How the changing world affected Mozart’s music, piece by piece

It must have been difficult to be Wolfgang Mozart. He lived a peripatetic life and rarely stayed in the same house for more than a year. He had a deeply troubled relationship with his controlling father. He never had much money but was expected to mingle comfortably with high-born and wealthy patrons who provided commissions and financial support. And, of course, he had to write music that pleased his benefactors while simultaneously satisfying his own musical vision.  

Patrick Mackie, a poet and social critic, has written an engaging biography, “Mozart in Motion: His Work and