Bologna, 27 [and 28] March 1770

I wrote to His Excellency the Chief Steward from Parma, and from here I wrote to His Grace and to you on the 24th. I await your reply as to whether these letters have arrived safely. ¹¹ These letters, in which Leopold asked for a leave of absence (see letter 170), are lost[Close] There was a concert yesterday at the home of His Excellency Field Marshal Count Pallavicini, to which His Eminence the Cardinal and leading members of the nobility were invited . ²² Surviving documents concerning Mozart`s concert on 26 March at the Palazzo Pallavicini in Strada San Felice include a list of guests, an entry by Pallavicini’s secretary Giuseppe Galliani in the household copy-book, and an account of the concert costs:

From the Pallavicini copy-book, 26 March 1776: Sig. Leopold Mozart, Master of Music in the service of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, and his son, Giovanni Giorgio Wolfango Mozart, Master of Music and composer now 13 years of age, having been recommended by a letter from His Excellency Count Carlo di Firmian on their way through Bologna, a musical concert was held this date, the 26th.

From the Pallavicini domestic accounts, 26 March 1770: Costs incurred for a musical concert with refreshments held in the house on the evening of the 26 inst. When Count Joseph, son of Prince Kaunitz Rittberg, lodged here. . . . To the celebrated Leopoldo [sic] Mozart, Master of Music, 13 years of age, who conducted the concert. L. 205. . . . To the German Chapel Master Sig. Leopold Muzard, 20 sequins.

