What to Listen for in Mozart

by Robert Harris

From Simon & Schuster, What to Listen for in Mozart is Robert Harris' essential introduction to the world's most popular composer.

An introduction to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart explores the essentials of his work, examining his place in the aristocratic society of the late eighteenth century, and discusses his life and death.

Genres: Music, History

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 1991

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Robert Harris is a long-time music journalist, writer, teacher, and broadcaster. From 2000-2008, he was the host and producer of I Hear Music, a weekly show presented on CBC Radio 2. He is the author of two books, What to Listen for in Mozart, and What to Listen for in Beethoven. He is the classical music critic for The Globe and Mail.

Reviews

[Máiréad]

I enjoyed this so much more than I was expecting. I found it to be so insightful and easy to read. I also had no idea how tragic Mozarts life was, my whole perspective on him has completely changed and I want to listen to every piece he wrote.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at Mozart and the times he lived in. It is good to be reminded that there was not always a middle class. Composers were of the servant class, and at the mercy of the aristocracy. Usually a piece was written for an evenings amusement, and never listened to or played again. Often Mozart did not write down the keyboard part, only the accompaniments, since it would never be played again. Mozart was a link between Baroque and Classical, at first writing in the "style galante" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galante_... new term to me. Taking his inspiration from Haydn, the first of the "Galante" composers. Incidentally, it was Haydn who gave us the classical form for sonatas. Exposition, Development, and Recapitulation. Mozart studied the works of Haydn, and they later met in Vienna. Mozart's compositions and playing brought tears to Haydn whom Mozart was very fond of, calling him papa, in reference to his fathering in the Classical Era of Music. "Papa Haydn", a term still in usage, and I never knew where it originated.
The author has his Mozart favorites, as have I, but it was great fun to go to the keyboard, as I read the book, and try to pick out melodies. The author loves Elvira Madigan, which I have never liked, perhaps because of the time spent memorizing a simplified version. But I plan to listen to it again, trying to use the author's ear. I also liked learning the politics behind The Marriage of Figaro, which now seem pretty straight forward, if I had taken the time to think about it. Lots of interesting things in this book. The only thing that could improve this book, would be having a CD, with samplings of some of the music.

[Rene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely uneducated in music I’ve stumbled through life finding pieces that have moved or inspired me. I had been enamoured with Mozart most of my adult life. I found this book took me deeper into my appreciation for him and his works

Harris never made me feel uneducated as he tells his readers several times throughout “if you are getting lost take a break. Stop the music and start again...” I never felt guilty for skipping past the musical breakdowns as I have never know how to read sheet music. Harris’ passion is prevalent and something I admire. His recommendation to listen to the pieces he writes about was spot on and I’m so thankful for Spotify and my Bose headphones it truly was a treat to read and listen.

[Milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative...really helps you appreciate the music. Highly recommended!

[Fran Martin-Winchester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising amount of interesting history as well as analysis.