Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

by Melograni, Piero

• ISBN13: 9780226519616
• ISBN10: 0226519619
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-05-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

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 wunderkindthe child prodigy who traveled with his family to perform concerts throughout Europeto his formative years in Vienna, where he fully absorbed the artistic and intellectual spirit of the Enlightenment, to his deathbed, his unfinishedRequiem, 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 of Mozart available. "Italian historian Piero Melograni delivers a charming biography. Expertly grounded by the massive correspondence between Mozart and his highly complex family, Melograni's study benefits from its author's keen understanding of the changing social environments of the late eighteenth century."Todd B. Sollis,Opera News "The idea that Mozart's achievements had nothing to do with self-discipline, hard work, knowledge or intellect is deeply embedded in the popular image of his genius, but Melograni . . . will have none of it, pointing out how hard Mozart worked on his music, even as a child, and suggesting that the 'eternal child' view was put about by . . . family members to emphasize Wolfgang's need for and dependence on them."Sheila Fitzpatrick,LondonReview of Books

Author Biography

Piero Melograni is the author of eighteen books, including Lenin and the Myth of World Revolution, and most recently La guerra degli italiani, 1940–1945. Lydia G. Cochrane has translated numerous works from Italian and French, including Luc Ferry’s What Is the Good Life?, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Prologue: June 1765: In a London Tavern	p. xi
1756-1767: The Rise and Decline of the Child Prodigy	p. 1
1767-1777: Searching for a Post with His Father	p. 26
1777-1778: In Search of a Permanent Post with His Mother	p. 69
1778-1780: A Difficult Homecoming	p. 102
1780-1782: Winning Freedom	p. 118
1782-1786: Vienna: Difficulties and Successes	p. 160
1786-1790: The Great Italian Operas	p. 192
1791: Mozart's Last Year	p. 228
Epilogue: Mozart Lives On	p. 249
Cited Works of Mozart	p. 253
Note on the English Translation	p. 261
Notes	p. 263
Bibliographical Notes	p. 283
Index	p. 289
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