Mozart auf der Reise nach Prag

by Morike, Karl Pörnbacher (Editor)

Mozart auf der Reise nach Prag gilt zu Recht als die klassische Künstlernovelle, die zugleich, in der Verbindung von Fakten und Erfindungen, moderne literarische Verfahren erprobt.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, German Literature, Music, Historical Fiction, 19th Century, Novella

79 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1855

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title of Eduard Morike’s “classic” novella, Mozart’s Journey to Prague, makes you think it’s about something - the great composer’s journey to Prague, for example - but it’s not really about anything at all.

31 year-old Mozart and his wife Constanze are on their way to Prague for the opening of Don Giovanni when they stop and go wandering in the forest. Mozart winds up in a rich family’s garden, picks one of their oranges, and ends up staying with them for the evening, playing music while they watch enthralled at having a celebrity in their midst. And that’s the whole book!

I mean, sure we get a glimpse into Mozart’s day to day life - bustling about giving music lessons to untalented rich idiots and then composing his masterpieces in the night while his wife worries about the household budget given her husband’s spendthrift, dandyish lifestyle - but it’s nothing anyone who knows anything about Mozart wouldn’t already know and even if you didn’t, it’s not enough to understand the artist.

Then again this was published in the mid-19th century so maybe people didn’t really know all that much about Mozart and so something like this was eye-opening. Maybe it’s significant because it helped maintain interest in the composer’s life as well as his music. But I’m not sure who today would find this appealing or very interesting. Mozart’s Journey to Prague is well-written but the total lack of anything happening makes it instantly forgettable - I recommend watching Milos Forman’s Amadeus instead.

[Anina e gambette di pollo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autore: tedesco (1804-1875). Racconto.

L’autore che conoscevo solo di nome e per questo racconto, è definito un romantico Biedermeier, che per i detrattori rappresentava “il piccolo borghese apolitico e conservatore, interessato solo alla propria vita familiare”.
Saranno stati pure detrattori, ma la definizione calza a pennello al personaggio Morike.

Comunque il racconto è piacevole. Un’atmosfera quasi giocosa che, a tratti, verso la fine, cela qualcosa di drammatico.

Nel 1787 Mozart con l’amata Costanza e sempre oppresso dalla penuria di denaro (per fama una rockstar dell’epoca, ma senza i milioni delle rockstar di oggi) viaggia verso Praga dove verrà rappresentato il Don Giovanni.
Un’arancia, una di nove, sottratta ad un alberello in un giardino scatena prima le ire dei servitori che si calmano quando il proprietario conosce il nome del colpevole.
La pianticella dono di Madame de Sevigné ad un’ava della fanciulla che in quel castello sta per sposarsi, salvata dal seccarsi, è dono di nozze.
Mozart diviene ospite del castello dove si deve celebrare la cerimonia.
Cibo, bevande, musica, storie che assomigliano a leggende o a sogni, storie che assomigliano ad aneddoti. Fino all’ultimo racconto che narra la creazione dell’ultima parte del Don Giovanni.

2.3.2018

[Padmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

E' davvero un piccolo gioiello. L'atmosfera è quasi irreale, spensierata e divertita, ma alla fine si rannuvola di presagi oscuri.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this 1855 novella, Mozart and his wife Constance travel from Vienna to Prague for the opening of his new opera, Don Giovanni. A minor mishap near the end of the trip leads to an invitation to a wedding and a pleasant evening of conversation and music. The story is harmonious and light as most of Mozart’s music, although it is darkened by what some characters suspect and the reader knows is coming.

[LaCitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questo romanzo breve racconta una giornata nella vita di Mozart. Il sommo compositore è in viaggio verso Praga per la prima di Don Giovanni e durante il viaggio si ferma presso una famiglia nobile che lo riconosce per caso.
E' un romanzo scorrevole, intriso di presagi di sventura e di morte. La vita sregolata di Mozart emerge nei suoi eccessi, ma anche nella sua fanciullesca innocenza. Pure, in sè, il libro non mi ha colpita molto.

