Mozart

by John Suchet

Overview

An ideal introduction to understanding the famous composer. Rich with wit and warmth, this compact biography is thoroughly enchanting.

We think we know the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's life. Austrian-born to a tyrannical father who worked him fiercely; unhappily married to a spendthrift woman; a child-like character ill at ease amid the aristocratic splendor of the Viennese court; a musical genius who died young thus depriving the world of future glories.

Yet only that last point is actually true. In this comprehensive biography, John Suchet examines the many myths and misunderstandings surrounding the world's best-loved composer. From his early days as a child prodigy performing for the imperial royal family in Vienna to the last months of his short life, driven to exhaustion by a punitive workload, one thing remained constant: his happy disposition.

Through trials and tribulations, grand successes and disheartening setbacks, Suchet shows us the real Mozart—blessed with an abundance of talent yet sometimes struggling to earn a living. His mischievous nature and earthy sense of humor, his ease and confidence in his own incredible abilities; these were traits that never left him. His music has brought comfort to countless generations; his life, though brief, is no less fascinating.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681775098
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	08/08/2017
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	497,130
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

John Suchet presents Classic FM's flagship morning program in England. Before turning to classical music, John was one of the England’s most respected television journalists. As a reporter he covered world events, including the Iran revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Philippines revolution. John has been honored for both roles. In 1986 he was voted Television Journalist of the Year, in 1996 Television Newscaster of the Year, and in 2008 the Royal Television Society awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Royal Academy of Music has awarded him an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his work on Beethoven, having written six books on the composer, including the highly acclaimed Beethoven: The Man Revealed. His bestselling biography of the Strauss family, The Last Waltz: The Strauss Dynasty and Vienna, was published in 2015.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Prologue xi

1 The Handsomest Couple in Salzburg 1

2 The little Wizard 15

3 The Grand Tour 27

4 Prodigies of Nature 39

5 He Is Skin and Bone 49

6 Wolfganggangganger! 59

7 Chevalier de Mozart 71

8 Ass-Bumping in Venice 83

9 Bravissimo Maestro! 93

10 Gnagflow Trazom 103

11 There Is No Vacancy 113

12 Wolfgang Amadé Rosenkranz 123

13 Off with You to Paris! 131

14 My Dear Departed Mother 139

15 Unlucky in Love 151

16 A Kick in the Backside 165

17 An Honest and Virtuous Wife 175

18 Return to Salzburg 189

19 Paternal Pride 203

20 Womaniser, Criminal and Genius with Words 213

21 The Final, and Greatest, Symphonies 225

22 A Stranger Knocks 239

23 The Taste of Death on My Tongue 249

Afterword 261

Postscript 264

Notes 265

Index 267

Editorial Reviews

"Informative and impressive. Mozart delights the eye as well as the mind. But it’s Suchet’s keen understanding of his subject and his intelligent use of vivid detail that make his work as emotive as the Requiem, as powerful as Symphony No. 40 and as sophisticated as the Clarinet Concerto."

Richmond Times-Dispatch

07/01/2017
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91) is inarguably one of the two or three greatest composers. His 41 symphonies, numerous concerti for a variety of instruments, chamber works, and operas (e.g., Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute), among others, are standards of the classical repertoire and performed throughout the world. English author, TV presenter, and host on Classic FM (UK) Suchet offers his personal take—he writes in the first person—on Austria's most famous composer. The key word of the title is "man." Though the author provides informed commentary on Mozart's compositions, his focus is on the musician's life. He highlights the pervasive influence of his father, Leopold, himself an accomplished composer, until the son finally breaks away at age 25 to resume his musical development in Vienna. This biography is filled with illustrations and cultural history of the era and also humor; Suchet cites a typical letter of son to father in which Mozart complains of an uncomfortable coach ride: "I thought …I wouldn't get my rear end to Munich in one piece!" VERDICT If you're looking for a breezy and accessible introduction to Mozart, this could be the book for you. Recommended to anyone who wants to learn about Mozart's life, and who wouldn't? Scholars can pass.—Edward B. Cone, New York

Library Journal

★ 2017-05-25
An ideal introduction to understanding the famous composer.A British broadcaster and renowned Beethoven expert, Suchet (The Last Waltz: The Strauss Dynasty and Vienna, 2016, etc.) is a terrific guide for general readers to delve into the life, art, and times of the great composer. It's like attending a lively, entertaining, and informative lecture, with a slide show of illustrations going by in the background: here's Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791) as a young boy (Wolferl to his family), mischievously smiling, here's the 16-year-old Beethoven playing the piano for the 31-year-old Mozart, who later said, "watch out for that boy; one day he will give the world something to talk about." Suchet's aim is to truly "reveal the man," warts and all. Leopold, his always difficult, domineering father, saw the genius early on when, at age 3, Mozart could replicate what his talented older sister Nannerl was playing at the clavichord. He was soon playing the instrument (blindfolded, later), composing music, and teaching himself the violin. Leopold immediately saw a moneymaking opportunity and took both on a rigorous road tour, the first of many. Mozart was 6. Suchet notes that no "other composer travelled as much as Mozart." Overall, it was 3,720 days, nearly one-third of his life. He never attended school, was forever on display, and was often ill. He worked constantly at composing, which was "as natural as breathing." The author draws extensively on the many surviving letters to help fashion his discerning portrait of an often witty and happy genius who also delighted in the scatological. He lightly touches on many of Mozart's compositions with just the right amount of analysis and opinion. The Marriage of Figaro "would change the face of opera." Don Giovanni was his "finest, most complex, most dramatically and musically perfect opera." Jupiter, Mozart's final piece, written "with unhappiness around him," is "indisputably his greatest symphony." Rich with wit and warmth, this compact biography is thoroughly enchanting.

Kirkus Reviews

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