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

Customer Reviews (6)

I love it.........

Mozart's full and final dedication to his work was exemplary; no doubt, his music spoke for the conscience of the world and his audience felt an almost religious faith in it. But the young man had frivolous and fun-loving personality, and his closeness to infantile notions was apparent with friends, relatives and pupils.
Mozart was possessor of the least inhibited tongue even in his contacts with serious foundations like Archbishopric or Freemasonry that mismatched the depth of notes he wrote.
This composer genius was filled with spontaneous strong-willed passion for music if weak-witted for romance and throughout the wide spectrum of his works involving every conceivable style of symphonies, operas, and orchestral pieces - some of the finest ever written - Mozart produced something truer than love.

Great book
If you are interested in everyday lives and struggles of geniuses, this is a book for you. Most of us know Mozart as a great composer, but he also wrote passionate letters to his friends and loved ones. His writing style and personality allow us to understand his times more and to have a closer look at the person that he was.

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 knowa 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! ... Read more

Book Description

Customer 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
As a little boy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began writing musical compositions when most kids his age are still learning to read. By the time he was seven, Mozart was an accomplished musician who could play several instruments and also sing. Accompanied by his older sister, Nannerl, and his father, Leopold, young Wolfgang toured Europe. He performed before royalty and some of the richest members of society. By the time he was twelve, Wolfgang was famous.

He first tasted failure as a teenager, as audiences ignored his operas, and he had trouble making money. He began to be known for his bad jokes and relentless pursuit of women. He eventually married the sister of the woman who broke his heart.

In adulthood, Mozart's problems grew. He couldn't keep a job. He was usually broke. One of the greatest composers the world has ever known was forced to make a living giving piano lessons. Yet today he is one of the most celebrated and respected composers of all time. ... Read more

Book Description
Mozart's remarkable life was well and richly documented in letters:his own and those concerning him written by others.This volume brings together a fascinating selection, giving us a detailed portrait of the composer's life and times.

Here are letters to and from Mozart's domineering father, Leopold, the earliest of which, addressed to a friend, describes the six-year-old Mozart's accomplishments.There is also a letter sent to the Royal Society in London from one of its members describing an astonishing encounter with the eight-year-old prodigy.Here are letters from the adolescent Mozart to his mother and sister; adoring, protective missives to his wife; and, from his later years, letter after letter to friends, family, former patrons, and fellow musicians begging for financial help.

Mozart's correspondence is full of details that illuminate the quotidien aspects of his days, reveal the great joys and burdens of his musical genius, and provide us with a lively account of the musical politics in the courts and opera houses of eighteenth-century Europe.Finally, in a letter written by Mozart's sister-in-law, this splendid epistolary portrait of the great composer is completed with a deeply moving account of his last hours. ... Read more

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

Customer Reviews (5)

Great History Series For Kids!
The "Who Was..." series is a wonderful way to get kids to read about history.They'll learn different & interesting things in these books they won't get anywhere else.My children asked for them for Christmas!They can't put them down.I homeschool and these are a great tool for learning.My 11 year old reads them on her own very well and my 7 yr. old reads them with a little help.Highly recommend.

Great Who Was Books
My 10 year old daughter loves reading these "Who Was..." books.They are fun and very informative.She would buy the whole series if she had the money!

inaccurate illustrations
The drawings in this book are inaccurate (instruments, the way they are held/they open, maps etc.). The artist did an awfully poor job on just about every illustration. It makes you wonder about the text! I was happy to buy this book as I thought the whole series was a great idea! But I wish the authors put more effort into this project and more responsibility.

Great book!
My daughter finally got interest in reading when she got this book as a present. I'm going to buy more books from this series for her.
Great for children over 8 years.

Great subject for a children book.
Great subject for a children book. I got this series of books for my daughter and she really enjoyes reading them. Great read and educational too.

