"Elle est morte!"

“Mozart was a remarkably small man, very thin and pale, with a profusion of fine, fair hair of which he was rather vain.“

Mozart and billiards.

“As soon as you were gone I played two games of billiards with Herr von Mozart (himself) who wrote the opera (Le Nozze di Figaro) for Schickaneder’s theatre. Then I had [my servant] bring a black coffee, to which I smoked a glorious pipe of tobacco..“

PS. — while I was writing the last page, tear after tear fell on the paper. But I must cheer up — catch — An astonishing number of kisses are flying about — I see a whole crowd of them. Ha! Ha!… I have just caught three — They are delicious… I kiss you millions of times.”

In 1786, Constanze fell ill and was bedridden. Wolfgang sat by her side and composed, while making sure no one would disturb his wife’s sleep. Suddenly, a valet clumsily entered the room and startled Mozart so much that he jumped on his seat and accidentally stabbed his own thigh with a knife he used to sharpen his pen.

He tried not to scream in order not to wake Constanze up and ran in another room. He was later healed by his mother-in-law. He never told Constanze.

I heard the music of true forgiveness filling the theater, conferring on all who sat there, perfect absolution. God was singing through this little man to all the world, unstoppable, making my defeat more bitter with every passing bar.