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This story, initially published in October, 2018, has been republished in honor of Mozart’s 265th birthday on Jan. 27, 2021.
The librettist Lorenzo da Ponte an exiled Jewish-born Venetian who turned to the arts after proving too irreverent for the Church had a lot in common with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The two shared an artistic vision, together crafting some of the most noteworthy operas of the 18th century: “Don Giovanni,” “Le Nozze di Figaro” and “Cosí fan Tutte.” Both were genius artists who, to put it generously, did not have a corresponding genius for business. Both had more than a taste for hedonism; da Ponte’s Venetian exile stemmed from the allegation that, despite his priestly duties, he had been both living in a brothel and helping devise its business plan. And the exact burial place of both men has been lost. Herein, however, lies the difference between them: While Mozart’s pauper’s grave is in or near Vienna, da Ponte’s remains are probably