AMADEUS, THE GOLDEN IMMORTAL
Amadeus, the Golden Immortal choose to speak of Mozart the man. The mortal man of more than great talent, and extraordinary abilities who was fired by an overwhelming inspiration of undefined nature and from an undefined source. I choose to make a contrast with the abbreviated and superficial regard given to Mozart the Masonic icon. The man who is casually spoken of in grandiose and superficial tones.
I
J.W. Carter, III, Benjamin B. French Lodge No. 15
It is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the enigmatic bright fire whose light elevated civilization to great heights. Mozart’s achievements were brought about in great measure by the Masonic Brotherhood of by-gone days. What we understand now of Mozart, is a mere shadow in a cultural de-evolution. He awaits a serious rediscovery. Mozart, the icon, is that snippet of music played in great redundancy in thin solemnity. So often one hears, “I know Mozart,” when in fact less than a handful of his more than 600 works have been heard by most individuals. From age 5 to age 37, his works include more than 20 musicals and operas and dozens of symphonies. Attesting to this monumental effort of a life time are Mozart’s hand written manuscripts, which, when piled one on top of another, would reach to the Baroque ceilings of the palaces in which he made music. Mozart wrote whole compositions at the first and only sitting. Revisions were only infrequently made later. The fresh newly made composition which appeared from his pen on sheets of music, he copied with prodigious speed, by hand, in quill pen and ink for other musicians to follow — a great effort to share the Light which had filled his mind with his contemporaries and future. I choose to look at Wolfgang Amadeus, the evolving individual rather than the superficial icon he has become and think we know so well. I first see him as a child prodigy, one whot did not burn out at 13, as many early talented children do. I studied the shimmering vibrancy of the beautiful youth. Amadeus, a sensitive late teenager, was introduced to life’s mysteries, especially those of beautiful powerful women in the royal courts. He grew up in a “prolonged party” period that was always in contrast to the discipline and support of his loving parents, especially his father.
The royal “party circuit” became a burden to him. Frequently he was not paid by the nobility whom he pleased so well by playing for the happiness of others while he dealt with mounting financial difficulties, mental and physical exhaustion, and the deaths of his parents and children. Is this the Mozart we know? Amadeus was a Mason. He was certainly inspired by the symbolisms of the ancient brotherhood. His Masonic understanding was naturally integrated into his life’s work. On more than one occasion he cryptically translated Masonic information into clever musicals that could be enjoyed as entertainment at a superficial level by the public. His brethren understood and appreciated the coded underlying content, as Mozart intended. continued on page 27 The Voice of Freemasonry
13
