[Originally posted on 1/8/19. This translation is part of Digital Humanities collection 1: Mozart, Counterpoint, Chamber Music.]
Mozart’s Work Ethic.
An excerpt from: “Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven”, 2nd ed., by Prof. Dr. C. Krebs. (p. 38 – 40).
(Druck und Verlag von B.G. Teubner in Leipzig und Berlin 1913.)
While Haydn’s life moved stepwise continually upward, from small and miserable beginnings, toward fame, honor, and solid prosperity – we see for Mozart the opposite take place. He began his artistic journey with immense success, was in youth well provided with gold and honors; yet as his artistic personality grew stronger and more independent, the more his external circumstances declined. When he passed away, after many difficulties and much suffering, he left his wife and children in terrible conditions.
In every respect Mozart’s youth was his happiest time. He grew up under the care of loving and understanding parents. With great care, especially from his father Leopold, a genius was cultivated, with every step prepared and guided; a father who accompanied and counseled him as a friend, until he left his parent’s home and made his own.
Leopold was an accomplished violinist, court musician, and later court composer. He was also assistant Kapellmeister at the Archbishop of Salzburg’s court. A serious and even strictly devout person, Leopold possessed a sharp and clear intelligence; was true to his duty, and honorable. In his education Leopold was ambitious, and not limited to music. His “Treatise on Playing Violin” is recognized for its excellence. Zelter praised it as “thoroughly well written,” and is known as far more than instructive for violin playing. It is a compendium of important musical knowledge for its time, and for us an invaluable source for knowledge of general musical practices of the 18th century. The treatise appeared in 1756, the same year Leopold’s son Wolfgang was born (Jan. 27). His daughter Maria Anna, called Nannerl, was almost five by then.
Maria Anna showed musical talent early, and was instructed in piano by her father. Wolfgang listened attentively, starting at age three to explore the keyboard, forming pleasant intervals and imitating passages heard from Maria Anna’s pieces. As his father noticed this, lessons were provided for Wolfgang also. This was not done at first with much seriousness. He was given menuets and other short works to play by listening and imitation. Yet as Leopold saw the incredible ease of Wolfgang’s understanding and retention, regular and more systematic study began.
As one hears about the boy’s progress, learns that by age five he was inventing and playing short pieces, written down by the father, and other similar things – one is inclined to believe in fables and inventions. Yet these come from reliable witnesses. I will give only one such episode here.
The court trumpeter Schachtner was a family friend. One day he was at the Mozart home with Leopold and a man named Wentzl. They were there to play Wentzl’s new string trios. Wolfgang was present also. Recently, he was given a child-sized violin, which he was trying (in his own manner) to learn to play.
“Wolfgangerl asked,” as Schachtner later wrote to Maria Anna, “if he could play the second violin part, but his father refused his silly request, as he had received no violin instruction; so the father believed he would not be able to contribute at all. Wolfgang said: to play the second violin part, you do not need to study first. As the father sent him away, telling him not to bother them further, Mozart began to cry bitterly and left with his little violin.”
“I asked if he could come play; and finally papa said: you can play quietly along with Mr. Schachtner, but only if you are not heard: otherwise you have to leave. This happened, and Wolfgang played his violin with me. Soon I noticed, astonished, that I was completely superfluous. I quietly put my violin away and looked at your father – who in seeing what happened, had tears of admiration and consolation flowing over his face; and so he [Wolfgang] played all six trios.”
“As we were done, Wolfgang was so emboldened by our applause, he claimed he could play the first violin part. We tried this for fun, and laughed with great (and good natured) enthusiasm; because he played this part also, despite incorrect and irregular fingering – but was never actually bogged down.”
Mozart’s early mastery is astonishing. Even more than this, however, is the fact the man made good on his youthful promise. Yet even considering his immense talents, the fulfillment of them must be understood in light of his father’s efforts. Mozart never really had another teacher than his father (and his own intelligence.) Not only in piano and violin playing, but also in composition, Leopold Mozart taught him with the utmost thoroughness – that is, until Wolfgang progressed enough to continue his own studies. Mozart did this without tiring. The apparent ease of his production – the mental effort is unknowable – might be taken as the cause for many thinking Mozart simply “shook his works from his sleeve.” Naturally this is untrue. Great achievement is preceded by great work, even for a potent genius. Mozart once said, perhaps annoyed by such views to an acquaintance: “One is completely mistaken if they believe my art came to me with ease. I can assure you, good friend, no one put more effort into the study of composition than I have. There really isn’t one well-known master in music I have not ardently, and often repeatedly studied with thoroughness.”
(Translation by Edward Eggleston.)
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