A Chronicle of Mozart's Visits to Prague

Most casual listeners of Mozart know that he was from Salzburg, Austria, and that he moved to Vienna as a young man in order to pursue musical fame. But what most people don't know is that Mozart had a very special relationship with the city of Prague, Czech Republic. Beyond his well known Symphony No. 38, which is commonly called the Prague Symphony, and Mozart's famous quote, "The people of Prague understand me," Mozart always felt a kinship with the Bohemian people of Prague. This, despite the fact that Mozart only spent about 110 days of his life in Prague over the course of three visits.

The first time Mozart visited Prague, in January, 1787, he practically had to be dragged. His music had been very popular there for some years, and The Marriage of Figaro was a bigger success in Prague than in any other city. Mozart had Czech friends in the Viennese music world, who were always encouraging him to go to Prague, but it wasn't until a small scale letter writing campaign was taken up inviting Mozart to come and play in Prague that Mozart began to consider it seriously. Their efforts eventually paid off when Mozart debuted his Symphony in D-Major at the Estates Theatre in Prague. Mozart played piano himself, and he thrilled the audience with what today would be called a virtuoso jazz performance. Mozart and his wife, Constanza, stayed on in Prague for a month, socializing and listening to the local music. Mozart also earned some musical commissions for compositions.