Simkins highlights the 1938 publication of mozarts letters earlier editions removed many of the crass remarks to protect the sensitivity of readers, in which an introduction from emily anderson states. It didnt occur to him that anyone would be interested. When mozart wasnt writing one of his 600 masterpieces he was writing letters to his female cousin, the contents of which were usually in a. Just after leaving to go to mannheim in 1777 he requests her to deliver his compliments to two women, mutual acquaintances. When he wasnt busy composing some of the most beautiful music ever to seduce the human ear, wolfgang amadeus mozart could often be found writing shockingly crude letters to his family. Unbeknownst to most people, mozart employed scatology liberally. We talked to leading mozart scholars about the composers love.
Some of the letters full of jokes have survived until today. On 9 may 1781, mozart was liberated from all court responsibilities, left to pursue his ca. Spaethlings idiomatic translation has won accolades for preserving mozarts lively style, so this is a musthave book. But its not flirting with his cousin thats weirdits his. Mozarts letters, mozarts life by wolfgang amadeus mozart. Or so it seems from the letters mozart left behind like a trail of smelly droppings to use an analogy of which the whole mozart family would. He also left behind a whole series of flirtatious love letters written to his younger cousin, maria anna thekla. This edition contains 275 letters written only by mozart. Maria anna thekla, the daughter of one of the brothers of mozart s father leopold, met mozart in 1777 when he came to augsburg.
Many of mozarts personal letters and compositions written for friends included scatology. Just take a look at the most recent letter up at the archival blog letters of note, from 21yearold mozart to his 19yearold cousin and probable love interest, marianne. Those letters are a gold mine of insight, and give us a wonderfully intimate view into wolfgangs real life. A biography told by letters the mozart project anne.
Have a look at his suggestive love letter to his cousin, marianne, written when the music. Mozart and scatology wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. In his early twenties, when he came to augsburg with his mother to find employment, he had a crush on his cousin maria thekla mozart, his beloved bunny cousin. Preface a full and authentic edition of mozarts letters ought to require no special apology. Maria anna thekla, the daughter of one of the brothers of mozarts father leopold, met mozart in 1777 when he came to augsburg. These memories shaped wolfgang amadeus mozart, who also in that part of his life, even when he was ill, he wrote provocative letters to his cousin. He had a startling fondness for scatological humor, which is preserved in his surviving letters, notably those written to his cousin maria anna thekla mozart around 17771778, but also in his correspondence with his sister and parents.
I cannot recommend mozarts letters, mozarts life highly enough to anyone interested in wolfgang mozart. They are striking for their abundance of scatological and sexual humor. The fine example below translated by robert spaethling was penned to mozarts 19yearold cousin and possible love interest, marianne also known as betsie little cousin. Mozart and his infamous letters of scatalogical humour. Quite how gamey they get varies with the translation. I now write early in the morning to say that my cousin is pretty, intelligent. The adolescent mozart carried on a flirtation with a cousin in a flurry of famously xrated letters. The letter is part of the gertrude clarke whittall foundation collection, and formerly was in the possession of the. In these letters, written after mozart had spent a pleasant two weeks with his. Several of mozarts scatological letters were written to his cousin and probable love interest, according to solomon 14 maria anna thekla mozart.
Mozarts basle letters when mozart first met maria anna thekla mozart in 1777, the two cousins immediately hit it off. The classic english version some 616 letters covering the period 1762 to 1791 comes in three fat volumes, translated by emily anderson in 1938 in the best possible taste. Full text of the letters of wolfgang amadeus mozart 1769 1791 see other formats. In mozart s letters, we find the eternal optimist even in the most trying times. To his cousin, marianne, november 1777 to every good friend i send my greet feet. In his letters, mozart made excessive use of obscene words, primarily focusing on defecation and anal vulgarities, suggesting the presence of coprographia. Like any good dramatist, he identified the things that suited his story mining mozarts letters for scatological baby talk to his cousin, for example and left out the things that weren.
One year later, he fell more seriously in love with aloysia weber, the oldest daughter of a viennese family of. His odd penchant for toilet humor was rampant in many of his letters to family members. Robert spaethlings rendered translation of part of a letter mozart. This is starkly obvious in a letter to his cousin maria anna. Nine of these letters were written to his cousin, marianne. The marvel of mozarts letters the spectator australia. Wolfgangs potty mouth the strange toilet humor of mozart. The lengthy letter shows off the composers fondness for wordplay and, yes, poop jokes, with lines like i now wish you a good night, shit in your bed with all your might. But mozart had no intention of immortalizing these playful verses to his cousin.
