This morning I attend a fascinating lecture at the Tikotin Japanese Museum
in Haifa, part of a series on the history of composers and musicians, given
by a brilliant musicologist Dr. Roie Aloni.
He talked about the more melancholic music of Mozart and played a piece he
composed after the death of one of his sons. Mozart lost four of his six
children in infancy. The lecturer went on to describe how in that era so
many infants died in their first year. He said that breastfeeding was
considered "vulgar" and women like Constantina, Mozart`s wife and Mozart
himself did not want her to expose herself in public or at home. However
whereas the wealthy and the aristocracy hired "wet nurses" people like the
Mozart family could not afford this so fed their babies on entirely
unsuitable substitutes, resulting in so many babies dying of malnutrition.
He added that fortunately now there has been a return to breastfeeding and
using wonderful body language he talked about the wonderful bond between
mothers and babies as well as the nutritional advantages. He is a brilliant
musicologist but I loved him even more for that little gem!
Wendy Blumfield
NCT Trained Tutor Prenatal Teacher/Breastfeeding Counsellor
Former President Israel Childbirth Education Centre
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