You know who deserves some recognition? Nannerl Mozart.
yep, that’s right, Wolfie’s older sister. lemme tell you a few things bout my girl Nan
-born Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart in 1751, the fourth of seven children & only Nan and the youngest, Wolfgang would actually make it to adulthood
-her dad Leopold began teaching her harpsichord when she was 8, and wham bam, she was AMAZINGLY GREAT AT IT
-lil wolfie would sit at her side, and it was most likely her impressive talent that inspired him to learn!!!
-helped teach Wolfgang by translating what their father said into an easier way for him to understand
-1762 rocks up & it’s basically The Mozart KidsLive! They begin touring Europe for what will be 3 years and over 88 cities
-“What it all amounts to is this, that my little girl, although she is only 12 years old, is one of the most skillful players in Europe.”- Leopold had 0 chill when it came to his kids
-at 13 she sat down and wrote out her brother’s first symphony (K.16)
-survived both typhus AND smallpox, which were terribly deadly diseases at the time
-could also sing and play the violin! was there anything she couldn’t do?
-unfortunately, yes. she was unable to make her dad see that she was just as worthy as her lil brother to be taught how to compose
-apparently all good things must come to an end, because in 1769, Leopold forbid her from accompanying them on any more tours due to her reaching a marriageable age (uGH DAD)
-in 1770, Wolfgang writes her a letter from on tour that goes a little bit like “sis, how’d you get so good at composing? I know dad never taught you and it’s honestly a little embarrassing for me. anyway, I thought you might like this postcard. see ya in a couple years, xoxo Wolfie.”
-she continued teaching HERSELF how to compose and lived with Leopold at home taking the utmost care of his grouchy old ass
-then some cutie patootie nobleman (not much is known about him) named Franz d’Ippold strolls into Vienna & cue the heart eyes n’ cupids, because Nan is in The Sauce That is a Metaphor For Love
-i’m expecting that Franz was hot af in those breeches because my girl was picky when it came to men
-Franz must’ve been all like “she’s cute & smart? double whammy!” so he jumps headfirst into The Sauce That Is a Metaphor For Love as well
-NanZ (i’m assuming that was their ship name) goes to ask Leopold for his blessing and…
-the bastard says NOPE and tells Franz to take a flying leap back to wherever he came from (which is still unknown by historians)
-so Franz is lost to history, and we totally know Nan would walk around the house crying and listening to the 18th century equivalent of Adele
-but being the good brother he is, Wolfgang writes her a flowery letter 3 months late, telling her to follow her heart and her dreams, but by that time Nan is a stone cold killa in the love dept.
-so she goes on to marry a magistrate named Berchtold (ew) in 1783 who already had 5 kids from 2 other marriages and was at least 10 years her senior (well done Nan)
-but wait! there’s more! Nan’s scumbag of a dad TOOK her firstborn son, FRANZ Leopold ( do I even need to say anything) under the claim that he wished him to have a private musical education, and that Nannerl was too occupied with her other stepchildren to give him the education he deserved. Nan was absent from the first two years of Franz’s life.
-Wolfgang would send music for Nan to proofread and perform over the years, but sadly after he married, the once-tight bond between them broke, and the last letter sent between them was in 1788.
-Wolfgang died in 1791, and the last time the siblings had seen each other was 1783.
-after her own husband kicked it in 1801, Nan’s got 4 of her stepchildren and 2 of her own to look after, so she gets a job as a music instructor to support them
-she helps Wolfgang’s widow create his biography by loaning her all of their family’s correspondence over the years
-in her later years, Nan’s vision failed rapidly, and by 1825 she was completely blind. A visitor in 1829 described her as, “blind, languid, exhausted, feeble and nearly speechless,“ as well as lonely.
-Nannerl died alone at 78 on Oct. 29, 1829, nearly 38 years after her beloved brother
Nannerl’s legacy is one of amazing capabilities and outstanding achievements, but is not known by many, due to the fact that she was a woman in a man’s era. Let’s finally show a lil appreciation to the girl behind the genius.
amandla
titsay
prguitarman
vaporwave
romaincrisis
theartofmadeline
