Skip to main content

Secondary sourceBook1951

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, by Herbert F. Peyser

Herbert F. Peyser · 1951

A readable general biography of Mozart written for a concert-going audience in the mid-20th century.

A mid-20th-century biography summarizing Mozart's life for concert audiences.

Ask Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (public-domain edition)

About this source

What it is

This is a short biography of Mozart written by Herbert F. Peyser and published in 1951 for the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York. It offers a concise overview of his life and career.

Why it matters

Written nearly 160 years after Mozart's death, this booklet reflects how Mozart was remembered and presented to concertgoers in the 20th century. The author himself admits the task of summing up Mozart's life is nearly impossible given how much he achieved in so short a time.

Look closer

  • Why does the author call his own task

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart sources

Meet the AI Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart →
Vintage printed playbill for the first performance of Die Zauberflöte, September 30, 1791, Theater auf der Wieden, Vienna. Large title, cast list, and notes on Mozart's music and the Kupferstiche, with decorative engravings.Document

Primary source

The Magic Flute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart · 1791

Sepia photograph of a young boy in an 18th-century style outfit with a powdered wig, a frilled cravat and a long embroidered coat, standing beside a harpsichord, with a German caption reading Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, als sechsjähriger Knabe.Photograph

Secondary source

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of six

A. Lenisch

Ornate 1786 playbill for the Vienna Imperial National Court Theater announcing Le Nozze di Figaro / Die Hochzeit des Figaro, a Singspiel in four acts with music by Kapellmeister Mozart. Decorated with cherubs, urns, and an eagle crest.Document

Primary source

The Marriage of Figaro

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart · 1786

Handwritten manuscript score on aged paper, first page of the overture titled 'Ouverture' with 'Don Juan' written above. Multiple staves of notated music in ink, with a library stamp and shelfmark near the bottom.Document

Primary source

Don Giovanni

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart · 1787

Manuscript page of Mozart's Requiem, handwritten orchestral score with staves for violins, viola, horns, bassoons, clarinets, trumpets, choir parts and bass, headed 'Requiem' and 'Adagio' with Mozart's signature and date 1791.Document

Primary source

Requiem

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart · 1791

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions