A new annotated digital collection of Mozart’s letters has been made available, at the web site “In Mozart’s Words“.

The collection

… provides multilingual access to an annotated version of the voluminous correspondence of Mozart and his family – approximately 1,400 letters – that will progressively be made available online on this website. The website offers i) a univocal database of all references to people, places and musical works contained in the letters, facilitating the systematic search of all cited occurrences, and ii) access to background materials such as reviews, newspapers, documents, objects, paintings, engravings, and books as a corollary to the historical-critical annotations.

This initial announcement covers Mozart’s letters from Italy, with progressive additions planned. The clearly-designed web interface allows easy navigation and the ability to browse correspondence by Chronology, People, Places, Works, and From/To. The letters can be viewed in several languages, including a modern German transcription, as well as in facsimile of the original manuscript. When musical works are mentioned, there are often links to scores from the Digital Mozart Edition. Annotations are by Cliff Eisen, a noted Mozart scholar and director of this edition. Clicking on “Show All Notes” at the bottom of a letter will reveal all the embedded notes. The site also includes a bibliography.