Salzburg

Salzburg is presented as both the point of departure for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s adult career and the enduring home of his father, Leopold Mozart. Later, after Mozart’s death, Constanze Mozart returns there and takes charge of his affairs, making the city a place of memory as well as origin.

The Mozart Family and the City

Leopold Mozart is described as a musician from Salzburg who served an archbishop. He took his son across Europe while Wolfgang was a child prodigy, arranging conspicuous demonstrations of his ability, including performances at the keyboard blindfolded or with one finger. In Wolfgang’s later account, however, Leopold stayed in Salzburg year after year, while his son remembered him as a father who had shown him to audiences but refused to travel for himself.

Departure and Distance

The Venticelli report that Mozart has left Salzburg and intends to give concerts, seeking subscribers to support them. His departure marks a practical turn toward making a living beyond the city. Much later, Mozart tells Antonio Salieri that he had considered going to London but lacked money and had a wife and child; his plan also depended on Leopold keeping the child for several months, and Leopold refused. Mozart connects that refusal to his bitterness toward his father and to the distance between them, presenting Salzburg as the place where Leopold remained while their relationship deteriorated.

Return and Legacy

After Mozart’s death, Constanze eventually remarries and retires to Salzburg, described as the great composer’s native city. There she becomes the principal administrator of Mozart’s affairs. Her return gives the city a distinct afterlife in the account: it is not only where Leopold stayed and from which Mozart set out, but also where Constanze settles while managing the surviving musical legacy.