Customer Reviews

Mozart: A Penguin Life (Penguin Lives)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Peter Gay's brief biography of Mozart is the third of the new Penguin Lives which I have read, but only the first to offer a reasonably complete portrait. (The others were "Mao Zedong" by Jonathan Spence, which seemed disappointingly incomplete, and "Woodrow Wilson" by Louis Auchincloss, which seemed terribly superficial.) As an eminent cultural historian of Europe since the Enlightenment and a native of German-speaking Europe himself, Gay is more than qualified to write a superior life story of Mozart and certainly rises to the occasion with a captivating style that made reading this book a pleasure.

For a book that is only 163 pages long, exclusive of endnotes and bibliographic essay, this volume offers an unusually full picture. It depicts Mozart as man and musician, while placing him and his art in the context of his times. Gay delves into Mozart's complex relationship with his autocratic father, describing his evolution from docile Wunderkind to assertive mature artist. He also explores Mozart's unusual personality, including his often juvenile sense of humor, his devoted commitment to his wife, his tendency to constantly live beyond his means and the resulting sometimes obsequious dependency on his patrons, and his interactions with contemporary composers, particularly Johann Christoph Bach and Franz Josef Haydn. Gay is especially good at explaining Mozart's major contributions to the development of classical music in terms that even someone who lacks a technical understanding of music can fathom, showing how he contributed to chamber music, the symphony, and opera. And he briefly points out what is distinctive about a number of the composers' major works.

In short, this is a book that offers all the fun of "Amadeus," but a far more satisfying portrayal of Mozart and a fuller explication of why he is an icon of Western civilization. For readers who lack much knowledge about the composer, Gay does an artful job of tantalizing them into wanting to learn more, then pointing the way with a helpful and thorough bibliographical essay.

This is one of several volumes in the Penguin Lives Series, each of which written by a distinguished author in her or his own right. Each provides a concise but remarkably comprehensive biography of its subject in combination with a penetrating analysis of the significance of that subject's life and career. I think this is a brilliant concept. Those who wish to learn more about the given subject are directed to other sources.

When preparing to review various volumes in this series, I have struggled with determining what would be of greatest interest and assistance to those who read my reviews. Finally I decided that a few brief excerpts and then some concluding remarks would be appropriate.

On misconceptions of Mozart (e.g. the "willful child" unable to grow up, the "miracle worker" who never needed to revise a single note): "These tenacious caricatures are distortions rather than fabrications; most of them, as we shall discover, contain a kernel of truth....But Mozart's life in music is fascinating enough without embroidery; his reputation as a genius is not threatened by mundane truths." (Page 2)

In a letter to his father (1781): "Nature speaks as loudly in me as in anyone, and perhaps louder than in many big, strong lugs. I cannot possibly live like most of the young men today. -- First, I have too much religion; secondly, too much love for my fellow beings and too honorable a disposition to seduce an innocent girl; and thirdly, too much horror and repugnance, dread and fear of diseases, and too much care for my health to scuffle with whores." (Page 70)

Peter Gay on Salieri: "There is an all-too-well-known melodramatic tale about Antonio Salieri poisoning Mozart. It began as a rumor and was first given literary form in the 1820s in a verse playlet by Pushkin. It is a malicious, preposterous fabrication, but hints at the envy Mozart's rivals had every right to feel. Yet Mozart, too, had grounds for envy: Salieri, born in Italy but long settled in Vienna, occupied privileged posts that Mozart would have deserved but, given Emperor Joseph's predilection for Salieri, could never hope to obtain." (Page 100)

Mozart's last year: "[It] has often been described as one long preparation for death. But in that time, Mozart wrote two operas, a piano concerto, a large number of minuets and counterdances, a clarinet concerto, a Masonic cantata, two quintets, and most of the Requiem. His creativity was still working at full speed." (Page 156)

I am among those who have seen the film Amadeus many times, admiring it more each time. For dramatic purposes, those who produced Amadeus focus on several of the "tenacious caricatures" to which Gay refers. What I especially appreciate about this biography is that Gay duly acknowledges all of Mozart's human limitations and inadequacies while examining Mozart's creative discipline in ways and to an extent which the film does not. With regard to this biography's context, Gay tells his reader only what is essential to know about the various cities in which Mozart lived and worked during various periods in his all-too-brief life (January 27,1756-December 5, 1791). Rather than create an historical or cultural context, Gay prefers to focus primarily on Mozart's art. As he notes, the renewal of interest more than a century after Mozart's death raised his music -- "all of it -- to the eminence it deserves."

