Bölzlschiessen
Encyclopedia
Bölzlschiessen was a form of domestic recreation that involved shooting darts at decorated targets with an air gun. It is remembered as an activity of Leopold Mozart
, his family, and their friends. The most famous participant was Leopold's son Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
, who began playing at the age of ten.
When the Mozart family were the hosts, the game was usually played indoors. As of 1773 they had lived in the Tanzmeisterhaus ("Dancing master's house"), where their apartments included the studio of the dancing master who had lived there. They used this large room for concerts, dancing, and also Bölzlschiessen. Gatherings took place on Sundays and holidays after lunch. The shooting was followed by card games and a stroll in the Mirabell
Park.
The game seems to have been part of the Mozarts' identity as a family: when Wolfgang and his mother left Salzburg in 1777 for his lengthy (and unsuccessful) job-hunting tour, others took their turns at Bölzlschiessen back home in Salzburg. At one point, Wolfgang wrote home to Leopold, specifying the form of a Bölzlschiessen target he wanted used (see below).
was from Augsburg
where she lived; he was heading toward Mannheim
on his job-hunting tour. The target was provided for Wolfgang by his father Leopold; evidently Wolfgang served as honorary Bestgeber despite being away from home.
The verse on the target reads (in English):
. Several targets portray her in various ways forlornly seeking a husband. On one target, the poem read as follows (verse translation by Halliwell):
Another commemorates an event in which she tripped on a step in a local store, exposing her posterior in public. Yet another celebrates her birthday by depicting her in a cradle as Leopold's violin pupil, the castrato
Francesco Ceccarelli
plays her a lullaby. Ceccarelli was Bestgeber on this occasion.
is known to history as the librettist
and impresario of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute
, written in 1791. In 1780, he had brought his theatrical trouple to Salzburg for an extended stay, and during this time befriended the Mozart family. He is recorded as participating in Bölzlschiessen with them, and the target that portrayed him was based on his reputation as a womanizer. According to Schroeder it shows him "trifling with one woman while another waits patiently for him to come to her."
Schroeder suggests that one of the men portrayed may have been the Mozarts' employer, Archbishop Colloredo
. Halliwell hypothesizes that it was Jakob Alois Karl Langenmantel, a functionary in Augsburg who had mocked Mozart for wearing his emblem of knighthood from the Pope (the Order of the Golden Spur; see Mozart and Roman Catholicism
).
The action Mozart describes in his letter also is mentioned in his letters to Maria Anna Thekla Mozart and in his musical canons
; for discussion, see Mozart and scatology
.
bolt". -l is a diminutive
suffix, which induces an Umlaut
on its stem; hence Bölzl "little bolt, dart". "Schiessen" means "to shoot" or "shooting".
In German usage the word is most often spelled Bölzlschießen, using an Eszett
; English-language sources normally use ss instead.
Leopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
, his family, and their friends. The most famous participant was Leopold's son Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, who began playing at the age of ten.
Description
There were normally about six to ten players. The Mozart family invited various friends, typically not colleagues from work. The role of Bestgeber ("best-giver") rotated among participants. The Bestgeber provided "a sum of money for the prizes, a painted target (German: Bölzlscheibe, "dart-target"), and possibly refreshments" (Halliwell) The target, which measured up to a meter in size, typically was satirical, poking fun of some member of the group, and included both a picture and some verse.When the Mozart family were the hosts, the game was usually played indoors. As of 1773 they had lived in the Tanzmeisterhaus ("Dancing master's house"), where their apartments included the studio of the dancing master who had lived there. They used this large room for concerts, dancing, and also Bölzlschiessen. Gatherings took place on Sundays and holidays after lunch. The shooting was followed by card games and a stroll in the Mirabell
Palace of Mirabell
The Mirabell Palace is a historical building in Salzburg, Salzburgerland, Austria.-History:It was built in the Baroque style, with Italian and French models, by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau in 1606...
Park.
The game seems to have been part of the Mozarts' identity as a family: when Wolfgang and his mother left Salzburg in 1777 for his lengthy (and unsuccessful) job-hunting tour, others took their turns at Bölzlschiessen back home in Salzburg. At one point, Wolfgang wrote home to Leopold, specifying the form of a Bölzlschiessen target he wanted used (see below).
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Maria Anna Thekla Mozart
See image above. Wolfgang's departure from his cousin/girlfriend Maria Anna Thekla MozartMaria Anna Thekla Mozart
Maria Anna Thekla Mozart , called Marianne, known as Bäsle , was the cousin of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart....
was from Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
where she lived; he was heading toward Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
on his job-hunting tour. The target was provided for Wolfgang by his father Leopold; evidently Wolfgang served as honorary Bestgeber despite being away from home.
