Book Description

Born in Austria in 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his first piece of music, a minuet, when he was just five years old! Soon after, he was performing for kings and emperors. Although he died at the young age of thirty-five, Mozart left a legacy of more than 600 works. This fascinating biography charts the musician's extraordinary career and personal life while painting a vivid cultural history of eighteenth-century Europe. Black-and-white illustrations on every spread explore such topics as the history of opera and the evolution of musical instruments. There is also a timeline and a bibliography.

Illustrated by Carrie Robbins.
Cover illustration by Nancy Harrison. ... Read more

Book Description

Letters by Mozart in sparkling new translations that capture the flavor of the writing, transmit every nuance, and render every thought faithfully and accurately. What was Mozart really like--wild? sublime? responsible? fun-loving? bright? foul-mouthed? Reading these letters, we learn in his own words that he was all of these and much more. Here is the composer at his most intimate and unguarded, expressing his feelings about life, love, music, and the world around him. For this collection, Robert Spaethling has carefully chosen letters written by Mozart over a span of almost twenty-two years--from his first journey to Italy as a shy teenager to the final months of his life in Vienna. The letters, together with the accompanying introductions, chronicle the composer's life, personal development, and artistic growth. These new translations into English, the first in more than sixty years, are faithful to the original German even to the point of misspellings, which abound in the early correspondence. No effort has been spared to find language as closely equivalent to Mozart's as any translation can be and to clear up references in the letters to people, places, and events. Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life makes wonderful reading for anyone who has ever loved a work by the composer, from the deceptively simple Eine kleine Nachtmusik to the towering, magnificent Requiem. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

This lively book will deepen your appreciation of Mozart
What a fine accomplishment! According to the introduction, this book contains about 2/3 of Mozart's surviving correspondence. It has letters from and to Mozart and the translations are very lively and bring the personality of the composer to life. In older translations it seems that care was taken to make him sound like the monumental cultural force that he has become. But in this book, Mozart is a boy, a young man, a young husband, a fiery genius, and at times lost, grieving, and even confused.

The book is organized chronologically and provides biographical information that gives each letter some context. There are many useful footnotes as well as a couple of maps and list of Mozart's travels. The author has even included some notes about the various currencies in order to help the reader understand the discussions of money in the letters.

I can't emphasize enough what a lively read this book is. I found that I simply didn't get bogged down and enjoyed reading it. Yes, there are some portions of some letters I skipped, but that is one of the beauties of the book. You don't get lost simply because you skipped some mundane portions of one letter or another.

Mr. Spaethling is to be congratulated on this fine achievement. If you are interested in Mozart in any way, this book will deepen your appreciation of the living breathing person who wrote all that music. It didn't come from some alien dimension. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, this wonderful and complex human being did it all and we are much richer for it.

A whole new view of Mozart
Those of us who know a little about Mozart believe that he was perfection incarnate, part angel, fluttering down to endow the world with heavenly music. (There probably is some truth to that.) This book, however, reveals a whole new side of Mozart, a very human side. As beautiful as Mozart's music is, the more beautiful it becomes after reading this book. Understanding his big heart, hard work and, yes, even imperfections, increases one's appreciation of his music.

Bravo!
This book enabled Mozart come to life for me. The translation was very good. It showed, (in english), how Mozart worked on his grammar and spelling as he got older. Since he was "home educated", he had to work at this.

I could not put this book down, reading a few letters every day, I saw how Mozart grew from a boy into a man with a family. He was a really good guy, it's a shame he had to die so young.

I would say, to anyone who wants to know more about Mozart, buy this book. You can form your own opinion of him, then you can buy the "expert's" books.

After having read this book, I would like to know more about Constanze!

Fascinating!
Anyone who has ever heard any of Mozart's work knows that he is a fantastic composer - arguably the best ever. But every recording of every one of Mozart's pieces could not begin to provide the glimpse into Mozart's life that this book does. Contained herein are hundreds of Mozart's letters to those close to him, starting from when he was a boy traveling around Europe to a mere three months before his death in 1791. And whilst the fact that all of these letters are translations does make for some awkward reading at times, it also adds to the authenticity and thusly makes it all the more interesting.

I cannot recommend Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life highly enough to anyone interested in Wolfgang Mozart. It is an unparalleled first-hand account of Mozart's life by the man himself, and is a must have for any classical music enthusiast's collection. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Another great book in this series
Author Mike Venezia does a great job explaining biographies to children in a way that is both understandable and interesting. The writing style is not dumbed down or patronizing in tone. This is book is one in a series, others are about other musical composers and artists.

The first few pages explain what the musical climate was like in Mozart's life and explains how people used music for entertainment purposes. This is brief and a very good opening to put Mozart's life in perspective. The rest of the book is a full span of Mozart's life. Unlike other books for children about Mozart, the fact that Mozart was a boy genius is not the main content of the book. Oddly, Mozart's children are never mentioned. Mozart's marriage is briefly mentioned as is Mozart's death.

I have mixed feelings about the illustrations. I appreciated that the illustrations documented the various time periods of Mozart's life. I loved the illustrations that were photographs, fine drawings, or copies of fine paintings of the places Mozart visited, of Mozart and his family, and scenes of his operas. I did not at all like the eight cartoons whose illustrations and accompanying text were sarcastic and silly. These eight cartoons were completely out of character with the text of the book and I didn't appreciate them at all. My children and I have enjoyed other books by this author that did not have dumb cartoons and jokes. My children, aged 4 and 6 haven't needed these silly and sometimes insulting jokes to make the subject matter enjoyable. The interesting biography's text and other illustrations are high quality and are better off without these cartoons. The cartoons downgrade my rating to a 4.