For anyone who has ever wanted to know about Mozart, but does not want to dig through massive tomes, or the intracacies of counterpoint, Peter Gay gives a thorough linear analysis of Mozart, his life, and times. Describing the growth of a musical genius, with commentaries on major works, Gay places Mozart firmly in his historic period. We see the role of the musician as hired tradesman and Mozart trying to equate his genius with social standing, only to play secaond fiddle to the second rate. An excellent and enjoyable window into a complex mind and a brief but indelible life.

Somewhere between Maynard Solomon's 650-page opus Mozart: A Life and the Mozart write-up on Wikipedia, there is Mozart by Peter Gay.

Mozart's story should lend itself to the Penguin Lives series of short biographies. It was a remarkable life in spite of its brevity. Mozart gifted the biographer with a voluminous correspondence and Gay makes extensive use of it. If it sometimes seems as if the narrative consists of epistolary excerpts strung together, they do communicate some aspects of Mozart's character, particularly as regards the increasingly difficult father-son relationship.

Gay also enjoys quoting the vulgar witticisms that frequently occur in the correspondence. Peter Gay is also the author of a biography of Sigmund Freud, so the character analysis was perhaps bound to take a psychoanalytic turn. For example, vis-à-vis the penchant for vulgarity, Mozart "yielded more readily than many others to the regressive pull of early fixations." His adolescent attraction to Aloysia Weber was the expression of "agreeable rescue fantasies". It's hard to say what, if anything, these observations add to the reader's insight into Mozart the man. In the end, while we learn the important facts about Mozart's life, we don't really get a clear sense of character from this book.

Not to say that the author fails to recognize and carry out his writerly duties. In a biography of Mozart, or of any famous person, the author is required to engage with the standard mythology, and Gay dutifully sets the record straight. Mozart was in fact dismissed from the Archbishop of Salzburg's service with a kick in the rear end, and he did once write a full symphony in four days (No. 36). He was not, however, poisoned to death by Salieri (rheumatic fever was the culprit) and he was not just taking straight dictation from God - his original manuscripts bear much evidence of rewriting and revision. (Unfortunately, Gay does not address the implicit charge of alcoholism in the film "Amadeus".) As far as Mozart's famous arrogance, Gay's account perhaps affords an improved perspective: "He had no false modesty about his gifts; since they were God-given, it would be sacrilegious, he thought, to make light of them."

To a great extent the story of Mozart's life is the story of his musical compositions. He began to compose in early childhood; by his death in 1791 the corpus had grown to some 600 works - among them, of course, a number of the signal works of the classical era. Gay cites most of the appropriate pieces - the "Turkish" violin concerto, composed at 19; the piano concertos; the great late symphonies including the No. 41 "Jupiter"; the Requiem Mass. Others could have been mentioned, some excluded; it's pointless to quibble. The important thing is that our author should write well about them.

Unfortunately, Gay isn't very good at writing about music. His musical discussions tend to lapse into praise rather than interpretation: "To experience [the late symphonies] is to enjoy a spectacle of energy translated into beauty." He finally throws up his hands: "...how puerile these common metaphors are compared to the experience of *listening* to Mozart!"

The musical analysis we do get generally comes in the form of quotations from other people - established critics and scholars like Alfred Einstein and Charles Rosen. These, along with the bibliographical essay, are helpful for those seeking more substantive discussion.

Character analysis and musicology aside, what we really want from a Mozart essay by Peter Gay is a discussion of the composer's place in the great intellectual movement of his time: the Enlightenment. Gay is the author of a magisterial two-volume survey of the Enlightenment which runs to some 1,650 pages and is considered definitive. So we make our way through the present narrative patiently waiting for the part where Gay reveals his expert insights into Mozart's role in the Age of Reason. In vain. The benefits to Mozart of Emperor Joseph II's reformist policies are briefly acknowledged. Hope glimmers with Mozart's induction into Freemasonry, but Gay pretty much dismisses this as a networking maneuver. The Magic Flute is characterized as "a rationalist Mason's celebration of truth, love, and human warmth", but the analysis goes no further. If the Penguin Enlightenment Reader is correct on the matter, The Magic Flute's libretto "distills the essence of the Enlightenment"; so it's particularly disappointing that Gay has nothing much to say about it here.

Come to think of it, it's hard to say what advantages Gay's book really has over the Wikipedia essay. After all, they offer substantially the same information; Wikipedia includes color pictures of the composer, his family, and his native Salzburg; you can click to hear the musical pieces discussed; and you can save $[...] to spend on something else. Like some music by Mozart, for example.

I enjoy biography, but the trend these days is toward the voluminous, detailed study that weighs in at 700 pages or more. This shorter biography is a delight. I enjoyed learning more about Mozart and his times without committing 4 months to the reading. Well written and informative. I will have to check out others in this series.

