Leopold Mozart. Nine Letters to Wife (1769–1770) from the First Trip to Italy

The introductory article “Father of a Genius: The Letters of Leopold Mozart from His First Trip to Italy” for the first time examines in detail the correspondence of Leopold Mozart, its linguistic and textual features. Fragments of letters from the father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were published practically in every biography of the composer, but even a small selection of complete texts from letters from the first trip to Italy, translated by the author of this article (nine texts from 14.12.1769 to 27.03.1770) allows to question the commonly upheld perception of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s father. The range of topics, the manner in which the material is presented, and the particular writing style in his letters show Leopold’s unexpectedly multifaceted, dynamic, unordinary personality, reveal his philosophical and aesthetic views, and on the whole show almost a complete resemblance to the epistolary style of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which suggests that the son basically borrowed it from his father, who remained unnoted in the shadow of the genius.