Constanze mozart death

Mozart's wife in amadeus
Constanze mozart photo
Did constanze leave mozart

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berghahn New York · Oxford

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Reviews

“It is perhaps not for the critique of contemporaneous music that we turn to Niemetschek but, rather, to enjoy the warmth and affection that shine through in a manner rare in biography.”• Music and Letters

“…this book includes much contemporary debate (on whether music is a victim of fashion, for instance, or on the paucity of good musical education), and is absorbing to read.”• Jane Glover in Times Literary Supplement

Description

Franz Xaver Niemetschek was born in 1766 in what is now the Czech Republic and came from a musical family, which gave him a deep appreciation and admiration for Mozart's genius. In 1798 he published his biography on Mozart, with a touching dedication to Haydn, the only one written by an eyewitness, and authorized by Mozart's widow Constanze. It is one of the earliest specimens of musical biography which, compared with other branches of biography, was still in its infancy even in the later part

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Biographies of Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died after a short illness on 5 December 1791, aged 35. His reputation as a composer, already strong during his lifetime, rose rapidly in the years after his death, and he became (as he has remained to this day) one of the most celebrated of all composers.

Shortly after Mozart's death, biographers began to piece together accounts of his life, relying on the testimony of those still living who knew him, as well as surviving correspondence. The creation of Mozart biographies has been an activity of scholars ever since.

Early biographers

Friedrich Schlichtegroll was a teacher and a scholar who published Mozart's obituary in 1793. The obituary was part of a volume of obituaries referred to as Nekrolog. The two had never met. Most of the information was obtained from Nannerl, Mozart's sister, and Johann Andreas Schachtner, a friend of the family in Mozart's early years. Therefore, what Schlichtegroll knew and wrote about was the period before Vienna.

Franz Xaver Niemetschek was a citizen of Prague, a teacher and writer.

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Constanze Mozart was born in Austria on 5 January 1762 into a world of music. Her father, Fridolin Weber, worked as a double bass player, prompter and music copyist, and her two elder sisters, Josepha and Aloysia, also enjoyed distinguished musical careers.

It was from this musical landscape that Constanze rose to notoriety, primarily because she is remembered for being married to the prolific classical composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

However, Constanze was a trained musician in her own right, and as both biographer and businesswoman played a crucial role in establishing her husband’s legacy.

So who was Constanze Mozart?

She was born into a musical family

Constanze’s childhood was spent in her mother’s hometown, Mannheim, then an important cultural and musical hub. While she and her sisters never received a full education, her father Fridolin ensured that his 4 daughters trained as singers. The star of the family was Aloysia, a popular soprano, and the Webers often travelled Austria following her career.

Surrounded by musicians, it was in her mother̵