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Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte


"Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte" ("As Luise Was Burning the Letters of Her Unfaithful Lover"), K. 520, is a song for piano and voice (soprano) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a poem by Gabriele von Baumberg.

Mozart wrote the piece on 26 May 1787, when he had just started to write Don Giovanni, in the Vienna district of Landstraße in the room of his friend and occasional composer Gottfried von Jacquin (1767–1792), who was then 21 years old. It is set to words of the poet Gabriele von Baumberg (1768–1839), an acquaintance of Mozart and Jacquin. In fact, Mozart wrote this piece for Jacquin's use, who had it copied —with Mozart's knowledge— into a songbook of six songs under his own attribution; the four other songs were by Jacquin. Mozart's other contribution for this songbook was his K. 530 "Das Traumbild" which Mozart posted to Jacquin later that year from Prague where he prepared Don Giovanni.

Emil Gottfried Edler von Jacquin was a son of Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin and younger brother of Joseph Franz von Jacquin. Nikolaus and Mozart often gave house concerts together where Nikolaus played the flute. Gottfried also had a younger sister, Franziska (9 October 1769 – 12 August 1850) who received piano lesson from Mozart. In a letter to Gottfried from 15 January 1787 he praises her studiousness and diligence. Mozart dedicated a considerable number of his works to the Jacquin family, notably the Kegelstatt Trio. This was first played at the Jacquins' house in August 1786 with Mozart playing the violin, Anton Stadler the clarinet, and Franziska the piano.

Gottfried von Jacquin added different dedications to each of the six songs, and had his booklet published in Vienna by Laurenz Lausch in 1791; he died the following year, 25 years old. His family had it published again as part of his estate in about 1803 by Johann Cappi. Jacquin's dedication for this work (K. 520) was Dem Fräulein von Altomonte. Sybille Dahms believes this to be the contralto singer Katharina von Altomonte who sang —alongside Mozart's sister-in-law and former love interest Maria Aloysia Lange, the "incomparable" (Joseph II) tenor Valentin Adamberger, and the bass Ignaz Saal— in the March 1789 performance of Handel's Messiah in Mozart's orchestration. Katharina von Altomonte was presumably related to the painter (1694–1783) who was famous for his peinted ceilings in many Austrian churches.


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