"To my eyes a bachelor lives only half a life." Mozart in a letter to his father, 1782
While in Vienna, Mozart was once again enticed to take up lodging in the home of the Weber family. The widowed Frau Weber took Mozart in as a boarder to both help pay her bills while hoping to marry off a daughter to the musical genius. Having been scorned by Frau Weber's oldest daughter, Aloysia, his heart became ensnared by the third daughter, Constanza. Fearful that his son would once again be distracted by a Weber maiden, Leopold wrote to Wolfgang insisting Frau Weber was a drunken "witch intent on trapping artless young men into marrying one of her daughters." Brash as always, Wolfgang married Constanza in July 1782 even before he received his father's very reluctant blessing for the union. In his writings to his Leopold, Wolfgang insisted that his own devout religious leanings, tranquil temperament, cleanliness, and desire to keep up proper appearances required him to take a wife, but neglected to tell his father she shared his frivolous nature and was just as forward as he in her sensuality and ridiculous behavior. In fact, surviving correspondence indicates the couple broke up briefly in April 1782 when Mozart became jealous of another man who Constanza permitted to measure her calves in a parlor game. Constanza was a simple woman, not accustomed to finery yet neat in appearance, and one who appreciated doing things for herself. Of his wife Wolfgang wrote, "…most things that a woman needs she is able to make for herself." During their nine passionate years of marriage, Constanza bore six children, only two of whom lived past infancy, the last child being born the same year Wolfgang died. Leopold Mozart lived with the young couple for a few months in 1785. In letters to Nannerl, Leopold wrote that there was no shortage of income from Wolfgang’s works, and that the household was very economical. However, when Leopold was not around to mind the couple’s finances, the money was spent lavishly as soon as it came in. One apartment they furnished with an expensive piano and a fine billiard table, the combined total worth nearly three years rent. They also sent their oldest son, Karl Thomas, to an expensive boarding school, they kept servants, and Constanze traveled frequently to spas. Although in 1789 his music was being performed by opera houses and orchestras across Germany and Austria to great praise, he did not receive any compensation for there were no copyright laws. He was paid only for the initial manuscript and for concerts in which he performed. There are numerous accounts in Wolfgang's personal letters as well as in court documents that Mozart borrowed thousands of florins from patrons to pay his bills. When he died, he left Constanza with considerable debt. Her shrewd business skills took fruition at this time for she endeavored to publish his works, organized profitable memorial concerts in her late husband’s honor, and later co-authored the first biography on Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart.
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Winter2010 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
While in Vienna, Mozart was once again enticed to take up lodging in the home of the Weber family. The widowed Frau Weber took Mozart in as a boarder to both help pay her bills while hoping to marry off a daughter to the musical genius. Having been scorned by Frau Weber's oldest daughter, Aloysia, his heart became ensnared by the third daughter, Constanza. Fearful that his son would once again be distracted by a Weber maiden, Leopold wrote to Wolfgang insisting Frau Weber was a drunken "witch intent on trapping artless young men into marrying one of her daughters." Brash as always, Wolfgang married Constanza in July 1782 even before he received his father's very reluctant blessing for the union. In his writings to his Leopold, Wolfgang insisted that his own devout religious leanings, tranquil temperament, cleanliness, and desire to keep up proper appearances required him to take a wife, but neglected to tell his father she shared his frivolous nature and was just as forward as he in her sensuality and ridiculous behavior. In fact, surviving correspondence indicates the couple broke up briefly in April 1782 when Mozart became jealous of another man who Constanza permitted to measure her calves in a parlor game. Constanza was a simple woman, not accustomed to finery yet neat in appearance, and one who appreciated doing things for herself. Of his wife Wolfgang wrote, "…most things that a woman needs she is able to make for herself." During their nine passionate years of marriage, Constanza bore six children, only two of whom lived past infancy, the last child being born the same year Wolfgang died. Leopold Mozart lived with the young couple for a few months in 1785. In letters to Nannerl, Leopold wrote that there was no shortage of income from Wolfgang’s works, and that the household was very economical. However, when Leopold was not around to mind the couple’s finances, the money was spent lavishly as soon as it came in. One apartment they furnished with an expensive piano and a fine billiard table, the combined total worth nearly three years rent. They also sent their oldest son, Karl Thomas, to an expensive boarding school, they kept servants, and Constanze traveled frequently to spas. Although in 1789 his music was being performed by opera houses and orchestras across Germany and Austria to great praise, he did not receive any compensation for there were no copyright laws. He was paid only for the initial manuscript and for concerts in which he performed. There are numerous accounts in Wolfgang's personal letters as well as in court documents that Mozart borrowed thousands of florins from patrons to pay his bills. When he died, he left Constanza with considerable debt. Her shrewd business skills took fruition at this time for she endeavored to publish his works, organized profitable memorial concerts in her late husband’s honor, and later co-authored the first biography on Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart.
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Winter2010 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
