What do you think?
Rate this book
My Mozart
Mozart was her teacher, her mentor, her rescuer--and, finally, fatally, her lover. ..
At dawn, in the marble palace of a Prince, a nine-year-old sings for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, then at the peak of his career. Always delighted by musical children, he accepts Nanina as a pupil. Gifted, intense and imaginative, she sees the great "Kapellmeister Mozart” as an avatar of Orpheus and her own, personal divinity.
His lessons are irregular and playful, but the teacher/pupil bond grows strong. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro premieres, and Nanina, now twelve, is given a solo part. For her, this is the beginning of a long stage career. For Mozart, it marks the start of his ruin. His greatest works will be composed in poverty and obscurity.
During the composer’s last summer, his wife has left him. Chronically in debt and suffering the emotional isolation of genius, he takes refuge with his disreputable Volksoper friends, who want him to write a “peasant opera” for their audience. Nanina, now grown, and still in love with Mozart, is among their number. As he seeks solace among the women of the Volksoper, the charms of his young fan become increasingly alluring. No one, least of all the composer, understands the depth of her obsession or how a brief affair will permanently alter her life.
At dawn, in the marble palace of a Prince, a nine-year-old sings for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, then at the peak of his career. Always delighted by musical children, he accepts Nanina as a pupil. Gifted, intense and imaginative, she sees the great "Kapellmeister Mozart” as an avatar of Orpheus and her own, personal divinity.
His lessons are irregular and playful, but the teacher/pupil bond grows strong. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro premieres, and Nanina, now twelve, is given a solo part. For her, this is the beginning of a long stage career. For Mozart, it marks the start of his ruin. His greatest works will be composed in poverty and obscurity.
During the composer’s last summer, his wife has left him. Chronically in debt and suffering the emotional isolation of genius, he takes refuge with his disreputable Volksoper friends, who want him to write a “peasant opera” for their audience. Nanina, now grown, and still in love with Mozart, is among their number. As he seeks solace among the women of the Volksoper, the charms of his young fan become increasingly alluring. No one, least of all the composer, understands the depth of her obsession or how a brief affair will permanently alter her life.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
ebook
First published June 5, 2012
2 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Juliet Waldron
23 books33 followersJuliet Waldron was baptized in the Yellow Spring of a unique Ohio farm town. After some years in an upstate New York farmhouse with a resident ghost, she began to travel with her Auntie Mame mother, who flamboyantly adored history and grand opera.
Returning to the States, got married and raised sons, eventually working at jobs ranging from artist's model to power-suited Merrill Lynch “girl.” Then, she went off the deep end and began to write. She enjoys putting what she has learned about people, places and relationships into her stories. She has granddaughters she'd like to see more often, several cats, and just celebrated her 51th wedding anniversary with a guy who rides a Hayabusa and hasn't lost her off the back yet.
Returning to the States, got married and raised sons, eventually working at jobs ranging from artist's model to power-suited Merrill Lynch “girl.” Then, she went off the deep end and began to write. She enjoys putting what she has learned about people, places and relationships into her stories. She has granddaughters she'd like to see more often, several cats, and just celebrated her 51th wedding anniversary with a guy who rides a Hayabusa and hasn't lost her off the back yet.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 10, 2013
My Mozart is a historic book by Juliet Waldron about a lover of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A large part of the book is set against the backdrop of the last year of Mozart's life even though it chronicles the complete life of Anna Gottlieb.
Anna Gottlieb, called Nanina by family and friends, is a delightful, musical child and Mozart takes her on as a pupil. She is a high-strung young girl that is gifted and intelligent. She puts her Kaellmeister on a pedestal almost as a deity. Eventually, she is given a solo part in his The Marriage of Figaro and starts her theater career.
As a young adult, Nanina still loves Mozart and would do anything for him despite him being in debt and suffering the isolation brought on by his very own genius. Though his greatest works are composed in abject poverty and obscurity, he seeks his solace with the disreputable Volksoper friends of which she is one. No one, not even Mozart understands just how deep her obsession is and how their encounters will change her life forever.
