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

Salzburg service at just the right moment to avoid the similar decline now beginning in the
aftermath of Colloredo’s 1782 pastoral letter.
The introduction of the Gottesdienstordnung, as initially disruptive as it was, came as
the last step in a logical progression of letters, directives, drafts and proclamations stretching
back to the first months of Joseph’s sole rule. Perhaps the most striking detail to emerge from
these documents is the extraordinary consistency of the Emperor’s vision, and the skill of the
administrative machine in bringing it to fruition. As intractable as the Emperor could be in
the face of criticism, the sense of moral righteousness one sees in his writings and actions was
entirely genuine, spurred on by the “voice” that he described to Pius VI. What did prove
problematic in the longer term for Joseph was his tendency to micro-manage trivial details
and his belief that the issuance of a proclamation would immediately correct what he saw as
errors.
For Joseph, ultimately, musical expenses in church were an “excess,” the needless
expenditure of financial resources on a fleeting aural experience that obscured the religious
message and diverted funds away from more useful causes. The one area of church music
that Joseph did approve was the singing of hymns, since their accompaniment required only
a small expenditure, and the entire congregation became involved in singing. The Emperor
seems not to have been concerned about the human impact of his reforms, for no
consideration was given to potential loss of income in the documents associated with the new
order of service. Joseph cannot fail to have been unaware of the consequences, since he
designed the original structure of the order in September 1782, but if he gave the matter any
thought he may have convinced himself that the musicians would find other employment. It
should be noted, however, that the Emperor ultimately rejected the most radical proposals of
the Landesregierung and his own Hofkanzlei, which had advocated the complete removal of
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