Sunday, November 02, 2008

Mozart was not a pauper, he was robbed

For all the books and articles that have been carelessly written about Mozart and money, there has been a common theme -- that he was not good with money, and that led to the issues he had with it later in his life. This, however, is simply untrue.

For one thing, during Mozart's development, his father Leopold was in charge of all the money Mozart made. In fact, Leopold was loath to let go of Wolfgang for just this reason -- he wanted to exploit his son for all that he was worth, and make good use of everything Wolfgang earned. When Wolfgang left Salzburg permanently to set up shop in Vienna on his own, Leopold was furious. Rightly so -- he had lost his little golden goose.

As a result, Wolfgang was hardly prepared to deal with money issues. Hadn't he always looked to Papa, who, in addition to paying the bills also conveniently reminded him that he, Leopold, was the one who was 'good' with money? What a dreadful scenario for a brilliant young entrepreneur heading out on his own. He was practically doomed to fail.

Throughout all of Mozart's life, one of the common threads not universally discussed is the controversy that he and his music caused wherever he went. From the earliest operas in Italy to the operas in Vienna, everything Wolfgang did tended to create upheaval in the musical community. As a result, he was repeatedly placed in situations where he was not allowed to act from empowerment, but was forced to accept whatever others would permit him to earn. Had he been less controversial, he might have found a more friendly reception for his creations. As it was, there were at least as many around him who wished him ill as those who wished him well. The result was that for many pieces he was not paid fairly. Because he needed to eat, and did not have a court position, he had little choice but to accept whatever was offered.

Also, Wolfgang did not have a court position in part because he was so controversial. He was considered a troublemaker -- in fact, he was simply much smarter than those in positions of power and managed to convey that to them. That of course tended to alienate them and limit his possibilities. Because of the contributions he had made to music in Austria he should have been offered a stipend sufficient to pay his bills and allow him to compose with serenity about his finances. He should not even have had to cowtow at court and write silly pieces for dinner. He should have been treated by respect by those in power. That not happening, he should have found a way to leave Vienna for an environment where he would have been treated with respect.

But Wolfgang was stuck in Vienna. He dared to marry against his father's wishes and Constanze added costs to his lifestyle. The pregnancies and children also played a part in creating his financial distress. Had he been treated fairly at court, and recognized for the unique genius he had, these issues could have been born with grace. Had he spent more time thinking as an entrepreneur, realizing that his name was marketable, operating from a position of strength rather than need, he could have found some financial stability.

How Vienna could allow such a unique and generous composer to be held prisoner like Gulliver at Lilliput defies imagination. Nevertheless, this is what happened. In addition, there were many instances where he was not paid for work provided. He did not pursue these debts that were owed him. He didn't have time.

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