In Wolfgang's footsteps

Type: History/culture
Best from: Vienna, Austria
You need: 7 days

This could be a church. The thought crosses my mind a few seconds after I step into the building called Hagenauer House on Getreidegasse, in old Salzburg. It would be hard to miss even without its bright-yellow facade. A few tourists stand outside patiently, while others sip coffee at an open-air cafe in the adjoining courtyard. Still others whip out digital cameras for a mild clicking frenzy, using the building as a backdrop for smiling partners and impatient offspring.

Inside, the dominant feeling continues to be meditative. There are no voices, only murmurs. With me in the first room is a small group of tourists -- all of indeterminate nationalities -- gazing at a glass cylinder that holds a lock of hair. Much like a place of worship, they are clearly here to pay obeisance to a man they consider God-like. The lock of hair looks mildly greasy. But it was cut, some time after 1756, from the head of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We gaze in silence. Behind us, others shuffle, awaiting their turn.


A cardboard cutout of Mozart is seen in front of a store during celebrations
for the 250th birthday of the famous composer in Salzburg. Pic/AFP photo


A view of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's birthplace on Universitatsplatz in
Salzburg. Pic/u00a0AFP photo


One of many Mozart stores that dot the streets; this one offers endless
varieties of sweets and souvenirs. Pic/u00a0AFP photo


A large metal cutout of Mozart in profile at Mozarthaus. It is the only one
of of Mozart's apartments in Vienna that still exists. At the other end of
the empty room PIC/Lindsay Pereira


The memorial at Zentralfriedhof, in the musicians' corner where
Beethoven and Brahms lie. PIC/Lindsay Pereira

Maestro at home
Mozart was clearly made for greatness. He must have known this too, which may explain why he never fully reconciled himself to the lack of recognition in his declining years. His financial struggles may also have been hard to comprehend, considering he was lauded as a genius before the age of five, and had performed for European royalty long before hitting puberty.

At Tanzmeisterhaus on the Makartplatz, now advertised in travel brochures as Mozart Wohnhaus, I come across a framed note on him by composer Joseph Haydn, sometimes called the Father of the Symphony. 'Posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years,' it reads. The apartment is where Mozart's family moved in 1773, and where they lived for the next 14 years. A bomb destroyed much of it in 1944, but the building was restored by the International Mozarteum Foundation and reopened in 1996.

I wander through the eight rooms, passing cases showcasing the composer's handwritten work, and stop by an interesting family portrait. It is an oil painting by Johann Nepomuk della Croce, depicting a young Mozart playing the fortepiano with his sister Nannerl. His father Leopold holds a violin, while their late mother stares vacantly from a portrait on the wall. Did he ever know a life beyond music, I wonder.

Mostly Mozart
To escape the presence of Mozart in Salzburg is impossible. His unsmiling face stares from coffee cups and ashtrays. Souvenir stalls carry refrigerator magnets shaped like the building he was born in. Kiosks advertise T-shirts carrying his name. There are sausages named after him, and tourists have bought thousands of boxes of Mozartkugeln -- made with marzipan, nougat and dark chocolate -- since they first appeared in 1890.

Without his ghostly presence, tourism in Salzburg could wither and die. It is an ironic possibility, considering the city never gave him his due while he was around. Denied recognition, sympathetic patrons, even the ability to showcase much of his work, he was compelled to leave for Vienna.

The Magic Flute
What would he have made of this fuss, I ask myself after walking into Mozarthaus. Located on Domgasse 5, it is the only one of Mozart's apartments in Vienna that still exists. He spent just about three years in its seven rooms, but much scholarly attention has been lavished on that relatively short period and the music it yielded.

One floor has been taken over by a multimedia installation on the history of the house. There's another installation on his opera The Magic Flute, excerpts from movies made about his life, yet another piano, and a musical clock that plays Andante for a cylinder in a small organ -- the last of three works he composed during the final year of his life.

I am the only visitor. Propped against a wall at the other end of the empty room is a large metal cutout of Mozart in profile. Two floors below, the gift shop hums with activity. They may not visit the museum, but everyone wants a souvenir.

Requiem
Mozart died at one am on December 5, 1791. He was weeks away from turning 36. Contrary to what filmmaker Milos Forman wanted us to believe -- at least those of us who watched Amadeus in 1984 -- the skies were clear at the time, and the composer didn't die penniless. He was buried without a coffin, in a mass grave at St Marx cemetery outside Vienna, simply because that is what the Emperor Joseph II had decreed.

His remains were never found. Instead, a monument had been put up at the Zentralfriedhof cemetery in the outer city district. It stood in what was referred to as the musicians' corner, a slot reserved as the final resting place for some of the world's most revered composers.

I find myself at the gates to the Zentralfriedhof a little after 9 am on a Friday morning. There are a few mourners, and no tourists. The monument to Mozart stands at the centre of a green, shady circle. Around it are the graves of composers Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss, Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Mozart's remains aren't here. But, if found some day, this is where they belong. Outside, a man at a newspaper stand asks if I want a T-shirt. 'Great Decomposers' it reads, in a floral font above a caricature of the composer's skull. I shake my head, sadly.

What to buy
You will run into kiosks selling tacky souvenirs everywhere. Avoid them and head for stores selling Mozartkugel instead. This is also a great place to go shopping for classical music, incidentally, so take a list of CDs with you.

Getting there
The Salzburg W A Mozart International Airport is 20 minutes from the city centre. Alternatively, you could take a 4-hour train journey from Vienna, from where a train leaves every hour. The countryside is gorgeous, and you have the Alps for company.

Digress
If Mozart doesn't float your boat, there's the fabulous Salzburg Fortress to explore. Also check out the Schloss Mirabell Palace and gardens or -- shudder -- take a 'Sound of Music' tour. Another option is the Untersberg mountain, 10 miles from the city. Go by cable car, and don't forget your camera.

Getting around
The city StadtBuses are very efficient, but Salzburg is a walker's delight. You could also rent a bicycle, considering the city has over 100 kilometres of paths reserved for bikers.

Where to stay
Budget hotels abound, but we strongly recommend the 4-star Josef Brunauer Hotel. It's clean, with a great open-air bar, and is situated a few minutes from the train station.