... Read more

Book Description
In this book, Hurwitz takes the reader/listener through Mozart's chamber and orchestral music. This music doesn't sound like anyone else's - only Mozart could have written it. What makes it so special and how to enjoy it are explored. The CD contains excerpts from BMG Classics Recordings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Brilliant and deceptively simple - hold that - elegant
David Hurwitz is fantatically insightful. Himself a composer, he gets to the heart of Mozart. His discussion is the sort that enlightens newbies, and stimulates the professional by going back to basics.
I enjoyed every page of both the Mozart books, and the musical cds were full of well chosen examples.
Roberta Prada, contralto, author of "The Ear and the Voice" in English, with Francis Keeping andPierre Sollier, and translator of J Faure: "The Voice and Singing" with Francis Keeping. Principal of Vocalimages.com, and voxmentor.com

Insight from a Pro
This is the second volume of a two volume series explaining the genius in Motzart's work. This folume concentrates on the Instrumental Works. To listen to great music and to enjoy it is one thing. Yet the professional student of classical music sees/hears/understands so much more than the rest of us.

In this book David Hurwitz, the founder and executive editor of daily classical music magazine, takes readers through Mozart's seven major operas, one part at a time explaining what he sees in each area. This provides an insite that most of us, particularily those of us living in remote areas, can never see.

I never imagines that you could see so much in this music.

The book comes with a full length CD that includes eleven of Mozarts pieces.

Great for classical fans and a great intro for others.
As another reviewer has already pointed it, this collection would make an EXCELLENT intro to the wonders of classical music, as well as a must-have for Mozart fans. Even if you already have these pieces, having it on one collection makes the drive to work a pleasure rather than a chore. Highly recommend.

A really excellent guide to Mozart
Unlocking the vast rewards of classical music takes more than just casual listening - it requires learning some of the basic aspects of music (rhythm, structure, harmony, etc) and a little of the historical context of the composers and his/her predecessors.Mozart is an excellent place to start into classical music for many reasons - one being his highly-melodic music is considered easily "accessible" to the average listener who can appreciate and enjoy it without any musical know-how.

In this fresh and much-needed new series, vetern music-writer David Hurwitz gives us an enticing roadmap to understanding the music of Mozart in a way that most anyone can deepen their music appreciation and enhance their listening experience.The text is friendly, well writen, without complex jargon and analyzes Mozart's music in simple but enough detail to reveal just exactly "what makes Mozart's music sound like Mozart."

Mr. Hurwitz takes the classical enthusiast through the some fifty major works of Mozart's instrumental music, focusing each chapter on one category (chamber music, symphony, concerto, church music).The vocal works (opera, concert arias, masses) are in a separate volume with the green cover.Within each major work, Hurwitz describes the most common musical "structures" Mozart used - such as the all-important sonata form, theme-and-variations, rondos, and the minuet.His "analysis" of Mozart's well-loved piano concertos is quite interesting and helpful, breaking them down into 10 'groups' to help get your hands around the differences in composition and effect of each.The accompanying CD of several movements helps bring to life Hurwitz's commentary of several featured works that are discussed in more depth.

I also appreciated his defense of "delightful music" such as Mozart's from the critical voices that sometimes devalues such music as merely "cute" - while giving elevated status to the later, more troubling-sounding music of the Romantic or Modern eras ... or as he jokingly terms it: "the suffering, Romantic, artist-hero expressing personal misery in their creations."Great music is not only about dramatic tension, disturbing dissonances and individual emotional expression but also about pleasant, happy tones that anyone can enjoy.

Hurwitz' book is one of the "fun to read" intros to Mozart and classical music appreciation and is highly recommended.It should appeal to both the newcomer as well as those with more experience in classical music as it also has great depth and detail.If your interest is to follow in more detail the actual musical scores for several popular works, a similar but slightly more musically-involved book is by Robert Harris' ("What To Listen For In Mozart").Harris' books are also easy and interesting to read for the non-music major types. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Thomson Gale on January 29, 2006. The length of the article is 598 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: El hermano Wolfgang A. Mozart, francmasón: 250 aniversario de su nacimiento (1756-1791).(Biografía)
Author: Javier Sicilia
Publication: Siempre! (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 29, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 52Issue: 2746Page: 73(1)

Article Type: Biografía

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (5)

A biography of Mozart
A fun book to read if you like classical music.The descriptions of Mozart's music are good and the way his music was received in his lifetime is very interesting.The book is a little dry but since it is a biography I assumed it would be dry.It is still an interesting read.

Enjoyable, recommended with reservation
I quite enjoyed this book when looking at it strictly from an informational standpoint and in terms of satisfying my curiosity.

