Of all the prominent musicians born in Bohemia in the eighteenth century, none is surrounded with as much mystery and mystique as Josef Myslivecêk (1737-1781), who was known in Italy as "Il Boemo" (The Bohemian). Scion of a wealthy family of millers from Prague, he became one of the most talented composers active in late eighteenth-century Europe, even though he only started to acquire instruction in musical composition as an adult. A friend of both Wolfgang and Leopold Mozart, his dynamic personality ("full of fire, spirit, and life," according to Wolfgang) is vividly brought to life in the Mozart correspondence-and not only the praiseworthy aspects, but also the air of scandal that often followed him. This study offers an analysis of all the available documentation concerning Myslivecêk's biography and a thorough description of his compositional style. It is clear that his works were much more influential models for the young Mozart than has ever before been suspected.
