Page 51 - All About History 55 - 2017 UK

The Other Mozart

Frankfurt, Germany
Sept 1763
A A A The Hague, the Netherlands Leopold begins promoting the
children through posters, appealing
Sept 1765- Apr 1766
to the nobility and gentry, but
The Grand Tour The Mozarts have been plagued with ill health some take on the aspects of a freak
the whole trip, but while in the Hague, Nannerl’s
show. The age of the children is
cold turns into typhoid fever and by 21 October it
lowered to make them appear even
is so severe she is given the last sacrament. She is
From 1763 to 1766, the Mozart family saved by a fortunate visit by the royal physician. more impressive than they are.
travelled Europe playing for the most
distinguished audiences
Amsterdam
Haarlem
The Hague
London Utrecht
Dover
Antwerp
Ghent
Calais Brussels
Cologne
London, England Lille Liège
Apr 1764-Jul 1765
While Leopold is blighted Mainz Frankfurt
by illness, Wolfgang busies
himself with composition. Paris Mannheim
He writes his first
symphony, Symphony No. 1
in E flat major, K16, at only
eight years of age.

Munich
Dijon
Zurich Salzburg

Geneva
Paris, France
Lyon Salzburg, Austria
Nov 1763- Apr 1764
Through a court connection, July 1763
the family are able to stay at The tour gets off to a rocky start when
Outward journey Versailles for two weeks. The a wheel breaks off the carriage. Leopold
to London queen in particular takes a liking decides to take his son to a nearby church,
to Wolfgang and allows him to where he plays an organ pedalboard as if
Return journey kiss her hand, apparently while he had been playing it for months.
to Salzburg she feeds him morsels of food.

was his dedication to his children’s gifts. But the a product of her time. This world was not one
fact is he did, and we will never know how far where women had their own voice; had she fought
Nannerl’s abilities would have developed had her father on this issue, the scandal would have
she had the stage to perform them on. As far as been devastating for the family, so the girl whose
society was concerned, it was fine for a little girl life had been led by music and travel stopped
to travel and perform, but for a woman it would performing and did as she was told.
be scandalous — and Leopold could not risk her It is very clear that Wolfgang missed his sister
ruining the reputation of his prodigious son. As immensely. Throughout his letters he pines after
father and son continued to travel Europe and play her, writing “I only wish that my sister were in
to distinguished audiences, Nannerl now remained Rome”, and, when waiting for her letters, ”I have
at home with her mother. had an aching feeling, because I have been so long
Although Nannerl wrote much correspondence, waiting in vain for an answer.”
Wolfgang often
there is no record of her bemoaning this fate or Although they were apart, the strong relationship mocked his
showing any contempt towards her father for it. between the two was obvious. Wolfgang jokingly sister for her bad
singing voice
Not only was she astonishingly obedient, she was refers to her as “horseface” and wrote to her with
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