1750 Birth of Antonio Salieri
The 1984 movie Amadeus is a wonderful piece of cinema if you don’t care a fig for historical truth. It is sumptuously staged and brilliantly acted and, best of all, it is full of the wonderful music of Wolfgang Mozart, one of God’s kindest gifts to humanity. Unfortunately, its plot slanders the reputation of a very able and innovative composer and conductor, (and, apparently, a rather decent guy) Antonio Salieri (1750-1825).
Salieri was an Italian who spent most of his professional life serving the Austrian Habsburgs, especially the enlightened despot Joseph II, a noted musical aficionado. His operas were performed all over Europe; his influence on the genre was considerable. He was the imperial Kappelmeister and was the teacher of Beethoven, Liszt, and Schubert, yet the fictional musings of Alexander Pushkin and Peter Shaffer had made his life a metaphor for jealousy and mediocrity. In fact, Salieri and Mozart had no poisonous relationship and, if anything, Salieri was a supporter of his younger colleague. For a revisionist look that seeks to restore his personal and musical reputation, read Alexander Ross’s “Antonio Salieri’s Revenge”: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/06/03/antonio-salieris-revenge.
