We`re keeping well, praise be to God, and are for ever being invited out, now here, now there, with the result that our hosts` gondolas are constantly outside our house, and every day we ride on the
Grand Canal.
11 Giovanni Maria Ortes, a secular priest in Venice, gives a somewhat different account of the Mozarts’ Venetian visit, in a letter of 2 March 1771 to Johann Adolph Hasse in Vienna:
I do not think, however, that they are very much pleased with this city, where they probably expected that others would seek after them, rather than they after others, as will have happened to them elsewhere. The truth is that it is not much the custom here to go out of one’s way to esteem others, however meritorious and estimable they may be, and they tend on the contrary to admire those who go in search of admiration. What a curious thing it is, this unconcern with which the boy notes this difference, whereas the father appears to be somewhat piqued by it.
Hasse replied on 23 March:
Young Mozard is certainly marvelous for his age, and I do love him infinitely. The father, as far as I can see, is equally discontented everywhere, since here too he uttered the same lamentations. He idolizes his son a little too much, and thus does all he can to spoil him; but I have such a high opinion of the boy’s natural good sense that I hope he will not be spoilt in spite of the father’s adulation, but will grow into an honest fellow.
Deutsch, Mozart. A Documentary Biography, 132 and 134[Close] We`ll be leaving
Venice about a week later than I`d thought and shall have to stay for 2 or 3 days in
Vicenza as the local
bishop, who`s a member of the house of Cornero, refuses to let us pass through the town without lunching with him or, rather, without spending at least a couple of days with him. There`ll also be a 3-day stay in
Verona, where we may perhaps have to remain for an extra 24 hours. In spite of all this, unless something untoward befalls us, which God forbid, we`ll still be in
Salzburg by Easter. I`m only sorry that we`ll have only dismal fast-days during our journey. We may reach
Reichenhall on Good Friday and hear the usual Passion play there. I`ll tell you in detail what I think of the
Arsenal, the churches, ospedali and other things, indeed, of
Venice in general. For the present I can tell you that there are beautiful and unusual things to see here. You`ll see from my pen and ink that I`m writing this at H
Wider`s, where I`ve just received your letter,
22 Lost[Close] together with H
Adelgasser`s enclosure. Do give my best wishes to H
Adlgasser and his
wife. I`ll deal with his request and reply to his letter in person.
33 Adlgasser’s letter to Leopold Mozart is lost; possibly ‘his request’ refers to the request in letter 220[Close] As for the
opera, however, we shan`t be able to bring it with us as it`s still with the copyist, and, like all opera copyists in Italy, he`s unwilling to let the original out of his hands as long as he can make a profit from it. When we left
Milan, the copyist had to prepare
5 complete copies, namely, 1 for the Impresa, 2 for
Vienna, 1 for the
Duchess of Parma and 1 for the
Lisbon court,
44 Except for the Lisbon source (see letter 228), these copies appear to be lost[Close] to say nothing of individual arias: and who knows whether he`s received several additional orders in the meantime? Even then he told me that I shouldn`t expect to see it before Easter, by which time I hope to be in
Salzb. It will then be sent to
Salzburg from
Milan. As for the taffeta, your request will be dealt with. We`re again having lunch today with H
Wider, who always entertains us when we`re not invited elsewhere. He sends you his best wishes, as does his whole family; I`m very much beholden to him. Next Tuesday we`ll have a big concert.
55 Mozart`s concert took place on 5 March; see letter 234, fn. 1[Close] The previous Sunday we`ll be at the
Imp Ambassador`s. Last Monday we were at H E
Mafetti`s, where the guests included
Bocelli Sm. etc. Addio, farewell both of you, we kiss you 100000 times - I am your old
Mozart
All conceiv good wishes to all our friends inside and outside the house, and we hope to see you again soon.
Hs Grace will no doubt have received my letter on his birthday ?
66 28 February[Close]