| Although this dissertation is about the greatest composer known to mankind, many of the chapters are about other persons with whom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived, loved, labored or loathed. There are lengthy chapters about his father, mother and sister, as well as, his wife Constanze, and his younger son, Franz Xaver. The clarinetist, Anton Stadler for whom Mozart wrote three exquisite compositions is discussed while Mozart's friendship with Franz Josef Haydn is seen in relationship to the six great "Haydn" string quartets Mozart dedicated to him. While Haydn and Mozart influenced each other, the young Beethoven modeled some of his early works after Mozart's compositions, continuing the Viennese musical tradition. A chapter on Beethoven examines the similarities of the early works of Beethoven to the late works of Mozart.;Heading the list of persons Wolfgang loathed would be Mozart's last employer, the Archbishop of Salzburg, Hieronymous Colloredo. Mozart also disdained composers that were poor, yet received the accolades of the nobility; one such composer of opera was Ignaz Umlauf.;Physicians have made attempts to discuss Mozart's final illness. In the chapter on Death Theories, several of the most recent are discussed. Medical science has also made some recent claims concerning the power of healing in Mozart's music, and its effect on learning. The so-called "Mozart Effect" is discussed in view of the most recent findings of 2002.;Mozart's extensive travels as a boy, and adolescent and a young adult are included in chapters entitled: The Grand Tour, On the Road Again, and Italy. As a result of these journeys, Wolfgang and Leopold created a large body of correspondences that have been the primary sources for Mozart historians.;The dissertation may be read from first chapter to last, however, since each chapter is independent of the others, the reader may read in any order for a well rounded discussion of the "miracle God caused to be born in Salzburg."... |
