The composer himself offers intriguing glimpses of his life and personality in excerpts from letters to family and friends. Extensive annotations provide background for thoughts on music, religion, love, other matters.

A child prodigy who blossomed into the Classical era's most influential composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91) wrote more than 600 works in his brief life. His oeuvre encompasses a wide variety of genres, including symphonic, chamber, operatic, and choral music.