Mozart at the Gateway to His Fortune

March 19, 2012
At the end of 1787, Mozart reported to his sister, Nannerl, that Emperor Joseph II of Austria had appointed him as Imperial-Royal Chamber Composer. As distinguished music historian Wolff points out in this elegant study of the last four years of Mozart’s life, this new appointment provided the great musician with a regular salary and very few obligations. In spite of the great economic and political instability in the empire, Mozart proved to be astonishingly productive. Narrating Mozart’s life and recreating the cultural atmosphere of these years, Wolff focuses on Mozart’s tremendous accomplishments during this time and not on those of his autumnal years, as so many biographers have done. Mozart’s major musical pieces from 1788 to 1791 include the Vienna production of Don Giovanni, with some newly composed material (1788), and the writing and premier of three new operas: Così fan tutte (1790), La clemenza di Tito (1791), and Die Zauberflöte (1791). Wolff demonstrates that Mozart’s tremendous influence on the history of music grows out of this period primarily because of Mozart’s ability to harness an extraordinary diversity of motives, rhythmic textures, and harmonic ideas into a focused, organic whole. Far from a time of resignation and hopelessness, Wolff argues, these years were a new beginning for Mozart, and the music of The Magic Flute and the Requiem represent a point of departure for genuinely new horizons.

April 15, 2012

Renowned Bach scholar Wolff (Adams University Professor, Harvard Univ.; Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician) here delves into the last four years of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's life, focusing on some of his greatest musical works as well as the historical framework surrounding his service to the Austrian court. In his discussion of Mozart's constant financial difficulties as well as Mozart's enduring ability to create lasting testaments to his genius, Wolff highlights the impact of the Turkish wars and the young musician's status compared with that of his peers. Referencing original manuscript sources, Wolff's unassailable critical analysis of the various musical genres such as opera, piano sonata, sacred choral music, and symphony is a major accomplishment. Occasional felicitous turns of phrase are most welcome and lighten an otherwise rather tedious recitation of dates and minutiae. The bibliography is a valuable combination of recent and historic titles. VERDICT Scholars looking for completeness in Mozart coverage will appreciate Wolff's effort--valuable for its information, although it never takes flight as a narrative. [See Prepub Alert, 11/21/11.]--Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.