I recommend this book and others by Mike Venezia to teach young children about important people in history.

Mozart's life story told with Venezia's funny cartoons
When I discovered that Mike Venezia was following up his successful Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series with Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers, it was obviously going to be the volume on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that was going to be the one I would most be interested in reading. In terms of his cartoons illustrating in comic ways some of the key developments in Mozart's life from child prodigy performing with his older sister as their father toured them throughout Europe, Venezia certainly delivers. There are also historic paintings and other illustrations of Mozart from throughout his life. But while this volume is an adequate juvenile biography of the great musician, it is a less than satisfactory musical biography. Granted, this is an inherent disadvantage for the Composers series over the Artists series, given that at least in the latter you could reproduce the greatest paintings of the greatest composers, but Venezia refrains from mentioning specific works by Mozart until the final pages of the book. Given my inherent position that a young reader should read this volume while listening to a decent collection of Mozart's "hits," it would be useful not only if more works were specifically mentioned but if they were more specific than entire operas. The only way to appreciate great music is to listen to it and in all of these volumes telling of great composers from George Handel to George Gershwin I think that Venezia clearly has a great opportunity to direct his readers to some prime examples. This is what Venezia did in his volume in this series on Johann Sebastian Bach and it should be a standard part of every volume in the series. Still, young readers will get a much better sense for Mozart's entire life than they will from watching "Amadeus," but the film will do a better job of getting them to fall in love with his music. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When Haydn left on a concert tour to London in December 1790, Mozart said farewell forever, and most people assumed it was Haydn's health that he was worried about. As we know now, the elder composer was to live for almost two decades more; Mozart, a single year. It was to be a year in which he wrote The Magic Flute, La Clemenza di Tito, and the Clarinet Concerto, as well as most of the Requiem; it was also a year of mounting disappointment in his career as part of the Viennese musical establishment, and a year of growing debt. Robbins Landon is keen to debunk the myths: Mozart was not poisoned ,but died of progressive kidney failure, and Salieri was innocent of his death, though not of promoting his own career at Mozart's expense. Landon defends Mozart's wife, Constanze, against the libels of biographers, though at times his portrait of comfortable bourgeois monogamy sounds like special pleading and overlaps with hints of conscientious bohemian racketiness. This is a wonderful portrait of a great artist and the city where he lived; in passing, Landon tells us everything we need to know about musical life, Masonry, and the truth about that pauper's grave. --Roz Kaveney ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Demonstrates considerable knowledge and research
1791, Mozart's Last Year is a fairly short (199 pages plus appendices, notes, and index) book about the last year of the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the famous composer. Among the things discussed are the possibility of Mozart's receiving a good paying position in the Vienna cathedral, his involvement with the Masons, and the circumstances surrounding the composition of La Clemenza di Tito, Die Zauberfloete (The Magic Flute), and the Requiem. Chapters also provide more general background about life in Vienna at the time. One chapter is devoted to the facts about Mozart's last illness, and other explores various myths and theories about it. A final chapter refutes some criticisms of Mozart's wife Constanze. The book is very well written, and appears to be the product of considerable knowledge and research. Included are some photographs and illustrations.

Well written and informative plus a lot of extra details
This is a well-researched book by Robbins Landon not only giving a detailed glimpse of Mozart in 1791 but also the ongoing intrigues associated with life in late 18th century Vienna. Discussed in detail are the three main compositions that he completed during this final year: those being, The Magic Flute, La Clemenza di Tito and his Requiem. There is an interesting section on Mozart's death and the myths and suspicions associated with his final illness. The last chapter is devoted to Constanze and her struggles to survive after Mozart's death.

The book has extensive reference notes, a detailed bibliography and an index that list people who were part of Mozart's life during this period. Also included are some interesting sketches of Mozart's apartment and an area map of Vienna where he and Constanze live in during his last year.

What I personally found of interest, resulted from the extra measures that Robbins Landon goes to give added details on some topics (in particular the 3 works mentioned above). Insights as to the sequencing of construction, participation of other people and outside distractions that influenced Mozart's ability to work on and complete these projects. For example: the fact that 5 different types of sheet paper were used by Mozart during the writing of "La Clemenza di Tito" gives clues not only as to the actual chronological order that some of the scenes were composed, but also an idea as to the geographic locales where different parts this opera was conceived. i.e. Prague or Vienna

It seems hard to believe that retrieving accurate material on Mozart's life and music would be difficult, given his fame. You'd just assume that every note (musical or otherwise) that he wrote would have been recorded for the sake of posterity: sadly, such is not the case. Although Mozart was regarded as a brilliant musician during his time he was only recognized for his true genius, posthumously. So, although a lot of the musical scores, letters, writings and conversation have survived, many were lost or went missing over the past 200 years. What a pity!

Well written and informative. This is certainly a book of special interest, but one that goes beyond the superficial discussions of Mozart's life. Recommended!

Bravo!
After reading "Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life" by Robert Spaethling, this book was a nice transition. Both books are worth buying and reading. Mr. Robbins presented "Mozart's Last Year" logically and held my interest to the end.

