--- product_id: 10945508 title: "Mozart: A Life" price: "420 kr" currency: NOK in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.no/products/10945508-mozart-a-life store_origin: NO region: Norway --- # Mozart: A Life **Price:** 420 kr **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Mozart: A Life - **How much does it cost?** 420 kr with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.no](https://www.desertcart.no/products/10945508-mozart-a-life) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description “Most satisfying . . . A highly accessible initial foray into an astonishing, and inexhaustible, subject.” — The Cleveland Plain Dealer Mozart’s music has enthralled listeners for centuries. In this brilliant biography, acclaimed historian Paul Johnson draws upon his expert knowledge of the era and Mozart’s own private letters to conjure Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life and times in rich detail. Johnson charts Mozart’s life from age three through to his later years—when he penned The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. Along the way, Johnson challenges some of the popular myths that cloud Mozart’s image: his allegedly tempestuous personal relationships and supposedly bitter rivalry with Salieri, as well as the notion that he was desperately impoverished when he died. The result—a bold, invigorating portrait of one of the most popular and influential composers of all time—is a welcome addition to Johnson’s extraordinary body of work and makes a perfect gift for classical music lovers and fans of biographies. Review: A Short Effective Work Dispelling Misconceptions - This is a short, brief, to-the-point book about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which, for all its brevity, is probably the only book a general reader would want to consult to be fully informed of his life and work. In addition, if you are like me, your only source of information about the life of Mozart is the great movie and stage play, "Amadeus." If that is the case, as the Firesign Theater says, "Everything you know is wrong." Johnson's book does much to dispel just about every factual assertion indicated in that movie. For example, * There was no murderous rivalry between Mozart and Salieri. Johnson calls this slander. Leopold, Mozart's father, probably distrusted Salieri more than Mozart himself, who was on good terms with Salieri. * Further, the "Mysterious Stranger" who commissioned Mozart to write the Requiem was not Salieri. History has definitively identified another person. * Salieri did NOT assist the dying Mozart in completing the Requiem. * Constanze, Mozart's wife, was not some fluzzy, but an accomplished, respected soprano singer herself. While she was not, as indicated in the film, his de-facto manager in his life, she was an able administrator of his estate on death. * Mozart was not a flake constantly in debt. While he did ask for money many, many times, in his life, Johnson attributes this to the primitive condition of the public banking system, where public cash was in short supply. The equivalent to modern loans was friends lending other friends money. Loans which were made in his life were paid on a timely basis, and on his death Constanze paid his outstanding loans quickly from his estate. * The movie implied that Mozart's burial in a common grave was the equivalent to that of a pauper. Instead, Johnson indicates that this was a common practice. There are some things the movie got right: * By all indications the film accurately reflects Mozart's father and his conflict with Constanze. * Mozart's conflict with Bishop Colloredo appears to be accurate. * Mozart apparently enjoyed billiards very much in his life. * He was, as is implied in the movie, a music writing machine. The extent to which Johnson lists his many compositions in his short life is staggering. The point is made in the movie where Salieri bemoans that the manuscripts to his compositions appear to be written in dictation. Johnson does not directly dispel this observation. For the decade before his death, Mozart and Hayden, who worked together, wrote a masterpiece every two-weeks, Mozart producing twice as much as Hayden. For its purposes this is a one-stop book about Mozart. It is as much a discussion of Mozart's work as well as an exposition of his life. Anyone wanting a detailed discussion may read Solomon's extensive, excellent biography on Mozart. For the general reader, Johnson's book is all you will need to know. Review: A good companion to Mozart's music - I recently visited Salzburg and Vienna, attended some concerts there and visited the Mozart House museum. Although I have always admired Mozart's music, I became interested in knowing more about the man, the composer, the son and husband. This book fit the bill very well. I learned about the man's character and disposition, his passions, and mode of operation. Even more, I took notes about his musical works -- those I want to listen to and those I want to study further. ## Images ![Mozart: A Life - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81KtzKMokfL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Short Effective Work Dispelling Misconceptions *by J***R on February 8, 2015* This is a short, brief, to-the-point book about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which, for all its brevity, is probably the only book a general reader would want to consult to be fully informed of his life and work. In addition, if you are like me, your only source of information about the life of Mozart is the great movie and stage play, "Amadeus." If that is the case, as the Firesign Theater says, "Everything you know is wrong." Johnson's book does much to dispel just about every factual assertion indicated in that movie. For example, * There was no murderous rivalry between Mozart and Salieri. Johnson calls this slander. Leopold, Mozart's father, probably distrusted Salieri more than Mozart himself, who was on good terms with Salieri. * Further, the "Mysterious Stranger" who commissioned Mozart to write the Requiem was not Salieri. History has definitively identified another person. * Salieri did NOT assist the dying Mozart in completing the Requiem. * Constanze, Mozart's wife, was not some fluzzy, but an accomplished, respected soprano singer herself. While she was not, as indicated in the film, his de-facto manager in his life, she was an able administrator of his estate on death. * Mozart was not a flake constantly in debt. While he did ask for money many, many times, in his life, Johnson attributes this to the primitive condition of the public banking system, where public cash was in short supply. The equivalent to modern loans was friends lending other friends money. Loans which were made in his life were paid on a timely basis, and on his death Constanze paid his outstanding loans quickly from his estate. * The movie implied that Mozart's burial in a common grave was the equivalent to that of a pauper. Instead, Johnson indicates that this was a common practice. There are some things the movie got right: * By all indications the film accurately reflects Mozart's father and his conflict with Constanze. * Mozart's conflict with Bishop Colloredo appears to be accurate. * Mozart apparently enjoyed billiards very much in his life. * He was, as is implied in the movie, a music writing machine. The extent to which Johnson lists his many compositions in his short life is staggering. The point is made in the movie where Salieri bemoans that the manuscripts to his compositions appear to be written in dictation. Johnson does not directly dispel this observation. For the decade before his death, Mozart and Hayden, who worked together, wrote a masterpiece every two-weeks, Mozart producing twice as much as Hayden. For its purposes this is a one-stop book about Mozart. It is as much a discussion of Mozart's work as well as an exposition of his life. Anyone wanting a detailed discussion may read Solomon's extensive, excellent biography on Mozart. For the general reader, Johnson's book is all you will need to know. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A good companion to Mozart's music *by J***R on July 27, 2017* I recently visited Salzburg and Vienna, attended some concerts there and visited the Mozart House museum. Although I have always admired Mozart's music, I became interested in knowing more about the man, the composer, the son and husband. This book fit the bill very well. I learned about the man's character and disposition, his passions, and mode of operation. Even more, I took notes about his musical works -- those I want to listen to and those I want to study further. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazing amazing amazing!!!!!!!!!! *by C***E on January 25, 2014* Please, do yourself a favor and buy this book. 155 pages of pure joy. Paul Johnson does real justice with my favorite composer and musician - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart never came a live more brilliantly, his wonderful personality shines out through the pages. The writing is beautiful, Johnson made a remarkable musical and historical research and the result is wonderful. Spills out light on Mozart life, personality and music - a true must for every Mozart lover. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.no/products/10945508-mozart-a-life](https://www.desertcart.no/products/10945508-mozart-a-life) --- *Product available on Desertcart Norway* *Store origin: NO* *Last updated: 2026-09-25*