So he began his studies in Philosophy, a two-year course that included Logic, Ethics, and Physics (the Philosophy course was mandatory for all students, after which they could choose a final specialization of study: Theology, Law, Medicine). On 22 July 1738, during the stately ceremony held at 8 o'clock in the Great Hall of the University, the Baccalaureates (a sort of "pre" degree) were proclaimed in the order of their scores. Leopold ranked 49th out of 54 students; he was not the most brilliant graduate.
Something, however, led him astray from his university engagements (possibly musical studies, his true passion? Or had he met the woman who was to become his wife? Probably both of these elements had an impact on him) and in 1739 he was expelled from the university for a lack of commitment and poor attendance. He reappears later in the role of valet de chambre with the job of violin musician for Count Johann Baptist von Thurn-Valsassina and Taxis, Canonical of the Cathedral. During those years of study and musical insight and depth, not to mention being self-taught as we have no mention of his teachers' names (with the exception of some probable supervision from his acquaintance, Eberlin, who was the organist for the Court and then Kapellmeister), he composed his first works: the six Church and Chamber sonatas op. 1, dedicated to his "master", a commonly used expression that in that epoch.
He also challenged himself in the composition of singer; vocal pieces with soloists and a chorus accompanied by an organ and numerous instruments. The ambition and the perseverance were not lacking if three years later, in 1743, Leopold Mozart was hired as fourth violin in the orchestra of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, Leopold Anton Freiherr von Firmian. Thanks to this post, initially without a salary, eventually guaranteed a regular income and even if he was not wealthy, he was able to marry Anna Maria Pertl in 1747. The violinists were also interrelated with the violin and piano teachers to the young members of the chorus of the Cathedral, an experience that proved useful for future teaching abilities: the instruction provided for his own children and his drafting methods for the violin, which beheld its first edition in 1756, the year of Wolfgang's birth. His career seemed to be progressing at a good pace.
In 1758, he was promoted to second violin in the Princely Orchestra and Composer of the Court with an average annual salary of 400 guldens (florins). And finally, in 1763, the Prince Archbishop Siegmund Christoph von Schrattenbach, to which he had dedicated his text "A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing", nominated him Vice-Kapellmeister. To give an idea of the relative salaries of the musicians in that period, imagine that in 1759, when Franz Joseph Haydn was at the service of Count von Morzin, he earned 200 florins annually and in 1761, when he served Prince Hesterhazy as Vice-Kapellmeister, he earned 400 florins annually.
It was in 1763 that Leopold began requesting long paid leaves of absence to take his children on tour in the role of child prodigies. He dedicated his life to musical education and to the success of his children, glorifying himself and maybe excessively proud toward the Salzburg community for his early success (which was by him abundantly emphasized in his letters that he attentively sent to his employer and fellow citizens).
The humiliation of not succeeding in obtaining the coveted position of Kapellmeister transformed his personality into that of a perpetually suspicious man, always ready and waiting to complain about real or presumed intrigues that would threaten him or his children. Conversely, the arrogance in which he expressed himself as too sure of himself and his opinions, rendered him unpopular to many, both in Salzburg and in the European Courts where he spent time. This character trait was evidently passed on to his son, who often behaved haughtily toward the other musicians, regarding without exception, all of them, as inferior to him.
Leopold Mozart: man, musician, teacher, father
The man
The ambitious character and his justifiably human element of envy distinguished Leopold as a man who was perpetually dissatisfied with his condition, which may possibly be due to the influence of the characteristic attributes of the Suevians, who were described as moody while at the same time obstinate in their pursuit of attaining their goal, not to mention crafty (and of this craftiness, especially in business, we find ample testimony in the epistolary of which we will examine in the following chapters of this book). His cultural formation which was reasonably born from the Age of Enlightenment, allowed him a glimpse of a potential reality made up of hypocrites who supported the weak and the worthy.
Life's reality, exposed and often lived unhappily like an insult to the artistic propositions offered by the Mozart family, saw him arouse enthusiasm for the great praise, the gifts and the honors received. But also to gradually assess the distance between promises made by the nobility and the relative decisions, among them the sudden infatuation for his children's' extraordinary gifts (especially that of Wolfgang) and the likewise abrupt about-face of a shallow aristocracy, ever ready to welcome the "newest arrival" which over-shadowed whoever was in the limelight (especially if, like Wolfgang, one was not able to manage the delicate balance of the relations with he who felt superior by privilege).
He was certainly, as reported by many, a man "who was difficult to feel a fondness for" and "of a sarcastic spirit", even if he had many friends that spent time with him and who held him in high esteem. No doubt they had the patience to listen to his repetitive recriminations against whoever did not recognize the merits that he believed to possess. Dominikus Hagenauer, son of a friend and the Mozart's landlord of their apartment in Getreidegasse, writes in his diary upon the occasion of the death of Leopold: "He was a man of great intelligence and wisdom (...) who in his own homeland had the misfortune of being the victim of persecution and was appreciated less by us than in other great European cities". These words seem to resonate with the complaints of Leopold, as well as the descriptions of his astounding successes (according to him naturally, given that his word was often not confirmed by witnesses) during the course of his journeys. Descriptions, it should be remembered, that were included in the letters sent to Hagenauer's father (and re-proposed who knows how many times upon return from his travels) that were destined to be disseminated, as expressly arranged by Leopold Mozart to the Salzburg people until they reached the Archiepiscopal throne.
In truth, even outside of Salzburg, Leopold Mozart did not always receive testimony of a kind character. In a letter from Vienna written by the musician Johann Adolph Hasse in September 1769, we find a description which is, all in all, quite favorable: "a man spirited, crafty and masterful...he is refined and courteous as are his children", though the term "crafty" may possibly not be the most flattering interpretation. A year later, Hasse revises his opinion in a letter from Naples (where Leopold and Wolfgang were staying during the course of their first journey to Italy): "The father? From what I gather, he is in any case constantly dissatisfied, even while here, he made the same complaints; he is a bit too devoted to his son and does, therefore, do his best to spoil him".
Leopold's subtle inclination to rebellion, likewise criticized in Wolfgang's character, was witnessed by those who knew him, such as his classmate from youth, Franziskus Freysinger, who remembers him as "a good and honest man", and also with quite a lot of admiration for "how he made fun of the priests regarding their vocation (the priesthood -- A/N)". The rebellious character and probably a bit of impudence in his youth seem to reflect in his records from the Dean at the University of Salzburg that cite his expulsion for having attended his lessons only once or twice, noting that the young Leopold "received his sentence and walked off as if he were indifferent".