The references to Haydn and his relationship with Mozart gave me some really new insight into how the two interacted and regarded the other. The research that was involved in this book lends credit to the contents, which were presented in a common sense way. Mr. Robbins has written a book that, I feel, is a "must read" for anyone interested to learn about Mozart's life and circumstance. A lot of rumors were put to rest. I learned a lot I did not know. I learned a lot about people who touched Mozart's life. I like the fact that he gave Constanze the respect she deserves as one who saved Mozart's works for us to enjoy! Great Job!

A terrific read--I devoured this book!
The author's affection and esteem for Mozart is apparent throughout, and his enthusiasm for his subject is infectious. This is obviously a work of careful scholarship, but the writing style is so fluid and the topic so engaging that this book can be appreciated by both serious musicians and Mozart-loving non-musicians alike. It addresses many of the subjects that the movie 'Amadeus' touched on--Salieri's jealousy, the writing of the Requiem, Mozart's final illness, etc. but, unlike the movie, it is content to let the unembellished facts tell the compelling story of the last year of the composer's life. A fascinating, well-written book.

For All Mozart Lovers!
This is a passionate look at the most prolific year of Mozart's life, and also the year he died. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but was saddened to think what he might have composed had he lived just a few years longer! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Readers who think of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) as the shrieking vulgarian depicted in Peter Shaffer's hit play (and movie) Amadeus will be astonished by the man they meet in this biography by music historian Robert Gutman: "affectionate and generous ... an austere moralist of vital force, incisiveness, and strength of purpose." Without scanting Mozart's often maladroit handling of his patrons or his earthy way with words ("Let the whole company of patricians lick my ass," he declared in a 1777 letter), Gutman portrays a musical genius who slowly and painfully achieved personal maturity as he emerged from the shadow of his domineering father. The rich cultural life of 18th-century Europe forms a vivid background for Mozart's professional and artistic evolution. And Gutman's descriptions of Mozart's work are models of music writing for the lay reader: they capture the brilliance and beauty of the great composer's art in easily accessible language, as in the analysis of The Marriage of Figaro's place in "a new aesthetic of surging movement ... the vocal and orchestral lines twine, separate, and reunite in confrontation, opposition, and accommodation, an ever-changing, effortless interlacing." The prose delineating Mozart's complex personality is just as full-bodied and perceptive. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A flesh-and-blood Mozart
Though I'm not much of a Mozart buff, and his music generally does little for me, it's impossible to deny his genius or to escape its fascination. So, after again having watched the entertaining nonsense of the movie Amadeus a while ago, I felt compelled to find out a bit more about the REAL story (I knew the gist of it only from Peter Gay's tiny book). What luck then, to find this beautifully produced, comprehensive tome lying around in the remainders corner of a book store. It was worth every cent of the modest price I paid for it. This is biography as it should be. It covers all details of Mozart's personal life, his family, and the troubled relation with his father; it covers many details of his works besides. It also shows his constant wavering on the brink between the dictates of protocol on the one hand and his sense of superiority through creative genius on the other. This delicate balance defined his dealings with Colloredo in Salzburg, with Joseph II in Vienna, and with the hosts of princes, dukes and bishops who governed the mind-boggling patchwork of states that constituted the Holy Roman Empire at that time. In dealing with these issues, Gutman never loses himself in speculation and is eminently sober. Where information is spread thin because of a lack of correspondence or interrupted work on a diary, he just tells us so and moves on. If you are looking for scurrilous anecdotes of the Amadeus kind, you will look in vain here. Mozart, no matter how convinced of his own qualities, would never have dreamt to bow low with his back turned to the ruler of Salzburg, showing him his behind. You will only find his insolence tucked away in a few defiant sentences in a letter, thickly covered by all the servile formulae that were expected of a courtier who ranked no higher than a footman. Neither will you find sycophantic ravings about Mozart's precocious talent. Though the works he produced at a young age were certainly exceptional, their flaws stand out clearly, and many of them also betray the hand of Leopold, as Gutman patiently points out. In fact, I noticed, the flow of great masterpieces only starts once your two-thirds through the book; before that lie the years of the child prodigy dragged all over Europe by his ambitious father, and those of the young composer struggling to find his voice and an audience. By the way, the description of Mozart's work strongly focuses on the opera's, and the sometimes over-extensive (psycho)analysis of the libretti struck me as the only weak aspect of this book. On the whole, however, this book is far more about the man and his world than about the music.
You will also look in vain for uncanny overtones in the visit of the masked messenger who ordered the Requiem, and neither is there the tragic end of the neglected genius dumped in a pauper's grave. Mozart had a standard third class funeral, Gutman tells us, as did most Viennese citizens, and the proceedings surrounding it were quite in keeping with those customary at the time. Nor was the composer a death-ridden derelict in his final year; on the contrary, he was in high spirits, and on the brink of the artistic recognition and ensuing financial success that allowed his widow to spend the many years she survived him in the greatest comfort.
So is this a boring book then? By no means! Gutman replaces the sensational but stale caricature with a flesh-and-blood human being, and a very likeable one at that, who almost jumps off the pages. His treatment of Mozart's psychology is highly refined and subtle. He was no divine spirit incarnate, he was a man like you and me, this book tells you.
But it tells you lots more. It delves deeply into the complicated politics of 18th century Europe, with all its competing rulers, many of them afflicted with strange personalities. Culture and customs are described in similar detail. The ample footnotes contain thumbnail-biographies, delightful anecdotes and musical details alike and almost form a book in themselves. The 800 pages are densely packed with information, not making for a relaxed bed-time read; this book demands your time and concentration, and deserves both! You will reap rich rewards from your investment.

