Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Biography

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 have read on Mozart and of course the movie version of Mozart(which as usual, hollywood gets wrong), I needed to find a book that had the right balance in terms of both his personal as well as his professional life. Melograni offers such a book. If like me, you are reading your first book on Mozart, this is an excellent introduction to the man and his music. What I found most intriquing about Mozart was his transformation from child prodigy to a mature and musical genius in his adult years. And what was equally impressive was the long hours and days he laboured at writing down his music. As incredible as it may seem, most of the time the music was already written. He just needed to put it down on paper. Unfortunately, records back then are few, as one reviewer pointed out, so to get a real depiction of Mozart is downright impossible. His complex relationships with his father Leopold, his sister Nannerl and his wife Constanze, are echoed in his letters to his family. Unfortunately there too, many of the letters have been either lost or destroyed. In the end though, it is Mozart's music that matters. Listen to symphonies 25, 29, 40 and 41. Listen to piano concertos 22, 23 and 24. If you are not moved by these works alone, you are not human. Mozart put his volume of music down on paper for all of us to enjoy. And that is what matters most.

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 artist in history both during his life and for many years after his death--in other words, a semi-famous composer no one thought was particularly important. The result is that Melograni is able to piece together a flowing narrative of his work and travels, and attempt to find the character of his relationships with family and friends. Yet we are left with many holes and uncertainties. For example, we do not know for sure with whom Mozart had his first sexual encounter, however we are told that he probably--because of his infatuation with women--had many throughout his life. But since there is no real evidence of this, it is also possible (though unlikely) his wife Constanze was his one and only. We also do not know Mozart's feelings for his father and sister. Did he despise them? Did he truly love them deeply as he attests in his letters? Did he resent his father for making him a child star? For sure, we cannot say. And what about his wife and children? What was it like having Wolfgang for a husband or a father? And his work--did he love music or was it something he felt he just had to do to make a living? What was his writing process like? What inspired him as he was putting it all together? The bulk of this book has to do with Mozart's anxiety about making a living--indeed it was almost the only thing he wrote about in his letters. His father was obsessed with money and success, forever in fear of losing it all. As a result Mozart grows trying to convince himself and those around him that he was a good composer, not so much because of the music but rather because of the reception to it, which in comparison to his popularity today, was nothing. It should sadden us I think, because we know that he was capable of incredible beauty but we don't know the story behind it. Much of his music was light and fun, and some of it was dark and tragic. Were these works a reflection of the man himself, or a result of a robotic desire to please his father and by extension, nearly everyone he came in contact with? Did Mozart truly relish the power of his symphonies and the joy of his sonnatas or the passion of his operas as we do? I prefer to think that he did, although it is hard for us to know for sure. This book has taught me that the greatest source for knowing this man would be, of course, the music itself, and that while certain facts are known, much shall remain mysterious.

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 have carried out thorough research but he has avoided presenting a dry list-of-facts in his biography. I was excited reading this - not too strong a word, the descriptions make one appreciate the actual situations the Mozarts lived through. Best biography I've seen.

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 that keep the story exactly that - a story of the life of Mozart. After reading this book, I think that the reader would have a wide grasp of Mozart's life, and perhaps even some of the European historical events taking place around him (particularly in reference to Joseph II). The only minor drawback is the lack of analysis of his famous operas (towards the end). Yes, there are rather brief summaries and explanations, but when Soren Kirkegaard (according to Melograni) labels Don Giovanni the "best piece of art ever created", then I think the opera should garner more than 3 short pages devoted to it. Just a thought. But overall, five stars, for sure.

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 if the reader desires to read only one book about Mozart, or alternatively desires to read an introductory biography that will serve as the starting point to more in-depth Mozart studies. Mozart's melodic output is so vast that any one volume would be insufficient to provide the reader with an analysis of the composer's musical gifts and accomplishments. Nonetheless, this biography places the compositions in the context of Mozart's life and times, and offers some good, brief analysis of a number of those compositions. Also, handy for any listener, Melograni includes a list of the cited works of Mozart by Kochel Number--allowing one the option of reading the biography slowly, and listening to the works as they are discussed. The biography deals very skillfully with Mozart's complex relationship with his family members--most especially the influence of Mozart's father Leopold. We are familiar with the concept of a stage-mother from the world of Broadway and Hollywood--never was there a more unrivaled example of a stage-father than Leopold Mozart. Melograni treats this reality fairly and compellingly as we see Mozart progress from a child prodigy to a young man with musical genius looking for the proper outlets, to a mature composer of greatness, and watch as he goes further and further from Leopold's orbit. Mozart's sometimes cooperative and sometimes competitive relationship with his sister Nannerl is also examined thoroughly. In addition, Melograni shows us Mozart's interrelationship with his contemporaries in the world of music, both performers and composers. Quite aware of the impact of such popular works as the film "Amadeus", the author comments upon and corrects impressions they give. The stories about Mozart are many, and some of the most familiar anecdotes are included in this book, such as the youthful encounter with the Princess Marie Antoinette. This reader, however, would have been pleased to find many more stories that flesh out Mozart's character. Even so, this is a fine life of Mozart, beautifully translated from the Italian by Lydia G. Cochrane. If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.