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Mozart

A Life

Paul Johnson

$32.99

Paperback

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English
Penguin
28 January 2015
Mozart's music has enthralled listeners for centuries. Liszt once said that Mozart composed more bars than a trained copyist could write in a lifetime.

One of the world's most enduringly popular classical musicians, Mozart had a profound influence on Western music and on his contemporaries such as Beethoven and Haydn. Johnson focuses on the importance of Mozart's music, uncovering his wondrous output of composition and his gift and skill with instruments. For example, no sooner had the clarinet been invented and introduced than Mozart began playing and composing for it.

In this brilliant biography, acclaimed historian Paul Johnson conjures Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's life and times in rich detail, focusing particularly on his extraordinary compositional output. Johnson charts Mozart's development from age three to his childhood as a touring prodigy to his post as an official court musician to his later years, when he penned two of his most magnificent operas, The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni.

Along the way, Johnson challenges some of the popular myths surrounding Mozart: his tempestuous personal relationships, his rivalry with Salieri, and his financial straits. Armed with expert knowledge of the era as well as with Mozart's own private letters, Johnson reveals a fresh, invigorating portrait of this dazzling talent.
By:  
Imprint:   Penguin
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 213mm,  Width: 138mm,  Spine: 15mm
Weight:   157g
ISBN:   9780143126065
ISBN 10:   0143126067
Pages:   176
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Paul Johnson is the bestselling author of numerous books, including Darwin: Portrait of a Genius, Socrates: A Man for Our Times, Napoleon: A Penguin Life, and Churchill. He lives in London.

Reviews for Mozart: A Life

Praise for Mozart by Paul Johnson: Historian Johnson lauds everyone's favorite composer so as to pique the interest of every reader. . . . Johnson starts debunking myths on the first page . . . [and] they all crumble under his commonsense presentation of evidence. An altogether excellent primer on possibly the most complete musician who ever lived. --Booklist (starred review) Most satisfying . . . A highly accessible initial foray into an astonishing, and inexhaustible, subject. --Cleveland Plain Dealer Impassioned . . . Johnson captures the depth of Mozart's achievement with a scholarly fan's . . . enthusiasm. . . . A compact and knowledgeable portrait of genius. --Kirkus Reviews Johnson packs a great deal of information into these pages . . . and his grasp of Mozart's musical output is astounding, his description of Mozart's works comprehensive and enlightening. . . . This is a solid, and often fresh, introduction to the life and work of the composer. --Publishers Weekly The perfect stocking stuffer . . . A portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that will give pleasure to and increase the understanding of old Mozart hands as well as those reading for the first time about the man . . . Like his latest subject, Johnson never strikes a false note. --The American Spectator Excellent . . . A delightful, concise read. It's fun--like listening to Mozart is. . . . To learn about the life of such a remarkable musician is a treat and a privilege. Paul Johnson has made Mozart's story accessible and rewarding. --Washington Independent Review of Books This short, pithy, intelligent book will appeal to music lovers and general readers. --Hudson Valley News


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