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cahnAnd including Emperor Joseph II!
from Derek Beales: Joseph II, Volume 2: Against the World, 1780 - 1790:
Joseph's alleged comment to Mozart about the Entführung, "Too many notes", has been taken as evidence of his ignorance. But he probably said something like, "Too beautiful for our ears, and monstrous many notes." It is always necessary to bear in mind, when appraising the emperor's remarks, his peculiar brand of humor or sarcasm. He was usually getting at someone. And he did not use the royal "we". The ears in question were those of the Viennese audience, whom he was mocking for their limited appreciation of Mozart's elaborate music.
(though not gonna lie, I think it is a LOT of notes)
from Derek Beales: Joseph II, Volume 2: Against the World, 1780 - 1790:
Joseph's alleged comment to Mozart about the Entführung, "Too many notes", has been taken as evidence of his ignorance. But he probably said something like, "Too beautiful for our ears, and monstrous many notes." It is always necessary to bear in mind, when appraising the emperor's remarks, his peculiar brand of humor or sarcasm. He was usually getting at someone. And he did not use the royal "we". The ears in question were those of the Viennese audience, whom he was mocking for their limited appreciation of Mozart's elaborate music.
(though not gonna lie, I think it is a LOT of notes)
Wilhelmine's marriage hopes and expectations
Date: 2022-02-03 08:07 am (UTC)The problem here is that Wilhelmine is writing this retrospectively and in 1739 at the earliest, i.e. well after being given hell by Mom for eight months for having married Dad's candidate after all. And "I at least have a husband who loves and honors me!" was a counter argument she used to herself, if not SD, back then. (As Uwe Oster in his Wilhelmine biography puts it, that's one reason why Wilhelmine kept the BayreuthFriedrich/Female Marwitz affair secret not just from Fritz but from everyone else in her family as long as she did. And came clean to AW about it before telling Fritz.) So she may have felt this way as a girl, or she might not but retrospectively projects this (doesn't have to be deliberate), because let's face it, Wilhelmine's treatment from the Brits was one long humiliation conga, including getting presented with her bare upper body so the Hannover ladies could see she's not humpbacked, being drilled in English history and English language and everything from early childhood onwards, and then even before FW gave his final no, it was very clear that GB might still be interested in getting Fritz for Amalia/Emily, but no one was eager for Wilhelmine even when FW at one point offered her alone. From Wilhelmine's pov, she was never good enough for the Hannover relations, despite all the work and tears and pain throughout her adolescence. And for someone who tries to keep a sense of self worth despite all the emotional and literal blows... well, it would make sense if she told herself "hah, I didn't even want the guy anyway! I could see how bad a husband he'd be, even then!"
My other reason for assuming this is that as far as I recall from the Hervey bio and the essay and Hervey's memoirs, Fritz of Wales' reputation for being a skirt chaser is more a thing that developed in Britain, especially via the scandal of him taking up with Hervey's mistress. Which puts it in the early 1730s, well after Wilhelmine was still a viable candidate for Mrs. Wales. I have no doubt that Wilhelmine, in the early 30s, in Bayreuth with a husband who did show her affection and respect and hearing gossip from abroad thought, wow, maybe Bayreuth is a dump but did I ever get the better guy! Especially if the story of Fritz of Wales taking his wife on a one hour carriage drive when she was in her labors so she could give birth away from his parents reached her. But with the caveat that English envoys aren't likely to report this, I don't recall anything written pre 1730 giving the impression that Wilhelmine wasn't 100% on board with the English marriage project.
Again: she might have been, and hidden it because she didn't want to let Mom down. After all, we don't have any of the letters between her and Fritz before Küstrin, and she does mention in her memoirs she was so eager to see them burned not just for what they said about Dad but what they said about Mom. But I would point out that the likelihood of memoirs-writing Wilhelmine projecting backwards is just as high, if not higher.
Re: Wilhelmine's marriage hopes and expectations
Date: 2022-02-04 10:13 pm (UTC)There was also Fritz telling her in 1731 to follow the considerations of her heart, which is the best guide in such matters, but that doesn't necessarily have to mean romantic love. It could mean that if she wants to be queen of England more than anything, she should hold out for that rather than trying to free him via an unwanted marriage.