She invokes the feeling that overwhelmed Mozart at a performance of The Magic Flute, where he found the “silent approval,” as he wrote to Constanze—his feeling that the audience members were attuned, involved, in love with his music—even more gratifying than their enthusiastic applause. Mozart observed in his audience the same attitude assumed by a starling when something captures its interest. When you talk to a tame starling, it jumps as close to you as it can get, tilts its head, and listens. So gratifying! Mozart was well aware of his own gifts, yet craved attention and approval for his
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“[West] invokes the feeling that overwhelmed Mozart at a performance of The Magic Flute, where he found the “silent approval,” as he wrote to Constanze—his feeling that the audience members were attuned, involved, in love with his music—even more gratifying than their enthusiastic applause. Mozart observed in his audience the same attitude assumed by a starling when something captures its interest. When you talk to a tame starling, it jumps as close to you as it can get, tilts its head, and listens. So gratifying! Mozart was well aware of his own gifts, yet craved attention and approval for his music. When visited by Mozart in the shop, Star gave the composer these very things. As West writes:
To be whistled to by Mozart! Surely the bird would have adopted its listening posture, thereby rewarding the potential buyer with “silent applause.””