[Liana Sabău · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eduard Mörike a trăit între anii 1804-1875 și a fost profesor de Istoria Literaturii la Stuttgart. A scris multă proză, balade, romanțe, povestiri pline de umor. O profundă înțelegere a avut pentru Mozart, căruia îi consacră această delicioasă nuvelă.
Genialul Mozart care a trăit între anii 1756-179, a fost faimos pe vremea sa și ecourile vieții sale, a călătoriilor sale nu s-au stins niciodată, ca atare profesorul Mörike descrie în această nuvelă ultimul drum al lui Mozart la Praga, în toamna anului 1787, pentru a pune în scenă opera Don Juan.
Iubit și apreciat, el poposește la un han, aproape de un castel, iar proprietarul, un conte, de îndată îl primește la el cu brațele deschise și îi dăruiește o caleașcă lui Mozart și soției sale, Constanze pentru a-și continua drumul spre Praga.
A plecat fericit, iar Don Juan a fost un succes! ❤

"Atât în plăceri, cît și în creație, pentru Mozart nu exista măsură și țintă. O parte din noapte era totdeauna dedicată compoziției. Dimineața, de multe ori încă în pat fiind, el desăvârșea lucrarea. Apoi, după ora zece, pe jos sau cu trăsura trimisă, mergea la lecții, care îi răpeau câteva ore și din după-amiază."
(...)"Efectele modului de viață a lui Mozart se manifestau vădit și în căminul său. Reproșul era firesc în fața risipei nechibzuite și ușuratice; nu putea cruța nici cea mai mare calitate a sa: bunătatea. Dacă venea cineva, în mare strîmtorare, pentru a-i cere un împrumut sau o garanție, se știa dinainte că el nu întreba de amanet sau de alte lucruri; astfel de gânduri se potriveau cu firea lui tot atât de puțin ca și cu firea unui copil. Se simțea cel mai bucuros cînd putea să dăruiască ceva, și asta o făcea totdeauna rîzînd, mărinimos, mai cu seamă atunci cînd se credea în belșug."

Eduard Mörike, Mozart în drum spre Praga, Ed.Muzicală a Uniunii Compozitorilor, București, 1972.

[Neil Fulwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the caveat that the title should probably have been rendered as ‘Mozart en route to Prague’ - the novella is about an unexpected stop-off, not the journey itself - David Luke’s translation serves Mörike’s minor classic well. A slight tale, something of a divertissement, but given weight by an ironic commentary on the artist as wage-slave and the public perception of their work as mere entertainment. There is also a strand of melancholy, in the shadow of Mozart’s untimely death, that haunts the final pages.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novella left me unmoved. I found it criminally boring.

[Rosa Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

More complex then it seems at the first read. Quite nice.

[SilveryTongue · Rating 4 out of 5]

3, 5 estrellas

[Iamthesword · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you know those history documentations on TV that are one part reenactment, one part documentary with historians and eventually contemporary witnesses sitting in a blue box commentating? This short novel felt like a nineteenth century version of it. Mörike recreates one day in the life of Mozart, sometimes invoking documents as proof, sometimes creating whole scenes of and dialogue. It was by no means bad, but as with this documentaries, it is rather something to consume when you are too lazy to watch/read something more complicated and forget about it soon afterwards.

[Ann-Marie Messbauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This charming little work succeeds in bringing W.A. Mozart to life. By the end, it made me feel as if I had gotten to know him a little better as a person and made me feel once more a sad regret that he died so young, not even because of the many untold musical masterpieces he might have written, but also for the loss of his unique personality. The book is also interesting in that there are several smaller stories told within the framework of the larger narrative.

I have read a lot of books on Beethoven, and also some on Haydn and Mozart and the particular time and world they lived and worked in, and I understood many of the musical and cultural references. So I wonder how people who are not so familiar with all of that would enjoy the book.

[Shradha Ramakrishnan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short recount of a handful of instances through Mozart’s journey to Prague. With a very bittersweet air- the author takes you through these short recounts in Mozart’s pov giving you a sense of his personality.

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit boek werd gelezen in het duits. Het verhaal gaat over Mozart die samen met zijn vrouw een reis maakt naar Praag. Onderweg vlakbij een slot eet hij een Pomelo (verboden vrucht?), hij wordt gepakt op advies van de graaf, maar zijn vrouw die gelukkig een Mozart fan is, vertelt haar man dat hij een beroemde componist is. Eugenie familie van de gravin trouwt die dag en Mozart wordt samen met zijn vrouw uitgenodigd om die dag op het slot door te brengen. Het is een en al vrolijkheid (Heiterkeit ;-) ). Mozart speelt een aantal stukken en kust Eugenie en Francisca haar nichtje in de avond. De dag erna vertrekt hij met zijn vrouw in de koets naar Praag. De koets wordt geschenk door de graaf aan Mozart.

