Maria Anna Thekla Mozart

• 1. A Cousin Born In Augsburg

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  Maria Anna Thekla Mozart entered the world on the 25th of September 1758 in Augsburg, Germany. She was the third daughter and only surviving child among five born to Franz Alois Mozart and Maria Victoria Eschenbach. Her father was a younger brother of the famous composer Leopold Mozart. This family connection placed her within the extended circle of one of history's greatest musicians from birth. The city of Augsburg served as her home base throughout her early years. Records show she grew up there before any major life events occurred elsewhere.

• 2. The Bäsle Letters Exchange

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  Between October 11 and the 26th of October 1777, nineteen-year-old Marianne met twenty-one-year-old Wolfgang in Augsburg. They developed a close relationship that likely included intimacy. Ten letters from Wolfgang to Marianne survive today under the name Bäsle letters. These documents contain abundant scatological and sexual humor unlike typical correspondence of their time. Maynard Solomon translated a passage dated the 23rd of December 1778 into rhymed English for modern readers. The original German text uses specific words describing bodily functions and intimate acts. Wolfgang wrote phrases about shooting off guns in the rear while embracing his cousin. He promised to pay all debts down to the last groat during these exchanges. The letters reveal a unique bond between two young people who shared private jokes.

• 3. Romantic Relationship And Separation

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  Marianne accepted an invitation from Wolfgang to visit him and his family in Salzburg. She traveled with him from Munich to Salzburg in January 1779. Her stay lasted approximately three months despite disapproval from Leopold Mozart. Some historians suggest she hoped for marriage to Wolfgang during this period. That hope ended when their warm relationship cooled significantly after her return home. Their final reunion occurred in Augsburg in March 1781. No further letters or meetings followed this date according to surviving records. The distance between them grew as life took different paths for each person.

• 4. Illegitimate Motherhood And Social Standing

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  In 1784 Marianne gave birth to an illegitimate daughter named Maria Josepha. The child's father was Canon Dr. Theodor Franz de Paula Maria Baron von Reibeld. This man lived from 1752 until 1807 and provided generous support for both mother and child. Marianne remained unmarried throughout her entire life while raising her daughter alone. She received social education appropriate for a citizen of the Free City within the Holy Roman Empire. Teenage years included additional training in Munich before returning to Augsburg. Descriptions of her character highlight beauty, humor, brightness, and love for life. These traits helped her navigate complex social situations without a husband's protection.

• 5. Later Years And Final Resting Place

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  Marianne moved to live with her daughter and son-in-law postmaster Franz-Joseph Streitel in 1808. Her own mother had died widowed in 1791 leaving Marianne to manage family affairs independently. Only one grandchild named Carl Joseph survived infancy before dying in 1803. The family relocated to Kaufbeuren in 1812 before settling permanently in Bayreuth by 1814. They resided there for twenty-seven years until Marianne passed away at age eighty-two on the 25th of January 1841. A portrait sent by Wolfgang from Mannheim in 1778 appeared in her estate fifty years after its creation. Both she and her daughter were buried in the municipal cemetery though exact grave locations remain lost today. Two memorial plates now mark their memory near the Old Coaching House and cemetery entrance.