Leopold's little boy
A definitive biography of history's greatest creative genius is of course an illusion. Nevertheless, two American writers have in recent years written large scholarly works which strive to achieve that distinction: Robert Gutman and Maynard Solomon. Gutman's book is greatly to be preferred.

Solomon's book should be read by any serious Mozartian for his interesting new material on and interpretations of issues such as the Mozart family finances and the complex varieties of late 18th century Freemasonry. But his biography is vitiated by his Freudianism and his relentless demonising of Leopold Mozart. In Gutman's book, by contrast, Leopold emerges as a much more interesting and complex character than Solomon's monster. Some of the best parts of the book are the extracts from Leopold's letters during his trips with the boy prodigy. Leopold was an intelligent, humane, tolerant and well-educated man, with shrewd powers of cultural and social observation. (His description of Naples in the 1760's is priceless.) But Gutman's Leopold is no saint either. Gutman convincingly portrays him as a man who was often socially out of his depth and whose maladroit plotting on his son's behalf did Wolfgang more harm than good. He also accuses Leopold of ultimately cheating his grown son out his boyhood earnings - a charge I felt Gutman did not quite prove.

In the early chapters of the book I also found it a bit tiresome how often Gutman felt he had register his disapproval of absolute monarchs. Personally, he prefers democracy. Thank you Mr Gutman, we get the point. For some Americans, it seems, it's always 1776.

Gutman's musical judgements do not quite accord with my own. I thought he was far too dismissive of the compositional skill of the young Mozart. But I must admit he did cast the famous Allegri Miserere and Padre Martini stories in very different light. Gutman also tended to damn with faint praise Mozart's great opera seria, La Clemenza di Tito. On the plus side, he showed an all-too-rare understanding of the aesthetic and religious seriousness of Mozart's church music.

As someone who has been reading Mozart biographies for over thirty years, I was constantly amazed at some new fact or anecdote Gutman had unearthed. Finally, his description of the young genius's death was almost unbearably moving.

If you only buy one Mozart biography (and I suppose there are such people) this should be the one.

excellent bio and history
This book is a much more pleasing read than Maynard's "Mozart: A Life" - unless you like endless psychological analysis.
Gutman describes in detail historical events which influenced the lives of the Mozarts: wars, experiencing freedom in England, interacting with other musicians and philosophers, new outlooks on life and new developments in music.
The fine historical detail embellishes the thorough presentation of Mozart's life: for example, knowing his hometown of Salzburg was not part of Austria during his lifetime makes his eventual move to Vienna seem even more dramatic than otherwise.
The two reasons I don't give it 5 stars are: 1) it paints a more sanitized picture of Mozart than other sources, and 2) many writers seem to think it enhances their works if they include phrases in foreign languages. Gutman is no exception. For example, Mozart's father's thinking at one point is described as "Aut Ceasar, aut nihil." This is apparently a somewhat well-known phrase meaning "To Ceasar all or nothing." but I shouldn't have had to take time out of otherwise enjoyable reading to look it up on the Internet.

Worth the money
A great book for Mozart fans. If you liked Amadeus you'll surely enjoy this book by Gutman.

Unless New Information Requires Revision
This twelve-year effort by Mr. Robert W. Gutman to create a cultural biography around the core that was Mozart, should meet the needs of those educated in music, or those like myself who are fascinated with this genius of History. This work is massive by any measure and even the Author suggested certain passages could be passed over by less sophisticated students of Mozart's work, and music in general.

I read this work over a lengthy period of time as the material is very dense, and the book is more like a collection than a single volume. This is a Biography of Mozart, and also biographies of those who were Family, his peers, and The Monarchs who ruled during his short life. It is a work of History as well. For Mozart the person, throughout the book is always placed within the context of the events surrounding him. Politics would influence where he could play, as would religion, all forms of civil disobedience, and war. In this sense the work has as an element Political Science as well. The Author includes detailed economic facts from the smallest of costs that were included for a concert tour, to the largesse that was or was not handed to Mozart by a variety of Royal Courts. These latter two issues were obsessions with his Father. Mozart Sr. not only micro-managed the lives of his children, but also was constantly vying for the good graces of the wealthy, The Nobility, as well as The Royalty, and dealing with all manner of court intrigue in hopes of his personal advancement.

For any who became interested in Mozart after seeing, "Amadeus", this book, as others do, portrays the composer as at times a colorful individual, but not the debauched character that was seen in the film. His writings at times are colorful in the extreme; his ego and his expressions of his self-importance do not always commend him. However his genius cannot be denied, and while not as raucous as the movie version, Mozart would never be accused of being a bore at gatherings.

