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Mozart's letters: 10 wonderful, emotional and bizarre quotes
Mozart was a prolific letter-writer, and these quotes show us some startling aspects to the composer's personality: scatological, funny, romantic and poignant - take a look through Mozart's private letters.
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1. I kiss you millions of times
"An astonishing number of kisses are flying about! I see a whole crowd of them. Ha! Ha! I have just caught three — They are delicious… I kiss you millions of times." - To Constanze Mozart, September 1790
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2. So simple
"To win applause one must write stuff so simple that a coachman might sing it." - To Leopold Mozart, 1782
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3. I'll break your head
"Write to me and don't be so lazy. Otherwise I shall have to give you a thrashing. What fun! I'll break your head." - To his sister, June 1770
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4. Love true true true until the grave
"To every good friend I send my greet feet; addio nitwit. Love true true true until the grave, if I live that long and do behave." - To his cousin, Marianne, November 1777
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5. A good figure
"She’s only pretty in that she has two small black eyes and a good figure." - To Leopold Mozart, about Constanze, his future wife
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6. Cold as ice
"If people could see into my heart, I should almost feel ashamed — all there is cold, cold as ice." - To Constanze Mozart, September 1790
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7. The opera has made my fingers painful
"I can’t write much, because writing so many parts of the opera has made my fingers painful." - To Leopold Mozart, 1770
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8. I am a composer
"I am a composer, and I was born a Kapellmeister. I must not and cannot bury my Gift for Composing." - To Leopold Mozart, February 1778
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9. Religion
"Friends who have no religion cannot be long our friends." - To Leopold Mozart, February 1778
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10. Death on my tongue
"I already have the taste of death on my tongue, and who can support my dearest Constanze if you do not stay?" - To his sister-in-law Sophie, December 1791
