Zaide and Zaire: The Dark Ladies of Mozart

. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this, but I enjoy Mozart’s music. Of his many operas, there is one obscure… never-finished work that has grabbed my attention. So much, I’ve even devoted a year or so trying to make it a Young Adult (YA) novel, for the opera screams of YA struggles. Historically speaking, the characters could have likely been teens. And, Mozart was quite young when he began the opera. Zaide: a work influenced by Voltaire’s Zaire

In the early 18th century, French Philosopher Voltaire changed the course of tragedies. Up to that point, the tragic elements stemmed from a protagonist’s moral flaws leading to a downfall.  Dark and depressing, Voltaire’s play Zaire changed the rules. The lead character, a slave girl, meets her tragic end through no fault of her own. She is a victim of circumstance. Zaire being one of his earlier works, the same themes repeat throughout his later writings. Candide his most famous.

Such a drama likely reflected the mentality of the general populace better than the traditional tragedies of the time. How many 18th century Europeans saw themselves as a passive receivers of fate in spite of their self-perceived virtue?

Though beyond talented, Mozart was such an individual. The year was 1778. To say Mozart struck a run of bad luck is an understatement. He had returned to Salzburg in utter defeat. Nearly two years earlier, Mozart’s father, Leopold, had butted heads with Archbishop Colloredo--Mozart and Leopold’s employer. Leopold demanded that Colloredo let them tour Europe. Knowing his employees wanted to seek other employment, Colloredo denied the request. Furthermore, he dared the stubborn Leopold to quit. Leopold backed down. However, he had Mozart quit, with the understanding that his son would tour Europe and find a position that would support the entire family.

The idea thrilled Mozart. He wanted to go on his own. But Leopold didn’t trust his son, particularly around women. He insisted Mozart’s mother, Anna Maria, accompany.

Eventually, Mozart and Anna Maria left. While on the tour, Mozart discovered Mannheim. The city was beautiful, full of great music. He met a talented family, the Webers, whom he enjoyed very much, particularly their daughter Aloysia Weber--a beautiful singer. Love between the two bloomed. Mozart decided to tell his mother that he should travel with the Webers, and she should go back to Salzburg. Worried about Mozart’s desires, Anna Maria wrote a letter to Leopold detailing Mozart’s plan. The indignant patriarch responded with a harsh reply. He reamed out his wife for letting Mozart get mixed up with women. In addition, he condemned Mozart for being selfish, and not making his family a priority. He commanded that they leave Mannheim. The two separated from the Webers and went off to Paris.

Mozart hated Paris. His ventures produced no sustainable employment opportunities. As savings began to wane, Anna Maria became sick. Because of the low funds, she refused to seek medical help. Her condition worsened. By the time she sought a doctor, it was too late. Days later, Anna Maria died.

Unemployed and destitute, Mozart worked his way back toward Salzburg. On the way home, he proclaimed his love for Aloysia. Now a successful singer, she rejected him.  Thus, Mozart returned to Salzburg, where his father heaped guilt upon his son, blaming Mozart for Anna Maria’s death and lambasting him for failing to seek employment.

Colloredo took the young Mozart back into his service. Trapped in Salzburg, Mozart likely bemoaned his fate. Surrendering to the cruel hands of destiny, he poured himself into an opera without commission, an uncommon action for struggling composers. A devotion without a guarantee of an income illustrates his passion for the source material. This opera was Zaide.

 

Although never finished, Zaide differs from Zaire in various ways, yet the music reflects such tragic pinings of Zaire. The apex example of these moods is the aria ruhe sanft. The protagonist, Zaide, sings desires that seem within reach, but are unattainable. She dreams of her love Gomatz, enslaved and chained, yet she surrenders. Fate will never allow her dreams to come true. With the hope of a caged nightingale singing--the theme of a later Zaide aria--she sneaks a sleeping Gomatz her picture. She pleads for the action to offer one small relief in her miserable existence—that Gomatz’s pain might be eased knowing he is loved. Such are the dark moods reflected in both Mozart’s Zaide and and Voltaire’s Zaire.

Unfortunately, Mozart never finished Zaide. Several reasons may have caused this. Receiving a commission to work on the opera Idomeneo was likely the primary factor. But, why did he never return to it? Did his moods improve? Perhaps the source material was too tragic for the opera-going crowds’ sensibilities. Fortunately, his wife (who happened to be Aloysia’s sister) kept the opera’s music--music that reflects the raw emotions of an artistically unfettered composer.