Grove is proud to be publishing extracts from 'The New Grove II' on four of the most prolific and influential composers of all time. Each title is extensively revised or re-written, containing the most up-to-date research on these most interesting and exciting figures in the history of music.
A child prodigy who performed throughout Europe in his early years, Mozart excelled in every medium of his time, including chamber music for strings, the piano concerto and opera. Along with his contemporaries Haydn and Beethoven he is one of the composers who bought the Viennese Classical style to its height.
His mature music, distinguished by its melodic beauty, formal perfection and richness of harmony and texture is rooted in both Austrian and German traditions. He is widely regarded as the most universal composer in the history of Western music.