[Una · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eksotisks veltījums dzīves mazajiem priekiem. Eksotisks tāpēc, ka noskaņā un sižetā stipri atšķiras no tā, ko parasti lasu. Viss ir JAUKI un kaut kā līdzsvaroti.
Svarīgas problēmas šajā grāmatā ir tieši tās, kam citkārt uzmanību nepievērš: ka vajadzētu vairāk atpūsties, dzīvot veselīgāk, pavadīt laiku ar ģimeni un tā. Pasmaržot apelsīnus.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

My edition also contained "The Story of the Beautiful Lau" which I enjoyed more than "Mozart's Journey to Prague".

[Jelle Rijntjes · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a really enjoyable novelle. The atmosphere was nice. It really made me travel through time and brought me back to 1787 where I was sitting next to Mozart.

[Hugolane · Rating 4 out of 5]

My undergraduate advisor wrote his dissertation about Mörike, but somehow we never ended up reading it or discussing it. At some point I think I got through it, but what sticks in my memory is reading the first half of the novella and getting bogged down, so I get why a number of reviews here are unimpressed. Yet, precisely because I know it so highly regarded I took the opportunity to listen along when NDR Kultur played a reading of it over three days, something that required a fair amount of editing that greatly complicated reading along, and I am glad I did.

Some reviewers have complained that this story is not about anything, and as such it presages more modern writing. Yet to get upset about the absence of conventional plot, is to miss the point. The story based on a true event, an unexpected visit with a noble family that interrupted the Mozarts' trip to Prague where Mozart was to prepare the premier of Don Giovanni, is about the experience of life, both of mere mortals who go about their lives and are thankful to enjoy the art produced by others, and the genius artists who enrich our lives but are so driven by muses that they seem to have eaten the forbidden fruit of the garden of Eden. We also see the world defined by estates and legal inequality at work. While walking in a garden during a rest stop on their journey. Mozart is so captivated by the beauty of an orange that he picks it only to be caught by the man in charge of the garden. This leads to Mozart being taken to the house, where the mistress recognizes the the name and he and Constanze becomes their not entirely willing guests for the evening, not that Mozart spends much time cursing his lot. In the course of the evening, where the daughter of the household has been betrothed, Mozart intrigues the hosts, and among other things, the hosts end up gifting Mozart a quite nice coach with which to travel the rest of the way to Prague, but only the daughter fully grasps both her great fortune to have encountered the genius personally while sensing the cost his precarious position that will lead to his early death.

No it is not the greatest story I've ever read, but the relationship between Mozart and his hosts, as well as the clear metaphor of Mozart as a creature living in innocence almost as if in the Garden of Eden that most humans never experience make it something more and different from the more famous Amadeus. I like it enough that I'm even toying with the idea of having my students read this in translation, though I'm not sure yet how to fit it in an already tight schedule.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am happy to have stumbled on this little-remembered vignette of a story. However, it was quite popular during the mid-nineteenth century when it was written. The author was a German writer and poet, who became reclusive after the notoriety caused by this book. It seemed to have a possible basis in reality, but I cannot find any reference to an actual trip undertaken by Mozart and his wife to attend and oversee the premiere of his opera: DON GIOVANNI, although it did indeed, open in Prague.
So this is an imaginative and rather quirky tale showing both Mozart's high spirits and effortless producing of amazing music under any and all kinds of circumstances, as well as his ever-present brooding over an impending early demise.
While not much happens, plot-wise, there are several side narratives told by the fictional Mozart and his wife, Constanze, which serve as insights into themselves and their relationship. He is presented as a feckless, fun-loving semi-rogue, while she is the long-suffering, penny-pincher who shoulders most of the hard realities of life. Their love and marriage seemingly endures despite their underlying differences, but the challenges these cause are clearly exposed.
The story is told against the back drop of a wealthy family of admirers who are celebrating an engagement. The bride-to-be and her female cousin both vie for Mozart's attention right under the noses of both his wife and the fiance of the young woman. This situation is brushed off as acceptable and natural. However, I think it a disturbing indication of a fundamentally unstable marriage.
At the end, it is the engaged woman who mourns over the final foreboding lines.

