Mozart: A Cultural Biography
by Robert W. Gutman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert W. GutmanEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1999-11-29
ISBN: 015100482X
Number of pages: 992
Publisher: Harcourt
Book Reviews of Mozart: A Cultural Biography
Book Review: Mozart complete
Summary: 5 Stars
I am 260 pages into this 839 page book and my impression is that this has to be the definitive Mozart biography. It is heavily leaden with pertinent footnotes, asides and culturally important context; what is more important is that Mozart is given the respect due to a grown man, to a blessed genius, to a cultural icon second to no one.
When the movie "Amadeus" came out those many years ago, I watched it and was horrified at how Wolfie was depicted. Worse than a comic book character, he was reduced to a sexually perverse adolescent who just so happened to have music poring through his dim-wit brains. Gutman has burned away all the disappointment and distortion that the admitedly bogus Shaffer play/movie created and what remains is a fantastic story that grips from beginning to end. One of the most impressive bits of trivia, by the way, is just how often Wolfie (and his entire family) was deathly sick and how he lived as long as he did. I simply could not fathom how he survived those many illnesses as a child; perhaps (what we term his immune system) was so demolished as a child that as an adult, facing more sickness, his body simply could not take any more?
A really great book that I am savouring every day.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Have finally finished the book. Totally worth the effort to read such a huge book (note: the footnotes although so many are worth reading). This is a book that has the depth that Mozart deserved. What I found outstanding was the richness of knowledge, of the labor of research the author put into arriving at clarity, at dispelling of myths. This later issue for me was the antidote I had always been craving since watching "Amadeus" for the first time. There have been many silly and inaccurate things said about him; this book just about covers each and every myth. The wisdom we absorb in the process makes Woolfy so much more human. How much more can we love this man who was at the peak of his creative energies, his public success, his power as a husband and father.
A word must be said about his father. Although it is tempting to judge Leopold in a harsh way, he was a product in many ways of his times; his character was wracked with insecurities and paranoia. That he took advantage of Mozart and in the end by disinheriting him made him look like a nasty and bitter man, we still have to admit that he encouraged and taught Mozart as best he could. That he could stoop to very low levels (accusing Mozart of being the cause of his mothers death, is but one of many examples) must be seen in contrast to how far Mozart evolved away from those clutching and grasping hands. Sad too is the polluting mindset his sister absorbed from their father. However, we might not have done any better given the tumultuous times they all lived in.
His final sickness came out of nowhere and took him very rapidly. With his wife at his side he slipped into a coma and died. We are only left to ponder what sort of music he would have made had he lived, living as he did as Beethoven was emerging out of his own chrysalis. Imagine the clashes of styles and musical agendas as the two would have vied for space. Perhaps Mozart had done all he needed to do? Finally, it should be pointed out that he and Constanze lived in a lot of luxury and although always at a certain level of debt, he always managed it because he kept on writing for lucrative commissions. The world was left with a brilliant addition to it's culture; we would have been so much less without his music. A great book for those who really want to know the real Mozart. A tour de force.
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