In Search of Amadeus

1
In Search of Amadeus

• Separating Fact from Fiction

2
Amadeus on Stage Screen

• Peter Shaffers play opened in London in 1979
• moved to Broadway in 1980
• Tony award for Best Play
• over 1,000 performances
• movie, directed by Milos Forman 1984
• won 8 Academy Awards

3
Cast of Amadeus
AS
F. Murray Abraham
Antonio Salieri (1750-1825)
4
Antonio Salieri (1750-1825)

• No real rivalry with Mozart
• Did NOT kill him
• More successful than Wolfgang
• Did not help with the Requiem
• Spent his last year in an asylum
• Visited Mozart on his last day
• One of few to attend Mozarts funeral

5
Cast of Amadeus
AS
Joannes Chrisostomos Wolfgang Gotlieb Amadeus
Mozart (1756-1791)
Tom Hulce
6
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91)

• Complete musical genius, trained by papa
• Learned his first piece at 5, first composition
  soon after
• Performed throughout Europe (age 6-19)
• Settled in Vienna in 1781 until death (1791)
• Married Constanze in 1782
• Composed over 600 masterworks
• Life-style oscillated (lived well for a musician)
• Died on December 5, 1791 of trichinosis, typhus,
  brain tumor, dropsy, bacterial endocarditic,
  toxic goiter, ureic coma, rheumatic fever,
  streptococcal infection, cerebral hemorrhage,
  immune-complex disease, Schonlein-Henoch Syndrome
  --- TAKE YOUR PICK
• Sussmeyer, not Salieri, helped with the Requiem
• Buried in single grave, though unmarked

7
Mozarts Character

• 35 years a boy
• Incredible mental capacity, but naïve in many
  ways
• Cyclothymic Disorder mood swings
• Deeply religious, often fatalistic
• Needed lots of affectionhad many innocent
  flirtations
• Loved Constanzefrom most accounts, faithful
• Unable to manage financial affairs adopted a
  life-style far beyond his means
• Loved and admired his father, but not scared of
  him
• Tom Hulses hideous laugh was his own invention
  !!!

8
Shaffers Myths

• In Amadeus, Mozart is portrayed as
• giggling, dirty minded creature-Salieri
• Sexually immoral
• Using inappropriate language
• An alcoholic
• Lack of respect for authority

9
Just the facts

• Sexual immorality
• Cavalierri, prima donna actually Salieris
  mistress
• In my opinion there is nothing more shameful
  then to deceive an honest girl-Mozart
• I have to great a love of my neighbour and too
  high a feeling of honour to seduce an innocent
  girltoo much dread and fear of diseasesto fool
  about with whores.-Mozart
• Inappropriate language
• Letters to friends and family do contain some
  colorful words, usually puns
• Very doubtful, he would use profanity in public
• I Shall never be able to do a thing which I
  would not be willing to do before the whole
  world.-Mozart
• Excessive drinking
• Rarely drank in excess until his last two years
• Lack of respect for authority
• Although Joseph II loosened protocol during his
  reign, it is still unimaginable that Mozart would
  call anything the emperor said absurd
• Treated authority with special careheld his
  career in their hands
• High self-opinion
• In movie portrayed to be very egotisticalthere
  is no way to determine if this is true except
  through letters
• Often gave opinion of other composers, but never
  compared himself to them or expressed himself
  superior

10
Cast of Amadeus
AS
Leopold Mozart (1719-1787)
Roy Dotrice
11
Leopold Mozart (1719-87)

• Talented composer gifted teacher
• Overprotective exploitive parent?
• Carefully guided musical education of Wolfgang
  and Nannerl
• Managed and controlled sons tours vicarious
  association?
• Served 44 years in Salzburg in service of
  Archbishops
• Opposed to Wolfgangs marriage, but never visited
  them in Viennathey visited him once in Salzburg
• Last years with son somewhat cold and detached

12
Cast of Amadeus
AS
Constanze Weber Mozart (1762-1842)
Elizabeth Berridge
13
Constanze Weber Mozart (1762-1842)

• Since I could not have one sister, I married the
  other.
• Married Wolfgang, August 4, 1782
• 'She is not ugly, but at the same time, far from
  beautiful. Her entire beauty consists of two
  little black eyes and a nice figure. She isn't
  witty, but has enough common sense to make her a
  good wife and mother .... She understands
  housekeeping and has the kindest heart in the
  world. I love her and she loves me....'
• From June 1783 to July 1791, she bore six
  children (only 2 survived)
• Made considerable money publishing Wolfgangs
  music after he died
• After Mozart's death, Constanze met and
  eventually married Nikolaus von Nissen, an
  official in the Danish Embassy

