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Article: Mozart in Vienna, 1781-1791.
- Article from:
- National Review
- Article date:
- December 22, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1989 National Review, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Music is the least referential and, therefore, the least political of the arts. Mozart, one of history's greatest composers, has rarely if ever been considered a political thinker. More often he is described as a man who, although a musical genius, was not otherwise especially bright, had a troubled marriage, lived in poverty, and spoke with obscenities. Volkmar Braunbehrens does not dispute Mozart's scatology; indeed, he quotes samples from Mozart's letters. But aside from this, Braunbehrens has written a revisionist biography in which Mozart is interested in the political issues of his day, happily married to a capable woman, and even financially successful.