Mozart in Person: His Character and Health

An appraisal of the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of Mozart’s health and its effect on his creativity. The composer emerges as a human being, realistically perceived by a 20th century sensibility, yet also discussed retrospectively in terms of 18th century mores. This volume describes all of Mozart’s known illnesses and presents a detailed discussion of the controversial cause of his premature death, with a refutation of the poisoning theories. Davies defines Mozart’s enigmatic, complex personality, and presents insights into his relationships with his pastimes and stresses. The health of Mozart’s family, especially the illnesses and death of his father are discussed. The author explores many of the myths surrounding this great and often misundersood composer and clarifies our understanding of Mozart’s flaws and shortcomings through authentic documentation, thereby eliminating some of the distortions created in recent popular plays and films. There is a detailed review of Mozartian economics, including the composer’s debts, extravagance and gambling proclivities. Another highlight of the book is an up-to-date account of recent research on Mozart’s skull and the bronze death mask. Although suitable for non-specialist research, this volume will also have wide academic appeal in the study of medicine, psychology and music.