The vibrant intellectual, social and political climate of mid eighteenth-century Europe presented opportunities and challenges for artists and musicians alike. This book focuses on Mozart the man and musician as he responds to different aspects of that world. It reveals his views on music, aesthetics and other matters; on places in Austria and across Europe that shaped his life; on career contexts and environments, including patronage, activities as an impresario, publishing, theatrical culture and financial matters; on engagement with performers and performance, focusing on Mozart's experiences as a practicing musician; and on reception and legacy from his own time through to the present day. Probing diverse Mozartian contexts in a variety of ways, the contributors reflect the vitality of existing scholarship and point towards areas primed for further study. This volume is essential reading for students and scholars of late eighteenth-century music and for Mozart aficionados and music lovers in general. - A thorough and up-to-date resource on the historical, cultural and professional contexts of Mozart's music, enabling deeper understanding of his works - Structured by topic to allow easy access to particular aspects of eighteenth-century music and society, and Mozart's life, interests and influence - Thirty-five concise essays by leading scholars present information in a lively and accessible format that will appeal to students and music lovers alike TABLE OF CONTENTS: Part I. Personality, Work, Worldview: 1. Personal relationships Simon P. Keefe 2. Learning and teaching Adeline Mueller 3. Compositional methods Ulrich Leisinger 4. Religious views David Wyn Jones 5. Aesthetic views Edmund J. Goehring 6. Mozart and contemporary composers Bertil van Boer 7. Mozart and freemasonry Jessica Waldoff 8. Mozart iconography Christoph Großpietsch Part II. Towns, Cities, Countries: 9. Salzburg Viktor Töpelmann 10. Vienna David Wyn Jones 11. Germany Paul Corneilson 12. Italy Sergio Durante 13. France Jean-Paul Montagnier 14. Prague Kathryn L. Libin 15. London Hannah M. Templeton Part III. Career Contexts and Environments: 16. Patronage Paul Corneilson 17. Mozart as impresario Martin Harlow 18. Publishing Rupert Ridgewell 19. Theatrical life in Mozart's Vienna Lisa de Alwis 20. Mozart and finances Jessica Waldoff Part IV. Performers and Performance: 21. Instrumentalists in Salzburg and abroad Ulrich Leisinger 22. Instruments and instrumentalists in Vienna Martin Harlow 23. The opera singers in Vienna Dorothea Link 24. Mozart's Italian and German singers Paul Corneilson 25. Mozart the performer-composer Simon P. Keefe 26. Instrumental performance practice John Irving 27. Vocal performance practice Sarah Potter Part V. Reception and Legacy: 28. Reactions to Mozart in his lifetime Ian Woodfield 29. Biographical and critical traditions Simon P. Keefe 30. Mozart in theory and analysis Stephen Rumph 31. The Köchel catalogue Ulrich Leisinger 32. Mozart's influence on nineteenth-century composers Edward Klorman 33. Mythmaking Adeline Mueller 34. Editing Mozart Rupert Ridgewell 35. Mozart on record John Irving Further reading Index of Mozart's works by Köchel number Index of Mozart's works by genre General index.