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Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life
by Robert Spaethling

Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

What was Mozart really like — wild? sublime? responsible? fun-loving? bright? foul-mouthed? Reading these letters, we learn in his own words that he was all of these and much more. Here is the composer at his most intimate and unguarded, expressing his feelings about life, love, music, and the world around him.

For this collection, Robert Spaethling has carefully chosen letters written by Mozart over a span of almost twenty-two years — from his first journey to Italy as a shy teenager to the final months of his life in Vienna. The letters, together with the accompanying introductions, chronicle the composer's life, personal development, and artistic growth.

These new translations into English, the first in more than sixty years, are faithful to the original German even to the point of misspellings, which abound in the early correspondence. No effort has been spared to find language as closely equivalent to Mozart's as any translation can be and to clear up references in the letters to people, places, and events.

Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life makes wonderful reading for anyone who has ever loved a work by the composer, from the deceptively simple Eine kleine Nachtmusik to the towering, magnificent Requiem.

Synopsis:

"A wonderful collection that gives Mozart a voice as a son, husband, brother and friend."--"New York Times Book Review" In "Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life," Robert Spaethling presents "Mozart in all the rawness of his driving energies" ("Spectator"), preserved in the "zany, often angry effervescence" of his writing ("Observer"). Where other translators have ignored Mozart's atrocious spelling and tempered his foul language, "Robert Spaethling's new translations are lively and racy, and do justice to Mozart's restlessly inventive mind" ("Daily Mail"). Carefully selected and meticulously annotated, this collection of letters "should be on the shelves of every music lover" ("BBC Music Magazine"). Published for the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birthday. 16 pages of illustrations.
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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
jz, November 1, 2006 (view all comments by jz)
A great introduction to Mozart's life, family, and travels. This new English translation provides a more easily accessible version than Emily Anderson's classic edition from 1966. Spaethling has tried to preserve Mozart's own voice by including (rather than "fixing") the original conversational sentence structure, phonetic spellings, and coarse language.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780393328301
Editor:
Spaethling, Robert
Translator:
Spaethling, Robert
Translator:
Spaethling, Robert
Editor:
Spaethling, Robert
Author:
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Author:
Spaethling, Robert
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
Composers & Musicians - Classical Composers
Subject:
History & Criticism - General
Subject:
Genres & Styles - Classical
Publication Date:
December 2005
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
479
Dimensions:
8.40x5.48x1.24 in. .98 lbs.
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