Leopold Mozart has hardly earned a good reputation among modern day Mozart enthusiasts. Some view him as manipulative, domineering and entirely too involved in his son’s stage life. Musicologists however are not so quick to come down harshly upon Leopold. After all, Leopold was a well-developed musician and pedagogue in his own rite who passed all that he knew onto his son. Regardless of whatever one may think of Leopold Mozart, there is no doubt that he can be deemed a Great Father in Opera History. After all, if it had not been for his influence, would the world have ever had great works of art such as Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni or Die Zauberflöte?
My dad and I always loved learning about the relationship between Mozart and his father. Though not a reliable musicological source, we would watch the movie Amadeus over and over again focusing on Leopold and his son. The two of us would imagine that someday there would be a documentary series entitled “Great Fathers in Opera History,” and that someday my dad’s episode would air after Leopold’s. Of course my father was joking, but as I compared these two men from different centuries and from different sides of the world, I couldn’t help but notice some striking similarities.
Leopold Mozart took his son on trips to showcase his talent starting when the young Mozart was only 6 years old. My father certainly never did that with me (I didn’t exactly have that kind of talent at the age of 6) but he did faithfully show up to all of my piano recitals, even when I was 4 years old, playing my own version of “Hot Cross Buns.” I don’t remember much about what or how I played at these recitals, but I do remember that my dad was there.
When I was in high school my father would drive me to my voice lessons and sit in the car—no matter what the weather—while I sang. My dad also traveled extensively with me when I first became interested in opera. At first these trips involved either driving or taking a train to Chicago from Milwaukee to see productions at the Lyric Opera House. More recently he spent weeks at a time with me on the road while I auditioned for graduate programs. Anyone who has ever done audition after audition knows how taxing they can be, but my dad got me through each one with laughs and tons of memories.
Leopold, an educated philosopher, musician and pedagogue, turned his focus to his son’s education once he saw the bright talent that Wolfgang possessed. He even referred to Wolfgang as “the miracle that God let be born in Salzburg.” Leopold’s own career in the courts never reached its full potential most likely because of the energy he invested to his son. It would be safe to say that Leopold’s life goal was to see his son attain the kind of success his talent deserved. I think it also would be safe to say that one of my father’s life goals would be to see me achieve success in the musical arts. My dad doesn’t have this goal necessarily because I’m a virtuoso like Mozart, but instead he recognizes that a career in the arts is just as noble and important as a career in medicine or law. This type of support is more valuable than gold to a singer.
Of course I can’t draw a perfect parallel between Leopold Mozart and my father. After all, Leopold was known for being a bit ornery and in the end had a falling out with his son. My dad, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. He is a funny, likeable man who is also incredibly wise.
On behalf of all other daughters and sons who are singers and lucky enough to have a “Great Father in Opera History,” I say thank you to my father for his support and love. Singers do need all of the love and support they can get, and few things are more valuable than the love of a parent. So thank you Leopold for nurturing your son’s talent so that generations of musicians and music lovers could benefit. And thank you Dad for the time, love and laughs that you share with me. In my book, you are the “Greatest Father in Opera History.”
