Italy was everything Salzburg was not: bright, theatrical, gloriously loud, and entirely convinced of its own importance. Rome, Verona, Milan, and Bologna each tried to outperform the others. Even heated arguments on the street sounded like impromptu opera auditions. And, of course, there was also pasta, further proof of cultural superiority.
Bologna, situated just south of Venice, stood out as the home of the renowned music school Accademia Filarmonica. This notoriously selective society of musical scholars had a reputation for rigor, so much that I imagined its members drinking the ink of their quills for breakfast. Father insisted that I take the entrance exam.
Upon arrival, I was introduced to Padre Martini, the academy’s most influential figure. He was a man of impressive stature and an angry beard that demanded a comb-over with a machete. Without much ceremony, he handed me a scroll of papyrus and instructed: “Young master Mozart, compose an antiphon”. The task felt like being handed a Rubik’s cube and told to solve it blindfolded while simultaneously keeping ten plates spinning on sticks. Undaunted and equipped with the creative strength of a left-handed person, I returned shortly thereafter with the finished work.
At first, Maestro Martini looked utterly stumped. He studied it, corrected a note, paused, and then turned around and congratulated me. I became the youngest composer ever admitted to the Academia. Father was pleased. I attempted to look modest and likely failed.
Back in Salzburg, I was appointed the position of honorary Konzertmeister[i] of the Salzburg Court Orchestra. The title “honorary” came with additional responsibility and no increase in pay – a distinction that would become a familiar recurrence later in life.
[i] Konzertmeister (English: Concertmaster) is a salaried position where Mozart led the orchestra and also composed. In collaboration with the conductor, the concertmaster helps shape the musical interpretation of a piece. They make decisions regarding bowings, phrasing, and articulation for the string section, influencing the overall sound and expression of the orchestra.