I am glad that I read this book, and it will certainly serve as a reference source. I would not recommend this as the first book to read on Mozart unless Music is your field of study. To truly appreciate what the Author has created, and to gain all the knowledge the book contains, an individual must have much more than a passing interest in Mozart. Mr. Gutman has created a scholarly work that would seem to set a standard that will be hard to surpass. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Introducing young readers to the music genius of Mozart
By the time Mozart was 20 he was one of the most exciting composers in Europe. He had already accomplished more than 99.9% of us do in an entire lifetime. Mozart's true musical genius was not recognized until after he died, but the extent of is talent is detailed in this juvenile biography of Roland Vernon. This story begins with a recognition of his genius and the more than 600 musical works he composed, then tells the story of the child genius who became a famous musical prodigy and then the darling of Vienna. The book is comprised of two page spreads, illustrated mostly with historic paintings and drawings along with contemporary art by Ian Andrew. The back of the book contains a Time Chart and a Glossary, which covers not only vocabulary terms like "concerto" and "libertine". For those young readers who have seen the film "Amadeus," Vernon provides a final sidebar that pointedly separates fact from fiction. Introducing Mozart is part of a series that looks at the influences and historical events that shaped the lives of the great composers from Bach and Beethoven to Stravinsky and Gershwin. This volume does indeed put the composer's life in the context of the revolutionary times in which he lived and composed his music. Final suggestion: while reading this biography of Mozart listening to his music is a good idea. There are several decent "hits" collection of Mozart's music readily available and you will find that most of those tracks on such albums are specifically mentioned in the pages of this volume. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

nothing like the master's own words
very helpful to read Mozart's own words, & correspondence w/his father & others. would be helpful to have more footnotes, & more of the texts. what is there is tantalizing. ... Read more

Book Description

In this first full-scale biography since the 1950s, esteemed biographer Maynard Solomon draws on a half-century of new information to provide an in-depth account of Mozart's family life, his passions, and his personality. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A compelling look at a life of creativity and of pain
It's hard to fathom the sheer genius that was Mozart, a musician and composer capable of playing and writing music that will never be forgotten. This book goes a long way to helping to understand a complex and talented man whod ied at a young age but left such an astounding legacy. The difficult relationship with his father, his loving relationship with his mother and sister, his breakaway to Vienna, his marriage, all receive attention in this masterful volume. The Freudian jargon does detract at times from the story (and occasionally mystifies the reader with odd sentences and abstractions that seem meant for psychotherapists to argue about: was his use of an occasional nickname for himself of "Adam" in place of "Amadeus" really another way for him to see himself reborn with his mother as Eve??...well, I don't know or care, really). Solomon's extensive attention to Mozart's relationship with his father does have a nice way of bringing the story all together. Leopold comes across as nearly insane, a man who never comes to accept his son's obvious genius, pushing his son to consider lowly postings in Strasbourg in deference to his family, rather than go to Vienna to assume his place among the musical elite of Europe. Mozart's split with his father and sister comes through brilliantly. The reader can share his pain and ambivalence in moving to Vienna, knowing that his art and talent demanded it but suffering as a result. I have not read other Mozart biographies, but I am hard-pressed to imagine what I may be missing. This is a masterly and fascinating look at one of the millenium's most prodigious talents.

Still the best Mozart biography I have found
An enjoyable read but not without some rather large flaws. Much easier to digest than Guttman's biography of Mozart in this regard. Certainly a readable and sometimes exciting chronology of Mozart's life. One gets a feeling of what Mozarts life was like but something in Solomon's psychological and cultural portraint seems to be missing. When I was finished I was left with as many questions about the life and times of Mozart as I had when I begun.

A very dissapointing discussion of Mozarts works, in fact there is no systemic evaluation on his output. Nothing on the piano concertos, chamber music, symphonies, or operas. Instead we are left with a few chapters superimposed into the text (Solomon admits they where used earlier as lecture material) that try to relate some adagio and concerti to outdated and apsychological theories of aesthetics. One should refer to Swafford's biograpy of Brahms as a model for an integrated discussion of a composers life and works.

Most annoying of all is Solomons incessant need to Psychoanalyze. More time is spent trying to pigeonhole Mozart's relation with his father into a Freudian model than is discussing the musical culture of Viena, or for that matter Mozarts sources of creativity. Dare I say, most of Solomons charachter analysis amounts to little more than psychobabble. This takes special crecedence when one considers how dubous and now abandoned Freudian theory is today in general.

Mostly Mozart
I was looking forward to reading Maynard Solomon's biography of Mozart, since I've wanted to know more about him, especially after reading and seeing "Amadeus". I know Shaffer's play is largely based on speculation, and I wanted some facts. Since this biography was generally well reviewed and praised, I believed I would be of the same opinion. However, Solomon has taken perhaps the most outrageous character of classical music and placed him in the most tame and boring of tales.

Solomon's biography is thoroughly researched. He is profoundly adept at analyzing Mozart's music and the various shifts as the composer searches for his own unique style. Even if you are not familiar with the pieces mentioned, you can still recognize the genius of the notes on the page, provided for you. And even his analyses of Mozart's character, although mere speculation, are well-written and thought-provoking.

However, Solomon spends too much time on the seemingly insignificant. Yes, Mozart's relationship with his father is important in the course of Mozart's development, but do we really need the speculation as to what Leopold Mozart "may have earned" on their musical travels? Too often Solomon's research reads like a laundry list of gifts, events, and musical compositions. The reader hardly knows what to make of Mozart by the end of this biography; since Solomon himself never presents this mythic character in a clear light. Upon finishing, I felt I had learned more about Mozart's father than I had about the composer himself. In wanting to give us the entire "life" story of Mozart, he ironically gives us a biography that is lacking exactly that - life.

Excellent
This is a wonderful biography of the great musician. It really dispelles all the false truths and paints Mozart as a living breathing person. There is quite a bit of phycho anaylses some of it was a bit boring but I really enjoyed the anaylises of his relationship with his father. It is a little heavy at times but most of the time reads like a good novel. Wonderful.

should be Mozart ¿ A Psychoanalysis
This book should be titled "Mozart - A Psychoanalysis"

The book has some strong points - a good analysis of musical style with many examples (if you can't play them on a piano at least tap out the rhythms to get an idea of what he was trying to do) and details about Mozart's dirty letters and fondness for writing backwards. He also makes a good case for Mozart having good earnings. Some of these things are probably difficult to find elsewhere.

