Recommended Reading
Compiled by Andrew Eggert
Carter, Tim. W. A. Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro (Cambridge Opera Handbooks) . Cambridge University Press, 1998.
ISBN 0521316065.
Part of the Cambridge Opera Handbooks series, this volume dedicated to The Marriage of Figaro is an ideal introduction to the opera ? with a synopsis, source information, historical and biographical background, musical examples and analysis, as well as photographs and a detailed production history and discography.
Nicholas, John. Mozart: Marriage of Figaro (English National Opera Guide No. 17) . Riverrun Press, 1998.
ISBN 0714537713.
This popular series of opera guides published by the English National Opera features the complete libretto published alongside a literal English translation. Each slim volume also contains information about the plot, characters, and historical context of the opera.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Three Mozart Libretti: The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan tutte . Robert Pack and Marjorie Lelash, Translators. Dover Publications, 1993.
ISBN 0486277267.
The Italian librettos by Lorenzo da Ponte for Mozart's operas are among the richest and most subtle of all opera texts. This bilingual edition places a literal English translation alongside the original Italian and also includes introductions, synopses, and character descriptions for each opera.
Steptoe, Andrew. The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas: The Cultural and Musical Background to Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte . Oxford University Press, 1991.
ISBN 0198162219.
This unique volume considers all three of Mozart's collaborations with librettist Da Ponte and how they drew upon ? and forever changed ? the cultural and musical traditions of their time. Full of musical examples and analysis, this book will challenge and inform even those already familiar with the operas.
Solomon, Maynard. Mozart: A Life . Perennial, 1996.
ISBN 0060926929.
Already a classic in composer biographies, this recent study by Maynard Solomon plunges into the psychological complexities and co-dependencies of Mozart's family life, especially the inspiration and frustration caused by the composer's relationship with his father, Leopold. Solomon commands a staggering knowledge of music history and presents a biography that reconciles Mozart the genius with Mozart the human.
Gutman, Robert W. Mozart: A Cultural Biography . Harvest Books, 2000.
ISBN 0156011719.
Mozart is the focus of this biography ? but his story is told through the social and intellectual climate in which he thrived. Gutman examines how the Enlightenment and its artistic values fostered Mozart's creative genius, and how he, as an artist, responded in his composition.
Einstein, Alfred. Mozart: His Character, His Work . Oxford University Press, 1991.
ISBN 0195007328.
Translated from the original German, this biography by Alfred Einstein includes detailed information about Mozart's relationships with his family and musical contemporaries, as well as many musical examples from his compositions.
Mozart, Wolfgang A. Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . Selected and edited by Hans Mersmann. Dover Publications, 1972.
ISBN 0486228592.
The dialogue between Mozart and his family ? while he was traveling Europe as a child virtuoso through his adult life as a composer ? reveals an intimate, and often playful, side to his personality. Dover has published an affordable volume that contains selections from Mozart's most revealing correspondence.
Rosen, Charles. The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven . W. W. Norton & Company, 1988.
ISBN 0393006530.
This major study of the classical style examines music of many genres ? but features an entire chapter on Mozart opera. This groundbreaking study will reward those with a particular interest in music theory or those curious to make connections between opera and Mozart's solo, chamber, and symphonic compositions.
