Mozart wrote the piece on 26 May 1787, when he had just started to write
Don Giovanni, in the Vienna district of
Landstraße in the room of his friend and occasional composer Gottfried von Jacquin (1767–1792), who was then 21 years old. It is set to words of the poet Gabriele von Baumberg (1768–1839), an acquaintance of Mozart and Jacquin. In fact, Mozart wrote this piece for Jacquin's use, who had it copied – with Mozart's knowledge – into a songbook of six songs under his own attribution; the four other songs were by Jacquin. Mozart's other contribution for this songbook was "
Das Traumbild", K. 530, which Mozart posted to Jacquin later that year from Prague where he prepared
Don Giovanni. Emil Gottfried
Edler von Jacquin was a son of
Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin and younger brother of
Joseph Franz von Jacquin. Nikolaus and Mozart often gave
house concerts together where Nikolaus played the flute. Gottfried also had a younger sister, Franziska (9 October 1769 – 12 August 1850) who received piano lesson from Mozart. In a letter to Gottfried from 15 January 1787 he praises her studiousness and diligence. Mozart dedicated a considerable number of his works to the Jacquin family, notably the
Kegelstatt Trio. This was first played at the Jacquins' house in August 1786 with Mozart playing the viola,
Anton Stadler the clarinet, and Franziska the piano. Gottfried von Jacquin added different dedications to each of the six songs, and had his booklet published in Vienna by Laurenz Lausch in 1791; he died the following year, 25 years old. His family had it published again as part of his estate in about 1803 by Johann Cappi. Jacquin's dedication for this work (K. 520) was . Sybille Dahms believes this to be the
contralto singer Katharina von Altomonte who sang – alongside Mozart's sister-in-law and former love interest
Maria Aloysia Lange, the "incomparable" (
Joseph II)
tenor Valentin Adamberger, and the
bass Ignaz Saal – in the March 1789 performance of
Handel's
Messiah in Mozart's
orchestration. Katharina von Altomonte was presumably related to the painter
Bartolomeo Altomonte (1694–1783) who was famous for his painted ceilings in many Austrian churches. On 27 March 1799
Constanze Mozart wrote to the publishers
Breitkopf & Härtel: In considering the above songs I must state for your and the public's benefit that the two: "Erzeugt von heisser Phantasie" [K520] and "Wo bist du, bild etc" [K530] did pass here, and thus most likely also in other places, for the work of the here deceased Emil Gotfried Edler v. Jacquin, a close friend of my husband. However, the original score shows that it is from my husband himself; on one of them [K520] it is even written in his own hand that it was made in Jacquin's home at the Landstraße (a suburb here)." Subsequently, K. 520 was first published under Mozart's name in the 1799 Breitkopf & Härtel
Œuvres, where it was titled by the publishers "" ("Unhappy Love"). After Constanze sold the
autograph as part of a large collection to the
Kapellmeister Johann Anton André, it passed on to his son Johann August André. It came then to the Austrian ambassador in Berlin, Count György
Esterházy (1809–1856) and was later purchased by Louisa Emily Charlotte, Lady Revelstoke, wife of
Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke; at her death in 1892 it fell to her second daughter, Margaret, wife of
Charles Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer. It remained in the Spencer family until it was put up for sale on 16 October 1985 as lot 146 at
Christie's, London, when a Janez Mercun in Geneva acquired it. It came up for auction again at Christie's on 3 December 2003 where it was sold for £251,650 (then US$435,355).{{cite web ==The poem==