Mozart in Paris

Also Paris has a “Mozart House”.

Mozart visited Paris, accompanied by his parents and sister, as a young boy and had great success, performed for the Royal family… When he returned in 1778 for a couple of months, he was 22 (21 on the portrait) and had less success, although he was offered a job as organist at Versailles which he rejected. He didn’t get the prestigious job he was looking for. He wrote to a friend : “Paris is totally opposed to my genius, inclinations, knowledge and sympathies…. God grant only that I may not impair my talents by staying here.” He made however some concerts, worked as piano teacher… and composed.

He wrote a number of sonatas, including this one. …

  

… and especially a “Paris Symphony”. After a first more private performance, it was then, and at least twice in his presence, played by a great orchestra in what then was used as a big concert hall in the Tuileries Castle (destroyed in the Communard movement 1871, see previous posts). However no royalties were present. After the first Tuileries concert June 12, 1778, he was satisfied and went for an ice-cream in a café in the Palais Royal Gardens (see previous posts), maybe this one?.

The symphony was then played a second time August 15 and in the meantime he had rewritten the second movement, which somehow had “failed to please”.

Also, in the meantime his 57 year old mother who had accompanied him to Paris got seriously ill. They stayed in the building you can see at the top of the post, 8 rue du Sentier.

He went to pray in the nearby Notre-Dames-des-Victoires Basilica (see previous post). 

His mother died July 3 and the funeral was held at the Saint-Estache Church (see previous post).

Mozart left Paris for the last time during the autumn.

I have a little problem with an eye and will have an operation. I will probably need a few weeks before I'm again quite "fit for fight", meaning work properly with my computer etc... In the meantime, I have prepared, pre-programmed, some posts, but I will of course hardly be able to look at other blogs, comment... Sorry!  

... and in the meantime you can also listen to Mozart's “Paris Symphony”.

First movement
  

Second movement
     

Third movement