Life of Mozart

:THE OPERA IN VIENNA. 43composers (which so enraged Mozart that he purposedwriting a critique on them with examples) Hkely to findfavour with the Emperor. Add to this that his immediatemusical surroundings, Salieri at the head of them, were atleast passively opposed to German opera, and it will notbe thought surprising that the Emperor Joseph angrilyrenounced German opera, and followed his own taste in thereinstalment of the Italian. Chance brought this determinationto a point. A French company of considerablemerit, both in opera and the drama, was performing at theKärnthnerthortheater, and was patronised by the Emperor.^He sent for the performers to Schönbrunn in the summer of1782, and entertained them in the castle during their stay.They were dissatisfied with the hospitality they therereceived, and one of the actors had the ill-breeding, during ameal at which the Emperor happened to come in, to offerhim a glass of wine, with the request that he would try it,and say whether such wretched Burgundy was good enoughfor them to drink. The Emperor drank the wine, andanswered that it was good enough for him, but he had nodoubt they would find better wine in France.^On the dismissal of this company, Count Rosenberg wascommissioned to engage the best singers in Italy, male andfemale, for an opera buffa, which was all that was thenthought feasible ; and at the end of the carnival of 1783 theGerman opera company was dissolved, its best membersassociating themselves with the new Italian company.^Under these circumstances there was not much hope ofsuccess for German operatic compositions ; and only threenew pieces were produced in 1783, none of them with anysuccess.^ Mozart wrote to his father (February 5, 1783):3 Meyer, L. Schröder, I., p. 358. A. M. Z., XXIV., p. 265. Nicolai heard aperformance of Gluck's " Orpheus " there in 1781 (Reise, IV., p. 537).* Kelly, Reminisc, I., p. 194.sA. M. Z., XXIV., p. 269. Schröder wrote to Dalberg (October 21, 1782'!" German opera is abolished here, and comedy has been strengthened by Reinekeand Opiz."^ The new operas were: January 10—Gassmann, "Die Unruhige Nacht"(La Notte Critica), performed three times; February 9—Gallus, "Rose," or" Pflicht und Liebe im Streit," performed twice ; February 23 — J. Weigl, " Diebetrogne Arglist," performed three times.—