At 5 years old, he composed a minuet. By six, he was performing for royalty. The compelling story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a timeless tale of musical genius, its rewards, and its pitfalls. Author and musician Marcus Weeks takes us around Mozart's world-- from the Royal courts of 18th century Europe to the opera houses and balls where Mozart enjoyed triumph and fame. We meet the kings and queens of the age, learn of the young Mozart's favorite games, see the clothes he wore, and the new musical instruments of the time. The lively text also gives readers an appreciation of Mozart's vast legacy of immortal music.

Reviews

Gr 5-8-These visually appealing titles are packed with excellent photographs and reproductions, interesting sidebars, and have a time line running along the bottom of every page. The men's lives are chronicled in four main sections that include historical context and information on the daily lives of those living in their time and place. Occasional spreads present brief material on related topics (e.g., the Roman army and religion, Communism and the Cultural Revolution, and the Age of Enlightenment). The books' relative brevity means that these biographies are necessarily cursory in their treatment. Mao is the most troubling in this regard; in addition to making no mention of the man's prolific poetry, facts such as the death of 38 million peasants as a result of the "Great Leap Forward" are glossed over, and the book ends with a confusing attempt to highlight Mao's positive contributions to China. Nonetheless, these titles will serve as useful, well-written introductions to the lives and worlds of these influential figures.-Riva Pollard, The Winsor School Library, Boston Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.