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    Mozart and The Tarot

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    Chloe M Zizian
    This document discusses Mozart's passion for playing Tarot in Salzburg during the late 18th century. It describes how Tarot was a popular pastime among the bourgeoisie and aristocracy in German-speaking countries at the time. The document provides excerpts from Mozart's diary entries from 1780 that describe occasions when he played Tarot. It suggests that Mozart and his friends in Salzburg likely used the Tarot of Besançon cards printed by local printer Josef Rauch Miller.

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    Mozart and The Tarot

    Uploaded by

    Chloe M Zizian
    29 views5 pages
    This document discusses Mozart's passion for playing Tarot in Salzburg during the late 18th century. It describes how Tarot was a popular pastime among the bourgeoisie and aristocracy in German-speaking countries at the time. The document provides excerpts from Mozart's diary entries from 1780 that describe occasions when he played Tarot. It suggests that Mozart and his friends in Salzburg likely used the Tarot of Besançon cards printed by local printer Josef Rauch Miller.

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    Mozart_and_the_Tarot

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    This document discusses Mozart's passion for playing Tarot in Salzburg during the late 18th century. It describes how Tarot was a popular pastime among the bourgeoisie and aristocracy in German-speaking countries at the time. The document provides excerpts from Mozart's diary entries from 1780 that describe occasions when he played Tarot. It suggests that Mozart and his friends in Salzburg likely used the Tarot of Besançon cards printed by local printer Josef Rauch Miller.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    29 views5 pages

    Mozart and The Tarot

    Uploaded by

    Chloe M Zizian
    This document discusses Mozart's passion for playing Tarot in Salzburg during the late 18th century. It describes how Tarot was a popular pastime among the bourgeoisie and aristocracy in German-speaking countries at the time. The document provides excerpts from Mozart's diary entries from 1780 that describe occasions when he played Tarot. It suggests that Mozart and his friends in Salzburg likely used the Tarot of Besançon cards printed by local printer Josef Rauch Miller.

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    The article “Mozart and the Tarot” is an extract from

    Tarot in German countries from the 16th to the 18th Century,


    by Giordano Berti.
    The complete booklet is attached to the Tarot deck printed in
    Salzburg around 1780 by Josef Rauch Miller, now housed at the
    British Museum, which has kindly granted the reproduction.
    English translation : Vic Berti
    Publisher : OM Edizioni, Quarto Inferiore (Bologna - Italy) in collabo-
    ration with Rinascimento Italian style Art
    Printed in November 2018
    rinascimentoitalianartenglish.wordpress.com/catalog/
    ~1~
    Mozart and the Tarot, by Giordano Berti

