Barnes & Noble
Books We Love
The old cover and title...which I loved...
may still show up at some sites.
~
Books We Love
may still show up at some sites.
~
You may have heard the joke, now enshrined upon an Acorn TV t-shirt:
HISTORY BUFF
I'd find you more interesting
if you were dead.
Not a very nice sentiment, but, sadly, this is often true of hard-core history fans.
This is the 29th, which is two days past the birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which took place on January 27, 1756. Traditionally, it is supposed to have been a gray, bitter day. Wolfgang's mother, typically for the 18th Century European women, lost most of her children. Wolfgang was her last child,
born frail, and lucky to have survived his first hasty transport to the cathedral on the Domplatz of Salzburg. His full name was Johannes Crysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus. In German translation "Theophilus" becomes "Gottlieb" which in time, after a visit to Italy by the young prodigy, became the now familiar "Amadeus."
Wolfgang A.M. got well and truly into my head. My vinyl + CD collections, dominated by Mozart and Haydn testify to this. Upon hearing just a few notes of almost anything he wrote and I can win at a game of "name that composer". Maybe not the exact title of the composition, but I certainly known the Maestro when I hear him. I have a long history with this guy.
Here are pictures from the local Lebanon, PA newspaper taken in the early 2000's.
A nice newspaperman (some of them aren't) came to the house, took pictures and asked lots of questions. To my surprise, much of my somewhat embarrassed chatter made it into the paper. It was a bit strange to have gone public with my mad obsession.
That day, though, even my orange tiger cat "Hamilton" got into the act, as you can see, doing his "cute kitty" bit to the hilt. You can see how long ago it was by the size of that monitor. And you may also readily guess what book I was working on while these pictures of me and my favorite cat were taken.
Back then, I had a party for Wolfgang every year, with a top notch bakery cake from a now defunct bakery. How pleased I was when I went into the back of the shop to speak to the chef and found a young German expert in residence! He was sympathetic; he knew exactly what I wanted. The first cake he made had musical notes as well as a host of lovely little white flowers with purple hearts. One of the last cakes from this talented pastry cook is pictured below.
Has this ever happened to you?
Mozart's Birthday Party, January 26, 2002
1
p.m. until Finale
~~Opera,
music, & conversation with
writers
& poets & web spinners~~
Refreshments:
Syllabub,
tea, coffee, cake, hot chocolate, champagne
Homemade
bread, savory steak & kidney pie & other refreshments
It was all great fun. I do look back upon those parties fondly.
Thank-you everyone who has read this far for your indulgence as I reminisced about those high energy early days. It also gave me an opportunity to show off the smart new covers for my three Mozart-themed books.
The masterwork by a talented chef.
Believe me, it tasted as good as it looks.
Happy Birthday, dear Wolfgang! The Vienna Series, covers shown above, are all dedicated to you by your humble servant, just one of your fan girls, all these centuries later.
~~Juliet Waldron
Hope you will take a look!
All my historical novels may be seen @ these links:
