Life of Mozart

EXPEDITION TO FRANKFORT, 179O. 277In the hope of improving his circumstances, Mozart resumedhis plan of taking a professional tour ; the coronationof Leopold IL in Frankfort, on October 9, attracted a largenumber of strangers to that city, and seemed to render it afavourable place for the experiment. Salieri, as court kapellmeister,^ Ign. Umlauf as his deputy, and fifteen chambermusicians, were sent to Frankfort among the retinue of theEmperor.-^^ Mozart was not included among the number,and thus was deprived of the advantage of the imperialpatronage. On September 23 he set off, after pawning hissilver plate to defray the expenses of his journey (Vol. IL,p. 301) in company with his brother-in-law, the violinist Hofer,whom he took with him out of compassion, and with theintention of sharing the expected profits together ; theytravelled in their own carriage, and, arriving in Frankfort onthe 23rd, had considerable difficulty in finding a lodging,owing to the overflow of strangers into the town. OnOctober 14, at noon, Mozart gave a concert in the Stadttheater.^-^The contrabassist Ludwig, long since dead, whotook part in the concert, used to tell how the piano stoodupon the stage, and how during the rehearsal the restless,agile little man was continually leaping over the prompter'sbox into the orchestra to chat in a friendly way with thevarious performers, and then climb back again on to thestage. Mozart's own compositions were exclusively performedat this concert ; he played the concertos in F major(459 K.) and D major (537 K.). Margarethe Hamel, afterwardsFrau Schick, was the vocalist, and so charmedMozart by her voice and delivery that he is said to have exclaimedrepeatedly : "I never wish to hear any other singing8 Mus. Corresp., 1790, p. 146. Mosel, Salieri, p. 138.10 Wahl- und Krönungs-Diarium, 2 Anh., p. 5.^^ In the Councillor's and Deputy-Councillor's Register for the imperial townof Frankfort on the election and coronation of the Emperor Leopold IL, is thefollowing entry (p. 400) :" Mittwoch, 13 October, 1790. Als vorkäme, dass derKayserl. Conzert-Meister Mozart um die Erlaubniss nachsuche Morgen Vormittagim Stadtschauspielhaus ein Concert geben zu dörfen : solle man ohneConsequenz auf andere Fälle hierunter willfahren." I am indebted for this, asfor other information, to my friend W. Speyer.