Real Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Book III

The Death of Mozart

On 5 December 1791, the composerWolfgang Amadeus Mozart died at his home in Vienna, Austria atthe age of 35. The circumstances of his death have attracted muchresearch and speculation.

The principal sources of contentionare: (1) Whether Mozart declined gradually, experiencing great fearand sadness, or whether he was fundamentally in good spirits towardthe end of his life, then felled by a relatively sudden illness; (2)Whether the cause of his death was from disease or poisoning; (3)Whether his funeral arrangements were the normal procedures for hisday, or if they were of a disrespectful nature.

There are a range of views on each ofthese points, many of which have varied radically over time.

The course of Mozart's final illness

The traditional narrative

Mozart scholarship long followed theaccounts of early biographers, which proceeded in large part from therecorded memories of his widow Constanze and her sister Sophie Weberas they were recorded in the biographies by Franz Niemetschek andGeorg Nikolaus von Nissen. For instance, the important biography byHermann Abert largely follows this account. The following is asummary of this view.

When in August 1791 Mozart arrived inPrague to supervise the performance of his new opera La clemenza diTito (K. 621), he was "already very ill". Duringthis visit, Niemetschek wrote, "he was pale and expressionwas sad, although his good humor was often shown in merry jest withhis friends." Following his return to Vienna (mid September1791), Mozart's condition gradually worsened. For a while, he wasstill able to work and completed his Clarinet Concerto (K. 622),worked toward the completion of his Requiem (K. 626), and conductedthe premiere performance of The Magic Flute (K. 620) on 30 September.Still, he became increasingly alarmed and despondent about hishealth. An anecdote from Constanze is related by Niemetschek:

On his return to Vienna, hisindisposition increased visibly and made him gloomily depressed. Hiswife was truly distressed over this. One day when she was driving inthe Prater with him, to give him a little distraction and amusement,and they were sitting by themselves, Mozart began to speak of death,and declared that he was writing the Requiem for himself. Tears cameto the eyes of the sensitive man: 'I feel definitely,' he continued,'that I will not last much longer; I am sure I have been poisoned. Icannot rid myself of this idea.'

Constanze attempted to cheer herhusband by persuading him to give up work on the Requiem for a while,encouraging him instead to complete the "Freimaurerkantate"(K. 623), composed to celebrate the opening of a new Masonic templefor Mozart's own lodge. The strategy worked for a time – thecantata was completed and successfully premiered on 18 November. Hetold Constanze he felt "elated" over the premiere. Mozart is reported to have stated, "Yes I see I was ill tohave had such an absurd idea of having taken poison, give me back theRequiem and I will go on with it."

Mozart's worst symptoms of illness soonreturned, together with the strong feeling that he was beingpoisoned. He became bedridden on 20 November, suffering fromswelling, pain and vomiting.