Is it true that Nannerl was a child prodigy and composed music?
Yes. During their childhood, Wolfgang Amadeus and his sister performed as a duo and her name was top of the bill. What’s more there are letters written by Mozart when he was young in which he compliments her on the beauty of her music. Unfortunately however, no compositions signed by Nannerl have come down to us. How much of your novel is based on fact and how much is fiction? The main characters are all based on real people, with the exception of one female character who is fictional. I’d prefer not to tell you which, unless you have already read the book! Otherwise I have changed some dates and made up a lot of events but essentially have kept to documented facts. The inventive part above all concerns the characters’ psychology – the ways in which they react and their reasons for reacting like that. What drew you to Nannerl’s story? I was immediately struck when I found out that Mozart had a sister who had been a musical prodigy. I found it both fascinating and saddening to think tha
