A new book explores Mozart’s world and his family’s secrets
A new book from a Charles Darwin University music academic explores one of classical music’s greatest mysteries – who was Mozart’s sister and what was her contribution to the great composer’s works.
The Other Mozart: The Magic Flute – An Opera to Die For! is a historical novel that tells an intriguing story about the Mozart family and the famous composer’s close associates.
Its source material is from Professor Martin Jarvis’s decades of investigation into the mystery of Marie Anne Mozart in seeking the answer to ‘did Mozart truly compose all the works attributed to him?’
Professor Jarvis said that the novel, while considered historic fiction, was based on events that the author believed happened.
One key piece of evidence that, he said, proves that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart did not compose all the works was the forensic handwriting analysis of the original sheets. It is a methodology of investigation that he also features in the novel.
“The reason I wrote the novel is to tell what I think is the true story of Mozart's life and compositions,” says Jarvis.
“Through forensic examination, I discovered that ‘Amadeo Wolfgang Mozart’—a name found on multiple manuscripts—was written by Mozart’s sister, Marie Anne.
“I concluded that after Mozart died, his sister, his widow. and her second husband created the persona we know today as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a name he never actually called himself.”
Dr Jarvis has been a devoted classical musician since starting a scholarship at Royal Welsh College of Music, and it was where he embraced Mozart’s music.
The book is the latest exploration of the mystery with the academic having also featured in documentaries and non-fiction books about his investigation and his conclusions.
Last year, he featured in the documentary Mozart’s Sister, which also included classical music academics and researchers from around the world.
The Other Mozart: The Magic Flute – An Opera to Die For! is available from Amazon.