Richard, thanks for your nice words.

We all know Schubert's Ave Maria.  Our Lady was sort of a kind-hearted
mother for the people of Vienna, indeed.  Inside a church there was
a chapel, at least until II World War, where the statue of Mary was
sorrounded by graffiti expressing humble and ingenuous supplications,
mostly about love affairs.  There is an old saying that once a young girl
knelt down and prayed, in the opposite side, near the Crucified.  An old
woman, hearing her sobbing about unrequited love, took the girl close to
the statue of Mary and said: "You should pray here instead.  Men they
always help each other."

Schikaneder, Mozart's friend and librettist, was a very clever producer
too.  People were so involved in one of Schikaneder's productions, the
drama "Agnese Bernauer" by Torring, that the actor (Mr Wellerschenk) who
played the role of the "bad person" Vicedom, was constantly insulted out on
the street.  He was even threatened with death in a inn.  One night, during
the show, spectators couldn't bear once more the killing of Agnese, thrown
down from a bridge and drowned.  They all started shouting "Help her!  Let
Vicedom drow instead!".  Schikaneder, came immediatly out on the box and
announced that exceptionally, that night, Vicedom would have been drowned.
He received a standing ovation.

First part ends here:)

Roberto