Commentary
In 1791, the Austrian geographer and statistician Joseph Marx von Lichtenstern (1765–1828, also “Liechtenstern”) published two large-scale studies of the Austrian monarchy. Both include similar (but not identical) passages listing notable figures in Viennese musical life; both describe Mozart as a notable composer and a “bewunderungswürdige” (awe-inspiring) pianist. The passage above comes from the first volume of Lichtenstern’s Beiträge zur genauen Kenntniß der östreichischen [sic] Staaten und Provinzen. The similar passages from the same author’s Staatsverfassung der Oesterreichischen Monarchie im Grundrisse, also published in 1791, are transcribed in our entry here; the commentary for that page provides additional detail on Lichtenstern and identifies the musicians and instrument builders mentioned in the publications.