However it leaves out some extraordinary things, including Mozart's attitude toward Salieri - and vice-versa, meeting Voltaire and Beethoven, and much of the political climate.

The author drones on with page after page of psychobabble that serves to over-exhaust both the subject and the reader. For example, the following run-on sentence (one of many in the book) occurs five (!) pages into a continuous set of statements about musical imagery:

"An argument can be made, however, that in the last analysis we bring to the entire continuum of such (anxious mental) states derivatives of feelings having their origin in early stages of our lives, and in particular the preverbal state of symbiotic fusion of infant and mother, a matrix that constitutes an infancy-Eden of unsurpassable beauty but also a state completely vulnerable to terrors of separation, loss, and even fears of potential annihilation, a state that inevitably terminates in parting, which even under the most favorable circumstances leaves a residue of grief and melancholy, engendering a desire - wrapped in the likelihood of further disillusionment - to rediscover anew the sensations of undifferentiated fusion with a nurturing caretaker."

That was just ONE sentence! The author then appears to summarize the argument, at which point the reader emits a sigh of relief then turns the page: only to be confronted by two more pages of psychology before the author then spends several more pages applying the argument to several musical works.

The reader gets treated to several whole chapters of analysis of Mozart's emotional mind, emotional relationships with relatives, physical attributes - and what emotions they cause. There is a WHOLE chapter devoted to the fact that Mozart temporarily altered his middle name to "Adam" when he signed his marriage documents! I'm not kidding. The Chapter is entitled, "Adam" and it analyzes the emotional states that caused Mozart to change Amade(us) to Adam. Then, when the reader finally arrives at a chapter that actually describes historical events in Mozart's life (and their emotions), the events are often not played out in chronological order.

The names of Mozart's major works are most often NEVER written in English and the author often uses German, French, or Italian to make major points without bothering to let the reader in on the English translation: Mozart said of his pet starling "Das war schon." The motto of some riddlers was "Honi soit qui mal y pense." It's frustrating not knowing what those sentences mean in English.

I faithfully read the first 344 pages of this book then could no longer bear it - I skimmed the rest, then started reading Gutman's "Mozart - a cultural biography" which appears to present Mozart more idealistically than was the case, but at least I'm getting a feel for what was happening around Mozart during his lifetime.

I hope I wasn't too emotional. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Braunbehrens' Mozart etc.
Braunbehrens' book is a well written account of Mozart and the intellectual, political, economic and cultural milieu that existed during the ascendant part of his creativity.Braunbehrens' is not the first Mozart biography I have read that explores these aspects of Mozart, nor is this book as lavishly illustrated as others.However, for my amatuer self, it the best written and most accessible; scholarly, but not academically dry or pedantic.

Braunbehrens dispelled for me the myth which has come down to amateurs since his death that Mozart was an unrelentingly tragic, Romantic and impoverished figure.Certainly that myth is not descernible in his music.Braunbehrens erudite insights have enhanced my listening experience, and have given me greater appreciation of this man of the Enlightenment. ... Read more

Book Description

"Mozart's need for love had grown uncertain of itself in earlychildhood. His feeling of being unloved found constant confirmation in hischanging experiences over the years, and the intensity of his unsatisfied desireto be loved, detectable as a dominant wish throughout his life, very largelydetermined what had meaning for him and what did not."From the book One of the most important social thinkers of our time provides a hauntingportrait of Mozart's life and creative genius. German sociologist Norbert Eliasexamines the paradoxes in Mozart's short existencehis brilliant creativity andsocial marginality, his musical sophistication and personal crudeness, hisbreathtaking accomplishments and deep despair. Using psychoanalytic insights, Elias examines Leopold Mozart's carefully honedambitions for his son and protege. From the age of six Mozart traveled with hisfather, performing in the major courts throughout Europe. The elder Mozartworked on his son "like a sculptor on his sculpture," and this deep bond formedthe lietmotif in understanding Mozart's early talent and complicated psyche. Mozart chafed at the constraints of Viennese courtly culture. Growing up in asociety which viewed musicians as manual laborers producing entertainment forthe court, he fought for an independent livelihood. Vienna's aristocracyultimately turned its back on the composer, who faced mounting debts, no work,and no prospect of fulfilling his innermost desires. He died feeling that hislife had become empty of meaning. Elias ponders the concept of genius, which he sees as a complex marriage offantasy, inspiration, and convention. In exploring the tension between personalcreativity and the tastes of an era, he gives us a book of startling insight anddiscovery. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A delightful essay
This small volume might be the perfect gift for the aficionado who owns all the other important biographies on Mozart.

Norbert Elias was a sociologist by profession. Looking at the life of Mozart, he asked what influence did the society in which Mozart grew up have on his development as an artist. Elias did not try to explain the nature of genius in terms of sociology, as the subtitle of the US translation implies. Rather, he tried to put Mozart's genius in perspective. The German title of the book made this quite clear: "Mozart. Zur Soziologie eines Genies", which translates roughly as "Mozart: Sociological aspects of a genius". The charm of the book really lies in the fact that Elias did not try to explain away the mystery of genius.