Further, see Basso, I Mozart in Italia, 67-8, for a list of guests and payments to musicians other than the Mozarts. Pallavicini mentioned Mozart’s performance in a letter of recommendation written to his cousin Cardinal Lazzaro Opizio Pallavicini dated 28 March; see letter 176[Close] You know His Excellency Count Carl von Firmian; I`d now like you to get to know Count Pallavicini, too. They are 2 gentlemen who in every respect share the same outlook, the same friendly manner, generosity, calm and particular love and insight into all kinds of knowledge. On Sunday I had the honour of paying my respects on His Excellency Count Pallavicini and of giving him the letter from His Excellency Count Firmian; and scarcely had he heard that I was planning to be in Rome by Holy Week when he said that he`d try to arrange to have the pleasure not just of hearing this extraordinary young virtuoso tomorrow but of affording the same pleasure to the city`s foremost aristocrats. I shall not touch on all the circumstances and tell you how we were collected by His Excellency`s carriage and how we were waited upon but shall say only that about 150 members of the leading aristocracy were present: the famous Padre Martino was also invited, and although he normally never goes to concerts, he none the less came: the concert began at around half past seven and lasted until half past eleven because the nobility showed no sign of leaving. Signor Abrile and Signor Cicognani sang. We`re leaving the day after tomorrow, Thursday the 29th, and shall be in Florence by Friday evening, remaining there until the 5th, before continuing our journey to Rome so that, if God places no obstacle in our way, we could be in Rome by midday on the 11th. What pleases me in particular is that we are uncommonly popular here and that Wolfg. is admired even more than in all the other towns in Italy, because this is the home and headquarters of many composers, artists and scholars. He has also been most comprehensively tested here, and this increases his fame throughout Italy, because Padre Martino is the idol of the Italians and speaks of Wolfg. with such admiration and did all the tests with him. We`ve twice visited Padre Martino, and on each occasion Wolfg. worked out a fugue for which Padre Martino had written out only a few notes of the dux or guida. We`ve also visited Cavaliere Don Broschi - also known as Signor Farinelli - on his estates outside the town. And we also met La Spagnoletta as she`ll be the prima donna in the opera that`ll be given here in May, <sup>33</sup> Vincenzo Manfredini`s Armida or Joseph Myslivecek`s La Nitteti[Close] replacing Gabrieli, who`s still in Palermo and who has left the people of Bologna in the lurch. She`ll presumably leave the people of Milan in the lurch as well. We met Signor Manfredini here, the castrato who called on us in Salzb. while on his way from Russia with Herr Panter from Vienna etc. etc. A certain old Signor Abbate Zanardi joins me in sending his good wishes to Herr Andrino. A number of people have been asking about Kapellmeister Lolli. Herr Brinsechi and many others have enquired about the court sculptor, they all send their good wishes along with my own. We were at the Instituto and saw the beautiful statues by our court sculptor. All that I`ve seen here surpasses the British Museum, for here there are not only unusual objects from the world of nature but everything that comes under the heading of science, preserved like a lexicon in beautiful rooms and neatly arranged in an orderly fashion: in a word, you`d be amazed etc. I`ll say nothing about the churches, paintings, beautiful architecture and the furnishings of the various palazzos as I`m so tired that I can hardly write any more, it`s past 1 o`clock, Wolfg. has long been snoring and I`m falling asleep as I write. You don`t need to report on the horse <sup>44</sup> See letter 157[Close] for anyone who gives away my things without my knowledge and against my wishes will replace them with something better, especially if he`s a gentleman who has only noble thoughts - - - - It`s good that you`ve arranged for someone to write to Leipzig. ⁵⁵ Concerning the sale of Leopold’s Gründliche Violinschule[Close] Get them also to write to Herr Gräffer or Heufeld. Farewell! Farewell, all of you, I kiss you and Nannerl 1000 times. Best wishes to the whole of Salzb. I am your faithful and
sleepy husband
Mzt
It wasn`t a bad idea to send the ball minuet <sup>66</sup> See letter 168; Mozart`s presumed arrangement is lost[Close] to us in Bologna so that it could be arranged for the keyboard as there`s no one in Salzb. who could have done this. Wolfg., I may add, couldn`t have been more pleased, and he thanks Herr von Schiedenhofen and Nannerl. He`ll shortly be writing himself; when I wrote yesterday, he was already in bed, and I`m adding this today while he`s still asleep as the post is about to leave. He`s now sending you the minuet ⁷⁷ Since this letter includes a copy of the minuet K122, it may in fact be by Deller or Starzer, and incorrectly attributed to Mozart. On the other hand, in letter 168, Mozart describes the minuet he sent as a ‘stage minuet,’ noting that such works ‘generally have lots of notes, are taken slowly and have lots of bars: the first part, for example, has 16 bars, the second 20 or 24.’ K122, which has two parts of 12 bars each, does not correspond to this description. Accordingly the question of the minuet’s authorship remains open[Close] that Monsieur Pick danced in the theatre in Milan. Best wishes to all our good friends. Please ask Herr v. Schidenhofen, Herr von Mölk and all the others who`ve written to me not to take it amiss that I`ve not replied. I hope that on reflection they`ll realize what a traveller has to do, especially as I`m on my own. Kommabit aliquando Zeitus bequemmus schreibendi. nunc Kopfus meus semper vollus est multis gedankibus . ⁸⁸ `There will be a convenient time for writing. Now my head is permanently full of many thoughts.`[Close] Wolfg. kisses you and Nannerl 1000 times. Keep sending your letters to Herr Troger in Milan. They`re arriving safely and cost me very little. Once we`re in Rome, I`ll write more on this matter. Among the medical prescriptions you`ll find one for a coltsfoot electuary |: I think it`s on a long piece of paper :| as you know, it`s one I`ve often had made up for myself. Please copy it out clearly in your next letter. Thank God, there`s nothing wrong with me, but I suddenly thought of this coltsfoot electuary as one never knows what may happen. So far, we`ve opened the medicine bag only once |: thank God :| to give Wolfg. a spoonful of tartar.

POSTSCRIPT, WRITTEN AT THE END OF THE AUTOGRAPH SCORE OF K122/73t

Padre Martino has asked me for a copy of the Violin Tutor, so you`ll have to speak to the consignee, Herr Hafner. Would he be kind enough to take one with him to Bozen and include it with a bale of linen for Herr Brinsechi? You`ll have to have it bound first. But only in half-calf, very light: it has to be bound because the Italians wouldn`t understand the instructions to the binder.