JUDITH GROHMANN

The real Mozart – The Original King of Pop

Pen & Sword books, England 2023, 22.00 £

ISBN: 9781399016964

Born in Salzburg in 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was one of the most prolific musicians that ever lived. Here, the author Judith Grohmann takes us behind the curtain of the career to reveal the real personality of the composer, whose influence on the world of music is still profound today.

A child prodigy, he played several instruments from a tender age and eventually created his own style by blending the traditional with the contemporary. He was beloved and hyped, but was also a multi-layered and controversial personality: on one side a provocative influencer, hyperactive and a driven man, a bon vivant who loved luxury, but on the other side, a man who was drawn to the Masonic mindset of brotherhood, freedom, tolerance and humanity, with frequent and extreme mood changes and a penchant for word games and a peculiar sense of humor.

In his short life, Mozart anticipated almost everything that makes a star today: international tours, hysterical fans, success, big hits, sex and addiction. He wrote obsessively and composed more than 600 different operas, sonatas, masses, concerts and symphonies. As far as we know today, Mozart’s oeuvre contains around 1,060 titles. Knighted by the Pope aged just 14 (the greatest award for any artist at the time), today he might have been showered with Grammys and platinum discs in recognition of his status as the original ‚King of Pop‘.

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Some of the Pre-Reviews on NetGalley

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Here’s your backstage pass to all things Mozart. Actually, it’s better than a backstage pass. It allows you to be a fly on the wall during his early years. You meet his family, including his also amazingly musically talented sister. You get to tag along as his father directs his initial climb to fame and fortune. You even get to read his sister’s musings on him, not to mention look over his shoulder as he writes not another symphony but a remarkably personal, heart-felt letter to his distant wife. In other words, you are there.

Based on the premise that Mozart was „The Original King of Pop“, this book does an excellent job giving us a look at not only Mozart’s family but the times. In this day and age, his father would probably be seen as the ultimate „stage father“, which will make you ponder both the joys and pressures on the boy — remember, he learned to play at age four — as his father markets his remarkable talents. Note, his sister was certainly a musical prodigy, too, but in that era, sigh, much as it remains today, a woman found it difficult to make a name for herself. You’ll probably cringe at some of the behaviors tolerated from boy Mozart, while pondering what was really going on in his mind.

While most of the details of Mozart’s musical life and career are detailed here, this book made him human to my eyes. I felt hope, sorrow, and puzzlement at times, constantly having to remind myself that life was different, very different during his relatively short life. Born in 1756, a favorite in royal courts, his life was certainly exciting, but this book reveals the human behind the name. I liked Leonard Bernstein’s take on him: „Mozart combines serenity, melancholy and tragic intensity…“

Thank you #NetGalley and #Pen&Sword – #Pen&SwordHistory for giving me this backstage pass into Mozart’s life. I tune into the classical station on my car’s radio regularly but will never hear his music quite the same. Yep, he classifies as a rock/pop star in my book.

via NetGalley, June Price

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A terrific account which gives incredible detail on all aspects of Mozart’s life – his career, his relationships, his personality. Using Mozart’s own correspondence as source material, the author opens up the composer’s life to the reader. Long held rumours are analysed and addressed and all is put in the context of the time in which he loved, which is important when seeking to understand such things as burial practices which may seem odd to the modern reader. It is an excellent account and will be of interest to anyone interested in the history of classical music, not just fans of Mozart.

via NetGalley, Louise Gray

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I didn’t know much about Mozart so found this very insightful.

via NetGalley, Michelle Coates

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PRE-ORDER now via Pen&Sword Books Ltd. . Starting with January 2023 there is an introductory pricing at a reduced rate of £ 17.60 for a specified period of time.

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