18th-Century Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 34

[cahn]

And 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)

Comments

Re: The Mozart Conspiracy

[selenak]

I am kiiiinda now wanting one of those deep worldwide conspiracy books where the whole bloodletting thing turns out to be a doctor conspiracy to kill the particular royalty that they don't want for whatever reason, because uh it would be a lot of people.

LOL. Well, quite. Btw, Elisabeth Augusta, a Palatinate princess who had a hot affair with her Wittelsbach brother-in-law Clemens Franz (two names no 18th century Protestant prince will ever have), advises him in one letter under no circumstances to let the doctors bleed either her sister (whom he was married to) or himself, so I take it back, it was definitely an opinion to have in the 18th century. (The letters are the ones I linked Mildred to elsewhere.) (BTW, she married the year after Fritz came to the throne, so was a contemporary, and her letters get pretty explicit, including telling her lover/brother-in-law to kiss Nani (her sister) on the buttocks for her, and making references to anal sex. Editor thinks Elisabeth Augusta had anal sex with Clemens Franz as a way to ensure she wouldn't get pregnant, but has no ocmment to "kiss my sister on on her strong buttocks for me".)

What about non-royalty killed by bloodletting, though? Famously, Byron, who might have survived malaria at Missolonghi but who definitely could not survive all the blood they drained from him. How would the conspiracy theory apply? I mean, if this had happened elsewhere, I'd have said Byron had made enough enemies for some of them to have bribed the doctors, but he actually was at his best in Greece and keeping everyone else's tempers from colliding for a change...

Re: The Mozart Conspiracy

[cahn]

Wow, I'm always fascinated by the differences in eras in this respect when you talk about it! I mean, I guess there's sexting and so on these days, so maybe it's just that letter-writing is seen as much more formal nowadays.

What about non-royalty killed by bloodletting, though?

Oh, see, this would be collateral damage -- they know they have to bloodlet some other people besides royals to throw people off the scent! Including some famous ones! Or, alternatively, maybe there's time travel conspiracy going on and the Future knows Byron must die!! (though okay, the problem with this theory is that it's not really clear why the Future would think that...)