Something weird happened when wrote Mozart his final piece

The death of Mozart is perhaps the most mysterious death in all of music. In the summer of 1791, at the age of 35, Mozart was experiencing perhaps the greatest year of his life. He was highly productive, even by his standards, and after a lifetime of financial trouble, he was finally earning good money and paying off his debts. A lot of his music, and the earnings that came from it, would come through commissions from wealthy patrons. One of these commissions, though, came from an unusual source. Mozart was approached by a messenger, on behalf of an anonymous patron, who commissioned him to write a requiem, a piece of music for a mass or funeral. Mozart, however, was busy working on other pieces, most notably his opera, The Magic Flute, which would premiere later that summer, and so he didn't have the time or interest needed to work on this commission. Mozart demanded an extraordinarily high fee, thinking there's no way he would accept it. But just a few days later, the messenger returned, with half the fee as an advance payment. The other half would be paid when the piece was completed. Unable to turn it down, Mozart reluctantly accepted the commission. There were, however, a few terms to this agreement. Mozart wouldn't make any additional copies of the score, he wouldn't reveal to anyone that he was working on the piece, and he wouldn't try to find out the identity of the anonymous patron. Although there was no agreed-upon deadline, Mozart said it would take approximately one The one-month deadline was rather optimistic, even for the workaholic Mozart, but soon after accepting the commission, Mozart was asked to work on something even more important than both the requiem and the Magic Flute. He was asked to compose an opera for the coronation of King Leopold II. The coronation would take place in just two months' time in Prague, and so work on the requiem was put aside. Mozart completed the opera, but shortly before leaving for the coronation, the messenger returned, expecting the requiem to be finished, but of course it wasn't nearly finished, he hadn't even started it. Mozart promised that as soon as he returned, he would get to work on the requiem. Mozart made the 200-mile journey to Prague for the coronation, a long distance back in the 18th century. But that night, September 6th, Mozart suddenly became ill. The opera was a success, but as he returned home, he was struck by this illness. He'd promised to work on the requiem when he returned, but as he was still struggling with this illness, he had to prioritise the Magic Flute with the premiere due to take place in just a few weeks. Mozart told his wife Constance that he feared that he was poisoned, and the requiem he was writing was actually for his own funeral. He told Constance, I am only too conscious. My end will not be long in coming. For sure, someone has poisoned me. I cannot rid my mind of this thought. His wife Constance urged him to abandon the requiem, and Mozart agreed. Mozart's health improved in time for the premiere of the Magic Flute, a premiere which he would conduct himself. The Magic Flute was a great success, and in the coming years would draw immense crowds and be performed hundreds of times. Mozart was delighted with the reception, and appeared to be feeling much better. And with the two operas out of the way, he decided he could have another go at the requiem. Yes, I see I was ill to have such an absurd idea of having taken poison. Give me back the requiem, and I will go on with it. Mozart began work on the requiem, now giving it his full attention. But soon after, his ill health returned, and this time, it was much more serious. October and November saw him making good progress on the music, Mozart of course was able to work quickly. But unlike last time, his ill health didn't improve. In fact, it declined even further. By the end of November, he was seriously ill and confined to his bed. Mozart was determined to finish the requiem, knowing that he needed to complete it in order to earn the full payment. He would tell his friends and students of its structure and instrumentation, and unable to hold a pen, he asked his good friend Franz Susmayr to begin writing out parts. In his final days, Mozart spoke the notes out to Susmayr, who would then write them down on Mozart's behalf, imitating his handwriting. Mozart's condition became increasingly worse, and on the 5th of December, Mozart died aged Whilst it was common at this time for funerals to be modest, especially those not in the upper classes, Mozart's was particularly unassuming. He had just a small ceremony, and like he'd earned