We have no detailed information of L. Mozart's youthful life. His recollections of his position at Augsburg are bitter and sarcastic. Even with his brothers and sisters, whom he accused of having turned the weakness of their mother to his disadvantage, he had no close or intimate connection, although they had never any scruples in applying for his support.
Introduced by a prelude, consisting of a pleasing andante and a splendid allegro.
Then follows :
A prelude, with trumpets and drums.
After this :
The Sledge Drive, with the sledge-bells and all the other instruments.
After the Sledge Drive :
The horses are heard rattling their harness.
And then :
The trumpets and drums alternate agreeably with the oboes, French horns, and bassoons, the first representing the cavalcade, the second the march.
After this :
The trumpets and drums have another prelude, and
The Sledge Drive begins again, but stops suddenly, for all the party dismount, and enter the ball-room.
Then comes an adagio, representing the ladies trembling with cold.
The ball is opened with a minuet and trio.
The company endeavour to warm themselves by country-dances. Then follows the departure, and, finally:
During a flourish of trumpets and drums, the whole party mount their sledges and drive homewards.
In consequence of the performance of these occasional pieces in Augsburg, L. Mozart received the following anony¬mous letter:
" Monsieur et tres cher ami !
" May it please you to compose no more absurdities, such as Chinese and Turkish music, sledge drives, and peasant weddings, for they reflect more shame and contempt on you than honour, which is regretted by the individual who herewith warns you and remains,
" Your sincere Friend.
" Datum in domo vera amicitice."
Leopold Mozart was not a little annoyed by this act of friendship, which he was inclined to ascribe to the Kapell¬meister Schmidt or to the organist Seyffert. It need scarcely be said that this "programme-music" is innocent either of originality or of instrumental colouring. Short characteristic pieces, such as Couperin and Rameau wrote, were composed by L. Mozart, in common with Eberlin, for a kind of organ with a horn stop, which had been erected by Joh. Roch. Egedacher on the fortifications above the town. Once a month, morning and evening, a piece was played on this instrument; in February it was the Carnival, in September a hunting song, in December a cradle song.11
Besides all this, L. Mozart wrote many concertos, particu¬larly for the flute, oboe, bassoon, French horn, or trumpet (one of these is in Munich), innumerable trios (he offered a flautist, named Zinner, in Augsburg, fourteen trios for flute, violin, and violoncello), and divertimenti for various instruments,12 marches, minuets, opera-dances, &c.
"When I thought of your journey to Augsburg," he writes to Wolfgang (October 18, 1777), "Wieland's 'Abderiten' always occurred to me. One ought to have the opportunity of seeing in its naked reality that of which one has formed an ideal conception."
After passing through school life in his native town, he went to Salzburg to study jurisprudence. The monastery of St. Ulrich belonged to the community of the Benedictines, which had founded and still partly maintained the university of Salzburg;4 this connection may have given Leopold a reason for going thither. But as he did not obtain employment, he was constrained to enter the service of Count Thurn, Canon of Salzburg. From his youth up, he had cultivated his musical talent with assiduity, and was a vitam venturi sseculi" in the Mass, "Pignus futurse glorise " in the Litany.
4 R. P. Hist. Univ. Salisb., pp. 29, 90 (s. Meyer d. ehem. Univ. Salzburg, p. 4).
But there is no originality or inventive power either in the compositions as a whole, or in isolated passages. Leopold Mozart's sacred music gives him a right to an honourable place among contemporary composers, but to no higher rank. Schubart, who prefers his church music to his chamber music, says justly, that his style was thorough, and showed great knowledge of counterpoint, but that he was somewhat old-fashioned.7 When Wolfgang was busy composing church music with Van Swieten at Vienna, he wrote to his father (March 29, 1783) : " Some of your best church music would be very useful to us ; we like to study all masters, ancient and modern, so please send us some as soon as possible." But to Wolfgang's regret this request was refused, for his father was quite aware of the change of taste in such music that had taken place since his day.
