MOZART AND THE PRACTICE OF SACRED MUSIC, 1781-91 a ...

could cite not only Muratori for philosophical support but also the later writings of Johann
Nicholas von Hontheim (1701-90), auxiliary Bishop of Trier. 46 Published under the
pseudonym Justinus Febronius, Hontheim’s De Statu Ecclesiae et de Legitima Potestate
Romani Pontificis (1762) argued that a reconciliation between Lutherans and Catholics in
Germany could only be achieved through a reduction in the power of the Pope. Not
surprisingly, De Statu Ecclesiae was condemned in 1764 by the then holder of that office,
Clement XIII, but the favourable reception of the book in some ecclesiastical quarters led
Hontheim to issue a number of new editions and supplements, the last appearing in 1777.
The natural consequence of the proposed reforms was increased authority for provincial
rulers, both sacred and secular, in matters of ecclesiastical administration, and Hontheim’s
half-hearted retraction in 1778 did nothing to diminish the influence of his work in
progressive cities from Mainz to Salzburg.
On 29 March 1781, two weeks after Mozart’s arrival in Vienna, Joseph took the first
step as sole ruler in his program of liturgical reform. From henceforth, the importation of
liturgical books from outside the Empire was banned, with booksellers enjoined not to sell
volumes from the usual sources in Rome, Venice, and Kempten, on penalty of confiscation. 47
This decree was followed by a confirmation of Maria Theresia’s 1767 law that Imperial placet
was required before the publication of papal bulls could proceed throughout the Empire. 48
Having dealt with some of the external challenges to the reform program, the Emperor’s
Hofkanzlei produced a general statement of philosophy for its future direction:
46 Joseph explicitly cited Febronius in a letter of 1781 to his cousin, the archbishop-elector of Trier. See Ibid.,
192n47.
47 AVA, 60 Gen 55/3/1781; RGZJ, 93.
48 Kropatschek, Theresianisches Gesetzbuch, v.210. In 1774, Maria Theresia had already proclaimed that a
passage in the breviary concerning the Pope should be pasted over, and further imports forbidden (Ibid.,
vii.59). For more details on these laws, see RGZJ, 101.
22