Mozart felt the most creative in the mornings, which is why as soon as he rises and shines at 6am he would whip out his dream journal and subsequently write one (1) symphony as well as his nightly visions. After this, he screams at his canary. His canary screams back. Somewhere, as a reaction to this interaction, his dog barks.
At about 9am he would feel the need to move around a bit after “finishing his toilet” (as he wrote in a letter to his father), so he would meander his grounds followed by his pet starling (who was mimicking one of Mozart’s works when he was adopted by the composer). As soon as breakfast was ready, he would dress and sit at the table with his wife, Constanze, and their child Jeirome who was guzzling barley water. Here is what Mozart enjoyed to eat for breakfast:
- 2 cups of black coffee with a splash of goats milk
- 3 squares of milk chocolate
- an apple streusel
- a single wienerschnitzel
- Salzburger Nockerl (a sweet soufflé made from eggs)
After breakfast, he would complete whatever menial tasks that day called upon from him. This may or may not include teaching music, hanging out with fellow Freemasons, corresponding with rich people paying him to write music, or sending servants out to the market with gobs of cash to come back with more streusel (and possibly a new frock). Occasionally, he will have to endure the tiring speeches of his mother-in-law.
At around 3pm, he would eat dinner. Some sort of schnitzel (again) and probably some liver dumplings. Maybe a little sauerkraut, if the bounty was plentiful.
At 8pm, he would begin playing the clavier. Sometimes, he would also write music for a couple hours at night. However, this was mostly a morning activity, when his creativity was ripe. The clavier playing would continue for around 5 hours until he then went to sleep at 1am. At this time, he would rinse his face once, observe his rapid hair loss (he was severely deficient in vitamin D), kiss his wife goodnight and repeat the process the next day.
Happy birthday, Mozart! Come see our Mozart based concert on January 18th featuring violinist Itamar Zorman.
–Delaney