LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
“Mozart is the greatest composer of all. Haydn I admire; but Mozart I venerate.” (Anton Schindler, Beethoven As I Knew Him.)
RICHARD WAGNER
“The most tremendous genius raised Mozart above all masters, in all centuries and in all arts.” (Ernest Newman, The Life of Richard Wagner.)
JOHANNES BRAHMS
“I bow before Mozart’s divine genius. He is the greatest of all composers. Beethoven creates worlds, but Mozart is the composer closest to the divine.” (Jan Swafford, Johannes Brahms: A Biography.)
FRANZ SCHUBERT
“O Mozart! Immortal Mozart! What countless images of a brighter, better world you have left in our souls!” (Otto Erich Deutsch, Schubert: A Documentary Biography.)
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN
“Mozart—I love him above all other composers. His music is purity itself.” (Tad Szulc, Chopin in Paris: The Life and Times of the Romantic Composer.)
GUSTAV MAHLER
“Mozart’s music is the divine spark that kindles the flame of creation in the soul of every composer.” (Henry-Louis de La Grange, Gustav Mahler: Vienna: The Years of Challenge.)
ROBERT SCHUMANN
“Mozart is the highest, the culminating point that beauty has attained in the sphere of music.” (Peter Ostwald, Schumann: The Inner Voices of a Musical Genius.)
IGOR STRAVINSKY
“Mozart was a master of balance and grace, and his music remains unsurpassed in its clarity and perfection.” (Robert Craft, Conversations with Stravinsky.)
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
“Mozart’s music is the only music yet written that would not sound out of place in the Paradise of Adam and Eve.” (Edward Lockspeiser, Debussy: His Life and Mind.)
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF
“Mozart’s music flows with such natural beauty that it feels as if it has always existed, waiting to be heard.” (Barrie Martyn, Rachmaninoff: Composer, Pianist, Conductor.)
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
“Mozart is the musical Christ. I can only bow my head and marvel at his music.” (Alexander Poznansky, Tchaikovsky: A Biography.)
FRANZ LISZT
“Mozart is the greatest of all masters. His operas are eternal works of art.” (Alan Walker, Franz Liszt: The Virtuoso Years.)
HECTOR BERLIOZ
“Mozart is the creator of music so perfect that it moves the soul in its purity.” (Hugh Macdonald, Berlioz: Selected Letters.)
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
“Mozart is the pinnacle of musical art; his works are a treasure trove for all eternity.” (Camille Saint-Saëns, Portraits et souvenirs.)
LEONARD BERNSTEIN
“Mozart combines serenity, majesty, and awe like no other composer. He is music’s greatest miracle.” (Humphrey Burton, Leonard Bernstein.)
