Rating: 
Summary: A refreshing read
Review: after reading several biographys about a non-human. This presents an all-to human Mozart with issues that we all must deal with in life: overbearing parent, stratified social hierarchy, grief, fear, love, death, debt, social issues, finding a place for one's self in this world. This is the only biography I've read, concerning Mozart, that presents a believeable human with faults, and tremendous talent, abilities, and self-responsibility.
Rating: 
Summary: Still the best Mozart biography I have found
Review: An enjoyable read but not without some rather large flaws. Much easier to digest than Guttman's biography of Mozart in this regard. Certainly a readable and sometimes exciting chronology of Mozart's life. One gets a feeling of what Mozarts life was like but something in Solomon's psychological and cultural portraint seems to be missing. When I was finished I was left with as many questions about the life and times of Mozart as I had when I begun.A very dissapointing discussion of Mozarts works, in fact there is no systemic evaluation on his output. Nothing on the piano concertos, chamber music, symphonies, or operas. Instead we are left with a few chapters superimposed into the text (Solomon admits they where used earlier as lecture material) that try to relate some adagio and concerti to outdated and apsychological theories of aesthetics. One should refer to Swafford's biograpy of Brahms as a model for an integrated discussion of a composers life and works. Most annoying of all is Solomons incessant need to Psychoanalyze. More time is spent trying to pigeonhole Mozart's relation with his father into a Freudian model than is discussing the musical culture of Viena, or for that matter Mozarts sources of creativity. Dare I say, most of Solomons charachter analysis amounts to little more than psychobabble. This takes special crecedence when one considers how dubous and now abandoned Freudian theory is today in general.
Rating: 
Summary: interesting
Review: as comprehensive as it gets. at times it got a little too psychoanalytical for me, but overall a good read.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent biography of the great classical composer
Review: During the past few years, I have become increasingly interested in the music of Mozart, listening to numerous CDs of his works. I decided to find out more about the man himself, so I read "Mozart: A Life" by Maynard Solomon. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Mozart in this well-written biography. It was immediately clear to me that Solomon had done extensive research into Mozart's past, with excerpts of the letters between Mozart and his father, as well as tabulations of Mozart's earnings during his life. The chronological layout, from child to man, allowed me to trace the development of Mozart's character, personality, and music. I was particularly captivated by the description of the relationship Mozart had with his father, Leopold. The amount of detail present in some of the chapters was exhausting, yet remained interesting at the same time. The reading did become dry, however, when Solomon began giving his personal glimpses into Mozart's music itself. He has a tendency to use "flowery" words, but if you have decent command of the English language you should have no trouble understanding the biography. Overall, I was impressed by this account of Mozart's life and recommend it for any music lover, whether you like Mozart or not. The biography places a great emphasis on Mozart's actual life (other biographies primarily discuss his music) and this serves to enlighten the reader as to who Mozart was as a man, not just as a composer. A must-read for any Mozart lover.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent biography of the great classical composer
Review: During the past few years, I have become increasingly interested in the music of Mozart, listening to numerous CDs of his works. I decided to find out more about the man himself, so I read "Mozart: A Life" by Maynard Solomon. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Mozart in this well-written biography. It was immediately clear to me that Solomon had done extensive research into Mozart's past, with excerpts of the letters between Mozart and his father, as well as tabulations of Mozart's earnings during his life. The chronological layout, from child to man, allowed me to trace the development of Mozart's character, personality, and music. I was particularly captivated by the description of the relationship Mozart had with his father, Leopold. The amount of detail present in some of the chapters was exhausting, yet remained interesting at the same time. The reading did become dry, however, when Solomon began giving his personal glimpses into Mozart's music itself. He has a tendency to use "flowery" words, but if you have decent command of the English language you should have no trouble understanding the biography. Overall, I was impressed by this account of Mozart's life and recommend it for any music lover, whether you like Mozart or not. The biography places a great emphasis on Mozart's actual life (other biographies primarily discuss his music) and this serves to enlighten the reader as to who Mozart was as a man, not just as a composer. A must-read for any Mozart lover.
Rating:
Summary: "It is the best Mozart biography yet written."
Review: From page one I was instantly wisked away to the late eighteenth century to observe the life of perhaps the greatest composer ever. From major events that changed his life forever to the smallest details of his day-to-day life, this book takes otherwise lifeless ink and paper and transforms it into a living,breathing accounting that will forever change your view of the "Amadeus" Mozart. My Highest Recommendations!
Rating:
Summary: Hard-Core Mozart
Review: Here is a book that takes a hard, scrutinizing look at the life of Mozart as viewed from the perspective of his complex and often frightening relationship with his domineering father. It strips away the traditional mask of Leopold Mozart as the self-sacrificing, all-caring patriarch and shows him for the controlling, smothering neurotic that he probably was. Even by 18th century standards, this man tried to hold back the clock and keep his son a perpetual child, even to the point of almost ruining his life. That much being said, of course, such a book is part fact, part speculation--but it was well documented; and even when it occasionally wanders into the realm of psycho-babble, it is a gripping book that made this reader, for one, shed tears of outrage. Excellent.
Rating:
Summary: An in depth, complete biography of one of the great maestros
Review: I can firmly state that I believe that there is no more complete biography of Mozart available. There were some parts of the book that would appeal to those who are well versed in music theory, but were difficult for me to navigate. Although I found it difficult, I feel it is better to be complete in infomation than leaving items out for the sake of readability. One comes away from this biography with a better understanding of this troubled life and the insight to better enjoy his works.
Rating:
Summary: Very Thorough and Satisfying
Review: I have in the past read a few lightweight biographies of Mozart, and - as you can probably imagine - these were rather unsatisfactory as a means of understanding one of the human race's foremost prodigies. Like eating a rice cake when one needs a steak dinner. So I turned to Mr Solomon, and he delivered. This book is for those who like attention to detail, surely an essential attribute of any good history book. Maynard succeeded notably in drawing the boundaries of Mozart's fascinating relationship with his father; he also researches Mozart's money problems by filling in the gaps - not always convincingly - but it makes for interesting reading. All round a good book. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: In search of beauty
Review: I have never been really interested by biographies, but this one is different. This book has the power, above all, to make you feel the humanity of the man. Sure, Mozart was a genius decended from above (so to speak), yet through the author's in-depth analysis, we realize that the composer was perfectly "normal" in any other respects - with a common man's anxieties and desires. And for the musicians, this book is a must. This book tells you why there is something deeper behind that sparkling surface of Mozart's music, and as a bonus, it explains why Mozart was a subversive artist as far as sentimental values are concerned. I especially enjoyed the chapter "Fearful Symmetries" for its discussions on beauty, and its brave attempts to illustrate what makes Mozartean beauty unique. I would recommend anyone who have enjoyed the movie 'Amadeus' to read this book for many contrasting views which are richly supported by evidence such as personal letters.
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