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Over 100 often hilarious, sometimes sad, but always articulate letters from one of the most charismatic composers in history. Candid self-portrait emerges revealing his witty observations of royalty and their patronage, music, his family, his debilitating and humiliating poverty. One facsimile.
183 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1928
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About the author
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
10.2k books187 followersJohann Georg Leopold Mozart, the Austrian composer, toured Europe with his son, child prodigy, noted Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who gracefully and imaginatively refined the classical style with symphonies, concertos, operas, Masses, sonatas, and chambers among his 626 numbered works.
The comic plays of French writer Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais inspired Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to operas.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart prolifically influenced the era. Many persons acknowledged this pinnacle of piano and choral music. His popularity most endures.
Mozart showed earliest ability. From the age of five years in 1761 already competently on keyboard and violin performed before royalty. At seventeen years in 1773, a court musician in Salzburg engaged him, who restlessly traveled always abundantly in search of a better position.
Mozard visited Vienna in 1781; Salzburg dismissed his position, and he chose to stay in the capital and achieved fame but little financial security over the rest of life. The final years in Vienna yielded his many best-known Requiem . People much mythologized the circumstances of his early death. Constanze Mozart, his wife, two sons survived him.
Mozart always learned voraciously and developed a brilliance and maturity that encompassed the light alongside the dark and passionate; a vision of humanity, "redeemed through art, forgiven, and reconciled with nature and the absolute," informed the whole. He profoundly influenced all subsequent western art music. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote on his own early in the shadow of Mozart, of whom Franz Joseph Haydn wrote that "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years."
The comic plays of French writer Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais inspired Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to operas.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart prolifically influenced the era. Many persons acknowledged this pinnacle of piano and choral music. His popularity most endures.
Mozart showed earliest ability. From the age of five years in 1761 already competently on keyboard and violin performed before royalty. At seventeen years in 1773, a court musician in Salzburg engaged him, who restlessly traveled always abundantly in search of a better position.
Mozard visited Vienna in 1781; Salzburg dismissed his position, and he chose to stay in the capital and achieved fame but little financial security over the rest of life. The final years in Vienna yielded his many best-known Requiem . People much mythologized the circumstances of his early death. Constanze Mozart, his wife, two sons survived him.
Mozart always learned voraciously and developed a brilliance and maturity that encompassed the light alongside the dark and passionate; a vision of humanity, "redeemed through art, forgiven, and reconciled with nature and the absolute," informed the whole. He profoundly influenced all subsequent western art music. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote on his own early in the shadow of Mozart, of whom Franz Joseph Haydn wrote that "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years."
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 16, 2012
Five stars, because anything less would be unfair. This is a collection of letters to and from Mozart. For me to read a dead mans personal letters to friends and family and to then say, "well, I guess I was entertained, maybe I'll read another dead mans personal letters to compare and get a fuller perspective" would sort of feel wrong.
It's a very cool way to get a personal look into who Mozart was. Also, his letters to his wife usually begin with "Dearest, best little wife," which is just great.
It's a very cool way to get a personal look into who Mozart was. Also, his letters to his wife usually begin with "Dearest, best little wife," which is just great.
January 31, 2010
Here is a man who, after having an idea for a piece of music, then sees it "almost complete and finished in my mind, so that I can survey it, like a fine picture or a beautiful statue, at a glance. . . For this reason the committing to paper is done quickly enough, for everything is, as I said before, already finished. . . This is perhaps the best gift I have my Divine Maker to thank for." Wow! And he is so gleeful and joyous, signing letters with one thousand kisses and often more.
This book consisted of letters written between Mozart and his father. It did indeed start out joyously, but later there were darker undertones. Mozart was not a good judge of character and associated with people who would praise him, but ultimately use and abuse him financially. This, combined with his lack of ability to take and keep the jobs that would be most profitable to him and his family, resulted in his and his father's constant worry about money. Also, he was less than forthcoming with his father, who had such high expectations for Mozart's career. Then there was the frustrating aspect of watching this genius trying to prove himself to lesser talents. By the end, I tired of reading the father and son make the same arguments to each other, circling around worn pathways of complaint and frustration. I still give it 4 stars because I learned so much about Mozart and his life and the manner in which he composed. I also was reminded that even geniuses have problems, and I realized I suppose I should be happy with my mediocrity, because if a person excels tremendously at something, he or she is bound to be lacking in some other important talent. That being said, Mozart goes on my list of people I wish I could have met. To play music with him, to watch him compose, to attend a debut of The Magic Flute, even to lend him money, just to be a part of his happy little world being greeted with a thousand kisses, that would be magical.