I must admit though that the book was somewhat dry.I feel as though this may be an example where an otherwise great book gets "lost in translation".

You will learn an awful lot about Mozart, but in my opinion, it may take you a bit longer than expected and you may drift at times, despite the fascinating details held within.

Mozart's Life
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Biography by Piero Melograni is a wonderful book! Not only am I learning things about Mozart that I didn't know, I am also learning more about music in his lifetime. It also greatly covers Mozart's relationship with his father & why it became strained. Other biographies have barely touched the surface. I got this book to write a report for my music appretiation class & it has been very helpful and enlightening.

A complete, authoritative work.
I agree with the other reviewer in all aspects.No one book can completely encompass Mozart and his works, but this did a very good job of looking at Mozart and his life through an independent and objective prism.

It is a dense book in terms of facts and dates and settings, but it reads fast and the constant references to Kochel numbers is not too distracting.Overall, the narrative is informative and filled with stories that keep the story exactly that - a story of the life of Mozart.

After reading this book, I think that the reader would have a wide grasp of Mozart's life, and perhaps even some of the European historical events taking place around him (particularly in reference to Joseph II).The only minor drawback is the lack of analysis of his famous operas (towards the end).Yes, there are rather brief summaries and explanations, but when Soren Kirkegaard (according to Melograni) labels Don Giovanni the "best piece of art ever created", then I think the opera should garner more than 3 short pages devoted to it.Just a thought.

But overall, five stars, for sure.

A Good, Current Bio of the Man and His Music

The world has just completed the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; an anniversary that came overflowing with musical events to commemorate the eminent composer's life.Even so, it has been hard to discover, in one volume, an adequate biography that provides the reader insights about the man as well as his music, until now.

This biography by Piero Melograni serves the need very nicely, especially if the reader desires to read only one book about Mozart, or alternatively desires to read an introductory biography that will serve as the starting point to more in-depth Mozart studies.

Mozart's melodic output is so vast that any one volume would be insufficient to provide the reader with an analysis of the composer's musical gifts and accomplishments.Nonetheless, this biography places the compositions in the context of Mozart's life and times, and offers some good, brief analysis of a number of those compositions.Also, handy for any listener, Melograni includes a list of the cited works of Mozart by Kochel Number--allowing one the option of reading the biography slowly, and listening to the works as they are discussed.

The biography deals very skillfully with Mozart's complex relationship with his family members--most especially the influence of Mozart's father Leopold.We are familiar with the concept of a stage-mother from the world of Broadway and Hollywood--never was there a more unrivaled example of a stage-father than Leopold Mozart.Melograni treats this reality fairly and compellingly as we see Mozart progress from a child prodigy to a young man with musical genius looking for the proper outlets, to a mature composer of greatness, and watch as he goes further and further from Leopold's orbit.Mozart's sometimes cooperative and sometimes competitive relationship with his sister Nannerl is also examined thoroughly.In addition, Melograni shows us Mozart's interrelationship with his contemporaries in the world of music, both performers and composers.Quite aware of the impact of such popular works as the film "Amadeus", the author comments upon and corrects impressions they give.

The stories about Mozart are many, and some of the most familiar anecdotes are included in this book, such as the youthful encounter with the Princess Marie Antoinette.This reader, however, would have been pleased to find many more stories that flesh out Mozart's character.Even so, this is a fine life of Mozart, beautifully translated from the Italian by Lydia G. Cochrane.

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An anthology of private letters to and from the famous composer.
Prizewinning Austrian author Gloria Kaiser presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Perspectives from His Correspondence, an anthology of private letters to and from the famous composer. Edited and adapted to offer an unforgettable personal view of Mozart the human being, as opposed to the tragic perspective from which he is most often viewed, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Perspectives from His Correspondence includes letters to and from Mozart's sister, father, mother, son, friends of the family, and more. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the man behind the classical music. ... Read more

Book Description
This biography continues the series with a fresh look at Mozart from his early days as a child prodigy, and clears up some commonly held misunderstandings about his life. It is an energetic story about the young musical genius and his fascinating life, uncomplicated and yet rich in detail.A glossary, map and historical perspective are included. ... Read more