Mozart's nationality

The question of the nationality of Mozart is answered differently in the reception history. Sometimes there is no statement made ​​at all, there have also been attempts to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a complaint of a nation; initially mainly for the German nation, and later for the Austrian. What is understood under "nation", differs from case to case.

Biographies and reference works

In the biographies and reference books about Mozart, different information is given to the nationality of Mozart.

The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians called Mozart Austrian composer. Also the Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Biography ( 2003), the Oxford Concise Dictionary of Music (Bourne and Kennedy 2004) and the NPR Listener 's Encyclopedia of Classical Music ( Libbey, 2006) refer to him as such. The Encyclopædia Britannica gives two different results: the short anonymous version in the " Micropedia " refers to him as Austrian composer, the main article in the " Macropedia ", written by HC Robbins Landon, is not concerned with his nationality.

In earlier sources Mozart is often referred to as a German composer, especially before the foundation of today's modern Austrian nation state. A London newspaper reported in 1791 by the composer's death. There he is described as " the celebrated German composer " (English: "the Celebrated German composer" ) referred. In Lieber et al. (1832, p.78), Mozart is introduced as "the great German composer "; Ferris (1891 ) took on Mozart in his book "The Great German Composers " ("The great German composer "). Other designations as German can be found in Kerst (1906, p.3), Mathews and Liebling ( 1896), and MacKey and Haywood (1909 ); much later with Hermand and Steakley (1981).

Herders Conversations -Lexikon renounced in 1906 to an indication of the nation.

Some sources changed their nationality information over time. Grove called Mozart not always as Austrians; This first appeared in the first edition of the New Grove in 1980. Similarly, it was also in Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Originally they did not mention the nationality of Mozart. The word "Austrian " was first mentioned in the opening sentence in the eighth edition in 1992, and has since been maintained. The Encyclopædia Britannica, which describes it today as the "Austrian ", described him earlier as a German composer.

Salzburg

Mozart was born in the imperial free city of Salzburg, which belonged to the Bavarian kingdom circle. He remained throughout his life a subject of the prince archbishops. 14 years after Mozart's death Salzburg was connected to the Empire of Austria in 1805. According to Rudolph Anger miller Mozart was therefore " neither Austrian nor German ," but " Salzburg " was.

Austria

Composer's lifetime could the term " Austria " are used for the Archduchy Austria, the Austrian Empire and the county ruled by Habsburgs territories.

Holy Roman Empire

The Archbishopric of Salzburg was a similar of more than 300 member states in the Holy Roman Empire. The statement that Mozart was German, can therefore only be understood as an expression of belonging to a linguistic community and in terms of cultural identity, but not be interpreted in the sense that Mozart " German citizens " would have been.

" Germany " as a cultural concept

In Mozart's time, there was no nation-state " Germany " of citizenship, he could have been. The word " German " but was used for a long time and referred to the German -speaking people in Central Europe. Mozart himself used it in this sense. In one of his letters to his father Leopold dated 17 August 1782, he called Germany as his " beloved homeland, which I ( as you know ) am proud. " There are also other similar statements. Mozart so described himself in cultural and linguistic terms as German.