This book consisted of letters written between Mozart and his father. It did indeed start out joyously, but later there were darker undertones. Mozart was not a good judge of character and associated with people who would praise him, but ultimately use and abuse him financially. This, combined with his lack of ability to take and keep the jobs that would be most profitable to him and his family, resulted in his and his father's constant worry about money. Also, he was less than forthcoming with his father, who had such high expectations for Mozart's career. Then there was the frustrating aspect of watching this genius trying to prove himself to lesser talents. By the end, I tired of reading the father and son make the same arguments to each other, circling around worn pathways of complaint and frustration. I still give it 4 stars because I learned so much about Mozart and his life and the manner in which he composed. I also was reminded that even geniuses have problems, and I realized I suppose I should be happy with my mediocrity, because if a person excels tremendously at something, he or she is bound to be lacking in some other important talent. That being said, Mozart goes on my list of people I wish I could have met. To play music with him, to watch him compose, to attend a debut of The Magic Flute, even to lend him money, just to be a part of his happy little world being greeted with a thousand kisses, that would be magical.
August 11, 2015
Mozart is so engaging and so funny in his letters! What a brilliant mind he had.
March 6, 2023
It was an interesting book to read. It happens that Mozart it's my favourite composer. And not as a composer and as a human too. I knew about his personality just from the music history books that I have read. I was so exciting when I found out that this books exists.
It was so interesting to see how Mozart thought about things, how he saw life, people, music and work.
It was so interesting to see how Mozart thought about things, how he saw life, people, music and work.
December 28, 2021
"Deoarece însă (la drept vorbind), moartea este adevăratul scop final al vieții noastre, eu, de câțiva ani, așa m-am împăcat cu acest sincer și foarte bun prieten al oamenilor, încât chipul lui nu mai are nimic înspăimântător pentru mine. Din contră, îmi aduce consolare și liniște. Și îi mulțumesc Dumnezeului meu că mi-a acordat prilejul (dumneata mă înțelegi) să-i fac cunoștință în calitatea sa de cheie a adevăratei noastre fericiri. Nu mă culc niciodată în patul meu fără a cugeta că poate (oricât de tânăr sunt), poate nu voi mai fi a doua zi. Cu toate acestea, niciun om dintre cei ce mă cunosc nu va putea spune că aș fi posac sau trist în societate. Și pentru această fericire, îi mulțumesc zilnic Creatorului meu și i doresc din suflet fiecărui semen de-al meu."
December 20, 2021
O carte excepțională, nu numai prin faptul că ne transcende în intimitatea corespondenţei prodigiosului compozitor, ci mai ales pentru că ne descoperă caracterul uimitor al acestui om. Cu "Monsieur, mon très cher Père!" îşi începea scrisorile către tatăl său, căruia îi scria atât de des semnând cu "în veci al dumitale preascultător fiu", iar cele adresate adoratei sale soţii, Constanze, debordau de gingăşie şi tandrețe ("Adio, te sărut de mii de ori. În veci al tău Mozart").
O lectură fascinantă, veselă şi tristă deopotrivă, obligatorie pentru iubitorii muzicii sublime a marelui Mozart!
O lectură fascinantă, veselă şi tristă deopotrivă, obligatorie pentru iubitorii muzicii sublime a marelui Mozart!
September 11, 2012
Such a funny and great guy, you must read it if you want to understand Mozart
September 3, 2009
An absolute must read for classical lovers; this one has dated and non-dated letters written from this prodigy back in the Classical period days. It was unfortunate he had to pass so young at the age of 36....10 more years of his life, I wonder what types of music he could have produced!!!
