Mozart: A Cultural Biography by Robert W. Gutman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Mozart: A Cultural Biography
Book Review: A flesh-and-blood Mozart
Summary: 5 Stars
Though I'm not much of a Mozart buff, and his music generally does little for me, it's impossible to deny his genius or to escape its fascination. So, after again having watched the entertaining nonsense of the movie Amadeus a while ago, I felt compelled to find out a bit more about the REAL story (I knew the gist of it only from Peter Gay's tiny book). What luck then, to find this beautifully produced, comprehensive tome lying around in the remainders corner of a book store. It was worth every cent of the modest price I paid for it. This is biography as it should be. It covers all details of Mozart's personal life, his family, and the troubled relation with his father; it covers many details of his works besides. It also shows his constant wavering on the brink between the dictates of protocol on the one hand and his sense of superiority through creative genius on the other. This delicate balance defined his dealings with Colloredo in Salzburg, with Joseph II in Vienna, and with the hosts of princes, dukes and bishops who governed the mind-boggling patchwork of states that constituted the Holy Roman Empire at that time. In dealing with these issues, Gutman never loses himself in speculation and is eminently sober. Where information is spread thin because of a lack of correspondence or interrupted work on a diary, he just tells us so and moves on. If you are looking for scurrilous anecdotes of the Amadeus kind, you will look in vain here. Mozart, no matter how convinced of his own qualities, would never have dreamt to bow low with his back turned to the ruler of Salzburg, showing him his behind. You will only find his insolence tucked away in a few defiant sentences in a letter, thickly covered by all the servile formulae that were expected of a courtier who ranked no higher than a footman. Neither will you find sycophantic ravings about Mozart's precocious talent. Though the works he produced at a young age were certainly exceptional, their flaws stand out clearly, and many of them also betray the hand of Leopold, as Gutman patiently points out. In fact, I noticed, the flow of great masterpieces only starts once your two-thirds through the book; before that lie the years of the child prodigy dragged all over Europe by his ambitious father, and those of the young composer struggling to find his voice and an audience. By the way, the description of Mozart's work strongly focuses on the opera's, and the sometimes over-extensive (psycho)analysis of the libretti struck me as the only weak aspect of this book. On the whole, however, this book is far more about the man and his world than about the music.You will also look in vain for uncanny overtones in the visit of the masked messenger who ordered the Requiem, and neither is there the tragic end of the neglected genius dumped in a pauper's grave. Mozart had a standard third class funeral, Gutman tells us, as did most Viennese citizens, and the proceedings surrounding it were quite in keeping with those customary at the time. Nor was the composer a death-ridden derelict in his final year; on the contrary, he was in high spirits, and on the brink of the artistic recognition and ensuing financial success that allowed his widow to spend the many years she survived him in the greatest comfort.
So is this a boring book then? By no means! Gutman replaces the sensational but stale caricature with a flesh-and-blood human being, and a very likeable one at that, who almost jumps off the pages. His treatment of Mozart's psychology is highly refined and subtle. He was no divine spirit incarnate, he was a man like you and me, this book tells you.
But it tells you lots more. It delves deeply into the complicated politics of 18th century Europe, with all its competing rulers, many of them afflicted with strange personalities. Culture and customs are described in similar detail. The ample footnotes contain thumbnail-biographies, delightful anecdotes and musical details alike and almost form a book in themselves. The 800 pages are densely packed with information, not making for a relaxed bed-time read; this book demands your time and concentration, and deserves both! You will reap rich rewards from your investment.
Book Review: Leopold's little boy
Summary: 4 Stars
A definitive biography of history's greatest creative genius is of course an illusion. Nevertheless, two American writers have in recent years written large scholarly works which strive to achieve that distinction: Robert Gutman and Maynard Solomon. Gutman's book is greatly to be preferred. Solomon's book should be read by any serious Mozartian for his interesting new material on and interpretations of issues such as the Mozart family finances and the complex varieties of late 18th century Freemasonry. But his biography is vitiated by his Freudianism and his relentless demonising of Leopold Mozart. In Gutman's book, by contrast, Leopold emerges as a much more interesting and complex character than Solomon's monster. Some of the best parts of the book are the extracts from Leopold's letters during his trips with the boy prodigy. Leopold was an intelligent, humane, tolerant and well-educated man, with shrewd powers of cultural and social observation. (His description of Naples in the 1760's is priceless.) But Gutman's Leopold is no saint either. Gutman convincingly portrays him as a man who was often socially out of his depth and whose maladroit plotting on his son's behalf did Wolfgang more harm than good. He also accuses Leopold of ultimately cheating his grown son out his boyhood earnings - a charge I felt Gutman did not quite prove.
