The Mozart Myths: A Critical Reassessment - Softcover

Stafford, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0804722226 ISBN 13: 9780804722223

Publisher: Stanford University Press, 1993

Synopsis

This book is an ambitious attempt to separate what is actually known (and can be known) about Mozart from the many myths and legends that have grown up about his life, character, and death. It subjects individual myths to critical and scholarly scrutiny―weighing the evidence on which it is based, and critically assessing the reliability of that evidence. The author first considers the question of Mozart's death in 1791 at the age of 35, a subject that intrigued his contemporaries and has continued to fascinate posterity. No other aspect of Mozart's life has engendered so many dramatic and colorful myths. The stage play and movie Amadeus incorporated virtually all these myths and, indeed, most of the other myths associated with Mozart. In the remainder of this book, the author treats in similar fashion other legends relating to Mozart's alleged maturity, drinking, extravagance, unreliability, womanizing, and professional failure. There is also much material on the nature of Mozart's genius, the influence of Freemasonry on his work, and the value of his last compositions. The book is illustrated with 8 pages of halftones and line drawings.

About this title

About the Author:

William Stafford is Principal Lecturer in Philosophy and the History of Ideas at Huddersfield Polytechnic, in England.

From Library Journal:

Stafford (philosophy, history of ideas, Huddersfield Polytechnic, England) has written a fascinating, well-documented review of the many popular stories about Mozart, concentrating especially on the circumstances surrounding his death. He analyzes the sources of the stories' information and assesses the credibility of the various witnesses, carefully sorting out truth from misunderstanding, gossip, rumor, and lies. Mozart emerges as a far more complex person than biographers often portray him. While not casual reading, this involved and detailed study of documents, motives, and the convoluted reasoning behind the Mozart myths is required reading for the devoted Mozart fan. For large public and academic music collections.
- Timothy J. McGee, Univ. of Toronto
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Stanford University Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0804722226
• ISBN 13: 9780804722223
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 302