Mozart’s Mysterious Death: A Conspiracy Theory

Ignatius Sokol

Сomposer, musician

Music is the story of how "external" gave rise to the "internal" - an incredibly complex process of sequential binding of external events, experiences and inner transformation. Understanding the process is dependent on a person being gifted. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) had a wonderful gift to hear his time and be unique in its interpretation.

“As death, when we come to consider it closely, is the true goal of our existence, I have formed during the last few years such close relationships with this best and truest friend of mankind that death's image is not only no longer terrifying to me, but is indeed very soothing and consoling.” ― Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Everything happening in music of his country was important for Mozart's creative development; new phenomenon in instrumental music, the birth of singspiel, the path to the highest achievements of Joseph Haydn. Wolfgang knew well the music of his contemporary European artists, due to help of his father Leopold. They travelled to several cities in Italy, and also in Paris, Munich, Mannheim, Prague and other European music centers, where Amadeus could observe directly the development of new creative directions. Nothing went past him.

The self-consciousness of the artist developed not only in Salzburg or Vienna. His feelings of inner independence and self-esteem matured thanks to the spiritual atmosphere of the Enlightenment as the self-sentiment of a new formation of man. He was committed to his early life experience and attained a rare sensitivity to all he came in contact with. Mozart’s susceptibility was phenomenal. But moreover, the independence of his artistic thinking was even more amazing. A genius only can perceive, absorb, rethink, repeat nothing and create new, dictating his own rules!

Many events, discoveries and phenomena, in my opinion, affected the formation of the worldview, musical taste and style as well as Mozart’s civic stand. There are a few of them following:

• The first half of the 1700s: the golden age of opera in France and Italy.
• In 1742 the Opera House in Berlin was founded.
• 1751-1788 were important years in the history of mankind: thick volumes were slowly appearing in print as charges of a tremendous revolutionary force. "Encyclopedia" (by D'Alembert, Diderot, with the participation of Rousseau, Voltaire, Grimm, Holbach, and others) were published. It turned to be the first program of a new advanced worldview of the Third Estate, coming to replace the feudal-absolutist system. A system out-of-date, but held tenaciously to power. That was the most effective, most efficient shelling of ideology of the old world.
• One of the most important events of the 1760s was the opera reform by C.W. Gluck ("Orpheus and Eurydice", 1762), which resulted in the penetration of the dramatic theater principles on the opera stage.
• In 1778 the theater "La Scala" was founded in Milan.
• In 1790 I. Kant published "Critique of Judgment" - rational foundation of aesthetics as the science of sensory perception and its role in conceptual knowledge.

Mozart’s implausible and sudden death gave much food for thought. Since 1791, the rumor that he was enviously poisoned has never subsided. With little effort you can find numerous sources, scattered in various countries, about Mozart’s poisoning. Their authors could hardly have been more stupid or irresponsible than some of his contemporaries, trying to defend this version of the cause of the death of the "God of Music".
Some authors have observed another version as the most likely reason for the sudden death of the great composer, according to which the "God of Music" could have become a victim of the Freemasons, i.e. their own brothers of the lodge who could not forgive him that in the opera "The Magic Flute" Mozart dared to reveal their mysteries. Therefore, he was killed by the secret council’s verdict. It is well known that Mozart, according to the spirit of the times, became a member of the Masonic Lodge in 1784.

However, some researchers reject the Freemasons involvement in the conspiracy. It is pointless to look for Mozart's murderer among the Masons, for the Lodge brothers had to be grateful to him. The genius managed to bring to the public "the ideals of human brotherhood" with his "The Magic Flute" within difficult times for the Masonic movement, in the days of their persecution. Emperor Joseph II was not a Mason, but unlike his mother Maria Theresa, saw nothing but contempt for the feelings of ersatz religion in Masonry, and tolerated the Lodge. But soon after Emperor Leopold II accession to the throne the times changed.

The political orientation of the government of Leopold II changed and the Freemasons lost their former favor. It was regarded as a center of political and religious liberalism. Masons were openly named enemies of the people, religion and the imperial house. Most of the members of the Order began to leave the Lodge. Perhaps under the pressure of these circumstances, Mozart began work on a Masonic opera "The Magic Flute", which glorified the Masonic ideals.

In addition, during the same period he was taken up with a project to create a new Masonic Lodge called "Grotto" based on the ideas of reform. Naturally, it got noticed by the imperial court, which had eyes and ears everywhere. Of course, the reaction of the new Emperor, who staged the persecution of the Masons, could not be friendly. Mozart stopped being an eminent person in Emperor’s eyes; he became dangerous to the imperial house and men. One after another, his last operas failed in Vienna.

Everything indicated a breaking point at this time. Emperor Leopold decided to establish the "true Masonic Lodge", which would consist of "good" and "obedient" Masons, "who should shake off suspicions of revolutionary intrigue and witness the most loyal patriotic feelings". Mozart did not attest his loyalty. Mozart’s fate was foregone, but he continued working on "The Magic Flute", fearing to leave it unfinished and being well aware that the clouds are gathering over him. Unfortunately, he was not mistaken.

Most likely Mozart was a victim of the imperial court conspiracy as an active member of the Masonic movement, which Emperor Leopold and his entourage considered mortal danger to the existing government and his personal authority. Paris was a frightening example of such peril for members of the supreme authority in Austria, where members of a secret society - the Jacobins - overthrew the hated monarchy two years previously and proclaimed "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" for all people. It is the fear of an impending revolution that embodied the Masonic movement in Vienna made Leopold and the government circles take vigorous measures for removing the leaders of Viennese lodges from the political arena by force and establish full control over the Freemasons activities.

The same fate befell Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was a very prominent figure in the Masonic movement in the capital of Austria in the final years of his life, and did not want to bow to the will of the Emperor. To find executors of the death penalty imposed by the Emperor was not particularly complex: there were many people inclined toward Mozart with hostility. The large-scale destruction of evidence and people involved in Mozart’s life and work of the last months is the best acknowledgement of the hypothesis: Christoph Anton Migazzi (Archbishop of Vienna since 1761), a close friend Franz Hofdemel (Mozart’s masonic "brother", who committed suicide the day after the composer's death), Gottfried van Swieten (a personal physician to the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa), Franz Xaver Süssmayr (the last Mozart’s student).

The “God of Music” did not die suddenly, he felt the approach of his death; he heard its steps, “had the taste of death on my tongue”. His death steps are etched in the Requiem, in its rhythm and tempo the pace of death is felt. Slow death. Mozart realized that he was not well and was preparing for his eternal rest. No wonder, shortly before his death, he wrote: “As death, when we come to consider it closely, is the true goal of our existence, I have formed during the last few years such a close relationship with this best and truest friend of mankind that death's image is not only no longer terrifying to me, but is indeed very soothing and consoling, and I thank my God for graciously granting me the opportunity... of learning that death is the key which unlocks the door to our true happiness.”

Generally recognized that the Requiem Mass in D minor summarizes his creative findings, completing the path of the composer. I believe that in his tragically short life, the last years were the pinnacle of his creative development and his true prosperity was never realized. His life was not over; it was broken off.

Wolfgang Mozart, in his finest creative period, at the peak of his powers, was untimely cut short...