The Happy Death of Children

I'm reading Mozart's Women by Jane Glover, and came across this letter by his father Leopold, describing his daughter's fight with intestinal typhoid: "Whover could have listened to the conversations which we three, my wife, myself and my daughter, had on several evenings, during which we convinced her of the vanity of this world and the happy death of children, would not have heard it without tears." Maria Anna survived, living to be 79-- but at least five other Mozart children died in infancy. Has anyone done any research on the theology taught to chldren during an era of high mortality? In our age, a child's first experience with death is often that of an elderly relative, but in the 18th century it seems more of them would be exposed to the loss of playmates and their younger brothers and sisters. How much of what the parents told them, about littlest angels and tender souls too good to live, was passed on for the parent's comfort and how much to comfort a frightened child? "If I should die before I wake..."

Happy Mozart's Birthday-- and Elmore James, Too!

Violin Concerto 5 with Janine Jansen on a violin made by Stradivarius.

The Sky Is Crying
by Elmore James, Morgan Robinson and Clarence Lewis

The sky is crying,
Look at the tears rolling down the streets.
The sky is crying,
Look at the tears rolling down the streets.
I looked out my window,
The rain was falling down in sheets.

My baby left me this morning,
Lord knows I don't know the reason why.
My baby left me this morning,
I don't know the reason why.
And everytime I think about it,
I hang my head and cry.

The sun is shining,
Although it's raining in my heart.
The sun is shining,
Although it's raining in my heart.
I love my baby,
I hate to see us part.

Some wonderful nut with bottles and roller blades.