The real key to this distinctive book lies in its subtitle. The
book's core is an astonishingly detailed medical history of Mozart,
spanning his entire life, compiled with great ingenuity and skill
from varied and sometimes surprising sources. Davies, a British
physician specializing in internal medicine, has already
established his credentials with a series of substantial journal
articles concerning Mozart's final illness and death. Here he
expands and consolidates his research, offering a presumably
definitive account of the intricate cluster of ailments and
disabilities, some stretching back over many years, that eventually
contributed to Mozart's early death. After reading Davies, one
wonders not at Mozart's early end but, rather, how he survived for
so long. . . . Davies advances unexpected medical causes for some
Mozartean peculiarities of behavior, and surely these ideas will
provoke much interest among Mozart scholars. For college or
university libraries that already have the `basic' Mozart items,
here is a unique and most rewarding addition. Choice There have
been many studies of Mozart, but few offer as rich an understanding
of the composer's character as this book. Mozart in Person
appraises the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of Mozart's
health and its effect on his creativity. As Erna Schwerin says in
the introduction, Mozart emerges as a human being, realistically
perceived with twentieth-century sensibility, yet retrospectively
in the light of eighteenth-century mores. This is the first volume
to describe all of Mozart's known illnesses and to present a
detailed discussion of the controversial cause of his premature
death, with a convincing refutation of the alleged poisoning
theories. Davies defines Mozart's enigmatic, complex personality,
and presents fascinating insights into Mozart's relationships with
his pastimes and stresses. The health of Mozart's family,
especially the personality, illnesses, and death of his father are
discussed. The author explores many of the myths surrounding this
great and often misunderstood 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. Yet another highlight of the book is an
up-to-date account of exciting recent research on Mozart's skull
and the bronze death mask. The first book in English devoted
entirely to Mozart's physical and mental health, Mozart in Person
contains a comprehensive bibliography of books and articles from
musical and medical literatures. The state of medical knowledge in
eighteenth-century Europe and glossary of medical terms are
presented. Although suitable for nonspecialist research, this
volume will also have wide academic appeal in the study of
medicine, psychology, and music, and will be a welcome addition to
all general libraries.
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