Life of Mozart

—COMPOSITION OF THE " ZAUBERFLOTE." 285pageno " were repeatedly rearranged in deference to Schikaneder'swish. His want of any hesitation in the matter isproved by the following note from him, preserved by Al.Fuchs in his collection :Dear Wolfgang,—Herewith I return your " Pa- Pa- Pa-," which I Hkefairly well. It will do, at any rate. We shall meet this evening at theusual place.—Yours, E. Schikaneder.But Schikaneder took care to keep his composer in goodhumour by frequent invitations to his table, where botheating and drinking were of the best, and by introductionsto the jovial and free-living society in which he himselfmoved, and which also included A. Stadler, the man whoso shamefully abused Mozart's good nature (Vol. II., p. 30g).The pressure of external circumstances, of growing domestictroubles, and the bitter feeling of failure and disappointedhope, combined with his own excitable nature to causeMozart to seek for distraction and forgetfulness in the whirlof a pleasure-loving life. His wife was at Baden, wherehis youngest son Wolfgang was born on July 26 ; herabsence deprived his home life of any comfort, and drovehim to take refuge among his theatrical friends. Follyand dissipation were the inevitable accompaniments of suchan existence, and these soon reached the public ear, combiningwith the exaggerated accounts current of the looselife led by Schikaneder and his associates to cover Mozart'sname for several months with an amount of obloquy beyondwhat he deserved (Vol. II., p. 270). While the "Zauberflöte"was in course of composition, Da Ponte, who was obliged toleave Vienna, tried to persuade Mozart to accompany himto London, and there take an active part in the productionof Italian opera. Mozart turned a favourable ear to theproject, but demanded a delay of six months for the completionand performance of his opera, to which Da Pontecould not agree.^^ In July, 1791, the work was so faradvanced that he was able to insert the opera in his catalogueas virtually complete ; the rehearsals had begun asDa Ponte, Mem., I., 2, p. 124.