The verse on the target reads (in English):
- Adieu, my maiden cousin! – Adieu, my cousin!
- I wish you good luck on the journey, health, fine weather
- We spent a fortnight together quite gaily,
- 'Tis this that makes parting so sad for us twain.
- Hateful fate! – Alas – scarcely did I see you arrive
- When you are off again! Who would not weep at this?
Katherl Gilowsky
A friend of Mozart's older sister NannerlMaria Anna Mozart
Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart , nicknamed "Nannerl", was a musician, the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and daughter of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart.-Childhood:...
. Several targets portray her in various ways forlornly seeking a husband. On one target, the poem read as follows (verse translation by Halliwell):
- At every pious pilgrim church to which I wend my way
- I carry something from my hopes for which alone I pray;
- Will heaven not alas relent to hear a poor soul's plea?
- And for my sacrifice and prayer bestow a man on me?
Another commemorates an event in which she tripped on a step in a local store, exposing her posterior in public. Yet another celebrates her birthday by depicting her in a cradle as Leopold's violin pupil, the castrato
Castrato
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
Francesco Ceccarelli
Francesco Ceccarelli
Francesco Ceccarelli was a soprano castrato known for his grace and excellent singing technique.After early opera appearances in his native Umbria, he sang mainly in the German-speaking countries and was thought better suited to church and concert music.He was notably engaged by Count Hieronymus...
plays her a lullaby. Ceccarelli was Bestgeber on this occasion.
Emanuel Schikaneder
SchikanederEmanuel Schikaneder
Emanuel Schikaneder , born Johann Joseph Schickeneder, was a German impresario, dramatist, actor, singer and composer. He was the librettist of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute and the builder of the Theater an der Wien...
is known to history as the librettist
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
and impresario of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
, written in 1791. In 1780, he had brought his theatrical trouple to Salzburg for an extended stay, and during this time befriended the Mozart family. He is recorded as participating in Bölzlschiessen with them, and the target that portrayed him was based on his reputation as a womanizer. According to Schroeder it shows him "trifling with one woman while another waits patiently for him to come to her."
Anonymous
While away on his job hunting trip, Wolfgang wrote to his father specifying the form of Bölzlschiessen target he would like the family to use during his absence.- Concerning the targets, if it is not too late, please do this for me. A small man with light hair, stooped over, revealing his bare arse. From his mouth come the words, good appetite for the feast. The other man should be shown with boots and spurs, a red cloak and a splendid, fashionable wig. He must be of medium height, and precisely in the position that he can lick the other man's arse. From his mouth come the words: oh, there's nothing to top that. So, please, if it can't be this time, another time.
Schroeder suggests that one of the men portrayed may have been the Mozarts' employer, Archbishop Colloredo
Count Hieronymus von Colloredo
Count Hieronymus Joseph Franz de Paula Graf Colloredo von Wallsee und Melz was Prince-Bishop of Gurk from 1761 and Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1771 until 1803, when the Archbishopric was secularized.-Life:He was the second son of Count Rudolf Wenzel Joseph Colloredo von Wallsee und Melz , a...
. Halliwell hypothesizes that it was Jakob Alois Karl Langenmantel, a functionary in Augsburg who had mocked Mozart for wearing his emblem of knighthood from the Pope (the Order of the Golden Spur; see Mozart and Roman Catholicism
Mozart and Roman Catholicism
The celebrated composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was raised Roman Catholic and remained a loyal member of the Catholic Church throughout his life.-Catholic upbringing:...
).
The action Mozart describes in his letter also is mentioned in his letters to Maria Anna Thekla Mozart and in his musical canons
Canon (music)
In music, a canon is a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration . The initial melody is called the leader , while the imitative melody, which is played in a different voice, is called the follower...
; for discussion, see Mozart and scatology
Mozart and scatology
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart displayed scatological humor in his letters and a few recreational compositions. This material has long been a puzzle for Mozart scholarship...
.
Etymology and spelling
In German, Bolz means "bolt", as in the sense of "crossbowCrossbow
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
bolt". -l is a diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
suffix, which induces an Umlaut
Umlaut (diacritic)
The diaeresis and the umlaut are diacritics that consist of two dots placed over a letter, most commonly a vowel. When that letter is an i or a j, the diacritic replaces the tittle: ï....
on its stem; hence Bölzl "little bolt, dart". "Schiessen" means "to shoot" or "shooting".
In German usage the word is most often spelled Bölzlschießen, using an Eszett
ß
In the German alphabet, ß is a letter that originated as a ligature of ss or sz. Like double "s", it is pronounced as an , but in standard spelling, it is only used after long vowels and diphthongs, while ss is used after short vowels...
; English-language sources normally use ss instead.