As a small extra for anyone who has ever wondered why so many important composers came from German speaking countries (Bach, Haendel, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, etc.), whereas France and England produced few composers of the same stature during this period, Elias's essay has a neat, little theory which provides some answers. It also warms the hearts of economists, by the way. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A very enjoyable introduction to Mozart
It seems the most popular budget classical music label, Naxos, not only makes most of the Western musical output available at very reasonable prices (no top stars who demand absurd fees make this possible), but it has also issued three very nice boxed sets of recordings on cassettes and CDs (I have the latter) that together give you a quick, fairly accurate, and quite enjoyable survey of three major topics. Perry Keenlyside's (NA 314412) is on three tapes or CDs and more or less delivers what the title promises in about 3 hours and 40 minutes. The text is considerately divided into sections--"Mozart, the child prodigy," "January 1762, the first journeys," "Paris and London, 1763-4," and so on--with tracking cues for each section. The narration and quotations from letters and journals of the time are accompanied by the appropriate music drawn from the bottomless Naxos catalogue. Nigel Anthony is the narrator, aided by Paul Rhys (Mozart), Edward de Souza (Leopold Mozart), with David Timson and Anna Patrick in "other parts." I have not seen the original books to see how much of an abridgment this is, if at all, but that is immaterial. The voices are personable, the information digestible, the whole project very worth while, especially at the price. My only objection to the Naxos recordings of books in the low recording level that makes it a bit difficult to hear on a walkman set up on (say) a noisy train. But this should offer no problem to home hearing or even in your car. These sets are really perfect listening for long trips. ... Read more

Book Description

Detailing the childhood lives of famous artists, this series begins with composers, showing young readers some of the amazing things that have been accomplished by children. The stories both educate and inspire children to be creative, work hard, and follow their dreams.

Niños famosos esta dedicado contar los cuentos sobre las vidas infantiles de los músicos, artistas y escritores, mostrando su genialidad, creatividad, y sus obras a todos los lectores pequeños. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I can only write in English!
I am so sorry the reviewer bought tthe Spanish edition by accident. My books are translated into 17 languages!
I am English living in London and can only write in English.
i wish I knew how the mistake was made. I hope any other families who want to read my books in English dont buy the Spanish or Chinese versions by mistake!

Can you read Spanish?
It was not totally obvious that this book was written in Spanish. Okay, now that the book is in our home, and I have taken a second look at the picture of the cover, I wonder if I should have known when I ordered. On the other hand, there are books about other composers in their youth, written by the same author, which are in English. The pictures in the book are sweet and the kids like to look at the book, but no one in our household can read the book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In his lifetime, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart didn't have the best of luck with his patrons. One of them, Archbishop Colloredo of Salzburg, actually had his chamberlain kick the composer in the ass to signal the end of his employment. Mozart has been luckier, however, with his biographers. In the last 20 years alone, he has been the subject of two fine books: Maynard Solomon's meticulous study, which slides Mozart's rather mystifying psyche under the analytic microscope, and Wolfgang Hildesheimer's more sardonic effort, in which the author seems determined to strip every last bit of romantic varnish from the traditional portrait.

Now Peter Gay joins the party with his own brief life. Weighing in at 177 pages, Mozart will never displace its deep-focus predecessors. But it's a delightful introduction to the composer, whose entire existence was, as Gay puts it, a "triumph of genius over precociousness." It's one thing, after all, to knock 'em dead at age five--at which point the waist-high Mozart was already a keyboard virtuoso. It's quite another to keep developing at the same prodigious pace. "A child prodigy is, by its nature, a self-destroying artifact: what seems literally marvelous in a boy will seem merely talented and perfectly natural in a young man. But by 1772, at sixteen, Mozart no longer needed to display himself as a little wizard; he had matured in the sonata and the symphony, the first kind of music he composed, and now showed his gifts in new domains: opera, the oratorio, and the earliest in a string of superb piano concertos."

Gay gets in all the essentials: Mozart's mind-blowing maturation, his family life, his weakness for billiards, and (of course) his seriously scatological style as a correspondent. Like Solomon, he takes an Oedipal approach to Wolfgang's perpetual head-banging with his overbearing father. And like Hildesheimer, he's at pains to scotch certain cherished myths--the mysterious figure who commissioned the Requiem, for example, turns out to be no otherworldly harbinger of death but a chiseling wannabe who hoped to pass off the finished product as his own work. Perhaps best of all, Gay never goes sublime on us. His portrait is attractively level-headed, and at one point he's even modest enough to knock his own metaphors for their puerility. Here, surely, the author is being hard on himself. But he's right about one thing: as far as artistry goes, this former child prodigy does make children of us all. --James Marcus ... Read more

Reviews (16)

A short biography of a Mozart's short life.
For anyone who has ever wanted to know about Mozart, but does not want to dig through massive tomes, or the intracacies of counterpoint, Peter Gay gives a thorough linear analysis of Mozart, his life, and times. Describing the growth of a musical genius, with commentaries on major works, Gay places Mozart firmly in his historic period. We see the role of the musician as hired tradesman and Mozart trying to equate his genius with social standing, only to play secaond fiddle to the second rate. An excellent and enjoyable window into a complex mind and a brief but indelible life.

A delightful gem of a biography, compact yet informative
Peter Gay's brief biography of Mozart is the third of the new Penguin Lives which I have read, but only the first to offer a reasonably complete portrait. (The others were "Mao Zedong" by Jonathan Spence, which seemed disappointingly incomplete, and "Woodrow Wilson" by Louis Auchincloss, which seemed terribly superficial.) As an eminent cultural historian of Europe since the Enlightenment and a native of German-speaking Europe himself, Gay is more than qualified to write a superior life story of Mozart and certainly rises to the occasion with a captivating style that made reading this book a pleasure.