Ms. Waldron's story is a fictional account of Mozart's last couple of years as told through the eyes of one of his young ingénue's who might have been his mistress. This is not a proven fact and while the story read fine, it just didn't have the ring of authenticity that I normally expect in these type of novels even though it is a passionate account of life in late 18th century Vienna, Austria.
It important to note that a lot of historic research went into this book, especially as far as customs of the time, the life of the musicians and other performers go. However, it is the little historic missteps that leave me cold. I live in Vienna, Austria and there is much here on Mozart and his impact on the city. I believe one should add to that story not take away and therefore, I am not as impressed as some with this book.
For example, a common grave during the late 19th century does not refer to a pauper's grave like the one shown in this novel to be Mozart's grave. A common grave was any single grave used by those who were not aristocratic. If you were not aristocracy, you were common. Other faux paux in further areas of the book left me shaking my head and therefore not impressed.
Still, it is a well-written book and I can give it merit on that fact alone. It does give one a real sense of being there and what it might have been like to have lived during this interesting time in historic Austria.
Anna Gottlieb, called Nanina by family and friends, is a delightful, musical child and Mozart takes her on as a pupil. She is a high-strung young girl that is gifted and intelligent. She puts her Kaellmeister on a pedestal almost as a deity. Eventually, she is given a solo part in his The Marriage of Figaro and starts her theater career.
As a young adult, Nanina still loves Mozart and would do anything for him despite him being in debt and suffering the isolation brought on by his very own genius. Though his greatest works are composed in abject poverty and obscurity, he seeks his solace with the disreputable Volksoper friends of which she is one. No one, not even Mozart understands just how deep her obsession is and how their encounters will change her life forever.
Ms. Waldron's story is a fictional account of Mozart's last couple of years as told through the eyes of one of his young ingénue's who might have been his mistress. This is not a proven fact and while the story read fine, it just didn't have the ring of authenticity that I normally expect in these type of novels even though it is a passionate account of life in late 18th century Vienna, Austria.
It important to note that a lot of historic research went into this book, especially as far as customs of the time, the life of the musicians and other performers go. However, it is the little historic missteps that leave me cold. I live in Vienna, Austria and there is much here on Mozart and his impact on the city. I believe one should add to that story not take away and therefore, I am not as impressed as some with this book.
For example, a common grave during the late 19th century does not refer to a pauper's grave like the one shown in this novel to be Mozart's grave. A common grave was any single grave used by those who were not aristocratic. If you were not aristocracy, you were common. Other faux paux in further areas of the book left me shaking my head and therefore not impressed.
Still, it is a well-written book and I can give it merit on that fact alone. It does give one a real sense of being there and what it might have been like to have lived during this interesting time in historic Austria.
November 6, 2013
I will admit this is the first book I've read about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but it held me captivated from the start. Told from the perspective of Nanina Gottlieb, who first meets Mozart as a young girl, the story follows her childhood adoration of the musical genius to her passionate love for a man who will forever break her heart. Mozart is 18 years her senior, married, a womanizer and an alcoholic. But all these facts fall to the wayside to Gottlieb's worship of the man. Rich with historic detail of 18th century Vienna and intricate aspects of Mozart's famous compositions, it's easy to fall under the same spell as Gottlieb. She knows loving Mozart will ultimately ruin her but she can't stop her feelings. An accomplished singer, dancer and actress, she makes a living often reserved for unreputable women. Mozart dies when she is 17 and soon after she discovers she is pregnant. She comes to learn of at least two other illegimate children Mozart had left behind. That the famous maestro didn't love her exclusively causes deep pain, but until the end of her life she cannot hate him. It's a heartbreaking tale. While certain parts of the story are no doubt fiction, it's a testament to Waldron that there are no stumbling blocks in the presentation. An amazing book by a talented author.
November 9, 2017
There was a time in his short life when Mozart was the equal in status to any of today's rock stars or movie idols. Unfortunately, the court in Vienna grew tired of him and... Well, this is not Wolfgang's story. Rather, My Mozart is about a talented young woman, whose lifelong passion for The Maestro brings her to the heights of ecstasy and the depths of sorrow.
