Description
Of all the prominent musicians born in Bohemia in the eighteenth century, none is surrounded with as much mystery and mystique as Josef Myslivecêk (1737–1781), who was known in Italy as “Il Boemo” (The Bohemian). Scion of a wealthy family of millers from Prague, he became one of the most talented composers active in late eighteenth-century Europe, even though he only started to acquire instruction in musical composition as an adult. A friend of both Wolfgang and Leopold Mozart, his dynamic personality (“full of fire, spirit, and life,” according to Wolfgang) is vividly brought to life in the Mozart correspondence—and not only the praiseworthy aspects, but also the air of scandal that often followed him. This study offers an analysis of all the available documentation concerning Myslivecêk’s biography and a thorough description of his compositional style. It is clear that his works were much more influential models for the young Mozart than has ever before been suspected.
