Dear Amadé,

Welsome to Vienna! How glad we are that you were at last able to be rid of that tiresome Archbishop! It seems you were thrown out of the palace the same week I was thrown into motherhood! You are the only man I know who can make a kick in the seat look dignified! And darling little Maria Anna Sabina Lange quite agrees. Only 10 days old and she is already smiling in her sleep, as if to say: Now is your chance to show the silly Viennese what you are truly made of. You never listened no matter how many times I told you – but don’t worry about your father’s small view of the world. He’ll come around – and if he doesn’t, that’s his loss. At least you have a father to grouse at you… I am afraid I still miss my chèr Papa terribly. I try to be cheerful & sing for his memory & I wish he could see little “Nannette” as we call her! When I perform, I always imagine him sitting in one of the boxes waiting to bring me flowers afterwards I am starting to wish that I hadn’t pushed you away. But you still remind me so much of those happy times when we all sang together and you would try out your new clavier compositions for us & I can’t bear to think of that now…

♥ A.W.L.

(Exerpts from Letters to Mozart © 2006 Kristin Serafini.)