Why was Moazart's opera " The Marriage of Figaro " controversial?

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Clarification of Question by chazaniac-ga on 28 Jan 2005 15:26 PST

Why was Mozart almost exiled by the Habsburg monarchy?

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Clarification of Question by chazaniac-ga on 28 Jan 2005 20:04 PST

Was the controversy over The Marriage of Vigaro between jealous
competing composers, or did Mozart draw the ire and disdain of the
hapsburgs because of its satire?

I believe the controversy had little to do with Mozart's music, but
was related to the satirical elements of the play upon which the opera
was based. The play ridiculed the aristocracy, and that sort of thing
was very shocking in those days.

Is this why Mozart was almost exiled by the Habsgurg monarchy?

It seems that Joseph II, the first Emperor of the House of Habsburg,
was quite fond of "The Marriage of Figaro":

"Such was the intrigue of the court in Vienna in 1785, that when the
Emperor Joseph selected Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro to be
performed over the operas of more politically connected composers,
several of these composers resorted to musical sabotage. At the
opera's premiere, many of the singers deliberately forgot their lines
or sang off-key, at the instruction of these jealous rivals. After the
first act, the Emperor Joseph had to stand up and shout that if the
singers didn't start singing properly they'd all be fired. The second
act was such a success that nearly every piece was encored."

http://www.aetv.com/class/bioproject/mozart_funfacts.html