    As it has been highlighted in the previous pages of this booklet,


    during the eighteenth century the game of Tarot spread far and wide
    within the German speaking countries, being especially popular
    amongst the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. This game was espe-
    cially liked because intelligence prevailed over luck.
    We know that it was played both in private houses and in public
    places, particularly in the foyer of theaters, before and after theatri-
    cal performances or concerts. In these cultural and social environ-
    ments Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Salzburg 1756 - Vienna 1791)
    learned how to play the game of Tarot.
    Mozart’s passion for this game has been handed down to us thanks
    to the notes that he himself wrote in 1780, on the pages of his si-
    ster Nannerl’s diary, where Wolfgang often wrote notes such as word
    plays which Mozart indulged in, or affectionate, intimate accounts.
    It is worth recalling that by 1780 Mozart had reached the highest
    level of frustration for his work as an organist at the court of Prince-
    Archbishop Hieronymus von Colloredo. He wanted to write works,
    not passages of sacred music. Among other things, the Prince had dra-
    stically cut the funding to the city’s musical institutions, to the point
    that Salzburg could no longer afford hiring singers or opera represen-
    tations, something that Mozart had complained several times, in pre-
    vious years, with a number of letters which were never answered.
    This situation caused Mozart to fall into a psychological condition
    mixed with apathy, cynicism, and intolerance, even toward religion,
    given that Sunday Mass was essentially a social obligation that no one
    could escape from. Since his youthful journey to Italy, Mozart’s attitude
    toward the Church was highly critical and even contemptuous, making
    satirical allusions and references in some of his popular operas.
    To defeat the latent depression, Mozart sought every sort of plea-
    sure and leisure; the game of Tarot was one of those pleasures. It is
    worth reading in full how much he himself wrote in his sister’s diary
    on various occasions, particularly between 13 and 31 August 1780;
    they are often ramshackle phrases, where German, French, Italian,
    ~2~
    and Latin words are mixed; this also helps us to enter into the mind
    of that brilliant musician.
    «The 13th: at 10 in church in the cathedral for the Mass at 10.
    With Tarot cards played Tarot. [...] Strolled at the Mirabellgarten as
    one goes for a promenade, gone, as one does. Rainy sky, but it did
    not rain. From one hour to the next, the sky smiles.
    The 20th: at 19 Mass. The Cazzodivolpe di un Asino [Fox’s cock
    of a donkey; Mozart refers to himself] that I have well groped and
    the ass that licked me and like a donkey himself has directed the
    game. My brother has won. Then we played the Tarot [...]. Awful
    time; nothing but deluge, deluge, et caetera.
    The 21st: at half past six in Mass, by Mayr and the superintendent.
    Afternoon at Acquatrono [maybe “water throne” in a spa]. Mad.
    selle Braunfagotist [maybe Miss Brown, bassonist] at ours. Played
    Tarot [...].
    The 62st [Mozart means 26]: Apud the Countess de Lodron. At
    ten and half o’clock I was in templo. Postea chéz the ladies von
    Mayern. Post prandium Mme Catherine chéz us. We habemus joues
    with Tarot cards. À sept heur we went for a walk in the horto aulico.
    It made the plus pulchra tempestas of the world.
    The 72st [Mozart means 27]: At ten in the Cathedral. Heard the
    Mass [...]. Then I made a visit to Robinig. Fiala took charge of tar-
    get shooting. I won. Played Tarot [...].
    On 31st: at half past nine to Lodron. Afternoon Schachtner, Stad-
    ler, Weyrother, Fiala, Pinzger and Feiner from us. Proven quartets
    by Hoffmeister. Then we played Tarot. Nice weather.»
    It is worth asking with which Tarot Mozart and the Salzburgers pla-
    yed. There is no doubt that, in an ultra catholic City State such as Sal-
    zburg,, images with a hint of irreverence or veiled criticism regarding
    the Catholic church would not be permitted. So, Tarot players had only
    the Tarots “of Besançon” to play with and since, as far as it is known,
    the only Salzburg producer of that time was Josef Rauch Miller, it is
    almost certain that Mozart and his friends used exactly these cards.
    Essential bibliography: Wolfgang Hildesheimer, Mozart, New
    York 1991. Wolfgang Mayr - Robert Sedlaczek, Die Kulturge-
    schichte des Tarockspiels Gebundene Ausgabe, Wien 2015.

    ~3~
    The Tarot with which Mozart played in Salzburg.
    A work really worthy of the brilliant musician.

    Tarot of Besançon
    Josef Rauch Miller 1780
    © The Trustees of the British Museum. All rights reserved

    Josef Rauch Miller, a fellow citizen of Mozart, created this


    magnificent Tarot: very elegant in color and aristocratic in
    design, but respectful of traditional symbolism.
    A booklet by Giordano Berti (34 pages) tells the history of
    the Tarot in the German countries until the 18th century.

    Limited edition :~900


    4 ~numbered copies
    RINASCIMENTO ITAlIAN STylE ART

    Giordano Berti, writer and historian


    of esotericism in art, has pubblished
    many works on the history of esoteric
    traditions. His importance as a Tarot
    historian is recognized worldwide. He
    has collaborated in the publication of
    two Tarot Encyclopedias, one on the
    Playing-cards and an Encyclopedia on
    Arts of Divination. He has created 15
    new Tarot decks, plus various Sibyls
    and Oracle decks.
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giordano_Berti

    Beauty inspire dreams,


    thought processes the projects,
    work turn them into reality.
    Giordano Berti

    ~5~

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