Amadeus: director’s cut [DVD] (1984)

DVD-AD DRAMA AMAD

The splendor of Vienna, Austria in the 18th century and the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri are the focus of this fascinating film.

Casanova [DVD] (2005)

DVD-AD DRAMA CASA

Heath Ledger stars as the legendary womanizer who lived in Venice, Italy during the time of Mozart.  Casanova and Mozart met in Prague in 1777.

Mozart: his life & music by Jeremy Siepmann (2006)

780.924 SIE

Siepmann chronicles Mozart’s astonishing ability to compose entire pieces of music in his head, along with his slavish love of elegant clothing and a lifestyle well beyond his financial means.

Mozart: the early years by Stanley Sadie (2006)

780.924 SAD

The little boy Mozart amazed Empress Maria Theresa with his keyboard virtuosity, and the teenager was already composing masterpieces.  But the young adult suffered such exploitation of his gifts in Salzburg; he had to make numerous journeys through Europe to find additional employment.                  

Heritage of music (1989)

v. 1. Classical music and its origins

A beautifully illustrated musical history of the Classical Era, the period of Mozart, Haydn, Watteau, and Marie Antoinette.

Vienna Voices: a traveler listens to the city of dreams by Jill Knight Weinberger (2006)

943.613 WEI

The author describes Vienna, a city of legendary charm and reverence for the arts, but also explores its darker character, hedonistic and intolerant.

Daily life in the Vienna of Mozart and Schubert by Marcel Brion (1962)

943.613 BRI

Brion explains how the people of Vienna lived back in the late 1700s.

Fodor’s Vienna and the Danube Valley (2003)

914.3613 FOD

The best known source for travel details the delights of Vienna and the surrounding areas.

The Salzburg Festival [DVD]

780.79 SAL

This film gives the viewer a taste of the beauty of Salzburg and the famous music festival hosted annually by the birthplace of Mozart.

Watteau’s painted conversations: art, literature, and talk in the 17th & 18th century France by Mary Vidal 759. 4 VID (1992)

Watteau, the painter most often recognized as capturing the frivolity and sumptuousness of the Classical period, is the focal point of this historical essay.

In Triumph’s wake: royal mothers, tragic daughters, and the price they paid for glory by Julia P. Gelardi

New Books 940.099 GEL (2008)

The lives of Empress Maria Theresa and her daughter Marie Antoinette are discussed, along with some other royal mothers and daughters.

Mozart’s ghost by Julia Cameron (2008)

Fict  CAM

Anna, a part-time medium living in New York, is visited by Mozart’s ghost who loves her downstairs neighbor’s brilliant piano playing.

Mozart’s sister: a novel by Rita Charbonnier (2007)

Fict CHAR

The author successfully blends the legacy of Mozart with the lifelong commitment of his sister Maria Anna,  who aspires to transcend gender, her genius an undeniable gift in a world unprepared to recognize her capabilities.

Nightmusic by Harrison Gradwell Slater (2002)

Detective SLA

First-time novelist Slater offers a contemporary story with a fascinating cast of characters, ranging from prima donnas, to royalty, devious manuscript dealers, and underworld figures that will appeal to Mozart and mystery lovers alike.

Imagining Don Giovanni by Anthony J. Rudel (2001)

Fict RUD

Author and historian Rudel expands upon a historical meeting between Mozart and Casanova in 1777.  The young composer needs some advice from the romantic adventurer—how to make the plot of his new opera, Don Giovanni, exciting yet believable.