Johann Georg Leopold Mozart, a gifted musician and outstanding teacher, was born on November 14, 1719 in Augsburg. At the age of five he was enrolled in a Jesuit gymnasium, from which he graduated at the age of seventeen with excellent responses regarding his academic success (diploma magna cum laude) and behavior. In those moments of his life, Leopold did not strive for the corresponding professional aspirations, but in the process of training, however, he diligently studied music, singing in a choir, and playing the organ.
Biography with aspects of creativity, career and personal life
Leopold Mozart, due to the death of his father, could not immediately continue his studies at the end of the gymnasium. Nevertheless, a year later, he said goodbye to his home and went to Salzburg, which at that time was the sovereign city of the Holy Roman Empire and the seat of the Primate of Germany, which in turn defined it as the center of political, cultural and spiritual life.
In November 1737 he was admitted to the university, and on July 22, 1738 he was awarded the title of Studiosus philosophiae Baccalaureus. In September 1739, Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was expelled from the university. Of course, all this time the young man Leopold Mozart diligently studied music, thanks to which, after being expelled from the university, he entered the service of the canon of Salzburg Cathedral, Count von Thurn-Valsassin, as a valet, which at that time signified a person who served as a musician and personal secretary.
It was painful and long to acquire a permanent place of paid service, but in 1747 Leopold was already the court musician of the Archbishop of Salzburg and was able, in the end, to start a family with Anna Maria Walburga Perthl in February 1748.
The manner of his compositions, being very original, covers the basics of folk music and is a vivid example of the so-called border style at the junction of the baroque and early classicism eras. As a member of the Leipzig Society for Musical Sciences, Leopold Mozart corresponded with such renowned musicologists as Christian Fürchtegott Gellert and Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg. It was Marpurg who wrote about the School: “The need for this kind of work arose long ago, but we could not even hope to find it: a gifted and thorough virtuoso, a reasonable and methodical teacher, an educated musician; qualities, each of which already makes its owner a worthy person, are gathered together here."
The success of the School was enormous. It withstood two lifelong editions - in 1756 and 1769, the third in 1787, and the next in 1800. The book was translated into Dutch and French in 1766 and 1770, and in 1804 into Russian. The musical talent of Wolfgang Amadeus and Maria Anna, who was famous as Nannerl, became apparent as early as 1759. From that moment on, Leopold gained fame as the father of gifted children, who is extremely diligent in investing his energy in their musical education and taking care of their career. Yes, the era of the Enlightenment had already reigned in Europe, but Wolfgang's sister realized the role of mistress, mother and wife.
With each year of his son's growing up, Leopold Mozart's attention to his own compositions and the career of a court musician was rapidly declining. From 1763 until his death, he remained vice-conductor, never becoming the first or chief conductor of the court. In order to accompany the children on trips, where, by the way, he proved to be an excellent and indefatigable mentor and organizer, he had, despite the displeasure of his superiors and the archbishop personally, to be absent for ever longer periods. For unauthorized absences in 1777, he was even dismissed from service, where, however, he was soon reinstated.
While Wolfgang Amadeus from 1777 visited his home only on short visits, and in 1781 he finally moved to Vienna, his father continued to serve and teach in Salzburg. His daughter, Nannerl, married in her age and moved to St. Gilgen. Leopold Mozart traveled extensively in his last years, mostly to Bavaria, became a member of the Masonic lodge and tirelessly admired the success of his beloved son, whom he last met in 1785 in Vienna.
On May 28, 1787, after three months of illness, he died in the arms of his daughter and was buried in the cemetery of St. Sebastian. After his death, his property was auctioned off.
Fundamental contributions to the history of music
It is very difficult to depict all aspects of the personality of Leopold Mozart in a few words. After all, he was both a zealous Catholic, and a friend of Protestants and Jews, and a warning to his son against prolonged stays in Lutheran or Calvinist countries, and an opponent of hypocrites and saints who, in his opinion, were not worthy of their dignity. He was a champion of hygiene, an admirer of communication, cards and chess. In recent years, sincerely grieving for his deceased wife, he was in touching correspondence with Baroness Elisabeth von Waldstetten. He was a gifted musician and an outstanding teacher. His "Fundamental School of Violin Playing" is undoubtedly an essential work, thanks to which Leopold Mozart remained in the history of music for centuries.
