The Mozart Myths: A Critical Reassessment

by William Stafford

This book is an ambitious attempt to separate what is actually known (and can be known) about Mozart from the many myths and legends that have grown up about his life, character, and death. It subjects individual myths to critical and scholarly scrutiny―weighing the evidence on which it is based, and critically assessing the reliability of that evidence. The author first considers the question of Mozart's death in 1791 at the age of 35, a subject that intrigued his contemporaries and has continued to fascinate posterity. No other aspect of Mozart's life has engendered so many dramatic and colorful myths. The stage play and movie Amadeus incorporated virtually all these myths and, indeed, most of the other myths associated with Mozart. In the remainder of this book, the author treats in similar fashion other legends relating to Mozart's alleged maturity, drinking, extravagance, unreliability, womanizing, and professional failure. There is also much material on the nature of Mozart's genius, the influence of Freemasonry on his work, and the value of his last compositions. The book is illustrated with 8 pages of halftones and line drawings.

Genres: Biography

302 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

William Edgar Stafford was an American poet and pacifist, and the father of poet and essayist Kim Stafford. He and his writings are sometimes identified with the Pacific Northwest.

In 1970, he was named Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position that is now known as Poet Laureate. In 1975, he was named Poet Laureate of Oregon; his tenure in the position lasted until 1990. In 1980, he retired from Lewis & Clark College but continued to travel extensively and give public readings of his poetry. In 1992, he won the Western States Book Award for lifetime achievement in poetry.


Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William...

Reviews

[Taylor Stumpf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mozart is amazing, his music is perfect, and I love him. That is all.

[Andrew Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. So much that has been written about Mozart follows, unquestioning, the romantic suppositions that have been laid down and celebrated for centuries. This book questions everything, and offers a different take on some aspects of this great man's life and death. De omnibus dubitandum, indeed!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting to consider--how would someone view your "life story" if considered through different social contexts and historical frameworks?