Another in the Penguin Lives series, this is a short, reasonably informative, easy-to-read bio of Mozart, who was (by modern standards) one weird fellow. Author Peter Gay has successfully avoided the heavy-handedness present in some of his other works (e.g. in the "Bourgeois Experience" series), and the result is a pleasant stroll through the late 18th century. Gay concentrates more on Mozart the person rather than on Mozart's music, although the evolution of Mozart's style is an important theme.

A quick, easy, enjoyable read.

Mozart dies at age 35. His output was stupendous, but his life was short. This gives the author the chance to write about it in great detail within a slim volume. He does an admirable job in bringing Mozart back too life for us.

Mr. Gay puts repeated emphasis on Mozart?s dependence on his father Leopold. Although Leopold recognized his son?s genius, he kept him under firm and strict control. Part of this was founded in society?s approach to the upbringing of children. But another large part was the fact that young Amadeus became the money making machine that kept the family financially afloat. Mozart himself went from subservience as a child to absolute disavowal of his father when he became of age. The connection to his sister Nannerl , who was a good musician but not a genius, was more neutral. Young Amadeus had quite the sex drive. But when he married Constanze . he finally found somebody who cared for him. This poor woman outlived him by about 40 years.

Mozart was basically a lonely man. As a child, he met - and worked for - kings and emperors. He was aware of, and corresponded with, the great musicians of the time. One of the contacts with the people around him was his membership in the Freemasons. His life was composing, day and night.

The author does not give short shrift to Mozart?s music but, thanks be to him, does not spend time on telling us what he personally thinks of one piece of music or another. He accounts for all the compositions and mentions the progress Mozart made. He does give special attention to the operas, writing a short and most helpful resume of all the major ones. Librettist da Ponte receives a place of honor, and Schikaneder an honorable mentioning. Mozart loved to compose operas and is given full credit. He was versed in staging and was a major contributor to any presentation. But he was not a happy person. He loved to spend money, and his music did not bring enough income. He did not like Vienna, where he spent so many years. He came to dislike his father, who held him responsible for his mother?s death.

Reading this book, you feel a great affinity for this young genius. And you ponder, of course, what would have happened if----------he had lived longer.

I am in the midst of this small book, and am impressed by the intelligence brought to bear on the subject of a great composer's life. It is always valuable to spend time with a first rate mind, and Peter Gay does not disappoint. It is difficult to write a brief life of a famous figure, to distill the voluminous literature and reduce an enormous amount of material to the essentials. But the book does justice to the subject; the author has psychological insight, and a historical knowledge and perspective on the era that is illuminating and lends authority to the narrative. The book's conciseness is an advantage, as we are not inundated with minutiae of interest to the research scholar and the professional obsessive.

Gay's book is a colourful portrait of the genius Mozart. It's lively not boring and gave me more than enough information on the man himself but very little on his marriage. I would have preferred more info on that aspect of his life but admittedly Gay does a splendid job on the early and Mozart and giving me a better understanding of what made the Great Composer tick.
And the best of the Penguin lives series that I've come across so far.

The Penguin Lives series continues to serve me well as I rebel against the opposing current of plodding steamer trunk-sized biographies. In under 200 pages, the Penguins neatly shake off obscurity and/or legends that have grown up around a significant life and tell its story neatly, in light of the individual's environment and enduring contributions to culture.

Peter Gay's Mozart is a good example of the series' strength. The narrative flows gracefully, allowing Mozart's character to come out in full. As Gay says, his genius was special in many ways: he built on an early precocity; he did not live in a garret, he was popular in his own time, he participated in a community of peers rather than in a vacuum. Mozart's life has been clouded in legend and Gay makes it his business to sift out the truth. Sometimes the truth dovetails with the tales, as in being booted in the rear by Count Arco upon being released from his Saltzburg duties, after whining about wanting out. The guy had his bratty moments. Other legends are celebrity gossip: his death was prosaic illness, he and Salieri seemed to get along, and his money problems were probably not so terrible as he himself would tell it, though productivity is directly connected to patronage.

Gay does a good job of portraying the complex relationship between Mozart and his tyrannical stage father. Likewise, he effectively describes Mozart's relationship with his social environment, late in the Enlightenment. He also tracks his creative development, revisiting the genius of many works, especially the later operas. Working within only 163 pages, though, something gets left out: we know nothing of Mozart's own children and Gay drops almost any mention of his sister, Nannerl, past their childhood. He says that Leopold, Mozart's father, continued to exploit his son's gift after his death but does not say how when it comes time to discuss it.

Those are minor flaws. Mozart's a delight, the writing's a delight. It's like a fizzy drink packed with nutrients.