Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: Mozart's Sister
Author: Nancy Moser
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 0-7642-0123-9
Release Date: September 2006
Genre/Sub-genre: Historical Inspirational/Fictionalized Biography
Year/Setting: 1700/Europe
Overall Rating: 5.0
Sexual Content Rating: Subtle (alluded to)
Language (Profanity) Content Rating: None (for our times, mild for 1700’s from adult Mozart)
Violent Content Rating: None
Nancy's Website:
www.nancymoser.com/index.cfm
I will start out by saying Mozart’s Sister is "factional" – that is fact built with fiction. Nancy Moser created a story regarding the life led by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s sister, Nannerl. Actually, her full name was Baroness Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Berchtold zu Sonnenburg but she preferred to be known as Nannerl Mozart.
Nannerl was several years older than Wolfie and was born with musical ability that grew as she grew. Her father, the Vice-Kappellmeister, taught her well until the time came that Wolfie displayed more talent. With the talent of both children, Herr Mozart traveled throughout Europe having them perform sonatas and musical "tricks" before royalty. All of this work was destined to obtain a better musical position for first himself and later for Wolfie.
While we have all heard stories of the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, there has been little said about Nannerl. As I said earlier, she had every bit the talent Wolfie did but she was born a female which limited the heights to which she could take her talent. Her instrumental talent was her strength but for females the only musical field really available was vocal to which Nannerl was quite weak. So, as she aged, Nannerl became used to being the accompanist to her brother’s performances and finally to being left at home because it was too expensive to take her along.
Upon becoming frustrated at always being left at home, Nannerl took her issues to her mother. While I believe her mother felt her pain and frustration, her mother was a realist and shared with Nannerl that she needed to begin looking towards a husband and family and not at a future career in music.
I really want to stop at this point because the road Nannerl travels has many ups and downs. However, the peaks and valleys are really no different than we all experience throughout our life times. Yes, the issues themselves were different as I can not imagine whole venues being out of my reach simply because I am female. But I found myself relating to Nannerl on multiple levels.
Nancy Moser has chosen to write Mozart’s Sister in the first person and I often felt as if I was sitting and talking with Nannerl as opposed to simply reading about her life. Nancy is very clear in the book that she has attempted to use fact wherever possible but where there were blank spots she took some liberty to fill that portion in while trying to think as Nannerl would. I believe she has captured the essence of this young woman who for most of her life felt she lived in the background and was virtually unseen. However, in the end, Nannerl does realize she made a difference – one that only she could make.
I love historical books along this vein. To be honest, I always found history in school to be really boring. But, when you take history in the vein of a person’s perspective, it comes to life and teaches. I found her historical references to be right on the mark and while this is so, I also found the words to be full of life. The emotions expressed in this remarkable story were real and could be felt by the reader just as if they were walking alongside Nannerl.
Very touching. . .
Lori
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