In his latest bestseller, Norbert Elias transforms basic science into high art before the eyes of spellbound readers. The classic of German sociology portrays Mozart not only as a musical genius, but also as a man involved in social interaction in an era of dramatic change, and not the most successful man. Elias brings down common ideas about Mozart's creative talent and shows him from an unexpected side - as a composer who sought to control his passions and take his rightful place in the professional hierarchy. The sociological analysis of the transition from court society with a system of patronage and personal dependence to the bourgeois anonymous market is supplemented by the author with an appeal to psychoanalysis. The research of the German scientist allows us to provide answers to questions, some of which seem to take us beyond scientific knowledge. Was Mozart a natural genius and what did that mean? Why did he die in poverty, abandoned by friends and relatives, although his older and younger contemporaries were in demand? What makes a work great and allows it to become part of the canon for many generations? Why is personal tragedy not the price to pay for a unique creative gift? And finally, one of the most important questions: how to raise a genius?