Mostly Mozart Recommendations - For all ages

BOOKS for ADULTS

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Mozart

by Peter Gay
Lipper/Viking, 1999

"A masterly example of biography in the short form", this title is from the Penguin Lives series. Peter Gay's "Mozart" traces the legendary development of the man whose life was a whirlwind of achievement, and the composer who pushed every instrument to its limit and every genre-especially opera-into new realms.

Mozart

by Wolfgang Hildesheimer
Farrar Straus Giroux, 1982

A bestseller in Germany where it was first published in 1977, this book is a different kind of biographical study. Not rigidly chronological, the book traverses the composer's life in brief, thematic sections, each focusing on a distinct part of the puzzle of Mozart's life. Telling quotations from Mozart's letters as well as sympathetic but unsentimental insights to his creative genius make this title indespensible to the study of this composer.

Mozart: A Documentary Biography

by Otto Erich Deutch
Stanford University Press, 1965

A remarkable record of Mozart, his family, his friends and acquaintances, his life and experiences in Salzburg and Vienna, his travels, and the 18th century world. The systematically arranged and dated material brings Mozart to life in this unique biographical record.

Mozart: The Golden Years 1781-1791

by H.C. Robbins Landon
Schirmer Books,1980

Written by one of the most highly acclaimed scholars in the field of 18th-century music and extensively illustrated with paintings and engravings, this book provides a vivid account of life in Mozart's Vienna, set against the historical backround of the French Revolution and the Turkish War.

Mozartiana: Two Centuries of Notes, Quotes, and Anecdotes about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

by Joseph Solman
Random House, 1990

This whimsically illustrated book tells us why when the angels go about their task praising God, they play only Bach, but when they are alone together they play Mozart. Quotations from Wendy Wasserstein to Kierkegaard to Renoir to Proust to Maurice Sendak.

The Compleat Mozart: A Guide to the Musical Works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

by Neal Zaslaw and William Cowdery
Norton,1990

A book designed for nonspecialists to look up any work that Mozart wrote and find out where, when, and why he wrote it, what it is like, and what special significance it may have within the composer's oeuvre. Encourages the reader (listener) to explore some of the riches to be discovered when one ventures off the straight and narrow path represented by the fewer than 100 Mozart works found in the regular concert and opera repertory today.

The Mozart Compendium: A Guide to Mozart's Life and Music

by H.C. Robbins Landon
Schirmer Books,1990

Renowned musicologist Landon and his team of two dozen internationally acclaimed Mozart scholars have created the most comprehensive examination ever published on the life and work of Mozart. Beginning with the historical and cultural milieu of Central Europe during the 18th century, the book paints an intimate portrait of Mozart's life. Includes individual examinations of his most important operatic and symphonic compositions. Also discusses his involvement with freemasonry, his relationships with other composers, his social world, his marriage, and his opinions and outlook on subjects as diverse as opera, sex, and death.

The New Grove Mozart

by Cliff Eisen and Stanley Sadie
MacMillan/Palgrave 2002

From a series of composer biographies derived and adapted from the second editing of THE NEW GROVE DICTIONARY OF MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. Offers fresh new insights into the life and works of Mozart based on the most recent scholarship. Includes a comprehensive tabular works-list and fully revised and updated bibliography.

What to Listen for in Mozart

by Robert Harris
Simon&Schuster, 1991

If you are looking for a witty and engrossing introduction to both Mozart and the pleasures of classical music this is the book for you. The author concentrates on seven of Mozart's greatest works and briefly analyses another 50 of his compositions.

KIDS BOOKS

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Introducing Mozart

by Roland Vernon
Silver Burdett, 1996

From a series of books for young people that examines the influenced and historical events that shaped the lives of the great composers. Fully illustrated using contemporary works of art, the series provides the essential introduction to the composers who produced the world's most enduring music. Other titles include Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Gershwin, Stravinksy, Verdi, and Vivaldi.

The Life and Times of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

by John Bankston
Mitchell Lane,2004

This young adult book examines the life of the 18th century Austrian composer, from his acclaim as a child prodigy through his prolific musical career to his early death in 1791 at age 35. Chapters include "FYInfo" which explains "child prodigy","Freemasons", and "The Age of Reason".

Young Mozart

by Rachel Isadora
Viking, 1997

This stunningly illustrated story by Caldecott Honor winning artist Rachel Isadora recounts Mozart's life from early childhood as an engaging prodigy through the composing of his major works to his early death. Rich,detailed watercolors bring Mozart's world to vivid life.

MUSIC

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Brandenburg Concertos Brandenburgische Konzerte=Concertos Brandebourgeois/Johann Sebastian Bach

by Johann Sebastian Bach
Editions de l'Oiseau-lyre, 1985

In the concerto grosso form, these six concertos contrast the sounds of a large orchestra, a string orchestra, with the sounds of smaller groups of instruments. Academy of Ancient Music; Christopher Hogwood, conductor.

Great Organ Favorites Johann Sebastian Bach

by Johann Sebastian Bach
CBS Records, 1988

This collection of favorite Bach concert works for the organ includes Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and "Sleepers, Awake." E. Power Biggs, organ.

Introducing the Complete Mozart Edition

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Philips, 1990

A variety of movements and arias from Mozart's sonatas, concertos, symphonies,and other musical forms provide a sampling of his works.

Lord Nelson Mass (Mass in D Minor, Hob. XXII:11/Haydn

by Joseph Haydn
Arabesque, 1986

Written only a year after Napoleon's advance threatened Vienna, this work has a spare, powerful character. Banchetto Musicale; Martin Perlman, conductor.

Mass in C Minor, K. 427

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Philips, 1979

Composed in 1782-1783, this mass was written for a church service and is unmistakably Mozart. Academy and Chorus of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Mariner, conductor.

Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466; Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-Flat, K. 595/ Mozart

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Odyssey, 1987

These two piano concertos provide examples of the expressive range Mozart achieved with his combination of orchestra and keyboard. Rudolf Serkin, piano; Columbia Symphony Orchestra; George Szell, conductor; Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, conductor.

Quintet for Piano and Strings in A Major (

by Franz Schubert
CBS, 1981, 1967

Featuring piano and strings, this piece of chamber music reveals ingenious design and melody. Rudolf Serkin, piano; Jaime Laredo, violin; Philipp Naegele, viola; Leslie Parnas, cello; Julius Levine, bass.

String Quartets, Op. 76, 1-3 Haydn

by Joseph Haydn
London, 1988

A master of the string quartet form, Haydn reached a peak with op. 76. Takacs String Quartet.

Symphonie No. 8, D759 "Unvollendete"=Unfinished=Inachevee=Incompiuta; Symphonie D812 Nach=d'Apres=Secondo "Grand Duo"/Franz Schubert

by Franz Schubert
Deutsche Grammophon, 1988

The two surviving movements of Schubert's most popular symphony, Symphony no. 8, reveal a very personal and poetic level of expression. Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Claudio Abbado, conductor.

Symphonies Nos. 40, 41 "Jupiter" Mozart

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
LaserLight, 1990

These works provide shining examples of the Mozart genius in symphonic form. Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra; Hans Graf, conductor.

WEBSITES

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Essentials of Music
http://www.essentials of music.com/coposer/mozart.html

Presents a condensed biography of the composer, audio selections,and a bibliography of written works about Mozart.

Classical Net
www.classical.net

This index lists those composers for which there is a dedicated page that may include a biography, recommended works, recommended recordings, and other related reviews and articles.

Mozart Project
www.mozartproject.org

The life, times and music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.Includes a complete Kochel listing, bibiliography, biography, links to related sites.