Mozart wa Komoriuta wo Utawanai (Mozart Doesn't Sing Lullabies) is a historical/mystery manga written by Mori Masahiro, and illustrated by Arisugawa Rui. Published in 2001, the manga takes place in 1809, and is centered around Ludwig van Beethoven, and the mysterious death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which was rumored to have been caused by the Italian court composer, Salieri. While on his way to Haydn's memorial service, Beethoven makes a stop at the local music sheet store, and enters right as a young woman is bashing the store owner for publishing a music score under Mozart's name, rather than her father, Flies.
After a stint that involved music sheets before flung at the store-owner's face, Beethoven leaves, and meets up with his pupil Carl Czerny at the chapel. Unfortunately, the arrogant Salieri is there as well, and he seems a bit shocked when Beethoven mentions about a lullaby being published under Mozart's name. Later that day, Beethoven goes to the Wien theater to rehearse his new Eroica symphony, and after observing that someone is watching the rehearsel, has Czerny check on who is this mysterious observer. Much to the shock of everyone, it's none other than the the burnt corpse of Trehk, the store-owner.....
It's not an isolated case either. It seems that Trehk's death is somehow linked to Mozart's recent death as well, the more Beethoven, Czerny, Sirene, and a young Schubert investigate. Furthermore, it all comes back to a such a simple little lullaby.....
[Mozart wa Komiruta wo Utawanai] contains examples of:
- Anatomy Anomaly: Mozart was born with a rare condition in which he was born without earlobes. This is what confirms to Beethoven, Czerny, and the audience that Sirene really is Mozart's child.
- Broken Pedestal: Beethoven's admiration for Mozart is shaken when it's revealed that Mozart threatened the court of Wien with his influence as part of the Freemasons.
- Disguised in Drag: While trying to infiltrate a relief hospital to speak to Shchikaneder, Czerny and Beethoven wear dresses and head coverings to pass as women. While Czerny, being Czerny, looks lovely, Beethoven......not so much.
- Engineered Public Confession: Beethoven planned for Salieri to confess his part in Mozart and Flies' death by pretending that they were the only people in the attic of the concert hall - while the hall's filled with people who would hear everything through the echo chambers of the theater. This almost works, if it weren't for Officer Bruno telling the concert-goers that the concert's cancelled, rendering only him as the sole person who heard Salieri's confession.
- Gold Makes Everything Shiny: Gilding, the process of mixing mercury and a thin layer of gold, becomes a huge part of the story. There's a high chance of the person suffering from the effects of lead poisoning if they keep exposing themselves to the fumes, which is the main reason why Mozart had Flies gild everything in the theater as a guinea pig to confirm that Prince Leopold died the same way.
- Historical Detective Fiction
- Historical Beauty Upgrade: Carl Czerny is portrayed as a blond, Long-Haired Pretty Boy.
- Living Crashpad: Much to Beethoven's chagrin, he becomes one to Czerny after Beethoven and Constanze escaped the explosion of Count von Swieten's mansion.
- Sitting on the Roof: One chapter cover of the manga shows Beethoven, as a young boy, sitting on top of the roof of house. He also sits on the roof of the Theater au Wien while waiting for Czerny to get something to remove the recent screws from the "magic flute" that the Prince Tamino statue is holding.
- Tampering with Food and Drink: Beethoven dodges this when he witnessed Baron von Swieten immediately suffering the effects of a nerve poisoning right after eating the grilled steak that Beethoven cooked. In chapter 8, Beethoven and Gorowski are saved from drinking the bottle of poisoned wine that came from Swieten's basement.
- Czerny: We paid attention to the fish when it was the wine that was poisoned. Now it's clear, isn't it? The enemy is launching attacks on you whether you like it or not. You can't back out anymore.
- Trojan Prisoner: Beethoven has Sirene pose as a prostitute in order to have her go to the same relief hospital that Schikaneder's in. She isn't happy about it.
