Salzburg's most famous son is a certain Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as you will easily see - from the Mozart concerts liberally advertised around town, to the expensive Mozart chocolate balls sold in all the gift shops.
When it comes to classical music I am a notorious duffer. Previously my nearest experience of the great composer was playing his rival / nemesis Antonio Salieri in the play 'Amadeus' by Peter Shaffer, a work that - narrated from Salieri's envious view point - cannot be strictly relied upon to give a balanced opinion on "sh*t-talking Mozart with his botty-smacking wife". So whilst in Salzburg I resolved to learn more at one of the two museums devoted to Mozart.
Mozart's Geburtshaus (birthplace) is located at Getreidegasse 9 in the Aldstadt. I wandered through the Mirabell Gardens to the Mozart Wohnhaus (residence) on Makartplatz just north of the Salzach however. Entrance was €6 (a combined ticket to both museums would have been €10). With this you get an audio-guide packed with commentary and information, all keyed to the displays and exhibits upstairs. Indeed each painting, letter, sheaf of music, or display case seems to have its own individual entry.
The museum is undeniably interesting. Housed in the former 'dancing-master's house' that the Mozart family moved into once father (himself a musician) and prodigal son had made some money from their travels. While north of the river, the size of the building (it has its own parqueted ballroom), and its central location near the Schloss Mirabell speak of the family's success. The ballroom contains the exhibits of most immediate interest - shooting targets (Wolfgang was a keen rifleman), and the young Mozart's own piano. Past letters and portraits of patrons there are displays dedicated to Mozart senior, Wolfgang's sister, and his mother's death in Paris. Finally there a very tricky audio-visual map of Europe that narrates the travels of father and son, from Verona to London, from Paris to Pressburg (modern day Bratislava).
But did it teach me anything new about Mozart? Well, domestically it disagrees with the central premise of 'Amadeus' - that Mozart was haunted by the disapproving spectre of his forbidding father. Their relationship, from this museum, seems as close as any in those times. The audio guide does coyly hint at Wolfgang's 'amorous' nature though. However the museum only covers up until his departure from Salzburg at the age of 24. There is a lot left unsaid. Particularly the big picture - why is Mozart so feted? What made him such a genius? Or (and this is perhaps a different question) why is he regarded as such a genius? He was clearly a child prodigy, but why are his adult works so revered? In many ways, the disappointment was that the unspoken assumption was that by coming you already subscribed to the Mozart fan club, and did not need these background questions answered. Sadly, I did. And I felt that these answers would have made a visit much better.
From journal High Drama in Salzburg