| THE MAGIC FLUTE
on to Prague the critical point. following year Mozart’s friend where it was a and fellow huge success. Freemason, Don Giovanni the impresario premiered in E m a n u e l Prague in 1787 Schikaneder, to great acclaim, suggested he but its Vienna try his luck opening in with the 1788 was coolly suburban received. By this audiences at time, Mozart his Theater auf had received a der Wieden. minor Imperial Composition posting, as of The Magic Kammermusicus, Flute began which required early that him to write summer but dances for state had to be functions. The halted when position was two generous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the Piano, Vienna, 1789 Joseph Lange hardly worthy commissions Mozarteum, Salzburg (Austria) of his skills and came his way: a Alinari/Art Resource, NY generated only requiem for an a modest income, a weighty concern now anonymous patron (who hoped to pass it off that debts had begun to mount. Joseph ii as his own composition), and an opera seria commissioned another opera from Mozart, to celebrate the new emperor’s coronation Così fan tutte, which premiered January 26, as King of Bohemia. La clemenza di Tito 1790. The emperor was too ill to attend the premiered September 6, and The Magic Flute opening and died the following month. His was completed in time to open September brother, Leopold ii, assumed leadership, and 30. The Requiem, however, remained Mozart hoped to be appointed Kapellmeister unfinished, and as Mozart’s health began to – instead he merely received a continuance of fail, the composer feared he was writing his own death mass. In December Mozart died his previous position. Crisis hit in 1791. Constanze’s medical at the age of 35 and was given a simple funeral treatments at Baden and the birth of a by his impoverished widow, then buried in a second child pushed their finances to a mass grave on the outskirts of Vienna.
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