From the tender age of nine, until Mozart's death when she was all of 18, Nanina Gotlieb has adored the kapellmeister. Talented and shy, she grows from child to prima dona under Mozart's hands. A particularly evocative part of the book is a first person account that centers around a secluded house in the woods,where god and devotee, genius and muse, create The Magic Flute.
No denying, I'm a fan of Juliet Waldron. I may be writer, but I'm also a reader. Waldron's descriptions of something as mundane as the stench of an outhouse or as uplifting as a Mozart duet sung with absolute perfection under a moonlit sky dragged me into this other world, with all its contradiction. This is a book that touches the senses and left me wondering, along with its narrator, “How much music was lost forever the night he died?”
From the tender age of nine, until Mozart's death when she was all of 18, Nanina Gotlieb has adored the kapellmeister. Talented and shy, she grows from child to prima dona under Mozart's hands. A particularly evocative part of the book is a first person account that centers around a secluded house in the woods,where god and devotee, genius and muse, create The Magic Flute.
No denying, I'm a fan of Juliet Waldron. I may be writer, but I'm also a reader. Waldron's descriptions of something as mundane as the stench of an outhouse or as uplifting as a Mozart duet sung with absolute perfection under a moonlit sky dragged me into this other world, with all its contradiction. This is a book that touches the senses and left me wondering, along with its narrator, “How much music was lost forever the night he died?”
September 18, 2012
Young Ann Gottlieb first met Mozart when she was nine years old- it was from that very moment that she fell in love with the great genius.
Left to the care of her father after her flimsy starlet mother deserted them, Nan was trained in the art of singing and was often given private lessons by the grand master Mozart himself. As well, Nan became his protégé after her father passed away. This was a real blessing in a way, since more than once would she have fallen prey to the wrong crowd whose plan would have been to prostitute her under the guise of lowly showgirl dancing.
Throughout, Mozart intended to ‘preserve’ the young Nan’s virginal state while helping her find work in the singing and performing arts- she would also become his Muse. For Nan though, Mozart was the center of her life, and finally both succumb to ravishing passion. Nan loved and remained faithful only to him. Throughout, we feel her innocence, devotion, genuine youth and eagerness which renders this novel magically romantic.
Beautifully written and fascinating in the way Mozart’s life was determined by his bouts of musical genius and dismay, this could be all that the book was about. However, what was elaborately described was the erotic tension ever-so present to consume their passion. And although we can empathize with Nan and her great love for this man- there was just way too much racy and explicit sexual content. That I could have done without. In a story that in itself could have stood out as a truly romantic historical love all that crudeness was totally unnecessary.
If you’re okay with elaborate sexual content and can surpass that, underneath lies a beautifully detailed story of a young girl who loved one of the greatest geniuses of all times.
Left to the care of her father after her flimsy starlet mother deserted them, Nan was trained in the art of singing and was often given private lessons by the grand master Mozart himself. As well, Nan became his protégé after her father passed away. This was a real blessing in a way, since more than once would she have fallen prey to the wrong crowd whose plan would have been to prostitute her under the guise of lowly showgirl dancing.
Throughout, Mozart intended to ‘preserve’ the young Nan’s virginal state while helping her find work in the singing and performing arts- she would also become his Muse. For Nan though, Mozart was the center of her life, and finally both succumb to ravishing passion. Nan loved and remained faithful only to him. Throughout, we feel her innocence, devotion, genuine youth and eagerness which renders this novel magically romantic.
Beautifully written and fascinating in the way Mozart’s life was determined by his bouts of musical genius and dismay, this could be all that the book was about. However, what was elaborately described was the erotic tension ever-so present to consume their passion. And although we can empathize with Nan and her great love for this man- there was just way too much racy and explicit sexual content. That I could have done without. In a story that in itself could have stood out as a truly romantic historical love all that crudeness was totally unnecessary.