October 26, 2007
Mozart - you're so funny!
March 21, 2010
unbeliveable
February 2, 2014
A true must read!
May 25, 2020
These are not the collected letters and exchanges of a musical genius, though he most certainly was, but rather, an insight into the mind of a seemingly overconfident man whose desperation to please his overbearing and insatiable father overshadows every word he writes in vanity. As these are his own letters, his own correspondence over a short life, there is no cause for criticism, no judgment for which I could ever claim disappointment. Despite his enormous talent, a talent he certainly recognizes and echoes in his own self-congratulatory way, over and over and over, Mozart is just a man, conscious of his ongoing financial burdens, as enamored with a bachelor’s life as he is to eventually love and adore his wife, Constance, and thirsty for lighthearted humor at times when undeniable melancholy, heartache, or rage might seem more appropriate.
For every letter to his father, his salutation was predictably and consistently endearing, “I kiss your hands a thousand times,” a line that only makes sense in retrospect, in looking over all that he wrote, a conclusion that for all that he accomplished, even posthumously, Mozart only ever became what he became because of that relationship with his father, strained though it was on the elder side.
For every letter to his father, his salutation was predictably and consistently endearing, “I kiss your hands a thousand times,” a line that only makes sense in retrospect, in looking over all that he wrote, a conclusion that for all that he accomplished, even posthumously, Mozart only ever became what he became because of that relationship with his father, strained though it was on the elder side.
March 18, 2019
This collection of letters is a great reminder of how similar we are as humans, regardless of the time in which we are born. The love of family, and angst with the family are on full display. One cannot doubt the love between Wolfgang and his father, sister, and his wife when reading these personal letters.
It is a stunning reminder that hard work and talent are not necessarily enough to achieve financial rewards. It is heart breaking to see how rosy Wolfgang frequently saw the future for himself and his family; and to understand that the future he saw was never manifest in his own lifetime. One wonders what further heights he might have reached if a few different decisions had been made along the way.
It is a stunning reminder that hard work and talent are not necessarily enough to achieve financial rewards. It is heart breaking to see how rosy Wolfgang frequently saw the future for himself and his family; and to understand that the future he saw was never manifest in his own lifetime. One wonders what further heights he might have reached if a few different decisions had been made along the way.
January 11, 2022
Nu am fost niciodată fan al memorialisticii. Am început câteva cărți pe care nu le-am putut duce la bun sfârșit, dar scrisorile lui Mozart pur și simplu nu am putut să le las din mână.
Un lucru interesant care m-a atras a fost semi monologul cărții, 90 % fiind scrisorile lui adresate către tatăl, repsectiv soția sa, prea puțin apare și corespondența celorlalți, așadar poți doar deduce ceea ce a primit ca răspunsuri. Deasemenea tonul și jovialitatea lui te cuceresc de la început până la sfârșit iar scrisorile adresate soției sunt un adevărat festin literar. Cumva asta te face să vrei să citești mai departe și în același timp să simți că pur și simplu invadezi intimitatea oamenilor.
Da o recomand cu toată căldura!!!
Un lucru interesant care m-a atras a fost semi monologul cărții, 90 % fiind scrisorile lui adresate către tatăl, repsectiv soția sa, prea puțin apare și corespondența celorlalți, așadar poți doar deduce ceea ce a primit ca răspunsuri. Deasemenea tonul și jovialitatea lui te cuceresc de la început până la sfârșit iar scrisorile adresate soției sunt un adevărat festin literar. Cumva asta te face să vrei să citești mai departe și în același timp să simți că pur și simplu invadezi intimitatea oamenilor.
Da o recomand cu toată căldura!!!
December 29, 2022
I‘ve started my obsession with W.A. Mozart as a little child, I enjoyed listening to his music and watch the ‚Little Amadeus‘ animated TV show where i btw collected all the DVDs. Reading his letters and getting a glimpse of him was defintely present in this small book and I am grateful that these letters have been released and that I bought the book the second I saw it
March 16, 2020
Well put together
July 26, 2022
Huh, mozart be kind of a manipulative asshole
Read
November 10, 2022DNF, not because I didn't like it but because it was a perfect gift for a friend moving interstate.
