Mozart
  • Published: 28 January 2015
  • ISBN: 9780143126065
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 176
  • RRP: $32.99
Categories:

Mozart

A Life

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A dazzling and illuminating short biography of Mozart with keen insights about his music and his times

“Most satisfying . . . A highly accessible initial foray into an astonishing, and inexhaustible, subject.” —The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Mozart’s music has enthralled listeners for centuries. In this brilliant biography, acclaimed historian Paul Johnson draws upon his expert knowledge of the era and Mozart’s own private letters to conjure Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life and times in rich detail. Johnson charts Mozart’s life from age three through to his later years—when he penned The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. Along the way, Johnson challenges some of the popular myths that cloud Mozart’s image: his allegedly tempestuous personal relationships and supposedly bitter rivalry with Salieri, as well as the notion that he was desperately impoverished when he died. The result—a bold, invigorating portrait of one of the most popular and influential composers of all time—is a welcome addition to Johnson’s extraordinary body of work and makes a perfect gift for classical music lovers and fans of biographies.
  • Published: 28 January 2015
  • ISBN: 9780143126065
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 176
  • RRP: $32.99
Categories:

About the author

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is a journalist, historian, speechwriter and author. He came to prominence in the 50s writing for the New Statesman, where he was editor from 1965 - 1970. He then worked as a speechwriter for Margaret Thatcher (with whom he was at Oxford) and wrote a weekly column for the Spectator. He is married with two children and lives in London's Notting Hill Gate. He has written many books, including A HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD,1983, A HISTORY OF THE JEWS, 1987, and HEROES, 2007.

Also by Paul Johnson

Eisenhower
Darwin
Socrates
The Bedside Guardian 2011
Jesus
Churchill
Brief Lives
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Praise for Mozart

PRAISE FOR MOZART:

"Historian Johnson lauds everyone's favorite composer so as to pique the interest of every reader. . . . Johnson starts debunking myths on the first page . . . [and] they all crumble under his commonsense presentation of evidence. An altogether excellent primer on possibly the most complete musician who ever lived."
--Booklist (starred review)

"Most satisfying . . . A highly accessible initial foray into an astonishing, and inexhaustible, subject."
--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Impassioned . . . Johnson captures the depth of Mozart's achievement with a scholarly fan's . . . enthusiasm. . . . A compact and knowledgeable portrait of genius."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Johnson packs a great deal of information into these pages . . . and his grasp of Mozart's musical output is astounding, his description of Mozart's works comprehensive and enlightening. . . . This is a solid, and often fresh, introduction to the life and work of the composer." --Publishers Weekly

"The perfect stocking stuffer . . . A portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that will give pleasure to and increase the understanding of old Mozart hands as well as those reading for the first time about the man . . . Like his latest subject, Johnson never strikes a false note."
--The American Spectator

"Excellent . . . A delightful, concise read. It's fun--like listening to Mozart is. . . . To learn about the life of such a remarkable musician is a treat and a privilege. Paul Johnson has made Mozart's story accessible and rewarding."
--Washington Independent Review of Books

"This short, pithy, intelligent book will appeal to music lovers and general readers."
--Hudson Valley News



PRAISE FOR DARWIN:
"Riveting . . . The 'genius' of Paul Johnson's biography of Charles Darwin is manifestly, impressively apparent [in his discussion of] 'On the Origin of Species.'"
--Wall Street Journal

"This little sketch reminds us why Darwin's theory of natural selection endures and continues to provoke controversy."
--Publishers Weekly
"Bestselling historian Paul Johnson gives us a rich, succinct portrait of arguably the most influential scientist in history. ...This is a first-rate biography, one that brings Darwin and his ideas into brilliant focus.
--History Book Club
"Excellent and courageous."
--Michael Flannery, author of Alfred Russel Wallace

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