If you’re okay with elaborate sexual content and can surpass that, underneath lies a beautifully detailed story of a young girl who loved one of the greatest geniuses of all times.
October 4, 2013
Juliet Waldron's historical novel, My Mozart, is a romantic tale that focuses primarily on the last year of Mozart's life, during the period when he was composing The Magic Flute. The story is told through the eyes of Anna Gottlieb, the young soprano who first performed the role of Pamina.
In Waldron's novel she was also Mozart's lover, but whether that was actually the case is unknown. The story, though fictional, reads as if it were true—a passionate account of life fully lived and joys fully tasted during the late 18th century in and around Vienna.
Nanina, as Anna is called among her friends, falls in deeply love with her brilliant, though much older, teacher and mentor. Her passion for him is finally expressed during the idyllic period when she is marooned with Mozart in a woodland cottage. She plays the roles of muse, assistant, and lover while he is composing The Magic Flute.
The historical research that must have gone into this novel is impressive, all the more so because it does not call attention to itself. Rather it slips gracefully into the story through the voice of Nanina as she breathes life into the era, the setting, the people, and the customs of the musicians and performers who populate the novel. This ardent and lyrical narrative always sounded authentic, even when Nanina grows older and more than a little peculiar. If you've ever wondered how the skull reputed to be Mozart's was located and preserved after his burial in a common grave, this book imagines a way...
All in all, a delightful read for lovers of historical novels in general, and also for anyone interested in a behind the scenes glimpse of the sensual and sophisticated lives of musical performers in Mozart's Vienna.
In Waldron's novel she was also Mozart's lover, but whether that was actually the case is unknown. The story, though fictional, reads as if it were true—a passionate account of life fully lived and joys fully tasted during the late 18th century in and around Vienna.
Nanina, as Anna is called among her friends, falls in deeply love with her brilliant, though much older, teacher and mentor. Her passion for him is finally expressed during the idyllic period when she is marooned with Mozart in a woodland cottage. She plays the roles of muse, assistant, and lover while he is composing The Magic Flute.
The historical research that must have gone into this novel is impressive, all the more so because it does not call attention to itself. Rather it slips gracefully into the story through the voice of Nanina as she breathes life into the era, the setting, the people, and the customs of the musicians and performers who populate the novel. This ardent and lyrical narrative always sounded authentic, even when Nanina grows older and more than a little peculiar. If you've ever wondered how the skull reputed to be Mozart's was located and preserved after his burial in a common grave, this book imagines a way...
All in all, a delightful read for lovers of historical novels in general, and also for anyone interested in a behind the scenes glimpse of the sensual and sophisticated lives of musical performers in Mozart's Vienna.
Want to read
February 15, 2016290pgs, Mozart was her teacher, her mentor, her rescuer--and, finally, fatally, her lover. ..
At dawn, in the marble palace of a Prince, a nine-year-old sings for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, then at the peak of his career. Always delighted by musical children, he accepts Nanina as a pupil. Gifted, intense and imaginative, she sees the great "Kapellmeister Mozart 1D as an avatar of Orpheus and her own, personal divinity.
His lessons are irregular and playful, but the teacher/pupil bond grows strong. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro premieres, and Nanina, now twelve, is given a solo part. For her, this is the beginning of a long stage career. For Mozart, it marks the start of his ruin. His greatest works will be composed in poverty and obscurity.
During the composer 19s last summer, his wife has left him. Chronically in debt and suffering the emotional isolation of genius, he takes refuge with his disreputable Volksoper friends, who want him to write a 1Cpeasant opera 1D for their audience. Nanina, now grown, and still in love with Mozart, is among their number. As he seeks solace among the women of the Volksoper, the charms of his young fan become increasingly alluring. No one, least of all the composer, understands the depth of her obsession or how a brief affair will permanently alter her life.
At dawn, in the marble palace of a Prince, a nine-year-old sings for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, then at the peak of his career. Always delighted by musical children, he accepts Nanina as a pupil. Gifted, intense and imaginative, she sees the great "Kapellmeister Mozart 1D as an avatar of Orpheus and her own, personal divinity.
