Mozart: A Cultural Biography by Robert W. Gutman Summary and Reviews
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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.
Book Review: Too Much Mozart?
Summary: 2 Stars
I give the rating above with some misgivings. I've no doubt that Mr Gutman has analyzed every aspect and nuance of Mozart's career and the events that shaped his life. In great detail he shares that information with us, then goes on to give us a graduate level treatise on 18th century music theory and development, a serious discussion of the players and philosophy of the Enlightenment, and a comprehensive romp though the politics of 17th/18th century Europe. I've no doubt that he has accomplished all he set out to do, particularly if his audience is already reasonably fluent in the subjects mentioned. A working familiarity with Mozart's Operas also seems to be expected.
I am not that audience. My problem is twofold. First, there is just more about Mozart in this book than I care to know. I just wasn't ready for the depth of the analysis and the often extraneous(to me) subject matter. However, I may have been able to cope with these objections, except that I found the book an excessively daunting read. Amazon's reviewer, Wendy Smith notes in her review that "..Gutman's descriptions of Mozart's work are models of music writing for the lay reader: they capture the brilliance and beauty of the great composer's art in easily accessible language". Bless her, but as a lay reader, I find she is giving me way too much credit. To refer to his writing as "easily accessible" is a monstrous stretch as far as I'm concerned. His excessively long compound sentences, volumes of sesquipedalian(long) words, and obscure and often untranslated quotations and phrases did me in.
So, if you want to delve into the life and mind of Mozart at great depth, this book is probably the one for you, as attested by the many favorable reviews. However, if your goal is just a reasonably complete look at possibly the greatest musical genius that ever lived, then I would recommend that you look elsewhere. I have.
Book Review: A comprehensive biography by an incomprehensible writer
Summary: 3 Stars
The story is superb and told in minute detail. However, I don't like books in which the writer often seems to be more intent on displaying his own scholarship and range of vocabulary than on informing the reader. Unfortunately, this is the case with this book - it reads like a thesis and not like a biography. Admiteddly, it will tell you all you need to know about Mozart but you are likely to need a thesaurus at hand.
If you are into Mozart but want something more accessible, I'd recommend Mozart: a Life by Maynard Solomon. Gutman's book is more informative, but far more verbose and inaccessible. Gutman is quite unlike Peter Gay, Hobsbwam, Richard Ellmann in the sense that his text does not share a characteristic of fludity displayed by these writers. To sum up: only buy this book if you are truly interested in the story AND motivated enough to struggle through its 700-odd pages.
Well, come to think of it, I've never learned so many new words from a single book...
Book Review: Lux Perpetua
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a superb biography: dense, profound, vast, and multi-faceted. As its subtitle promises, it provides a fascinating cultural framework to the most complete (and myth-shattering) portrait of Mozart's character I've read so far. Without the use of a single cheap device, it put me so close to the events that I felt I was in the houses and theaters witnessing them. The poisoning plot is relegated to where it belongs: a dismissive footnote.
I agree with another reviewer about the revelations concerning Leopold. Far from the one-dimensional Mother of All Stage Fathers he's been so often depicted as, at some moments he comes off as admirable, an authentic figure of the Enlightenment. His eventual self-destruction - the pettiness and jealousy that poisoned his relations with Wolfgang and the role he played in estranging Nannerl from her brother - is nothing short of tragic.
For my one quibble I'll paraphrase Emperor Joseph's apocrypha: Too few notes, Mr. Gutman. The book has not a single musical quotation, which the author explains in the preface by citing the abundance of scores and recordings available. This made for somewhat choppy reading (along with the too many footnotes, Mr. Gutman). Still, the inducement to go beyond the text led to a few discoveries, both by the Apollo incarnate himself and by some of his contemporaries - all of which added immensely to the enjoyment of this book.
Book Review: So Much Mozart
Summary: 5 Stars
Until now, my only exposure to Mozart was the acclaimed film, Amadeus. While I do love that movie, this book offers a much more textured, nuanced view of Mozart's life. I think it's a must read for anyone who has watched that movie, offering a more well-rounded and worthwhile view of the music mastermind. Mozart's music is brilliant, and so is this book.