Emperor Joseph Ii's Opinion Of Mozart

Emperor Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790, was a patron of the arts and a supporter of composers such as Mozart and Salieri. He was known as the Musical King and commissioned Mozart's opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Mozart is said to have replied to the emperor's comment that the opera had too many notes with there are just as many as are required.

The Emperor's patronage of Mozart

Emperor Joseph II was a patron of the arts and a supporter of composers such as Mozart and Antonio Salieri. He was a fan of Mozart's work and even commissioned Mozart's opera 'Die Entführung aus dem Serail' (The Abduction from the Seraglio).

Mozart's carefree disposition often led to crass or inappropriate public comments about his peers or the Viennese nobility, which sometimes cost him favour among the courts. For example, while vying for the role of instructor to Princess Elisabeth Wilhelmine, Mozart referred to her as an "eighteen-year-old lout, a regular calf". This comment cost him the job, which was instead awarded to Salieri. Mozart's competitive nature increased, and his primary artistic goal became to showcase how his artistic abilities far surpassed those of the court composer.

Despite being a fan of Mozart's work, Joseph II's continued favouring of Salieri frustrated Mozart, who believed his artistic abilities were far superior. Mozart's first operatic commission in Vienna was in German, a language that was not of interest to Salieri, nor one in which he considered himself competent. Although Mozart's opera was successful, the public's interest in a national opera was waning, and Joseph II soon reverted opera to Italian. Fortunately for Mozart, he was fluent in Italian, German, French, and Latin.

Mozart's masterpiece, Le nozze di Figaro, was overshadowed by Salieri's more popular Grotta di Trofonio, which showed 17 times to Mozart's 9 during the same year. Mozart's Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute were also less popular than Salieri's works. Despite Mozart's genius, his work did not cater to the conventional tastes of the royal Viennese, nor was it given adequate support by Salieri and the aristocratic Italians.

Mozart's operas are considered masterpieces today, but they were relative failures compared to the more popular contemporary works of Salieri. Mozart's style was unconventional, and there was not a strong enough audience in 18th-century Vienna to see the value of operas like Figaro or Don Giovanni. It was commonly stated that Mozart's work was simply "too much" for any audience to absorb.

Mozart's rivalry with Salieri

The rivalry between Mozart and Salieri has been a topic of fascination for centuries, with many artistic works exploring this theme, including the 1984 film "Amadeus". However, the truth behind their rivalry might not be as dramatic as popular culture suggests.

When Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart entered the music scene in the 1770s, Antonio Salieri was already an established star. Salieri, an Italian, was the court composer of Emperor Joseph II and was known for his operatic achievements. Mozart, five years Salieri's junior, was an ambitious young composer who may have seen Salieri as an obstacle to his success. Historians speculate that any enmity between the two likely came more from Mozart, who complained about the Italian influence in the court.

One incident that might have sparked a rivalry was regarding the libretto for "Cosi Fan Tutte". Mozart's wife, Constanze, claimed that Salieri had been offered the libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte but had rejected it as not worth setting. When Mozart got his hands on it, Salieri had to endure the embarrassment of seeing his initial judgment proven wrong.

Another potential source of tension was the prestigious commission for "La Clemenza di Tito". Salieri had to turn down the commission, and Mozart was chosen as the second choice. However, there is no evidence of any ongoing personal hatred between the men, and Salieri frequently conducted Mozart's work.

After Mozart's death in 1791, rumours began to circulate that he had been poisoned, and Mozart himself was reported to have blamed hostile Italian factions at the Viennese court. People pointed the finger at Salieri, and the rumour gained such popularity that even fellow composers, including Beethoven, spread it. In 1823, a terminally ill and deranged Salieri is said to have confessed to poisoning Mozart, but he later retracted this confession. Despite the lack of evidence, the image of Salieri as a poisoner and Mozart's rival has persisted, largely due to its enduring appeal to artists and the public.

The Emperor's preference for Italian opera

Emperor Joseph II was a lover and patron of the arts and is remembered as such. He was known as the "Musical King" and steered Austrian high culture towards a more Germanic orientation. He was a supporter of composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri.

Joseph II was a proponent of enlightened absolutism, and his commitment to secularizing, liberalizing, and modernizing reforms resulted in significant opposition. He was also a friend to religious tolerance, anxious to reduce the power of the church, relieve the peasantry of feudal burdens, and remove restrictions on trade and knowledge.

In keeping with his commitment to secularizing and modernizing reforms, Joseph II's artistic preferences leaned towards Italian opera. He sought to create a New German School of Opera and commissioned Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) as part of this attempt. However, Mozart's opera was the only true success of the National Theatre experiment, and the public's interest in a national opera was waning. As a result, Joseph II reverted to Italian opera, reopening the Burgtheatre.

Joseph II's preference for Italian opera is also reflected in his decision to appoint Salieri as the director and Kapellmeister of the Burgtheatre. Salieri was already a well-respected instructor and composer, and his appointment to these influential roles allowed him to manipulate particular outcomes within his favour. For example, when Mozart started writing Le nozze di Figaro, Salieri was involved with numerous clandestine attempts to cease production.

Despite being a German speaker himself, Joseph II's preference for Italian opera may be attributed to the strong Italian influence in Vienna at the time. Italian opera had been introduced to Vienna by the Austrian monarchy in the 17th century, sparking the interest of the Viennese nobility. Italian opera was traditional and popular, and Joseph II himself maintained a strong affinity for it.

Mozart's German opera for the Nationaltheatre

Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, who ruled from 1765 until his death in 1790, was a supporter of the arts and a patron of composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In 1781, Mozart composed the opera "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" ("The Abduction from the Seraglio"), which was commissioned by Joseph II.

"Die Entführung aus dem Serail" is a Singspiel—a form of German opera that features spoken dialogue interspersed with ballads, arias, and ensemble numbers. Singspiels typically follow a rhythmic pattern of repeated lines and melodies similar to German folk music and religious hymns, and usually have comic or romantic plots featuring magical settings and fantastical creatures.

Mozart's "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" was composed almost a century after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the gates of Vienna. The opera uses the by-then amusing stock characters of the Turkish pasha, his courtiers, and his harem. It premiered at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna and is considered a breakthrough work. Mozart loosened the strict formal conventions of opera seria to reach deep into the emotions of his mythical characters.

The emperor allegedly remarked to Mozart that there were too many notes in the opera. However, Joseph II was a supporter of Mozart and is known to have genuinely appreciated his music.

The Emperor's opinion of Mozart's music

Emperor Joseph II was a supporter of the arts and a patron of Mozart. He was known to have a particular interest in opera, and he commissioned Mozart's 'The Abduction from the Seraglio' in 1781.

The Emperor is said to have complained to Mozart that there were "too many notes" in the composition. Mozart is said to have replied, "there are just as many as are required".

Joseph II was a fan of Mozart's music, but he also had a desire to create a New German School of Opera. He wanted Mozart to create something more "deutsch", and less complex. Mozart's operas were too Italianate and elaborate for the simpler Germanic style that Joseph II hoped to cultivate.

Mozart's operas were not to the taste of the monarch or the public in Vienna. They were considered too long and too dense. However, Mozart's operas were successful, and they were performed many times.

Despite the Emperor's criticisms, Mozart was Salieri's only true rival in the operatic medium. Mozart was a superior musician, and his works were more innovative and unconventional. However, Joseph II's continued support of Salieri fuelled Mozart's competitive nature.

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