The Mozart Myths: A Critical Reassessment [Hardcover]

William Stafford (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0804719373 | ISBN-13: 978-0804719377 | Publication Date: October 1, 1991 | Edition: 1

This 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 and character, notably the circumstances of his death and his alleged immaturity, drinking, extravagance, womanizing, unreliability, and professional failure.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Stafford (philosophy, history of ideas, Huddersfield Polytechnic, England) has written a fascinating, well-documented review of the many popular stories about Mozart, concentrating especially on the circumstances surrounding his death. He analyzes the sources of the stories' information and assesses the credibility of the various witnesses, carefully sorting out truth from misunderstanding, gossip, rumor, and lies. Mozart emerges as a far more complex person than biographers often portray him. While not casual reading, this involved and detailed study of documents, motives, and the convoluted reasoning behind the Mozart myths is required reading for the devoted Mozart fan. For large public and academic music collections.
- Timothy J. McGee, Univ. of Toronto
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (October 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804719373
• ISBN-13: 978-0804719377
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,568,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beware Acqua Toffana!, February 6, 2000

By 

Shayana Kadidal (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mozart Myths: A Critical Reassessment (Paperback)

This book is really a piece of work. The author clearly relishes retelling the many ludicrous myths surrounding W.A. Mozart, and the retelling, more so than the delightful debunking of the stories, is the really wonderful part of this book. That said, the debunking is pretty cool too, and will give you a pretty good overview of the biographical literature on Mozart to boot. My favorite tale is the one spun by the wife of General VonLudendorff (yes, one of the Heroes of Tannenburg), a Naziess, about how the freemasons (not Salieri!) poisoned Mozart because, as a nascent german nationalist, he had decided to turn his back on their international brotherhood.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Debunked at last!, January 14, 2008

By 

Stuart Kester - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mozart Myths: A Critical Reassessment (Paperback)

From first page to last, Mr Stafford delivers as promised, a thorough review of primary as well as secondary sources. I couldn't help but be amazed at the omnipresence of the idiotic gossip that has masqueraded for centuries as "revelations" of Mozart's life and work, now unmasked by Mr Stafford. Essential in any library of Mozart biography!

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written documentary, June 10, 2009

By 

MusicRules "music fanatic" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mozart Myths: A Critical Reassessment (Paperback)

I acquired this book over a year ago and I'm still reading a lot of detail that seems to be more accurate. It allows one to have an open mind, especially when comparing Mozart's life to some of the more popular movies such as Amadeus.