Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Biography

By Robert Ashton

Book Overview

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most enduringly popular and celebrated composers to have ever lived. His substantial oeuvre contains works that are considered to be among the most exquisite pieces of symphonic, chamber, and choral music ever written. His operas too cast a long shadow over those staged in their wake. And since his untimely death in 1791, he remains an enigmatic figure--the subject of fascination for aficionados and novices alike.

Piero Melograni here offers a wholly readable account of Mozart's remarkable life and times. This masterful biography proceeds from the young Mozart's earliest years as a Wunderkind--the child prodigy who traveled with his family to perform concerts throughout Europe--to his formative years in Vienna, where he fully absorbed the artistic and intellectual spirit of the Enlightenment, to his deathbed, his unfinished Requiem, and the mystery that still surrounds his burial. Melograni's deft use of Mozart's letters throughout confers authority and vitality to his recounting, and his expertise brings Mozart's eighteenth-century milieu evocatively to life. Written with a gifted historian's flair for narrative and unencumbered by specialized analyses of Mozart's music, Melograni's is the most vivid and enjoyable biography available.

At a time when music lovers around the world are paying honor to Mozart and his legacy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will be welcomed by his enthusiasts--or anyone wishing to peer into the mind of one of the greatest composers ever known.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226519562
• ISBN13: 9780226519562
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 1.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

An excellent introduction to Mozart

While reading one day, I put on a Mozart CD only to find that I was constantly distracted by the music. Why distracted? Because not only did I like it, but this is certainly not background music. This is music that is meant to be listened to and appreciated. After listening to more works by this musical genius, I looked for and found Piero Melograni's biography on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Except for some liner notes that I...

A fascinating man, interesting information, yet still a mystery

After reading Piero Melograni's biography of Mozart, I am left with the impression that ultimately we don't know much about the man who created some of the world's most beautiful music. We know things based on his letters to family and friends and on his catalog of music, the things he left behind. What we don't have a lot of, sadly, is eyewitness testimony, probably because Mozart was the most underrated and underappreciated...

Mozart brought to life!

Melograni describes the kinds of accommodation and travel conditions of the eighteenth century and brings to life Wolfgang and his family. The author takes time to look at Mozart's family relationships (eg was Nannerl jealous at Wolfgang's early success and travels?) and their attitudes, and he explores possible reasons for Mozart's difficulties achieving proper recognition after his 'wunderkind' years. Melograni seems to...

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...

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...