Nothing certain is known of twelve oratorios composed according to custom for Lent,8 nor of " a host of theatrical pieces, as well as pantomimes."9
7 Schubart's Aesthetik d. Tonk., p. 157.
8 " Have you a good subject for an oratorio?" writes L. Mozart to Lotter
(December 2g, 1755). " If I had it in time I would compose another for Lent.
Have you the one which I composed last year, Christus begraben? We have
to produce two Oratorio, every Lent, and where are we to find subjects enough ?
It must not be de passione Christi, but it might be some penitential story. Last
year, for instance, we produced one on Peter's Repentance, and another is now
being composed on David in the Wilderness." He must have composed the
above-mentioned oratorio twice, for as early as 1741 it had been printed in
Salzburg as "Christus begraben; Cantata for three voices: Magdalena, Nicode-
mus, Joseph von Arimathaea. Chorus of disciples and friends of our Lord.
Words by S. A. W[ieland]. Music by J. G. L. M[ozart]."
(December 2g, 1755). " If I had it in time I would compose another for Lent.
Have you the one which I composed last year, Christus begraben? We have
to produce two Oratorio, every Lent, and where are we to find subjects enough ?
It must not be de passione Christi, but it might be some penitential story. Last
year, for instance, we produced one on Peter's Repentance, and another is now
being composed on David in the Wilderness." He must have composed the
above-mentioned oratorio twice, for as early as 1741 it had been printed in
Salzburg as "Christus begraben; Cantata for three voices: Magdalena, Nicode-
mus, Joseph von Arimathaea. Chorus of disciples and friends of our Lord.
Words by S. A. W[ieland]. Music by J. G. L. M[ozart]."
9 Gerber includes among these " Semiramis," " Die verstellte Gärtnerin,"
" Bastien und Bastienne," compositions of Wolfgang's, of which the scores
were left in his father's possession. " La Cantatrice ed il Poeta," an intermezzo
mentioned by Gerber, is quite unknown to me.
" Bastien und Bastienne," compositions of Wolfgang's, of which the scores
were left in his father's possession. " La Cantatrice ed il Poeta," an intermezzo
mentioned by Gerber, is quite unknown to me.
L. Mozart was an industrious instrumental composer. He enumerates upwards of thirty serenades, " containing instrumental solos," and a long list of symphonies, " some only quartets, others for all the usual instruments "; of these, eighteen are thematically catalogued,10 and one in G major is by mistake attributed to Wolfgang, and printed in score. Very curious are the " Occasional Pieces" which are characteristic of the times, in their odd instrumental effects, and somewhat heavy touches of fun. Among these are a pastoral symphony with shepherds' horns and two obbligato flutes ; a military piece with trumpets, drums, kettle-drums, and fifes ; a Turkish and a Chinese piece; a pastoral, representing a rural wedding, and introducing lyres, bagpipes, and dulcimers; during the march, after each huzza, there was a pistol-shot, after the custom of rural weddings, and L. Mozart directed that whoever could whistle well on his fingers, was to whistle during the huzzas. But the musical " Sledge Drive " seems to have gained most applause; a pianoforte arrangement was afterwards printed, the effect being heightened by the accompaniment of five differently toned harness-bells.
10 Catalogo delle sinfonie che si trovano in manuscritto nella officina musica di G. G. J. Breitkopf in Lipsia, P. I. (1762), p. 22. Suppl. I. (1766), p. 14. Suppl. X. (1775), P. 3.
10 Catalogo delle sinfonie che si trovano in manuscritto nella officina musica di G. G. J. Breitkopf in Lipsia, P. I. (1762), p. 22. Suppl. I. (1766), p. 14. Suppl. X. (1775), P. 3.
