Friedrich Schlichtegroll
Adolf Heinrich Friedrich Schlichtegroll was born on the 8th of December 1765 in Waltershausen. He died in Munich on the 4th of December 1822. This German teacher and scholar became the first person to write a biography about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His account contained only 6000 words yet it appeared in a volume titled Nekrolog auf das Jahr 1791. The book arrived in print two years after the composer's death in 1793. Schlichtegroll never met the musician he wrote about. He relied entirely on secondhand accounts from others who knew Mozart personally.
Schlichtegroll prepared twelve obituaries for his publication called Necrology for the year 1791. The specific entry for Mozart occupied a small portion of this larger collection. It appeared in Gotha during the year 1793. Later editions would publish the text as Mozarts Leben in Graz in 1974. The original work remained brief compared to later biographies. Yet its timing gave it unique authority since it emerged while memories were still fresh. The volume itself contained other deaths alongside Mozart's but his entry gained historical prominence over time.
Albert von Mölk served as a friend of Mozart located in Salzburg. Schlichtegroll consulted him to gather information about the composer. Mölk then queried Maria Anna Mozart who was known by her nickname Nannerl. She provided written replies that survive to this day. These letters appear in Otto Erich Deutsch's 1965 documentary biography. Nannerl also contacted Johann Andreas Schachtner an old family friend from Wolfgang's childhood. Schachtner sent a kindly letter filled with anecdotes and memories. He forwarded these details through Nannerl so they could reach Schlichtegroll. His remarks survived and remain readable today.
Franz Niemetschek published another early work relying on testimony from Mozart's widow Constanze. Schlichtegroll's account competed directly with this rival tradition. His text appeared relatively harsh regarding the role Constanze played in the composer's life. This tone likely reflected Nannerl's own antipathy toward her sister-in-law. Constanze reportedly bought up and destroyed the entire edition of the Nekrolog publication. She apparently disliked its portrayal of herself within the pages. The Grove Dictionary of Music notes this specific act of censorship regarding the obituary.
Cliff Eisen and Simon P. Keefe describe Schlichtegroll as the first in a long dubious tradition. They depict him creating a strange mixture of angel and beast for Mozart. The composer became sublime where his music was concerned yet pathetically inadequate in worldly matters. Bruce Cooper Clarke assesses that posterity owes a mixed debt to Friedrich Schlichtegroll. On one hand he prompted written remembrances that might otherwise never have been recorded. On the other hand he gave a powerful start to an eternal-child myth. This narrative has intruded ever since on every effort to see the subject whole despite its wrongheadedness.
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Common questions
When was Adolf Heinrich Friedrich Schlichtegroll born and where did he die?
Adolf Heinrich Friedrich Schlichtegroll was born on the 8th of December 1765 in Waltershausen. He died in Munich on the 4th of December 1822.
What book did Friedrich Schlichtegroll write about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
Friedrich Schlichtegroll wrote a biography titled Nekrolog auf das Jahr 1791 that appeared in print two years after the composer's death in 1793. The specific entry for Mozart occupied a small portion of this larger collection published in Gotha during the year 1793.
Who provided information to Friedrich Schlichtegroll for his Mozart biography?
Schlichtegroll consulted Albert von Mölk who queried Maria Anna Mozart known by her nickname Nannerl. Nannerl also contacted Johann Andreas Schachtner an old family friend from Wolfgang's childhood who sent letters filled with anecdotes and memories.
Why did Constanze Mozart destroy copies of Friedrich Schlichtegroll's obituary?
Constanze reportedly bought up and destroyed the entire edition of the Nekrolog publication because she disliked its portrayal of herself within the pages. The text appeared relatively harsh regarding the role Constanze played in the composer's life.
How do modern scholars describe the legacy of Friedrich Schlichtegroll's work on Mozart?
Cliff Eisen and Simon P. Keefe describe Schlichtegroll as the first in a long dubious tradition creating a strange mixture of angel and beast for Mozart. Bruce Cooper Clarke assesses that posterity owes a mixed debt to Friedrich Schlichtegroll for prompting written remembrances while giving a powerful start to an eternal-child myth.