WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

AMADEUS IN 1762

PERSONA

The music as a gift

He plays the harpsichord with blindfolded eyes.

On October 31st – the Saint-Wolfgang day – the little virtuoso was slowly recovering from a scarlet fever. For the occasion, his father offered him a notebook in which he had carefully calligraphed a hundred of varied music scores – some of which for trumpet and hunting horn.

Noble earls, ambassadors, princes, and nobility appreciated their talents during a tour in Germany and Hungary. Delighted by their performance, the empress Maria Theresa gave court dresses and ducats to the children.

“Immediately after God comes dad.”

SOCIETÀ

First Representations

Though Nannerl was expert in the harpsichord art, people asked for her brother.

A performance given in Munich - for the Bavarian Elector Maximilian III - marked the beginning of Mozart public life. In September, they gave public representations in Passau, Linz, Ips, Vienna, at the Schönbrunn empress's palace, and at Presburg in Hungary.

Wolfgang appealed Franciscan monks by his deftness with the organ. At Linz, the earl Palfry was filled with enthusiasm by his feats.

“Admirable child, whose talent is praised, you that, among musicians, we call the smallest but also the greatest!”
Pufendorf

IN DIRETTA

Minuet in F Major

It is not yet fully mozartian.

The musical piece that you can listen to - in the media unit below - has been composed by Mozart in January 1762, when Leopold led him to Munich. The composition date is attested by his father who wrote in the score margin: “composed in January 1762”.

Transcribed in a book intended for the first studies of Marianne (Mozart's elder sister), this score reflects a leopoldian construction when compared to the minuets transcribed at the beginning of this notebook.

In short, he is six years old and not yet fully mozartian...

Minuet in F Major, K2

KOECHEL

His first Works

A six year old kid composing music before being able to write.

In January, Leopold transcribed on paper a minuet for harpsichord composed by his six-year-old son.

During the year, Del Sgre Wolfgango Mozart ave life to other works which were transcribed in a small book by a father filled with wonder.

K.2	Minuet for Harpsichord in F Major
K.3	Allegro for Harpsichord in B Flat Major
K.4	Minuet for Harpsichord in F Major
K.5	Minuet for Harpsichord in F Major
K.6	Minuet for Harpsichord in F Major

Glossaryexpressions and names used in this page

Active audio equipment?: If you wish to hear this piece, make sure that your audio equipment is activated, then click on the “Play” button in the media unit at the bottom of the in diretta section.
After God: “Immediately after God comes dad.”

This Wolfgang's saying is quoted by Nissen.

Georg-Nikolaus von Nissen was the Mozart's widow second husband and author of a Wolfgang's biography.
Composer's signature: The mozartian signature has always been tinged with originality. For instance, he signed as follows at the end of his first works: Del Sgre Wolfgango Mozart or Di Wolfgango Mozart.
Ips: It's probably Ybbs, situated at 120 km west of Vienna.
Linz: One of Austria's major cities, near the Danube river. At the XIXth century, Linz was probably a German city.
Minuet in F Major, K2: The Minuet in F Major (K2) has been composed by the little Mozart whereas he was only 6-year-old!

To listen to this small piece, start its reading in the media unit at the bottom of the in diretta section.
Munich: City in south of Germany, established in 1158. Its name comes from a community of monks (Mönchen) established in the vicinity.

Nowadays, Munich is an industrial and commercial metropolis.
Notebook (Leopold's dedication): “To my dear son, Wolfgang, for his sixth birthday, from his father: Leopold Mozart.”
Passau: Historical German city, in the Bavarian state, located at 150 km northeast of Munich. Passau is situated on the Austrian border at the confluence of three rivers: Danube, Inn, and Ilz.
Presburg: City of Hungary, situated on the Danube river. On December 26, 1805, the treaty of Presburg was signed with Napoleon: Austria losted 28,000 square miles of territory and 3,000,000 inhabitants. It also figured out the end of the Roman German Saint-Empire: Holy Roman Emperor Francis II then became emperor of Austria.
Pufendorf: Samuel von Pufendorf (1632-1694) was a German natural law philosopher. Pufendorf is known for his main work De Jure Naturae et Gentium Libri Octo (On the Law of Nature and of Nations), (1672).
Salzburg: Salzburg counted 10,000 inhabitants, all Catholics since 1733, whereas last Lutheran Protestants had fled to Prussia. At the time of Mozart, one inhabitant of Salzburg out of five relied on the Court to survive.
Schönbrunn: From 18th century to 1918, Schönbrunn was the residence of the Habsburg emperors. Nowadays, Schönbrunn Palace is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria.
Trumpet: “Almost until his tenth year, he had an unreasoned fear of the trumpet... just showing a trumpet to him made him the same effect as if one had put a loaded gun on his heart.”
Andreas Schachtner
Vienna: Capital of the Republic of Austria. Vienna had been for 400 years the heart of the Austrian Empire when in the XVIIIth century, Maria Theresa and her sons Joseph II and Leopold II – from Habsburg's family – reigned on the Empire.