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Originally Posted by Zaqarbal
Was Mozart as eccentric as in the Miloš Forman movie (Amadeus)?
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Based on what I've read, Zaqarbal, I'd say no. For example, I think the high pitched (hilarious!) laugh is completely fictional.
Mozart's behaviors were definitely considered unusual at the time...although I'd say perhaps only since he did them in public? Like Lateralus wrote, he apparently really did have a potty mouth and referred to bodily functions quite a bit...which sounds like many people on MusicBanter!
And he liked elegant clothing and was a little vain.
It is true that a current writer, a doctor (Medical and Musical Byways of Mozartiana, by Benjamin Simkin, M.D.), suggests Mozart may have had Tourette syndrome, in which the brain's ability to stop spontaneous outbursts is reduced:
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Fithian Press: Medical and Musical Byways of Mozartiana
But throughout Mozart's brief but brilliant career Simkin finds letters and journalistic entries to, from, and about Mozart that present a disturbing picture of the young genius's mind. We see Mozart fidgeting compulsively, talking nonsense and delighting in word-play and the coarsest bathroom humor, and even leaping about the room miaowing like a cat. As Mozart's friends describe him, his eccentricity would make Tom Hulce's giddy portrayal in the film Amadeus seem reserved by comparison.
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However, upon reviewing the documents about Mozart, others write in the
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry that evidence for Mozart having Tourette syndrome or other diagnosable mental conditions is lacking:
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J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2007;78:1171-1175 doi:10.1136/jnnp.2007.114520
Mozart’s movements and behaviour: a case of Tourette’s syndrome? -- Ashoori and Jankovic 78 (11): 1171 -- Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
Although there are numerous reports attributing Mozart’s peculiar personality and behaviour to a spectrum of neurobehavioural disorders such as Tourette’s syndrome, autistic disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder and paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection, the evidence for any of these disorders is lacking. Whether Mozart’s behaviour was nothing more than a reflection of his unique personality or a more complex neurological disorder, aggravated later in life by enormous demands by his father and society, his behaviour has been the subject of many biographies.
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Mozart was considered a child prodigy...which means he was unusually gifted in music. He was very fascinated with keyboard when he was 3 and wrote compositions at age 5. Not every child, even those exposed to instruments at a young age, takes such joy in music. So, Mozart's passion for composing music was definitely uncommon!