On July 21, 1776, a grand wedding took place in Salzburg. Marie Elizabeth Haffner, who came from one of the most prestigious noble families of Salzburg, and whose father Sigmund the Elder had been its mayor, was to marry Franz Xaver Spaeth, a respected merchant of the city. Her brother, Sigmund Haffner the Youngerr, a friend and contemporary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, commissioned Mozart to write special music for the occasion. Mozart, for his part, with an unusually large orchestra at his disposal, took full advantage of this opportunity to really stretch his wings creatively, and responded with one of his greatest works—and one that has carried that family's name into all posterity—the serenade for orchestra in D Major, popularly known as the "Haffner Serenade." We will hear the work in its entirety in honor of the 250th anniversary of its premier, and much more, on the afternoon's Classical Music with Foley Schuler.
You can here Foley Schuler's musical selections—and stories behind the music—every weekday afternoon from 1 until 4 on Blue Lake Public Radio.