In nine letters written to his cousin, mozart uninhibitedly referred to defaecation and anal issues which clearly suggested coprographia. Those were sometimes vulgar and reeked of a scatological content. Ten letters of their subsequent correspondence have been preserved, all from wolfgang to marianne. Mozart, masonry and catholicism national catholic reporter. Mozart and his infamous letters of scatalogical humour thepiano. The young composer was in the german city of augsburg looking for work, providing him with the opportunity to reacquaint himself with his relatives. I think with all the things about shitting in the bed and so on, those are just expressions, schroeder tells mel.
Though these were simply common jokes at the time, schroeder says, mozarts letters to his cousin take a more pointed and sexual turn. Love true true true until the grave mozarts letters. In the first place, mozart s use of spoken and written words merit some examination. In mozarts letters, we find the eternal optimist even in the most trying times. A full and authentic edition of mozarts letters ought to require no special apology. All the lyrics are too bland, repetitive, and racy. Mozarts honesty, his awareness of his own genius and his contempt for authority all shine out from these letters. Full text of the letters of wolfgang amadeus mozart 1769. Scott fitzgerald, james joyce, voltaire, leo tolstoy, and dozens more lovers of letters mozart writes to constanze from frankfurt, where he had gone. Its our cultures obsession with genius that makes the letters seem significant to us in the first place. So thank goodness we have a canon of treasured composers to fall back on. In mozarts letters, mozarts life, robert spaethling presents mozart in all the rawness of his driving energies spectator, preserved in the zany, often angry effervescence of his writing observer.
One particular individual was wolfgang amadeus mozart, a prolific german composer, who seemed to have a thing for scatology, as evidenced in some of his letters and compositions. I did a symphony and the concert ex b of vanhal on the violin which was applauded. This over the years very sensual contact influenced the often mentally unstable man positively. Did mozart feel a tension between his masonry and his catholicism. There are nine surviving letters by wolfgang amadeus mozart to his cousin maria anna thekla mozart, written between 1777 and 1781. After his family members letters has been reveled, public who support mozarts scatological words as part of jock rather than symptom of scatological pervert. Mozart s magnificent love letter to his wife brain pickings. Born in salzburg, germany, in 1756, mozart was the son of a violinist at the court of the local princearchbishop, leopold mozart. What mozarts letters reveal about the composers complexities.
The adolescent mozart carried on a flirtation with a cousin in a. But with mozart, you get the whole personality candid, perceptive, irresistibly alive. He was also a prolific letter writer, and fortnately many of the letters were saved that he wrote to his mama, his papa, his sister nanerl, his cousin maria anna thekla mozart, his wife constanza, and others. The fine example below translated by robert spaethling was penned to mozarts 19yearold cousin and possible love interest, marianne. It is an unparalleled firsthand account of mozarts life by the man himself, and is a must have for any classical music enthusiasts. These are called the basle letters basle is a diminutive form in german, meaning little cousin. Robert spaethling, mozarts letters, mozarts life norton 2000.
Hologarph letter written by mozart to his sister, nannerl. A letter to his cousin maria on 5 november 1777 contains the following verse. Between 1777 and 1781, while in his twenties, wolfgang amadeus mozart wrote twelve letters to this cousin maria anna thekla mozartthe early ones are often alliterative and obsceneduring which time he and his father were seeking out a new post for him. Wolfgang amadeus mozarts odd penchant for toilet humor. Some of the salacious expressions he used in letters to his cousin are. Several of mozarts scatological letters were written to his cousin and.
Wolfgang amadeus mozart left behind a trail of letters that he wrote to his cousin, a possible love interest. Maria was the nineteenyearold daughter of mozarts uncle, franz alois mozart. Among his most famous works, with lorenzo da ponte as librettist. Selected letters from mozart translated by wolfgang hildesheimer. Though these were simply common jokes at the time, schroeder says, mozarts letters to his cousin take a more pointed and. Thats probably the most notorious aspect of mozarts letters. Mozart even wrote scatological music, a series of canons that he sang with his friends. We talked to leading mozart scholars about the composers. Shortly before his sudden death, in a letter from september of 1790 found in love letters of great men public library a collection of romantic correspondence featuring lord byron, f.
The scatological letters are found not only from mozart but also his family members include anna maria, mozarts cousin. The surprising scatology found in mozarts letters has not yet been satisfactorily explained. Several of mozart s scatological letters were written to his cousin and probable love interest, according to solomon maria anna thekla mozart. Wolfgang amadeus mozart 17561791 austrian composer, widely recognised as one of the greatest composers in the history of western music. Although the letters displayed mozarts fondness for wordplay, there were lots of scatological humor toiletrelated humor in them. Love true true true until the grave, if i live that long and do behave. The marvel of mozarts letters composers letters can make frustrating reading. In fact, publishing music wasnt even common during mozart s life. Now, when he gets into some of the more sexualized language, especially with his.
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