Gummit spending

["Fantoni, Ernesto" <Fantoni@PHIBRED.COM>]

Marc wrote:
>Neither Mozart ....ever had one pfennig of government support.  

This is simply not true Marc. A simple look at Mozart's life (and almost
every artist until that time) could show you exactly the contrary.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, like his father Leopold, worked at the court of
the Prince-Archibishop Hieronymus von Colloredo between 1772 and 1781:he
was the Konzertmeister (150 guilden/year from the government) in charge
to compose sacred operas and pieces (and he succeeded). His father was
vice-Kapellmeister at the same court, paied by the same government.
The same happened in Wien, after 1781. He was an employee of the
austrian government and received a salary until his death. He also
fighted with Antonio Salieri to be the Kammercompositeur of the Court.
Of course, while in Wien, he had other sources, including private
lessons to several "scholaren" and private commissions (the Requiem is
among these).
Until Beethoven no one artist (including Michelangelo, Giotto, Dante)
could survive without government's funds. This is absolutely not to say
today Goverments have to support art, just to point out history.
The problem is that, at that time, the state's organization and power's
conception was so different that it's hard to make a comparison without
being aware of the general history's frame.
Anyway, beginning with the greek culture, art has always been considered
the "soul" of the people and the highest expression of the human
civilization, expressing something more than merely an emotion.
At least until early the present century.

Ernesto