. Constanze was not an efficient housewife, and financial troubles persisted.

In 1783, a son was born and died the same year; that summer, they visited Salzburg, where Mozart fulfilled a vow by performing a mass and wrote duets to aid Michael Haydn, who was ill. The visit, however, disappointed Mozart, as his family showed little fondness for Constanze, and trinkets from his youth weren’t offered to his wife. In 1785, Leopold visited Vienna, where he wept with joy at Wolfgang’s performance and heard Haydn proclaim Mozart as "the greatest composer I have ever heard."

Mozart became a Freemason, influenced by the era’s secret societies promoting liberty of conscience and independence of thought. With his humanitarian ideals, Mozart entered eagerly into masonic ties, contemplating his own secret society and writing for his lodge, Zur gekrönten Hoffnung. His masonic "Trauermusik" remains celebrated for its beauty and originality.

In 1784, the German opera in Vienna was almost extinct. For her benefit, Aloysia Lange chose Mozart's "Escape from the Seraglio" and the composer directed it; productions like Gluck's "Pilgrimme von Mekka" and Benda's melodramas followed. By 1785, there was an attempt to revive German opera to compete with Italian opera, but the performances did not match the Italian standard. Unfortunately, Mozart was not pitted against Salieri by the Emperor, who favored foreign talent.

In 1786, German and Italian dramatic performances were ordered for a festival; Mozart wrote the music for "Der Schauspieldirector" (The Theatre Director), while Salieri received a better text. The Italian operas continued to thrive among court and public alike, drawing many of the best singers.

Mozart’s prospects in opera looked bleak until he met Lorenzo da Ponte in 1785. Da Ponte, an abbé and theatrical poet, had a falling out with Salieri and sought a new composer to rival his benefactor. Mozart desired an adaptation of Beaumarchais' comedy, "Le Mariage de Figaro", then popular on the French stage, though the comedy itself was banned in Vienna. Da Ponte used his influence to confide the plan to Emperor Joseph, who, though he questioned Mozart's operatic skill, agreed to hear parts of the work and ordered its rehearsal.

The entire opera was reportedly completed in six weeks despite a cabal led by Salieri against its success. Yet on May 1, "Figaro" premiered to overwhelming acclaim. Michael Kelly, who played Basilio and Don Curzio, recorded that "Never was anything more complete than the triumph of Mozart." During subsequent performances, several pieces were repeated multiple times, with some performed as many as three times in a single night. However, in November, Martin's "Cosa Rara" captivated the public’s shifting interests, and "Figaro" saw reduced performances by 1787. The opera later gained fame across Europe and inspired Mozart's next masterpiece, "Don Giovanni," after an immediate success in Prague.

The success of "Figaro" did not bring material benefits to Mozart in Vienna. Frustrated by teaching and with few prospects, he considered going to England until he received a letter from Prague’s orchestra, inviting him to witness "Figaro's" enormous success there. In January 1787, Mozart arrived in Prague with Constanze, welcomed warmly by Count Thun. He saw Prague’s enthusiasm for "Figaro" everywhere—in streets and concert halls alike, where even chamber arrangements of the opera were played and sung. After two successful concerts, Mozart’s happiness was capped by a contract for a new opera with Bondini.

Mozart immediately thought of Da Ponte for a libretto, and Da Ponte suggested "Don Giovanni"—a tale already adapted by writers like Molière and composers such as Gluck and Righini. Working between stories and with Mozart’s libretto in sixty-three days, Da Ponte’s productivity was matched only by Mozart’s own dedication to the score. Though Mozart’s father had died in May, causing him grief, he poured his efforts into "Don Giovanni" while in Prague. Stories about his methods and behavior—including the overture, reportedly unwritten until the evening before the premiere—paint a vibrant, though speculative, picture of his time there.

The Prague premiere on October 29, 1787, was a triumph. Shortly after returning to Vienna, Mozart was appointed Chamber Musician by Emperor Joseph following Gluck's death. Yet "Don Giovanni" initially struggled in Vienna; the Emperor said it would be a challenge for his Viennese. Mozart, undeterred, remarked, “We will give them time to chew it.” Eventually, the opera’s influence grew across Berlin, Paris, and London, and by 1825, it even reached New York through the efforts of Garcia and Da Ponte. In time, "Don Giovanni" was seen as Mozart’s masterpiece, with the composer reportedly admitting he wrote it “not at all for Vienna, a little for Prague, but mostly for myself and friends.”

Thank you FB @ Alex Rosas Navarro

NOTE: Here in this biographical account we see Salieri in active opposition to Mozart on more than one occasion, which would lead one to conclude that where there is smoke, there is fire, as far as the antagonism that existed between Mozart and Salieri.

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grotesquesoul09

6 months ago