Mozart: The Man Behind the Music

Child prodigy, genius, freak, a man who lived frivolously and died a pauper . . . The myths surrounding Mozart, composer of some of the world’s most sublime music, have long overtaken the known facts of his life. Now artist Donovan Bixley offers a portrait of the composer that will forever change the way he is viewed. In nearly 100 original drawings and paintings, accompanied by text based on the many letters that he wrote during his life, beginning with the delightful, if misspelt, letters he wrote as a 13-year-old boy traveling in Italy with his father. Like his book Much Ado About Shakespeare, Bixley brings Mozart to life with humor but also reflects the turmoil of the times in which he lived.

Donovan Bixley is an illustrator and designer. He has illustrated more than 100 stories, including Old Macdonald#&39;s Farm and The Wheels on the Bus. He has also written and illustrated half a dozen books of his own, including Much Ado About Shakespeare.