[Ⰰⱃⰿⰰⱀⰴ Ⱆⰾⰴⰵⱃⰻⰽⱁ Ⱅⰵⱄⰾⰰ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Naprijed
Zagreb, 1965.
Preveo: Gustav Šamšalović
Izvorno objavljeno 1856.
Unutar korica "Njemački pripovjedači 19. stoljeća 2"
U vezi jezika prijevoda može se reći da je istovjetan današnjem hrvatskom standardnom jeziku osim nekih izuzetaka. Srbizam "protivdokaz" (prefiks protiv- je još na početku prošlog stoljeća Vatroslav Rožić naveo kao odliku koja odvaja dva književna jezika) te među ostalim srbizam/jugoslavizam "spratu". Nije mi se dalo pisati druge.
Ova kratka priča je uglavnom izložena u trećem licu u vidu sveznajućeg pripovjedača. Zanimljivost jest da se u naraciju gdjegdje uvlači i sam narator kao pisac u prvom licu jednine te se javlja prvo lice množine kao naracija.
Odvratni čisti realizam. Bljak! Podsjeća na one preloše Matoševe realističarske novele.
Nemojte pročitati.
¡Hasta luego!

[Miroslav Kožnar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nakolik je kniha věrným zobrazením skutečnosti se dočteme jednak v anotaci, dále pak v doslovu českého překladu Jiřího Malače.
Kniha líčí především selektivní, dílčí epizodu z Mozartova života. A to jeden ze čtyř Mozartových pobytů v Čechách.
S určitou uměleckou licencí zde Eduard Mörike, se svou inklinací ke zbožné, nekritické lásce k postavě hudebního skladatele, líčí na historicky nepodložených faktech, v geograficky neurčitých kulisách (sám Mörike Čechy nikdy nenavštívil), idylu venkovského pobytu a cesty rodiny Mozartovy z Vídně do Prahy.
Předestřen je vznik opery Don Giovanni, v náznacích je zde patrna obava z tušeného, tragického Mozartova konce.
Kniha, rozpačitě přijímána historiky i hudební vědou je cenným historickým svědectvím a stojí už proto za přečtení, aby si čtenář utvořil svůj názor na historickou postavu a předestřené události sám.

[Nathanael Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The English title of this book is indeed a bit misleading since it seems to stem from a mistranslation.
The German original that I have read has the title "Mozart auf der Reise nach Prag" which emphasises the journey itself, the way to Prague, not "Mozart's Journey to Prague" but rather "Mozart on his journey to Prague".

Besides that, the book is a nice read...

"Es ward ihr ganz gewiß, so ganz gewiß, daß dieser Mann sich schnell und unaufhaltsam in seiner eigenen Glut verzehre, daß er nur eine flüchtige Erscheinung auf der Erde sein könne, weil sie den Überfluß, den er verströmen würde, in Wahrheit nicht ertrüge." (~She was quite sure, so quite sure, that this man was consuming himself quickly and inexorably in his own ardour, that he could only be a fleeting appearance on earth, because in truth she could not bear the abundance he would exude.)

[Myriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Maar die avond al, toen zij zich verlustigde in het beminnelijke beeld dat uit de verhalen van Madame Mozart oprees, had haar toch heimelijk een ongrijpbare angst om hem bekropen; dit voorgevoel had daarna, zolang Mozart speelde, achter alle onuitsprekelijke bekoring, door heel de mysterieuze huivering van de muziek heen, op de bodem van haar bewustzijn doorgewerkt, en ten slotte was zij verrast, geschokt toen ook hijzelf zich iets in deze richting had laten ontvallen. Het werd voor haar een zekerheid, een zo volstrekte zekerheid: deze man zal snel en onstuitbaar in zijn eigen gloed verteren, hij kan slechts een vluchtige verschijning op aarde zijn, want deze aarde kan de overvloed die van hem uitstroomt in waarheid niet verdragen.'

[Ulrike Sikorski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aufgrund der Sprache nicht ganz einfach zu lesen und auch nicht wirklich kurzweilig, hat es mir beinahe Kopfschmerzen bereitet.

Eines jedoch hat selbst diese kurze Anekdote geschafft:

Sie hat einmal mehr dieses tiefe Gefühl von Traurigkeit in mir wachgerufen, das mich immer befällt, wenn ich über Mozart nachdenke.

