3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very fine book, of a certain vintage, on Mozart's last 10 years, June 29, 2011
This review is from: Mozart: The Golden Years (Hardcover)
H.C. Robbins Landon was one of the leading scholars of his day on the music of Mozart and Haydn, and this book is a very fine example of his scholarship with the former, focusing on the last 10 years of Mozart's admittedly too-short life. For the most part, this book is definitely aimed at the "intelligent layperson" who may not necessarily have a strong technical background in music. It reads clearly on historical grounds, and readers can enjoy it for the coverage of the historical aspects alone. It does contain some relatively brief discussion of a more technical bent on Mozart's skill in composition, particularly in Chapter 8, covering the six quartets that Mozart dedicated to Haydn as well as a brief survey of Mozart's piano concertos. The book is copiously illustrated as well.
It must be admitted, however, that this book did appear originally in 1989, so that obviously any later scholarship by Robbins Landon and others must, by definition, be missing. Still, with that in mind, this makes a very substantial introduction for those who want to start to understand Mozart from that decade of 1781 to 1791.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
