Recommended Reading
Compiled by Andrew Eggert
Branscombe, Peter. W. A. Mozart: The Magic Flute (Cambridge Opera Handbooks) . Cambridge University Press, 1991.
ISBN 0521319161.
Part of the Cambridge Opera Handbooks series, this volume dedicated to The Magic Flute 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.
Chailley, Jacques. The Magic Flute Unveiled: Esoteric Symbolism in Mozart's Masonic Opera . Inner Traditions International, 1992.
ISBN 089281358X.
The music and characters of The Magic Flute make the opera accessible and engrossing, but many have argued about the deeper meaning behind Mozart's most symbolic opera. This study looks at Mozart's own life and how he may have drawn from his experience as a Mason for the background of the opera.
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.
