ABSTRACT
Leopold Mozart's most interesting period in the market-place occurred after he had left the service of the Archbishop of Salzburg when he was living on his own in Vienna. Methodological issues involved in evaluation of Mozart's financial situation thus include the mathematics of probabilities, the availability of relevant historical data, and peculiar aspects of the historical situation in question. Mozart's estate appears exceptional both in its fine possessions and in its huge debt, a likely result of a period of very high income followed by several years of considerably reduced income. With most wealth concentrated in few hands, median estate size is a more meaningful measure than is average estate size. Mozart sold manuscript copies of his compositions and arranged various sorts of subscription sales schemes. The range of living standards encompassed by the 'middle class' in Mozart's Vienna was enormous, and there is no question that Mozart's own living standard fell somewhere within this range.
