Maynard Solomon (1930–2020)

Superb biography and surprisingly gripping read. Both the era and the personalities of the principles--Wolfgang and his father Leopold, as well as the mother to a lesser extent--are vivid. I read and listen to pieces of the music as I go. Solomon is so insightful about the psychological cross-currents in the family (Leopold must rank right up there with Kafka's father in the bad dad sweepstakes). I am a novice listener (don't know much about music, but I know what I like...) with no special knowledge of classical music. I was having to look up things like how a Divermento is different from a Sonata or a Concerto. But Solomon's reflections on and interpretations of Mozart's music have enhanced and deepened my own listening--and I'm only about 200 pages into this big biography. Here is a beautiful sentence: "Although some of us may want simply to give ourselves to this music rather than to tax it with bootless questions, others may want to speculate about the sources and meanings of this strange mixture of beatitude and terror." Page 194. This lovely sentence is nestled in several pages of reflection about Mozart's Adagio movements, the strange mixture of beatitude and terror, with connections to a wide variety of thinkers on art and meaning, why we listen (or view) art, why it is essential to our being. I love this book and recommend highly.

I can hardly recall when I have enjoyed reading a book more. Both the author and Wolfgang are good company. I learned about so many things I'd never thought about before: Unlike us, Mozart and his contemporaries didn't grow up listening to a "classical" music. All music then was contemporary music. Mozart, more or less, invented the Concerto form and innovated radically--in ways that are hard to hear (counterpoint, key changes, tempo variations) because I just hear it whole. For us, it's not a challenge to like Mozart, most people do like Mozart, but now I appreciate more what I am actually listening to. The books states that Mozart overflowed with melodic ideas. That I can hear!

As for the author, yes, he does outline a psychoanalytic take on Mozart and the music. But I really appreciate how he presents it as an account, not necessarily the only account nor a definitive account, but coherent and thoughtful nonetheless.

In 35 years of life Mozart composed over 600 works, and some major ones in his last months. He had a wife, children, many friends, he was a Mason, he traveled widely. His relationships were complicated and some were broken (sister), his finances were a mess, he wrote letters all the time. It staggers the mind. He is always present in the music of course, but the book made him live for me as I followed his life.… (altro)