Music was the main source of entertainment in the eighteenth century. A musician was a wealthy nobleman's servant, and his life was no better than that of the lord's cook, maid, or stableboy. Neither a slave nor a free man, the musician had to wait for his lord's permission if he wanted to travel, visit his family, or get married. If he grew impatient and didn't wait, the lord could throw him in jail.
This is the story of Karl, a young horn player, and his life in the great European castle of Esterhaza. It is based on historical fact, the 1772 composition of Joseph Haydn's famous symphony no. 45—the "Farewell" Symphony.
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