The Life and Times of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

by Wendy Thompson

"Composer's World" is a new series of picture books for readers aged ten upwards, illustrating the lives and times of the world's greatest composers. It examines each composer's life and work within the context of the external factors which influenced his career. Almost 200 years ago Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in poverty at the age of 35. Born into a Europe dominated by the aristocracy, where composers relied on private patronage to earn their living, Mozart had attempted to break free from the shackles of servitude and become one of the first genuine "freelance" musicians. Though doomed to failure, he nevertheless left us a monumental legacy of over 600 masterpieces. Mozart lived and worked in some of Europe's most beautiful cities, and this illustrated biography brings his world to life. Musical extracts from some of Mozart's best-loved works - in simple keyboard arrangements - are also included.

Genres: Music, Biography

128 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

Wendy Thompson studied piano and violin at the Royal College of Music, London, and then musicology and French Baroque opera at King's College, London. She subsequently moved to publishing, working on the New Groove Dictionary of Music and the New Oxford Companion to Music, and was Editorial Director of Faber Music Limited from 1986-91. In between she spent six years working for the BBC's Music Information Department, and continued a parallel career as a freelance violinist.

In 1993 Wendy Thompson founded Classic Arts Productions Limited, an independent radio production company that provides distinguished music programmes for BBC Radio 3, including the award-winning weekly series Private Passions, the music quiz Full Score, and the series on 20th-century British music and poetry A Land Without Music?. Classic Arts has also recorded many live concerts and concert series.

Wendy Thompson has published several books, including Piano Competition: The Story of the Leeds, Mozart: A Bicentennial Tribute, titles on Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Debussy and Tchaikovsky in the Composer's World series, and biographies of Handel and Grieg. She provides programme notes on a regular basis for the BBC and the Philharmonia Orchestra, among others.

Reviews

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief biography of the composer that focuses on his struggle to make a living as a freelance musician. The book highlights the end of the old system of patronage as well as the period's fascination with child pffodigies. The opening section listing Mozart's journeys, the distances between European cities, and the distance one could expect to cover in an average coach each day will be particularly illustrative to today's readers who are surrounded by cars and planes.

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series! Would be perfect fit middle schoolers to high schoolers

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple book which covers the life of Mozart, though not in depth.