What were the actual circumstances and creative output of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during the final twelve months of his life? H.C. Robbins Landon, a preeminent scholar of 18th-century music, utilizes primary source documents, correspondence, and contemporary accounts to reconstruct the timeline of 1791. The book challenges persistent myths surrounding the composer's demise by grounding the narrative in the documented reality of his professional and personal life during this period.

This work is regarded as a rigorous and essential resource for musicologists and historians seeking to strip away the romanticized legends surrounding Mozart's final year. The text provides a dense, evidence-based examination that prioritizes archival accuracy over speculation.