From the author of 1791: Mozarts Last Year and general editor of The Mozart Compendium, this international bestseller has received widespread critical acclaim. Entertainingly and authoritatively written, and richly illustrated with contemporary paintings and engravings, it provides a vivid account of the last decade of Mozarts short but amazingly prolific career one of the most remarkable periods in the entire history of Western music.

A vivid portrait of Mozart and Haydn's greatest achievements and young Beethoven's works under their influence.

Comprehensive and engaging exploration of Mozart's greatest works, focussing on his dual roles as performer and composer in Vienna.

This study has been revised to include new finds about the composition dates of several Mozart works. A new bibliography and a collation with the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe edition of letters, edited by O.E.Deutsch, W.A.Bauer and J.H.Eibl: Baerenreiter, 1962-75 is also included.

"A wonderful collection that gives Mozart a voice as a son, husband, brother and friend." —New York Times Book Review "Mozart's honesty, his awareness of his own genius and his contempt for authority all shine out from these letters."—Sunday Times (London). " In Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life, Robert Spaethling presents "Mozart in all the rawness of his driving energies" (Spectator), preserved in the "zany, often angry effervescence" of his writing (Observer). Where other translators have ignored Mozart's atrocious spelling and tempered his foul language, "Robert Spaethling's new translations are lively and racy, and do justice to Mozart's restlessly inventive mind" (Daily Mail). Carefully selected and meticulously annotated, this collection of letters "should be on the shelves of every music lover" (BBC Music Magazine).