Overview

Mozart in Prague tells the story of Prague's progressive and early embrace of one of the world's greatest composers-and of his reciprocation. Often dismissed in Vienna as a composer of excessively complicated music with little popular appeal, Mozart found complete recognition for his talents in Prague, likely as a byproduct of the exceptional musical literacy of the general population. Regardless, accounts of the affection lavished on Mozart by the people of Prague can be deeply moving for those acquainted with his bleak struggles for recognition in Vienna. Indeed, he was manhandled like a rock star at the concert in 1787 that featured the first performance of the ""Prague"" Symphony in a way that he never experienced anywhere else in his lifetime. And in contrast to the tawdry ceremonies that accompanied Mozart's burial in Vienna in 1791, his funeral in Prague, attended by thousands of mourners, brought civic life there to a complete standstill. It was the residents of Prague, not his home city of Vienna, who took full responsibility to provide for his penniless widow and orphaned children. Mozart in Prague tells the story of the amazing civic revival that was responsible for Mozart's unique personal and musical relationship with this profoundly beautiful and cultured city. It is nothing if not compelling-and the colorful cast of characters who helped shape it includes such unexpected names as those of Marie Antoinette and Giacomo Casanova.

Full Product Details

9781959770176

Table of Contents

Reviews

Daniel Freeman's delightful storytelling reveals both the brilliance of Mozart and his special relationship with Prague. To be Czech is to be musical. That is as true today as it was in 1787 when the world premiere of Mozart's masterpiece Don Giovanni nearly tore the roof off Prague's Estates Theater. Dr. Freeman reveals why Prague was such a warm home for Mozart, while Salzburg's most famous son had a contentious relationship with Vienna. This fascinating and important work reads with clarity and buoyancy, making Mozart in Prague a page-turning breakthrough in Mozart studies. -Patrick DeWane, Writer/Actor of The Accidental Hero

""Daniel Freeman's delightful storytelling reveals both the brilliance of Mozart and his special relationship with Prague. To be Czech is to be musical. That is as true today as it was in 1787 when the world premiere of Mozart's masterpiece Don Giovanni nearly tore the roof off Prague's Estates Theater. Dr. Freeman reveals why Prague was such a warm home for Mozart, while Salzburg's most famous son had a contentious relationship with Vienna. This fascinating and important work reads with clarity and buoyancy, making Mozart in Prague a page-turning breakthrough in Mozart studies."" -Patrick DeWane, Writer/Actor of The Accidental Hero

Author Information

Musicologist Daniel E. Freeman is the world's leading authority on the musical culture of eighteenth-century Prague born outside of the Czech lands, an American who has lived and studied in Prague since before the Velvet Revolution. Besides his work with Bohemian music, he has published extensively on topics such as eighteenth-century keyboard music, eighteenth-century opera, and the music of Antonio Vivaldi, W. A. Mozart, J. S. Bach, the Bach sons, and Josquin des Prez. Dr. Freeman gives lectures on music at the University of Minnesota and has appeared frequently as a speaker at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He has also taught at the University of Illinois and the University of Southern California. Trained as a professional pianist, he has considerable experience as a soloist and dance and vocal accompanist. Mozart in Prague is the first monograph in Dr. Freeman's eighteenth-century Prague trilogy. The other two titles in the series are Josef Mysliveček: Il Boemo, and The Opera Theater of Count Franz Anton von Sporck in Prague. Dr. Freeman has prepared many scholarly essays on Mozart's Mysliveček's music and has also published a number of editions of Mysliveček's music. He was a key consultant for the Mysliveček biopic Il Boemo (2022), directed by Petr Václav, which was nominated by the Czech Republic as its entry for the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available