In the early chapters of the book I also found it a bit tiresome how often Gutman felt he had register his disapproval of absolute monarchs. Personally, he prefers democracy. Thank you Mr Gutman, we get the point. For some Americans, it seems, it's always 1776.
Gutman's musical judgements do not quite accord with my own. I thought he was far too dismissive of the compositional skill of the young Mozart. But I must admit he did cast the famous Allegri Miserere and Padre Martini stories in very different light. Gutman also tended to damn with faint praise Mozart's great opera seria, La Clemenza di Tito. On the plus side, he showed an all-too-rare understanding of the aesthetic and religious seriousness of Mozart's church music.
As someone who has been reading Mozart biographies for over thirty years, I was constantly amazed at some new fact or anecdote Gutman had unearthed. Finally, his description of the young genius's death was almost unbearably moving.
If you only buy one Mozart biography (and I suppose there are such people) this should be the one.
Book Review: excellent bio and history
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is a much more pleasing read than Maynard's "Mozart: A Life" - unless you like endless psychological analysis.Gutman describes in detail historical events which influenced the lives of the Mozarts: wars, experiencing freedom in England, interacting with other musicians and philosophers, new outlooks on life and new developments in music.
The fine historical detail embellishes the thorough presentation of Mozart's life: for example, knowing his hometown of Salzburg was not part of Austria during his lifetime makes his eventual move to Vienna seem even more dramatic than otherwise.
The two reasons I don't give it 5 stars are: 1) it paints a more sanitized picture of Mozart than other sources, and 2) many writers seem to think it enhances their works if they include phrases in foreign languages. Gutman is no exception. For example, Mozart's father's thinking at one point is described as "Aut Ceasar, aut nihil." This is apparently a somewhat well-known phrase meaning "To Ceasar all or nothing." but I shouldn't have had to take time out of otherwise enjoyable reading to look it up on the Internet.
Book Review: Worth the money
Summary: 4 Stars
A great book for Mozart fans. If you liked Amadeus you'll surely enjoy this book by Gutman.Book Review: Unless New Information Requires Revision
Summary: 5 Stars
This twelve-year effort by Mr. Robert W. Gutman to create a cultural biography around the core that was Mozart, should meet the needs of those educated in music, or those like myself who are fascinated with this genius of History. This work is massive by any measure and even the Author suggested certain passages could be passed over by less sophisticated students of Mozart's work, and music in general.I read this work over a lengthy period of time as the material is very dense, and the book is more like a collection than a single volume. This is a Biography of Mozart, and also biographies of those who were Family, his peers, and The Monarchs who ruled during his short life. It is a work of History as well. For Mozart the person, throughout the book is always placed within the context of the events surrounding him. Politics would influence where he could play, as would religion, all forms of civil disobedience, and war. In this sense the work has as an element Political Science as well. The Author includes detailed economic facts from the smallest of costs that were included for a concert tour, to the largesse that was or was not handed to Mozart by a variety of Royal Courts. These latter two issues were obsessions with his Father. Mozart Sr. not only micro-managed the lives of his children, but also was constantly vying for the good graces of the wealthy, The Nobility, as well as The Royalty, and dealing with all manner of court intrigue in hopes of his personal advancement.
For any who became interested in Mozart after seeing, "Amadeus", this book, as others do, portrays the composer as at times a colorful individual, but not the debauched character that was seen in the film. His writings at times are colorful in the extreme; his ego and his expressions of his self-importance do not always commend him. However his genius cannot be denied, and while not as raucous as the movie version, Mozart would never be accused of being a bore at gatherings.
I am glad that I read this book, and it will certainly serve as a reference source. I would not recommend this as the first book to read on Mozart unless Music is your field of study. To truly appreciate what the Author has created, and to gain all the knowledge the book contains, an individual must have much more than a passing interest in Mozart. Mr. Gutman has created a scholarly work that would seem to set a standard that will be hard to surpass.