His lessons are irregular and playful, but the teacher/pupil bond grows strong. Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro premieres, and Nanina, now twelve, is given a solo part. For her, this is the beginning of a long stage career. For Mozart, it marks the start of his ruin. His greatest works will be composed in poverty and obscurity.
During the composer 19s last summer, his wife has left him. Chronically in debt and suffering the emotional isolation of genius, he takes refuge with his disreputable Volksoper friends, who want him to write a 1Cpeasant opera 1D for their audience. Nanina, now grown, and still in love with Mozart, is among their number. As he seeks solace among the women of the Volksoper, the charms of his young fan become increasingly alluring. No one, least of all the composer, understands the depth of her obsession or how a brief affair will permanently alter her life.
July 22, 2012
I downloaded this for free and was surprised at how good it was. It brought alive not only the world of late 18th Century Vienna, but what it's like to fall in love with a brilliant musical rake who uses his empathy and musical genius to seduce.
This isn't a romance--there's no happy ending and the main "romance" in this story is one that has huge elements of sexual abuse involved, since it is a story of an illicit sexual relationship between a married older man and a teen who has been his student.
The author did a very good job of bringing alive the state of mind of the young girl (the narrator) while giving the reader enough information to let draw her own conclusions about whether this was indeed the great love story the viewpoint character believes it to be. Given what we know about Mozart and the sexual ethos of the time, this is a very believable tale that is true to the period.
Highly recommended for lovers of historical novels.
This isn't a romance--there's no happy ending and the main "romance" in this story is one that has huge elements of sexual abuse involved, since it is a story of an illicit sexual relationship between a married older man and a teen who has been his student.
The author did a very good job of bringing alive the state of mind of the young girl (the narrator) while giving the reader enough information to let draw her own conclusions about whether this was indeed the great love story the viewpoint character believes it to be. Given what we know about Mozart and the sexual ethos of the time, this is a very believable tale that is true to the period.
Highly recommended for lovers of historical novels.
November 19, 2013
My Mozart is the life of Nanina Gottlieb told in the first person from the perspective of old age. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was her mentor and later her lover.
Apart from blinking at some of the editing and frowning occasionally when some of the details didn’t fit what I learned about Mozart on a trip to Salzburg and Vienna (Wien) a number of years ago, I enjoyed My Mozart. It captured a time and a lifestyle with considerable flair when it settled down to a continuing narrative after a rambling start. Juliet Waldron established her authority with enough believable details for me to concede my memory was at fault without feeling the need to research verifiable truths.
It is a book to be read for the simple enjoyment of a past era and as a window into the life of a man who posterity has mantled in greatness
Apart from blinking at some of the editing and frowning occasionally when some of the details didn’t fit what I learned about Mozart on a trip to Salzburg and Vienna (Wien) a number of years ago, I enjoyed My Mozart. It captured a time and a lifestyle with considerable flair when it settled down to a continuing narrative after a rambling start. Juliet Waldron established her authority with enough believable details for me to concede my memory was at fault without feeling the need to research verifiable truths.
It is a book to be read for the simple enjoyment of a past era and as a window into the life of a man who posterity has mantled in greatness
December 7, 2015
Great opportunity to travel into the musical and operatic world of the Viena of the XVIII century from the perspective of one of the actressess who most admired Mozart's talent: Ana Gotlieb (the first Pamina) also a talented dancer and singer. Although we don't have any evidence of a love affare between Ana and Mozart, this book reflects the society of the times: a strictly moralistic, catholic and patriarcal society where women were dumbed down only to their role of motherhood and where actresses were the independent and educated ones. The book also explores prostitution which was intrinsically connected to the world of the theatre and how women had to deal with unexpected pregnancies. Viena was then the cultural and artistic centre of Europe.
January 12, 2013
3.5 Rating Reviewed by Lucy Bertoldi for Romantic Historical Fiction
http://romantichistoricallovers.wordp...
http://romantichistoricallovers.wordp...
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews