At least once in his or her lifetime, almost every person living in the United States hears the word Mozart in some way, and almost every life in the United States has been affected by him in some way. Hardly anyone who hasn't studied music knows that Mozart wrote Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, yet we hear it everywhere, in nurseries, homes, and humming on the streets. His music pours out of radios, fills concert halls, and takes up the pages of music books. It's the story that everybody is in awe of; one of the most famous composers ever, the one who started out as a toddler and quickly worked his way to the very top, performing for Europe's very best when he was younger than my younger brother is right now. His father, Leopold Mozart, is less known, but still has entire concerts devoted to him all over the world. They are known as the classic musical family for these reasons. And just like always, everybody forgets Nannerl.
It's hard to forget somebody when you've never heard of her in your life, but Maria Anna Mozart, the "lost" sister of Wolfgang, was once just as, if not more, popular than her younger brother. Their father made sure that both of them were exposed to music in infancy, and she quickly picked up the piano and harpsichord as a young child, and proved to be brilliant. Leopold, bursting with joy, had her play in the finest European cities, showing off her extraordinary talent. Though it isn't exact how different Maria Anna (Nannerl for short) and Wolfgang were in age, it is known that Wolfgang would watch his sister play as a very small child, and soon became interested in the instrument himself. He quickly picked up the piano, and taught himself how to play his sister's pieces at a much younger age. His father, seeing how fast his son learned, rushed into teaching him more, even though he was only about five years old. Suddenly, Nannerl found herself as the accompianist rather than the soloist, and was even restricted from playing the violin most of the time. As the family went on the road, they were both complimented, but she was seen mostly as the sibling of the genius.
It can't be doubted, however, that Nannerl was quite the composer herself. She put her pen to the paper many times, but none of her work is alive today with her name on it specifically, only her brother's. Historians speculate that some of Wolfgang's compositions were indeed Nannerl's, but nothing can be proven, centuries later. Her legacy died down, and she stopped touring as a teenager, staying behind while her brother flew out into the world. Maria Anna Mozart died a blind widow, with her work lost.
The reason for her loss of the spotlight, however, wasn't because of the birth of her brother, or her lack of skills. The two were very good friends as children, and her talen increased as she grew older. It was the society, however, that barred her from every becoming as famous as her brother, and living up to her potential. In the French film Nannerl, la sœur de Mozart (Mozart's Sister in English), it shows Nannerl being repeatedly told not to play the violin because it wasn't proper. When she reminds her father of the work she had written, he scoffs and replies that it was garbage. No matter where they went, she was always considered the pianist, or sometimes singer, and nothing more. After reaching the marrying age, she wasn't allowed to go out into the world anymore to perform, and began her life as a wife and mother instead. This can't help but make you wonder that if the Mozarts' first born child had been a boy, he would have become one of the greatest composers of all time as well.
Nannerl is lucky that there are still people who remember her, and that books and films have been produced on her life. Though none of her work exists with her name on it, she gets the credit for inspiring her brother, and is remembered in a sympathetic sense. But how many more Nannerls were there in music history? Today, many violinists are women, but most of the pieces they play are by male composers only. People say that a woman is beind every successful man, but how many women were there really that we don't know about? How many other people could have been successful and famous, if only they had been born a different gender?
Nannerl's story doesn't just deserve sympathy; it should be a wake-up call, to look around and remember the great women musicians in the world. Even Elizabeth I was a known pianist in court, along with her other siblings, and Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, otherwise known as Madame de Pompadour in Versailles, was celebrated as a musician of her time. And one cannot forget the more modern Nadia Boulanger, and the also French Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre. Unfortunately, one does forget them, and instead focuses on the male composers of history. In school we did a project on composers and musicians pre-1970, and nobody chose a female pre-1900.
She was a Mozart, just like her brother, and just as talented as a child. The next time you hear Mozart pouring out of the radio, think of Maria Anna, and remember her contribution.
Kat, I saw your post about Mozart and was suddenly inspired. I didn't mean to copy or anything, but I guess it's Mozart day or something. :)
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