A Mozart Diary: A Chronological Reconstruction of the Composer's Life, 1761-1791 (Music Reference Collection)

An account of the composer's day-to-day life as evidenced in various kinds of biographical sources, this work reveals the astonishing succession of meetings with the glitterati of Europe and the awe-inspiring effect Mozart had on other composers—and their envious responses. It also places him at home with his wife and family, battling against heart-rending financial failure while his operas were being performed across Europe. Musically, the work situates Mozart's compositions in their chronological context. This fascinating account will be of interest to scholars, students, and Mozart enthusiasts.

By examining a variety of biographical sources, Dimond is able to reconstruct a fairly full account of Mozart's professional, domestic, and social life on a daily basis. The composer's letters, written while away from his family and friends, are especially helpful. Assumptions can be made from reading this daily account that, in his later career, Mozart deliberately set out to compose masterworks in each music genre. The famous dedication of six string quartets to Haydn, couched in a style quite unlike anything else that Mozart appears to have written, supports this contention.