Book Description
As a little boy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began writing musical compositions when most kids his age are still learning to read. By the time he was seven, Mozart was an accomplished musician who could play several instruments and also sing. Accompanied by his older sister, Nannerl, and his father, Leopold, young Wolfgang toured Europe. He performed before royalty and some of the richest members of society. By the time he was twelve, Wolfgang was famous. He first tasted failure as a teenager, as audiences ignored his operas, and he had trouble making money. He began to be known for his bad jokes and relentless pursuit of women. He eventually married the sister of the woman who broke his heart. In adulthood, Mozart’s problems grew. He couldn’t keep a job. He was usually broke. One of the greatest composers the world has ever known was forced to make a living giving piano lessons. Yet today he is one of the most celebrated and respected composers of all time.
Card catalog description
Examines the life of the eighteenth-century Austrian composer, from his acclaim as a child prodigy through his prolific musical career to his early death in 1791 at age thirty-five.
Life and Times of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ANNOTATION
Examines the life of the eighteenth-century Austrian composer, from his acclaim as a child prodigy through his prolific musical career to his early death in 1791 at age thirty-five.
FROM THE CRITICS
School Library Journal
Gr 6-8-Lively and packed with fascinating historical detail, these biographies fill a gap. Both books outline the lives and times of the composers with a novelist's aptitude for pacing, detail, and economy. Each volume is confined to five brief chapters, and could easily be read in a single sitting, yet readers will gain a full sense of the man's character, talents, and foibles. Chapters conclude with a page of "FYInfo" that fleshes out a tangential but significant detail-Goethe's influence on Haydn, Mozart's childhood battle with smallpox-to provide broader historical and cultural context for each man's life and work. These are thoroughly modern takes on the composers' lives; Bankston cleverly compares Mozart's prodigious fame to that of present-day pop stars, and readers can appreciate Haydn's quiet insistence on writing music without regard for popularity or financial gain as the mark of creative integrity. Each volume includes nicely rendered, full-color illustrations; a list of selected works; a useful chronology of the composer's life and historical time line; and a fine glossary of musical and historical terms. The indexes are rudimentary but functional. The further reading lists, which include a variety of print and Internet resources, merit special mention for their thoroughness.-Sophie R. Brookover, Mount Laurel Library, NJ Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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