For a book that is only 163 pages long, exclusive of endnotes and bibliographic essay, this volume offers an unusually full picture. It depicts Mozart as man and musician, while placing him and his art in the context of his times. Gay delves into Mozart's complex relationship with his autocratic father, describing his evolution from docile Wunderkind to assertive mature artist. He also explores Mozart's unusual personality, including his often juvenile sense of humor, his devoted commitment to his wife, his tendency to constantly live beyond his means and the resulting sometimes obsequious dependency on his patrons, and his interactions with contemporary composers, particularly Johann Christoph Bach and Franz Josef Haydn. Gay is especially good at explaining Mozart's major contributions to the development of classical music in terms that even someone who lacks a technical understanding of music can fathom, showing how he contributed to chamber music, the symphony, and opera. And he briefly points out what is distinctive about a number of the composers' major works.

In short, this is a book that offers all the fun of "Amadeus," but a far more satisfying portrayal of Mozart and a fuller explication of why he is an icon of Western civilization. For readers who lack much knowledge about the composer, Gay does an artful job of tantalizing them into wanting to learn more, then pointing the way with a helpful and thorough bibliographical essay.

Superb introduction to Mozart's life
In this book, Peter Gay offers an excellent, concise summary of Mozart's life and greatness. This is not a balanced recounting; Gay compresses the Mozart's active childhood of tours and performances into a single chapter, while his frustrating years at Salzburg are similarly condensed to a few pages. Yet such an approach is more than justified given the purpose of the 'Penguin Lives' series, which is to offer brief introductions to their selected subjects.

A distinguished intellectual and cultural historian, Gay brings considerable knowledge of Mozart's world to bear in examining the details of his life, connecting it to the broader historical developments of his time. Chapters 6 and 7 break away from the biographical narrative to focus on Mozart's achievements as a writer of symphonies and operas, which allows Gay to turn his finely honed analytical abilities to evaluating Mozart the artist. While there is nothing new in his analysis, it nonetheless provides the best introduction available to the life of this brilliant musician and composer.

Colorful portrait
Gay's book is a colourful portrait of the genius Mozart. It's lively not boring and gave me more than enough information on the man himself but very little on his marriage. I would have preferred more info on that aspect of his life but admittedly Gay does a splendid job on the early and Mozart and giving me a better understanding of what made the Great Composer tick.
And the best of the Penguin lives series that I've come across so far.

A Triumph of Genius over Preociousness
This is one of several volumes in the Penguin Lives Series, each of which written by a distinguished author in her or his own right. Each provides a concise but remarkably comprehensive biography of its subject in combination with a penetrating analysis of the significance of that subject's life and career. I think this is a brilliant concept. Those who wish to learn more about the given subject are directed to other sources.

When preparing to review various volumes in this series, I have struggled with determining what would be of greatest interest and assistance to those who read my reviews. Finally I decided that a few brief excerpts and then some concluding remarks would be appropriate.

On misconceptions of Mozart (e.g. the "willful child" unable to grow up, the "miracle worker" who never needed to revise a single note): "These tenacious caricatures are distortions rather than fabrications; most of them, as we shall discover, contain a kernel of truth....But Mozart's life in music is fascinating enough without embroidery; his reputation as a genius is not threatened by mundane truths." (Page 2)

In a letter to his father (1781): "Nature speaks as loudly in me as in anyone, and perhaps louder than in many big, strong lugs. I cannot possibly live like most of the young men today. -- First, I have too much religion; secondly, too much love for my fellow beings and too honorable a disposition to seduce an innocent girl; and thirdly, too much horror and repugnance, dread and fear of diseases, and too much care for my health to scuffle with whores." (Page 70)

Peter Gay on Salieri: "There is an all-too-well-known melodramatic tale about Antonio Salieri poisoning Mozart. It began as a rumor and was first given literary form in the 1820s in a verse playlet by Pushkin. It is a malicious, preposterous fabrication, but hints at the envy Mozart's rivals had every right to feel. Yet Mozart, too, had grounds for envy: Salieri, born in Italy but long settled in Vienna, occupied privileged posts that Mozart would have deserved but, given Emperor Joseph's predilection for Salieri, could never hope to obtain." (Page 100)

Mozart's last year: "[It] has often been described as one long preparation for death. But in that time, Mozart wrote two operas, a piano concerto, a large number of minuets and counterdances, a clarinet concerto, a Masonic cantata, two quintets, and most of the Requiem. His creativity was still working at full speed." (Page 156)

I am among those who have seen the film Amadeus many times, admiring it more each time. For dramatic purposes, those who produced Amadeus focus on several of the "tenacious caricatures" to which Gay refers. What I especially appreciate about this biography is that Gay duly acknowledges all of Mozart's human limitations and inadequacies while examining Mozart's creative discipline in ways and to an extent which the film does not. With regard to this biography's context, Gay tells his reader only what is essential to know about the various cities in which Mozart lived and worked during various periods in his all-too-brief life (January 27,1756-December 5, 1791). Rather than create an historical or cultural context, Gay prefers to focus primarily on Mozart's art. As he notes, the renewal of interest more than a century after Mozart's death raised his music -- "all of it -- to the eminence it deserves." ... Read more