Mozart's mature career in Vienna, which seemingly should provide the richest material for biographers, instead has lent itself to conjecture and embellishment because we know so little for certain. So writes Volkmar Braunbehrens in the introduction to Mozart in Vienna , before embarking on a restrained and sensible account of the last ten years of Mozart's life. If there is insufficient documentation, as is the case with the composer's ill-fated trip to Frankfurt in 1790, Braunbehrens simply makes note of it and moves on. In his book, no allowance is made for educated guesses. But that does not mean that Braunbehrens' book is short on detail.
Much attention is given to everyday life in Vienna and the city's social structure.
His contemporaries are discussed in some detail. Mozart's many changes of residence, his children, his income, his illnesses and death are all given the same treatment. He sticks to the facts. I can't recommend this book too highly.