I strongly suspect that some of the imposters on this page are disguised Sphinxoids, trying to confuse the music lovers of the world. I wonder what a composer-cum-secret-agent should do when confronted by so many of these fellows? You can, of course, help me track them down by sending me any suspicious-looking photographs for our files. You would do the Society of Horus -- and the world -- a great service.
Actually, I am quite flattered. It's like Carnival or Fasching or even Opera, when people want to dress up in costumes and pretend they are me for a while. I don't mind the slightest -- it's good, harmless fun.
Unless, of course, one of them is a Sphinxoid...
This rascal was pretending to be me at the opening night of a production of "Don Giovanni" -- and to think that some woman asked him for my autograph!
Here's another who came to a concert and played my sonatas with no skill at all. I was furious. I was even angrier to see how many people were fooled.
I once played duets with Liberace.
Here's a third who impersonated me at an Imperial Ball, and here again at a children's education center. The nerve of him!
And sometimes they even appear in groups, like the three individuals who "hang out" around high schools to impress teenage girls.
...And THIS cheeky fellow was actually caught red-handed in Salzburg!
Oops! Is this supposed to be me -- or is it supposed to be Papa
with a cardboard cutout of me?
This has very distressing implications.
I think this one died last Thursday
Und now, Kiddies, dis iss mein Kardboard sonn, Wolfi.
Now, was that supposed to be a 5th augmentation of a 3rd modulation, or is it just a little Nacht Music?
This is a lady named Debbie who brings a birthday cake to work every January 27, and comes dressed for the occasion. Isn't that thoughtful? Where is my gift, Debbie?
It's waiting for you, K.007
For I am a Pirate King.,
tra la...
Hmmm. Tom Hulce or Captain Quirk? I detect a real bit of piracy from this elegant fellow.
Here is the Innocent...
... vs the Not-so-Innocent
And, Heavens to Hofdemel -- this one is actually dressed up as Agent K.007 ! I am told by those in the know that the other lady is masquerading as Agent K.505. Whatever will the Society of Horus have to say?
There in Augsberg --
in the old family house -- is an impersonator
of my sister, Nannerl. Have they no shame?
Speaking of children, this chubby little chap looks as if he's wearing the Archbishop's livery, but that's all right. He has excellent taste in candy -- and with all of those lovely Mozartkugeln, he must have had plenty of dealings with Sphinxoids.
And speaking of the not-so-innocent, this impersonator seems to have stepped off the cover of one of those romance novels that the ladies enjoy so much.
This is one of the strangest impersonators of all, because he was actually trying to impersonate one of my best disguises. As it turned out, he was really a Ken doll, trying to explore the possibilities of a lucrative musical career, and hoping to find out what it was like not to be thought of as a Chris O'Donnell lookalike.
This gentleman was not a Mozart impersonator at all, but a music director from Munich looking for the percussionist who made off with his book of musical Knock-Knock jokes
Knock Knock...
Who's there?
Mozart
Mozart, who?
Mozart hangs in the Louvre
I didn't say
they were funny!
Speaking of which --
On more than one occasion they have impersonated not only myself,but my little wife, Constanze, as well.
I must confess, however, that I rather liked this one a great deal. His coat and wig were dreadful, but he was a charming young man who looked very much like me, and could even imitate my personality. He was portraying me at Bertramka Villa in Prague, back in 1991, and he did quite an admirable job. You will also notice his uncanny resemblance to the bronze bust.
But arguably these are the most famous impersonators of all. They of course did not turn out to be Sphinxoids, but a pair of very accomplished actors who portrayed Constanze and I in the movies...
This is certainly one of the strangest -- a cardboard impersonator, sitting in the organ loft of a church, and pretending to be me while a recording plays.
Now, this is really TOO much!
This isn't an impersonation of me at all, but an impersonation of Antonio Salieri, by no less a gentleman that the famous wizard of middle Earth, Gandalf the Grey!
I am terribly serious about this! He een shaved his beard and got a haircut for the occasion.
At least I am relieved to know that Gandalf is NOT a Sphinxoid.
Oh, yes... the music. What you are hearing is Josef "Papa" Haydn's "Surprise Symphony", which is actually a bit of musical Mozart impersonation. The main theme of the symphony was based on a little ditty of my own, not well known outside my personal circles. papa Haydn wrote it while on Tour, expecting to surprise me most of all with it, and thus get a cheap laugh. The real surprise was on him, however, since I died while he was on Tour abroad! That's show business...
I was rather flattered by these two impersonations, both by rather astonishing children. The first one is very interestng because it was when I was around this age that my eyesight failed, a result of my bout with smallpox. I was actually stricken blind for several days, and remained myopic for the rest of my life. As for the other boy on the right, well...he just looks like me! And he really does look like me.
The Liberace Mozart
Returning again from the sublime to the ridiculous...
The Mardi Gras Mozart
(where is his wig?)
The Bolshoi Ballet Mozart
The T-Shirt Mozart
No joking--the lady in this picture is wearing a t-shirt, not a vest.
The Sweater Mozart
The Fright-wig Mozart
And the Men-in-Black-Lace Mozarts.
I suspect this pair was applying for positions as secret agents in the Society of Horus, but they were most likely turned down because one of them thought he was going to go undercover as Santa Claus.
I have moved to the front of the list that ulimate Mozart Impersonator, Mr.Bugs Bunny Esq. and his equally famous portrait artist, Charles M. Jones, both formerly of Termite Alley at the Warner Brothers studio.
As you can see, Mr. Bunny is attempting to compose an opera in my name, and was naturally having a terrible time in doing so. The purple wig most certainly was stolen from the WB wardrobe department, left over from "Amadeus", since WB has since aquired the distribution rights to that epic film. But the big question remains, can he truly compose? We know he can play piano, and we know he likes opera from other presentations of Wagnerian epics.
And all of this being said, let us move on to other creative efforts to impersonate me...