May 15, 2023
Sammlung der Briefe Mozarts - ein ganz schöner Frechdachs mit Schalk im Nacken
Dennoch - man muss schon ein Fan sein, damit man sich da wirklich hinein vergraben will
Dennoch - man muss schon ein Fan sein, damit man sich da wirklich hinein vergraben will
April 5, 2023
Mozart's Micawberish optimism and his submissiveness to his perpetually critical and disapproving father make an indelible impression. A striking feature of his letters is his progressively assertive and resistive response to his controlling old dad. As well as being a towering genius, Mozart was a vulnerable and loveable man. Unable to bear the dependency and humiliations of a professional composer, he made poor career decisions that often look like self-sabotage.
Fun selection, though increasingly sad and, of course, ultimately tragic.
Fun selection, though increasingly sad and, of course, ultimately tragic.
September 6, 2016
Mozart's letters are all the joy, cheer, brilliant wit and love of life that is expressed in his music put into words. The letters are primarily between the composer and his father. It is easy to see the optimist, naive, little boy with a wicked sense of humor who never quite grew up. All of his letters to his father are gushing about the latest friends he has made ("Count so and so loves my work he is going to commission me to write so many sonatas if I will travel to Italy with him etc...")
And his father's response: "Are you out of your feather-headed mind?! I told you to stay in Vienna where you can get a real job with a commission at the court."
I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea.
Back and forth it goes. We learn a lot about the aristocracy and how they treated the little guy. Mozart was apparently a little guy. He was always strapped for funds and even though many wealthy patrons enjoyed his music, they weren't always intelligent enough to truly understand the genius behind it. They often treated him disrespectfully.
For the rest of my review cut and paste the link to my blog post:
http://sharonhenning.blogspot.com/201...
And his father's response: "Are you out of your feather-headed mind?! I told you to stay in Vienna where you can get a real job with a commission at the court."
I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea.
Back and forth it goes. We learn a lot about the aristocracy and how they treated the little guy. Mozart was apparently a little guy. He was always strapped for funds and even though many wealthy patrons enjoyed his music, they weren't always intelligent enough to truly understand the genius behind it. They often treated him disrespectfully.
For the rest of my review cut and paste the link to my blog post:
http://sharonhenning.blogspot.com/201...
February 28, 2021
Appena terminato...e mi invade la sensazione di quanto già lo consideri imprescindibile nella mia esperienza di ascoltatore. Certo, se non l'avessi mai letto avrei continuato a godere di Mozart come una delle più belle esperienze di questa vita...ma ora ne godo con una qualità in più, una consapevolezza diversa, un panorama più vasto e più specifico allo stesso tempo.
Sono solo parole del compositore, dell'uomo, nessuna mediazione, nessuna interpretazione. Un patrimonio il cui valore più inestimabile, a mio avviso, consiste nell'offrire a chiunque la possibilità di perdersi e volare a modo proprio, nello spazio che si descrive fra l'uomo e la sua musica.
Sono solo parole del compositore, dell'uomo, nessuna mediazione, nessuna interpretazione. Un patrimonio il cui valore più inestimabile, a mio avviso, consiste nell'offrire a chiunque la possibilità di perdersi e volare a modo proprio, nello spazio che si descrive fra l'uomo e la sua musica.
March 12, 2014
I liked that this was purely correspondence, not colored by anyone's opinions of what was meant by this, that and the other. More interesting as it goes along, Mozart grows older, tries to please his father while simultaneously trying to break free. Near the end you get a real sense of his desperation, and a feeling of almost, almost, almost...
September 6, 2022
If I read nonfiction, it’s probably for class. However, it was a blast to read these alongside the educational German Mozart! das Musical, which brought to life that Mozart is a whiny child who both desperately seeks his father’s approval and acknowledgement of his genius, as well as freedom from the constraints of upper society and the expectations of his father. The letters are fascinating!
Want to read
January 9, 2009Picked up at the Big Book Sale!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews