Who was Aloysia Weber, and how did she affect Mozart’s time in Mannheim?

Aloysia Weber was a soprano and the second of four daughters of a music copyist whom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart met during his stay in Mannheim in 1777.1

During his time in Mannheim, Mozart fell in love with Aloysia. His infatuation significantly influenced his plans, as he proposed a scheme to his father, Leopold, to travel to Italy with the Weber family. This proposal was viewed by his father as naive and irresponsible, leading to a sharp rebuke and the decision that Mozart should instead travel to Paris to further his career.1

Mozart’s attachment to the family remained a point of tension; when he later returned through Munich on his way back to Salzburg, he was coolly received by Aloysia. By the time Mozart settled in Vienna in 1781, Aloysia was married to a court actor and painter, and Mozart eventually turned his romantic attentions to her sister, Constanze.12