Women in the shadows: Nannerl… or Mozart’s unknown sister

Today we recognize the figure of a woman who, surely if she had not existed, would not have made her one of the great geniuses of music. Today we highlight one of those geniuses who lived relegated to not having her talent highlighted for the simple fact of being a woman. Today the protagonist is Nannerl Mozart.

Surely if we mention his name as an outstanding person in the world of music, very few people will be familiar with it. However, if we mention Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, he already begins to sound familiar to us, although we mostly know him simply by his last name: Mozart.

Nannerl: Maria Anna Mozart

Nannerl Mozart was the stage name under which he was baptized musically. However, her real name was Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart.

He was born on July 30, 1751 in Salzburg. She was the older sister of one of the most outstanding musicians in history: Mozart. Since she was little, her father taught her to play various instruments, such as the piano, violin and harpsichord, becoming a true child prodigy. Observing the young woman’s musical prowess, her father took her to various cities, including Paris and Vienna, where she exploited her talent.

However, in the 18th century, It was not well seen for a woman to stand out in the musical world and, her father, terrified of being singled out and warned by the Church that what he was doing was not something that was right, decided that his daughter He would abandon music and make way for his brother Mozart since he, being a man, would have it easier.

His docile and obedient character made it easy for him to leave music at the age of fourteen and focus on preparing for “Be a good wife.” Her father decided to marry her with Johann Baptust Franz von Berchtold zu Sonnenburg, from a very wealthy family. With this commitment, despite her not wanting it, Nannerl would save her family from possible financial problems that the Mozart family was facing.

From that marriage, Nannerl had three children: one boy and two girls, but her husband already had five children from two previous marriages. Nannerl raised all eight equally. In 1825, she became blind and four years later she died..

His musical legacy

The talent of his brother Amadeus Mozart cannot be denied. However, many investigations have suggested that Mozart’s first works were not his, but his sister’s.

There are certainly no works signed by Nannerl, but it is not at all strange because A woman at that time could not give her name to anything, much less to a musical work.since for many it was similar to being a prostitute since they offered a service.

This is why Mozart’s first works, which throughout time have been considered written by him when he was only five years old, may not be entirely true and the authorship of them belongs to his sister.

We remember that The first one who stood out musically, visiting various cities, was Nannerl and not Amadeus. and that it was her condition as a woman that made her leave the stage to make way for her little brother, who had become a great figure in music. Nannerl never complained about having to remain in his brother’s shadow.

The relationship with his brother: Mozart

Nannerl was four years older than Amadeus and, therefore, always played the role of older sister with him.. The brothers’ relationship was always very good. In fact, various studies say that, when Amadeus started playing the piano, his goal was to become as good as his sister.

When Amadeus was growing and making a name for itself in the music world, Many of the works he made were sent to his sister so she could review them.. He knew that any accommodations she could make would always improve the quality of her work.

As they grew older, some biographers point out that their relationship deteriorated.. For some researchers, the relationship never stopped being close, while for others the relationship deteriorated to the point of no longer seeing each other and communicating.

Reflection through Nannerl Mozart

What would have happened if Amadeus Mozart had been born a woman? Would his work have been valued as much as it has been over time? Knowing his story and his talent, we can imagine the answer: NO.

She began standing out as a composer. However, she had to leave because she was born a woman and not because she lacked talent. Even, we do not know what her weight is in the works of her brother. We do not know to what extent Nannerl’s proposals and corrections have added to the genius that we recognize today in her brother.

Fortunately, times are moving forward. We still have a long way to go; The good news is that, at least, women are beginning to become visible in the world of music. Or not? It is still difficult to see recognized female producers and surely, not because there are none, but because they have to climb a steeper slope for their talent to be considered.

Hopefully Nannerl’s story helps us a little more to realize that talent has often been relegated or masked by certain social norms. A mistake that we can learn from, so as not to repeat.

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