Living Away from Home When Home is Available

[Chaszz]

I read that Hummel as a boy was accepted as a pupil of Mozart and lived in Mozart's home in Vienna with free tuition and board. I find this slightly odd because Hummel's family was also living in Vienna at the time and the father held a good position and could easily have supported his son at home, or at least paid board. Why would Mozart, who was always busy and sometimes in financial straits, have wanted to take on the extra load of having the boy under his roof for free? Was this custom based on the old notion of apprencticeship, and/or does it have any relation to the old aristocratic practice where a son was put under another noble's roof for years to be raised? A kind of strange practice in general, anyway, by today's customs. Or perhaps, I just thought of this, a free copyist was always welcome?

[Gurn Blanston]

Well, I hadn't glimmered the oddity of it before, but I have always inferred from the situation and the references to it that it was indeed an apprenticeship sort of situation. Young Nepomuk was only 9 at the time, so I don't know how much help he was as a copyist or even a page turner. But having him there accomplished 2 purposes that I can see; first, and most important, he was readily available for lessons at the drop of a hat, and second, he had an opportunity to see at first hand what the life of a musician was like. If that didn't scare him off, then he just might be cut out for the life.

[monafam]

I have only read an "Early Life" of Mozart, which essentially stopped before he was on his own, with a family etc. so I'm not familar with this.

How old were Mozart's children?  Did this cause and competition?  Was there anything about this boy that was particularly promising?

[Gurn Blanston]

I have only read an "Early Life" of Mozart, which essentially stopped before he was on his own, with a family etc. so I'm not familar with this.

How old were Mozart's children?  Did this cause and competition?  Was there anything about this boy that was particularly promising?

Oh, well one was unborn and the other was a tot, so no problem there. Hummel at 7 was a first rate pianist. His father left him with Mozart for 2 reasons; to get that last bit of finishing and to learn what he could about being a traveling child prodigy. Hardly anyone better prepared to teach him about those things!     FWIW, the Hummel Road Show was wildly successful. 

[monafam]

Thanks for the information!  When you say "last bit of finishing" what does this mean in the context of a 9 year old?

Did Hummel travel as much as the young Mozart did?  :-)  Was Mozart the one that took him, or was that Hummel's dad?

[Gurn Blanston]

Thanks for the information!  When you say "last bit of finishing" what does this mean in the context of a 9 year old?

Did Hummel travel as much as the young Mozart did?  :-)  Was Mozart the one that took him, or was that Hummel's dad?

You know, polishing his technique, giving him performance tips, that sort of thing. Maybe expanding his repertoire too.

No, it was Hummel Sr. that took him. IIRC, when Mozart went to Berlin and all in 1788-9 they went to see Hummel play, as the Grand Tour was in town at the time. He did travel all over Europe, I remember reading something about him being in London for a while too, and quite successful there. Don't know if they ever made it to Italy though.

[monafam]

Thanks again!  So it was more for Hummel the pianist to get finishing -- I think I was thinking in terms of as a composer.

Still has to be interesting -- Mozart thinking ("I was playing this when I was 4!")   

[secondwind]

I read that Hummel as a boy was accepted as a pupil of Mozart and lived in Mozart's home in Vienna with free tuition and board. . . . Why would Mozart, who was always busy and sometimes in financial straits, have wanted to take on the extra load of having the boy under his roof for free? Was this custom based on the old notion of apprencticeship, . . ? A kind of strange practice in general, anyway, by today's customs. Or perhaps, I just thought of this, a free copyist was always welcome?

I remember seeing some television program (I wish I could remember the name) about types of music education that compared the traditions in different cultures.  Evidently in India, it is common for a music student to live with the master, accompany him everywhere, be a sort of servant or assistant to him, and the music education can and does happen whenever and wherever.  I imagine that for Hummel living in the Mozart household the situation would have been similar. 

[Chaszz]

Gurn, thanks for your info on this; I was without a PC for a few days and couldn't read it.

Though I bow to your knowledge, I'd certainly think composition study would be a part of it, as Hummel was already an accomplished pianist. Also, why couldn't a boy of 9 or 10 be a copyist? He was already obviously reading music like a champ and probably writing it also. And wouldn't copying be considered a good practice for study? As when Bach absorbed Vivaldi's concertos by copying them out. Another aspect of this is that oftimes composers like Mozart were frantically getting ready for concerts at the last minute and desperately needed parts copied out by anyone available (Brahms even helped Wagner do this once).

It is nice to correspond with you again after the old days on the Beethoven Reference Site. Are you still commuting to music on the Texas prairie?

[karlhenning]

Gurn, thanks for your info on this; I was without a PC for a few days and couldn't read it.

Though I bow to your knowledge, I'd certainly think composition study would be a part of it, as Hummel was already an accomplished pianist. Also, why couldn't a boy of 9 or 10 be a copyist?

Similar reasons why a boy of 9 or 10, even with some talent for language, probably would not be hired as an editor.