Rating: 
Summary: Mostly Mozart
Review: I was looking forward to reading Maynard Solomon's biography of Mozart, since I've wanted to know more about him, especially after reading and seeing "Amadeus". I know Shaffer's play is largely based on speculation, and I wanted some facts. Since this biography was generally well reviewed and praised, I believed I would be of the same opinion. However, Solomon has taken perhaps the most outrageous character of classical music and placed him in the most tame and boring of tales.Solomon's biography is thoroughly researched. He is profoundly adept at analyzing Mozart's music and the various shifts as the composer searches for his own unique style. Even if you are not familiar with the pieces mentioned, you can still recognize the genius of the notes on the page, provided for you. And even his analyses of Mozart's character, although mere speculation, are well-written and thought-provoking. However, Solomon spends too much time on the seemingly insignificant. Yes, Mozart's relationship with his father is important in the course of Mozart's development, but do we really need the speculation as to what Leopold Mozart "may have earned" on their musical travels? Too often Solomon's research reads like a laundry list of gifts, events, and musical compositions. The reader hardly knows what to make of Mozart by the end of this biography; since Solomon himself never presents this mythic character in a clear light. Upon finishing, I felt I had learned more about Mozart's father than I had about the composer himself. In wanting to give us the entire "life" story of Mozart, he ironically gives us a biography that is lacking exactly that - life.
Rating:
Summary: Mostly Mozart
Review: I was looking forward to reading Maynard Solomon's biography of Mozart, since I've wanted to know more about him, especially after reading and seeing "Amadeus". I know Shaffer's play is largely based on speculation, and I wanted some facts. Since this biography was generally well reviewed and praised, I believed I would be of the same opinion. However, Solomon has taken perhaps the most outrageous character of classical music and placed him in the most tame and boring of tales. Solomon's biography is thoroughly researched. He is profoundly adept at analyzing Mozart's music and the various shifts as the composer searches for his own unique style. Even if you are not familiar with the pieces mentioned, you can still recognize the genius of the notes on the page, provided for you. And even his analyses of Mozart's character, although mere speculation, are well-written and thought-provoking. However, Solomon spends too much time on the seemingly insignificant. Yes, Mozart's relationship with his father is important in the course of Mozart's development, but do we really need the speculation as to what Leopold Mozart "may have earned" on their musical travels? Too often Solomon's research reads like a laundry list of gifts, events, and musical compositions. The reader hardly knows what to make of Mozart by the end of this biography; since Solomon himself never presents this mythic character in a clear light. Upon finishing, I felt I had learned more about Mozart's father than I had about the composer himself. In wanting to give us the entire "life" story of Mozart, he ironically gives us a biography that is lacking exactly that - life.
Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful, Readable Biography
Review: I've now read Solomon's Mozart biography twice -- it's that good. The book is insightful & beautifully written, and while at times I think the author strays too far into psychological matters, his insights into the music -- particularly (for me) the piano sonatas -- are excellent. He also avoids the heavy-handedness so evident in the recent "Mozart:A Cultural Biography". This book is superior even to Solomon's Beethoven bio; I recommend it to every classical music lover.
Rating:
Summary: Profound insight into the greatest of classical geniuses
Review: If you ever wondered how Mozart -- using just the same materials and structures as Haydn -- could create works of excruciating beauty instead of merely works of elegant formality, you MUST read this book.
The book is organized thematically instead of strictly chronologically; reading it is like watching a beautiful opera about Mozart's life from the best seat in the house. The immense scholarly apparatus never clanks, wheezes, or whirrs -- yet you can go backstage at any time and see exactly what's supporting the stunning performance.
Without any psychobabble, Solomon leads you to the most profound psychological insights into Mozart's life and achievements. After he marshals all the facts, he reveals the most astonishing -- and eminently plausible -- insights that you slap your forehead and say "of course -- why didn't I see that!?"
