The economics of Mozart

This is a reprise from www.2blowhards.com.  Excerpt:

[Mozart] ran into another problem for an artist dependent on an aristocractic audience: war. An unpopular war with Turkey that began in 1788 limped on through 1791. Opera production virtually halted and concert activity plummeted as the aristocracy, fearing conscription into the army, headed for the provinces en masse. For Mozart, the consequence of these economic reverses was, as Maynard Solomon notes, something close to a total breakdown, leaving him deeply depressed and impairing his productivity.

By the way, here is my earlier post on Mozart and Baumol's cost-disease.  Here are Mozart's economic insights, excerpted from his diary.  Under the fold, you can read Mozart on income and substitution effects...

"You say that 400 florins a year as an assured salary are not to be despised, and it would be true if in addition I could work myself into a good position and could treat these 400 florins simply as extra money. But unfortunately, that is not the case. I would have to consider the 400 florins as my chief income and everything else I could earn as windfall, the amount of which would be very uncertain and consequently in all probability very meager. You can easily understand that one cannot act as independently towards a pupil who is a princess as towards other ladies. If a princess does not feel inclined to take a lesson, why, you have the honor of waiting until she does. She is living out with the Salesians, so that if you do not care to walk, you have the honor of paying at least 20 kreuzer to drive there and back. Thus of my pay only 304 florins would remain--that is, if I only gave three lessons a week. And if I were obliged to wait, I would in the meantime be neglecting my other pupils or other work (by which I could easily make more than 400 florins). If I wanted to come into Vienna I would have to pay double, since I would be obliged to drive out again. If I stayed out there and were giving my lesson in the morning, as I no doubt would be doing, I would have to go at lunchtime to some inn, take a wretched meal and pay extravagantly for it. Moreover, by neglecting my other pupils I might lose them altogether--for everyone considers his money as good as that of a princess. At the same time, I would lose the time and inclination to earn more money by composition. To serve a great lord (in whatever office) a man should be paid a sufficient income to enable him to to serve his patron alone, without being obliged to seek additional earnings to avoid penury. A man must provide against want."