Money played a significant role in Mozart's life. He had no regular income as a freelance artist and became familiar with both affluence and poverty. The Mozarts' financial worries are reflected in a number of letters to friends, patrons and fellow Masons.
Father Leopold took care of the family's practical matters and financial affairs during Mozart's childhood. Their trips through Europe were quite expensive so that expenses had to be wellbudgeted. The family was often dependent on borrowed funds or loans. W. A. Mozart was much more nonchalant about his way of life and financial circumstances. Most of his life was spent as a freelance and performing artist without a regular income. He had a family to feed and Vienna was an expensive place to live. Due to his position he was forced to live from hand to mouth without knowing whether he would be able to support his family. Bearing this in mind, Mozart got quite far living the life he did.
Mozart's income as an adult was derived from four principal sources: The proceeds from his public academies and the concerts in noble palaces were his most important source of income. Mozart was very popular during his first sojourn in Vienna and became quite wealthy, as evidenced by the magnificent apartment in today's "Figaro House" behind St. Stephen's Cathe-dral, a riding horse of his own and sumptuous celebrations and balls. Mozart was a celebrated pianist and very much in demand as a teacher during this time: his income became more regular through his piano and composition classes. In the early years he taught three or four students each day, usually taking up most of the morning. The classes were very time-consuming and often kept him from composing. Mozart's compositions were his third most important source of income. Mozart began to draw a regular salary in December 1787 with his appointment as "Imperial and Royal Court Composer" to the Emperor – his first regular income since he had left Salz-burg in 1781. Mozart's financial situation demonstrates that the composer was able to live quite comfortably with an annual salary between 2000 and 6000 gulden. On the other hand, Mozart was often in dire financial straits. Many have attributed this to an extravagant life or his inability to handle money but two other factors were contributory: first, Mozart and his wife socialized in affluent circles and an expensive city. Second, Mozart's income was dependent on his health and creativity. His failing health and constant worry for his ailing wife at the end of the 1780s also added to his financial embarrassment. Mozart's estate was assessed upon his death: 500 gulden in assets and three thousand in liabilities – towards the cobbler, tailor and pharmacist. The sixty gulden cash in hand barely paid for a pauper's funeral.