Easily the best biography I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: A compelling look at a life of creativity and of pain
Review: It's hard to fathom the sheer genius that was Mozart, a musician and composer capable of playing and writing music that will never be forgotten. This book goes a long way to helping to understand a complex and talented man whod ied at a young age but left such an astounding legacy. The difficult relationship with his father, his loving relationship with his mother and sister, his breakaway to Vienna, his marriage, all receive attention in this masterful volume. The Freudian jargon does detract at times from the story (and occasionally mystifies the reader with odd sentences and abstractions that seem meant for psychotherapists to argue about: was his use of an occasional nickname for himself of "Adam" in place of "Amadeus" really another way for him to see himself reborn with his mother as Eve??...well, I don't know or care, really). Solomon's extensive attention to Mozart's relationship with his father does have a nice way of bringing the story all together. Leopold comes across as nearly insane, a man who never comes to accept his son's obvious genius, pushing his son to consider lowly postings in Strasbourg in deference to his family, rather than go to Vienna to assume his place among the musical elite of Europe. Mozart's split with his father and sister comes through brilliantly. The reader can share his pain and ambivalence in moving to Vienna, knowing that his art and talent demanded it but suffering as a result. I have not read other Mozart biographies, but I am hard-pressed to imagine what I may be missing. This is a masterly and fascinating look at one of the millenium's most prodigious talents.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling look at a life of creativity and of pain
Review: It's hard to fathom the sheer genius that was Mozart, a musician and composer capable of playing and writing music that will never be forgotten. This book goes a long way to helping to understand a complex and talented man whod ied at a young age but left such an astounding legacy. The difficult relationship with his father, his loving relationship with his mother and sister, his breakaway to Vienna, his marriage, all receive attention in this masterful volume. The Freudian jargon does detract at times from the story (and occasionally mystifies the reader with odd sentences and abstractions that seem meant for psychotherapists to argue about: was his use of an occasional nickname for himself of "Adam" in place of "Amadeus" really another way for him to see himself reborn with his mother as Eve??...well, I don't know or care, really). Solomon's extensive attention to Mozart's relationship with his father does have a nice way of bringing the story all together. Leopold comes across as nearly insane, a man who never comes to accept his son's obvious genius, pushing his son to consider lowly postings in Strasbourg in deference to his family, rather than go to Vienna to assume his place among the musical elite of Europe. Mozart's split with his father and sister comes through brilliantly. The reader can share his pain and ambivalence in moving to Vienna, knowing that his art and talent demanded it but suffering as a result. I have not read other Mozart biographies, but I am hard-pressed to imagine what I may be missing. This is a masterly and fascinating look at one of the millenium's most prodigious talents.
Rating: 
Summary: A hard, laborious read
Review: Like many people, I bought this book to distinguish between a very entertaining movie, Amadeus, and the truth. I am a musician and am very interested in truly talented and practiced musicians wether they be current or of historically mythic proportions. The effort and research in this book is excellent but, unfortunately, it is full of psychology and psychoanalysis which I'm not particularly interested in. It may be more interesting if it was proven data but these analyses are little more than guesses by a writer. How do you get deep, deep into the head of someone from well over two centuries ago? I'm sure some of Solomon's conclusions are valid but I kept finding myself looking to see how much more of the book I had left to go so I could say I finished it and get onto something much more pleasurable.
Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking biography by our foremost musicologist.
Review: Maynard Solomon's writings have always been the source of controversy. His application of Freudian and Marxist theories to his research makes his work unlike that of any other musicologist, and in terms of sheer scholarly erudition, there are few modern historians who can rival Solomon. His biography of Beethoven was immediately acclaimed as a groundbreaking work upon its publication 25 years ago, and after decades of research, his long awaited life of Mozart appeared in 1995 and was, not suprisingly, the source of much discussion and rethinking about the great composer. Many people have difficulties buying into Solomon's psychoanalytical, sociopolitical approach to biography. His deep analysis of the psychological motivations of Beethoven was striking in his earlier work, but it reached new heights in his Mozart biography. Each and every word, thought or action of the composer (and his family members) is explained and analysed in in painstaking detail. As an admirer of Solomon's work, I was surprised to find myself sometimes annoyed with his overwrought Freudian psychobabble, but don't let that discourage you from reading "Mozart: A Life." This is easily the most illuminating, comprehensive and rewarding book ever written on its subject, and Solomon's accomplishments as a researcher cannot be overstated. This has been rightly recognized as one of the great musical biographies yet written, and will probably remain the definitive life of Mozart for a long time to come. Let us hope that Solomon (who turns 71 this year) has enough time left to write at least one more enlightening, shocking and profound musical biography. Wherever Solomon turns his attention, the result is always compelling.
Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking biography by our foremost musicologist.
Review: Maynard Solomon's writings have always been the source of controversy. His application of Freudian and Marxist theories to his research makes his work unlike that of any other musicologist, and in terms of sheer scholarly erudition, there are few modern historians who can rival Solomon. His biography of Beethoven was immediately acclaimed as a groundbreaking work upon its publication 25 years ago, and after decades of research, his long awaited life of Mozart appeared in 1995 and was, not suprisingly, the source of much discussion and rethinking about the great composer. Many people have difficulties buying into Solomon's psychoanalytical, sociopolitical approach to biography. His deep analysis of the psychological motivations of Beethoven was striking in his earlier work, but it reached new heights in his Mozart biography. Each and every word, thought or action of the composer (and his family members) is explained and analysed in in painstaking detail. As an admirer of Solomon's work, I was surprised to find myself sometimes annoyed with his overwrought Freudian psychobabble, but don't let that discourage you from reading "Mozart: A Life." This is easily the most illuminating, comprehensive and rewarding book ever written on its subject, and Solomon's accomplishments as a researcher cannot be overstated. This has been rightly recognized as one of the great musical biographies yet written, and will probably remain the definitive life of Mozart for a long time to come. Let us hope that Solomon (who turns 71 this year) has enough time left to write at least one more enlightening, shocking and profound musical biography. Wherever Solomon turns his attention, the result is always compelling.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent biography of Mozart
Review: Solomon paints a lucid picture of the life and music of Wolfgang Amadeus. So descriptive one will feel moved upon reading this biography and will appreciate the artist's music more as in Mozart's music are so deeply embedded his life.
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