Gefangen zwischen seinem unfassbaren Genius und dem Verlangen einfach nur Mensch zu sein.

Und so sagt das Buch recht treffend:

„Es ward ihr so gewiß, so ganz gewiß, daß dieser Mann sich schnell und unaufhaltsam in seiner eigenen Glut verzehre, daß er nur eine flüchtige Erscheinung auf der Erde sein könne, weil sie den Überfluß, den er verströmen würde, in Wahrheit nicht ertrüge.“

[Manuel Sanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro sencillo, cómodo de leer y breve relato. El autor en un hecho intranscendente, una parada del compositor en su viaje a Praga para extraña Don Giovanni, intenta mostrar la genialidad del compositor. Lo hace a través de pequeñas anécdotas. Utiliza varias voces narrativas. Muestra a Mozart de forma indirecta: su forma de ser generosa que le lleva a malgastar sus ingresos , sus impulsos para componer, sus triste labor de profesor de música y deja entrever su trágico final, pronto morirá. Mientras componía su Réquiem.

Dentro de su brevedad el autor hace un retrato de la vida del compositor muy ameno.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un momento particolare della vita di Mozart è raccontato dal poeta e scrittore biedermeier Eduard Moerike con notevole capacità narrativa. Dalla gioia di vivere e dalla consapevolezza del destino incombente scaturisce il desiderio eterno dell'uomo di fermare l'attimo bello. La melodia del suono, che nel contesto della vicenda è data dalla musica del "Don Giovanni" e delle "Nozze di Figaro", ben rappresenta l'appagamento che si realizza in brevi momenti di gioia indicibile. L'assurdità della vita che concede e poi priva l'uomo della beatitudine è espressa attraverso note di pura armonia che esaltano la capacità di assaporare la bellezza dell'attimo.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a few years ago. It wasn't quite as good as I'd hoped. This particular translation is from the 1950s. I found the conversation to be stilted in a number of areas. This is something that would likely be improved in a modern translation.
The novella was originally published about 70years after Mozart's death. It's difficult to know if this particular incident is based in fact or is completely fiction. Regardless, it follows Mozart on a walk and escapade that becomes a house party.
I found one of the stories unnecessary and confusing, along with the poor translation it gets a mediocre review.

[Ufuk Beyazova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mozart Prag yolunda / Eduart Mörike

Mozart'ın 1787 yılında Don Juan operasını sahnelemek için karısı Konstanze ile birlikte Viyana' dan Prag'a yolculuğunu anlatıyor. Geri dönüşlerle de sanatçının yaşamından ipuçları sunuyor bize. Mozart'ın eğlencelere, partilere düşkünlüğü, parasının hesabını bilmeyişi, karısının iki yakasını bir araya getirmek için çabalaması, geçinebilmek için öğrencilerini yeteneklerine bakmadan kabul etmesi, Salieri ile sürtüşmesi anlatılıyor. Yolda bir kontun şatosunda mola verirler. Bahçede turunç ağaçları vardır. Kopardığı bir turunç Mozart'a esin verir. Kitap filme de alınmış.

[Beruthiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was für ein erlesenes Kleinod!
In wunderschöner, bilderreicher Sprache bietet uns der Autor klitzekleinen Einblick in das Leben Mozarts, der doch so viel enthält. Hier steht Heiteres neben Traurigem und lässt den Leser bewegt und nachdenklich zurück.
(Jedenfalls mich. Ja, ich liebe Mozart und Mörike und Klassiker, die eine so schöne Sprache bieten. Alles zusammen ist einfach wunderbar. )

Und Theresa Reichl (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W1xT... - etwa bei Minute 11:23) hat Recht: Die eigentliche starke Frau in dem Stück ist Constanze - die Managerin der Marke Mozart.

[Luise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mein lieber Herr Musik- und Komponistenverein! Welch Qual. Ich habe mich in den letzten Jahren immer mal wieder freiwillig (!) an diesen feinen kleinen Klassikern versucht. Die altertümliche Sprache ist stets so eine Sache, aber in diesem Fall erschien sie mir besonders anstrengend.

Ich bin sehr froh, dass ich das niemals als Pflichtlektüre durchstehen musste. 2 Sterne, weil es mich dennoch phasenweise unterhielt.