Life of Mozart

———140 DON GIOVANNI.The Berlin criticism was not quite so favourable, the operahaving been there performed for the first time in the presenceof the King on December 20, 1790 :'^^If ever an opera was looked forward to with curiosity, if ever a compositionof Mozart's was lauded to the skies before its performance, itwas surely this "Don Juan." Every one will allow that Mozart is agreat and admirable composer, but that nothing good or great has beenwritten before this opera, or will be written after it, is a point on whichwe may be allowed to doubt. Theatrical music admits of no rules, ofno appeal but to the heart, and its worth is in proportion to its effectthereon. No amount of art in heaping up instrumental effects will makea great musician or render his name immortal, unless he can giveGretry, Monsigny,utterance to the passions and emotions of the heart.and Philidor are instances to the point. Mozart has aimed at writingsomething extraordinary, something inimitably grand in his " DonJuan "; the extraordinary is there, certainly, but not the inimitablygrand. Vanity, eccentricity, fancy, have created " Don Juan," not theheart ; and we should have preferred being called upon to admire thehighest capabilities of music in one of his oratorios or solemn churchcompositions than in his " Don Juan." ''^The extraordinary success of the opera ^ is attested by anotice of it^^ which proceeds to prove that this musical dramasatisfies the eye, enchants the ear, does violence to theintellect, offends against morals, and suffers vice to trampleupon virtue and good feeling. The author of the criticismaccounts for the popularity of the opera by the quality of themusic, which is beyond all expression grand :If ever a nation might be proud of one of its children, Germany maybe proud of Mozart, the composer of this opera. Never was the greatnessof the human mind more perceptible, never did music reach sohigh a level ! Melodies which an angel might have conceived areaccompanied by divinest harmonies, and those whose souls are in anydegree susceptible to what is truly beautiful will agree with me in sayingthe ear is bewitched.At the same time he cannot refrain from the pious wish :*2 Schneider, Gesch. d. Berl. Oper, p. 59. A notice from Berlin in theournal der Moden (1791, p. 76) says :" The composition of this opera is fine,Ithough here and there it is very artificial, heavy, and overladen withinstruments."« Chronik v. Berlin, IX., p. 132. Cf. XL, p. 878.^ " Don Giovanni " was given five times within ten days.« Chronik v. Berlin, IX., p. 316.