Page 54 - All About History 55 - 2017 UK

The Other Mozart

WOlfgAng’s Wife

The disliked woman who helped to secure
the famous composer’s legacy
Many of Wolfgang Mozart’s biographers have little
good to say about his wife, Constanze. She is described
as dim-witted, flirtatious and a bad influence on her
husband. There were many who also held this belief
when she was alive — most notably Leopold, and
possibly even Nannerl — but this simply was not true.
Constanze Weber came from a family of skilled
and talented musicians and her father was not only a
singing teacher but also a double bass player, copyist
and prompter. Her three sisters and herself were all
acclaimed, accomplished singers, and the entire family
grew up in Mannheim, an important musical centre.
One of the main reasons why Mozart’s family were
so displeased with the union was because Constanze
moved in with her husband before they were married —
arrangements that prompted relative scandal — and they The children played for the great
and good of European royalty
were quickly married before Leopold could consent.
Many saw Constanze as a harlot, but in reality she
was a sophisticated and shrewd businesswoman. When “Throughout everything, her love for
Mozart fell into debt, she took to action while her
husband was away, organising a house move and setting
up loans and publications. Not only did her own musical music had endured”
tastes, such as Baroque counterpoint, greatly influence
her husband’s work, but he also wrote soprano solos
intended for her.
raise the child himself, first for a few months and and earned a living as a music teacher. Throughout
Constanze’s dedication to her husband did not end
then indefinitely. Although the boy’s ill health in everything, her love for music had endured.
with his death. Aged just 29, with a seven-year-old child
infancy could account for this, it doesn’t explain Wolfgang died from a mysterious illness in
and four-month-old baby, she set about ensuring her
why he remained there once he got better. It is 1791, and this seemed to awaken Nannerl to the
family’s stability and her husband’s legacy by arranging
possible that Leopold saw in his grandson a chance relationship they once had. She wrote pieces for
memorial concerts. These concerts featured a dazzling
again to harvest musical genius, and he began his biography and supplied many anecdotes about
array of musical greats, including Beethoven himself.
giving him musical training at a very young age. the brother she had known and loved. Despite
She also toured Germany and Austria, performing her
It is perhaps indicative of Nannerl’s total being as disapproving as her father of Wolfgang’s
husband’s work with her acclaimed sister, Aloysia, and
subordination to her father that she let this happen wife, she put that aside to work with Constanze on
support for Mozart’s music grew and grew.
and saw her son on very few occasions. Wolfgang her brother’s biography. Together the two women
Even when Constanze remarried, it was with the spirit
heard about the arrangement through a mutual played an enormous part in assembling and
of her husband in mind. She and her new husband,
acquaintance and, when he asked his father if he handing down musical source material.
Georg Nissen, worked together to publish Mozart’s music
could care for his own children while he was on She later wrote that when reading about
and create his biography. When Nissen died, Constanze
tour, Leopold refused. Leopold recounted this to her brother, her sisterly feelings were
alone marketed and sold the book to publishers, creating
Nannerl by saying, “He found out that the child completely reanimated and she was
not only a considerable fortune for herself but a lasting
is with me, which I’d never told him: so this was often reduced to tears at the “sad
memorial to her two husbands.
how the good idea occurred to him or perhaps condition” he found himself in.
Constanze his wife. That would certainly not be bad, — They For Nannerl, her affection towards
came from
an equally could travel in peace, — could die, — could stay in the little boy who would strive
musical family England, — then I could run after them with the to copy his sister had never
children.” Musical genius or not, it was very clear at truly vanished, and now she did
this point who the favourite child was. everything she could to preserve
However, Leopold died in 1787 and Nannerl his memory and promote his work.
finally had to live her own life without his support. We have much to thank Nannerl
By the time Wolfgang heard of his father’s death, for, as it was the period following
he was already buried but, estrangement aside, Wolfgang’s death that helped
the passing of such a strong and central figure in his reputation to grow. She
their life devastated both siblings. Wolfgang and gave over all of her private
Nannerl had written countless intimate letters to correspondence in order to
© Alamy, Getty Images, Thinkstock now mainly concerned their father’s estate and, by attention he deserved and,
each other in their youth, but their correspondence
see her little brother get the
most likely, to help her
1788, they stopped writing entirely.
beloved father achieve that
In 1801, Nannerl’s husband died, and for the first
time she was free of the influence and orders of
which had been his life work
54 men. She returned to Salzburg with her children — to create a musical legend.