HOME | BIOGRAPHY | COMPOSITIONS | SELECTED ESSAYS | BIBLIOGRAPHY | RELATED SITES
HOME | BIOGRAPHY | COMPOSITIONS | SELECTED ESSAYS | BIBLIOGRAPHY | RELATED SITES
One of the more ambitious commemorations of the bicentennial year was the performance in 1991 of all of Mozart's works at New York City's Lincoln Center.
The problem early on was to determine which compositions fit into the definition of "all of Mozart's works." Neal Zaslaw, professor of music at Cornell University and a noted Mozart scholar, was asked in 1988 to assist in the preparation of a catalog. The result was the "Mozart Bicentennial at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: Repertoire Database," which, Zaslaw writes, turned out to be more complete and up-to-date than lists found in standard references such as the sixth edition of the Köchel Catalog, the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, and even the new complete works edition (Neue Mozart-Ausgabe).
Zaslaw and coeditor William Cowdery then collected (and also contributed to) a complete set of short essays to accompany all of the compositions in the database. The result is this book, an indispensable reference for anyone who is more than casually interested in Mozart.
The essays were collected from a variety of sources -- including liner notes from recordings -- and it shows. There is little stylistic consistency among contributors: Some emphasize historical context while others dwell on musical analysis. But the essays themselves are never dull and are always informative. Best of all, the entire volume is concisely edited: Zaslaw and Cowdery manage to cover all of the authenticated works (close to 800) in fewer than 350 pages.
Chances are The Compleat Mozart will contain all you will ever want to know about most of Mozart's compositions. This is one to keep next to the CD player.