14
Cast of Amadeus
AS
Emperor Joseph II (1741-1790)
Jeffrey Jones
15
Emperor Joseph II (1741-90)

• Ruled from 1780-1790
• Not at all the dim wit portrayed by Shaffer
• Granted many freedoms to his people
• Great support for the arts
• Highly intelligent and quite musically talented
• Supported Mozart in many ways

16
Who killed Wolfgang ?

• Died of natural causes, disease, and over-work
• Who was the mysterious stranger?
• Shaffers plot not backed up by historical
  accounts
• Salieri had no role in the writing of the Requiem

17
The Requiem Mass

• Summer of 1791, messenger appeared at Mozarts
  door offering 100 ducats (50 now-50 later) for
  swift completion of a Requiem Mass
• Mozart accepted the commission desperately
  needed money
• messenger was Franz Anton Leitgeb, sent by Count
  Franz Walsegg-Stuppach for his wifes memorial
  he later recopied the score, passing it off as
  his original work
• Although Mozart agreed to finish the mass in 4
  weeks, progress was delayed by his finishing two
  operas, his illness, and his own apprehension
  that he was in fact composing his own death
  requiem
• Resummed work until December 4
• In the early afternoon 3 singers from the theater
  sang with him the completed movements (Mozart
  taking the alto line). When they reached the
  Lacrimosa, of which only 8 measures were
  finished, he wept and put the music aside

18
The Requiem Mass

• He died at 1 am the following morning
• Constanze was determined to have the Mass
  finished and sent to Count Walsegg
• She first went to Joseph Eybler, who had helped
  nurse Mozart in his last weekshe gave up after
  sketching only a few measures
• She then ask Sussmayr, and it was his version
  that was finally handed to Leitgeb.
• Much controversy as to how much is Sussmayrs
  original work
• Many scholars argue that Sussmayr merely
  filled-in the details outlined by Mozart.

19
Above all else . the Music !!!
Academy Of St. Martin-In-The-Fields
Orchestra Conducted by Sir Neville
Marriner (music by Mozart)
20
Symphony No. 25 in G Minor, K. 183 (1st
Movement) Serenade for Winds, K. 361 (3rd
Movement) Abduction from the Seraglio (Turkish
Finale) Symphony No. 29 in A, K. 201 (1st
Movement) Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365 ( 3rd
Movement) Mass in C Minor K. 427
(Kyrie) Symphonie Concertante, K. 364 (1st
Movement) Piano Concerto in E Flat ,K. 482 (3rd
Movement) Marriage of Figaro (excerpts from Acts
III IV) Don Giovanni, Act II (Commendatore
Scene) Requiem, K. 626 Piano Concerto in D Minor,
K. 466 ( 2nd Movement) The Magic Flute, K. 620
(Overture excerpts) Masonic Funeral Music, K.
477 Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 (
1st Movement)
21
Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 ( 1st
Movement) Concerto for flute, harp orchestra in
C major, K. 299 (2nd Movement) German dances (6)
K. 509, for orchestra (Nos 1-3) Die Entführung
aus dem Serail, K. 384 Act 3 Chorus of the
Janissaries Ich möchte wohl der Kaiser sein, aria
for bass orchestra, K. 539 And
Miscellaneous excerpts by Pergolesi, Antonio
Salieri, and Giordani
22
Mozart goes to Hollywood

• What were the circumstances of Mozarts death ?
  Did Salieri kill him?
• Was Mozart a "a giggling dirty-minded creature,"
  with no respect for authority, no morals, a
  drinking problem, and poor taste in gaudy attire,
  not to mention totally in love with himself.
• 3. Was Mozart, in fact, the total genius ?
• 4. Did Leopold totally dominate his sons life
  and ultimately contribute to his early death?
• 5. Was Mozarts Vienna accurately portrayed?
• 6. Miscellaneous tidbits

23
The Mozart Effect
Madonna moo-d music
Eine kline milkmusik
24
The Sources

• Mozarts letters
• Stafford, William. The Mozart Myths A Critical
  Reassessment
• Einstein, Alfred. Mozart, His Character, His
  Work
• Gray, Peter. Mozart
• Landon, H.C. Robbins. 1791 Mozart's Last Year
• Solomon, Maynard. Mozart A Life