Mozart: A Life

Mozart's music has enthralled listeners for centuries. In this brilliant biography, acclaimed historian Paul Johnson conjures Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's life and times in rich detail, focusing particularly on his extraordinary compositional output. Johnson charts Mozart's development from age three to his childhood as a touring prodigy to his post as an official court musician to his later years, when he penned two of his most magnificent operas, The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. Along the way, Johnson challenges some of the popular myths surrounding Mozart: his tempestuous personal relationships, his rivalry with Salieri, and his financial straits. Armed with expert knowledge of the era as well as with Mozart's own private letters, Johnson reveals a fresh, invigorating portrait of this dazzling talent.