The following programme was printed by L. Mozart, for a performance of the Collegium Musicum in Augsburg, December 29, 1755 :—
Leopold Mozart was not a little annoyed by this act of friendship, which he was inclined to ascribe to the Kapellmeister Schmidt or to the organist Seyffert. It need scarcely be said that this "programme-music" is innocent either of originality or of instrumental colouring. Short characteristic pieces, such as Couperin and Rameau wrote, were composed by L. Mozart, in common with Eberlin, for a kind of organ with a horn stop, which had been erected by Joh. Roch. Egedacher on the fortifications above the town. Once a month, morning and evening, a piece was played on this instrument; in February it was the Carnival, in September a hunting song, in December a cradle song.11
Besides all this, L. Mozart wrote many concertos, particularly for the flute, oboe, bassoon, French horn, or trumpet (one of these is in Munich), innumerable trios (he offered a flautist, named Zinner, in Augsburg, fourteen trios for flute, violin, and violoncello), and divertimenti for various instruments,12 marches, minuets, opera-dances, &c.
MUSICAL SLEDGE DRIVE.
Introduced by a prelude, consisting of a pleasing andante and a splendid allegro.
Then follows :
A prelude, with trumpets and drums.
After this :
The Sledge Drive, with the sledge-bells and all the other instruments.
After the Sledge Drive :
The horses are heard rattling their harness.
And then :
The trumpets and drums alternate agreeably with the oboes, French horns, and bassoons, the first representing the cavalcade, the second the march.
After this :
The trumpets and drums have another prelude, and
The Sledge Drive begins again, but stops suddenly, for all the party dismount, and enter the ball-room.
Then comes an adagio, representing the ladies trembling with cold.
The ball is opened with a minuet and trio.
The company endeavour to warm themselves by country-dances. Then follows the departure, and, finally:
During a flourish of trumpets and drums, the whole party mount their sledges and drive homewards.
11 Mozart published it in 1759 with the title " Der Morgen und Abend den
Inwohnern der hochfürstl. Residenzstadt Salzburg melodisch und harmonisch
angekündigt." A notice of it is to be found in Marpurg's Histor. krit. Beitr.,
IV., p. 403.
Inwohnern der hochfürstl. Residenzstadt Salzburg melodisch und harmonisch
angekündigt." A notice of it is to be found in Marpurg's Histor. krit. Beitr.,
IV., p. 403.
12 A " Divertimento à 4 instr. conc., Viol., Violonc, 2 Co.," is included in
Breitkopf's Cat., Suppl. II. (1767), p. n.
Breitkopf's Cat., Suppl. II. (1767), p. n.
In consequence of the performance of these occasional pieces in Augsburg, L. Mozart received the following anony¬mous letter:
" Monsieur et tres cher ami !
" May it please you to compose no more absurdities, such as Chinese and Turkish music, sledge drives, and peasant weddings, for they reflect more shame and contempt on you than honour, which is regretted by the individual who herewith warns you and remains,
" Your sincere Friend.
" Datum in domo vera amicitice."
Leopold Mozart was not a little annoyed by this act of friendship, which he was inclined to ascribe to the Kapell¬meister Schmidt or to the organist Seyffert. It need scarcely be said that this "programme-music" is innocent either of originality or of instrumental colouring. Short characteristic pieces, such as Couperin and Rameau wrote, were composed by L. Mozart, in common with Eberlin, for a kind of organ with a horn stop, which had been erected by Joh. Roch. Egedacher on the fortifications above the town. Once a month, morning and evening, a piece was played on this instrument; in February it was the Carnival, in September a hunting song, in December a cradle song.11
Besides all this, L. Mozart wrote many concertos, particu¬larly for the flute, oboe, bassoon, French horn, or trumpet (one of these is in Munich), innumerable trios (he offered a flautist, named Zinner, in Augsburg, fourteen trios for flute, violin, and violoncello), and divertimenti for various instruments,12 marches, minuets, opera-dances, &c.
11 Mozart published it in 1759 with the title " Der Morgen und Abend den Inwohnern der hochfürstl. Residenzstadt Salzburg melodisch und harmonisch angekündigt." A notice of it is to be found in Marpurg's Histor. krit. Beitr., IV., p. 403.
12 A " Divertimento à 4 instr. conc., Viol., Violonc, 2 Co.," is included in Breitkopf's Cat., Suppl. II. (1767), p. n.
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