Fictional representations of Mozart and Salieri

I have spoken briefly with a man from a town near Legnago, Salieri's home town. People there are very proud of Salieri - and for a good reason - and feel very hurt - for a good reason.

There are about 19 hefty biographies/studies about Salieri, I have read 11 of them and will acquire another 5. If anybody wishes to know what a person Salieri really was - then I suggest you start with his own letters.

When others describe his personality, you'll read words like: kind, gentle, sweet, meek, good, giving, helpful. Apart from one single letter in which he clearly states his fury at by then dearly departed virtuoso Lolli for holding a violin in ''a ridiculously effeminate way so please, orchestra, could you stop now and grab the girl in a more manly a manner '' and even then he turns his own professional criticism to humour - there's up to now - absolutely nothing which would suggest anything of the type above - there's nothing which would suggest a basis for the play, the opera, the movie - or L'Opera Rock.

Anselm Hüttenbrenner, who was Salieri's pupil and Mozartian, writes:

''Salieri, who wrote fifty-two operas, bore no grudges against Mozart, who put him in the shade.''

But here is the trick: when Mozart was still alive - Salieri was far from basking in Mozart's shadow - as a specifically operatic composer and all around Europe Salieri had the spotlight, he was frequently amongst first three or four composers (others being Cimarosa, Paisiello, Sarti and Martin Y Soler) - and the only Viennese composer to achieve such popularity in Vienna. We have no reason nor evidence as per Salieri's grudge or whatever towards Mozart - nor anybody else, ever - but we do have - in his vulnerable moments - such from Mozart.

Here's what Schubert wrote in 1816:

_{''Gütigster, Bester! Weisester, Größter! So lang ich Thränen habe, Und and der Kunst mich labe, Sei beides Dir geweiht, Der beides mir verleiht. // So Güt' als Weisheit strömen mild Von Dir, o Gottes Ebenbild, Engel bist Du mir auf Erden, Gern' möcht' ich Dir dankbar werden, Unser aller Großpapa, Bleibe noch recht lange da!''}

(Schubert/Briefe. Translation: ''Kindest, Best! Wisest, Greatest! As long as I have tears and console myself through Art, both (all these, Eng. plural) are dedicated to You, who has granted (given) me both. // Thus Goodness and Wisdom mildly flow from You, o God's Image, to me You are an Angel on the Earth, gladly I am (wish to be) grateful to You, Grandfather of us all, stay here for quite a long time more!'') 

...   SO. MUCH. LOVE.  In these very own, deeply intimate words of tribute - Franz Schubert gives his all - and himself - to Salieri completely. It was Salieri's core of cores instinct to HELP people - and NEVER to hinder them and we have this year after year, constantly and throughout his life - and is recorded in other people's writing as well as his own: Schubert was only one of such examples.

Salieri was with more than 50 years of experience in education - a teacher par excellence, and also the only person Schubert in 1826 still recognised as such - and remained grateful to him for the rest of his life. Please know that in matter of poisoning ~ Salieri also had Moscheles' and Beethoven's favour - as Beethoven proudly called himself Salieri's pupil for at least 17 and known him for 26 years. Salieri also recieved the support and understanding from Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung.

For people who knew REAL SALIERI and especially those who were RAISED by him - provided their ears were not filled by Constanze Mozart - any sort of aggressive and disrespectful conduct from Salieri was unfathomable and absolutely horrid to imagine: Beethoven was literally heartbroken - Salieri was throughout his life a gentleman - a sensitive, tender, helpful and polite man and musician. 

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However, it is possible for us to reconstruct the formation of the rumour:

Leopold disliked Salieri and deemed, as with many, his opera(s) and music (November 28th, 1785) inferior and, considering some of it has been played for over 30 years, outmoded (this would be made public by citing Leopold's letters (censored by Niemetschek or Nissen) which he wrote specifically so that one day these may be published (Leopold cautions his daughter not to put everything in the letters but tells the rest to him in person)) -> Wolf writes about (unsubstantiated) ''intrigues'' from Salieri (then again, he frequently blamed others for his failures, read Solomon) -> Joseph II as patron of both, Salieri and Mozart, took care of both, secured their place -> Mozart writes to the Emperor and is after Salieri's job of a Kapellmeister (especially in terms of church music which at least means shared Hofkapellmeistership with Salieri) -> Da Ponte rants about ''Salieri's Germans'' and cautions the Emperor against Salieri (who nicked Da Ponte's love interest for one of his own operas which brought fires of Hell on Salieri - Da Ponte, not a virtuous man, had to flee the court soon after) -> 1791 Mozart and Salieri were co-workers on various projects, in person on courteous terms and had dealings with each other (they were studying musical scores together and Salieri conducted his music ~ while Mozart was still very much alive) 

-> by inviting Salieri to see *The Magic Flute* with him - Mozart at last perchance got three confirmations: Salieri showed - in public - that he thinks highly of Mozart's music, ''libretto and everything'' - and by arriving together, sitting with him in his lodge - that Mozart has his favour. Which is far from any later conceived story of jealousy or hatred, whichever its direction. Salieri's presence might have also contributed to its success: to have a prominent member of the Emperor's Court and popularly deemed ''Italian camp'' enthusiastically clapping and cheering - ensured at the very least (e)quality of the work. By attending this opera (in a way a renewed and from Mozart's part upgraded 1786 Challenge) Salieri showed Mozart - that Mozart and the Singspiel - have his support. What else could Mozart wish for?! What else could Salieri give?! 

-> Salieri, as his boss and therefore responsible for him, visits sickly Mozart to check up on him (this he did with all his musicians, by then, like with Haydn in Esterháza, the posts of the Guardian and Kapellmeister were united: Salieri took care for the ill and the widows and the children of his deceased musicians - partially because it was his duty to do so) -> Mozart's death -> Salieri as one of the few present mourners -> (via Gassmann's Society) Salieri takes care of the widow, directs her husband's music and teaches her son (for free) which means Constanze had favourable rapport with Salieri -> 1798, Franz Niemetschek, Biography of Mozart, in 2nd, fatter and more elaborate edition, states that Mozart was poisoned -> hate for Italians more firmly transforms into => hate for Salieri (most visible Italian in highest musical position in Roman Empire's Court) -> ''We, Germans!'' (a phrase Mozart too often used and which Nietzsche parodied) is on the rise in Austria -> Italian Salieri poisoned German Mozart -> because ''Salieri was envious and inferior'' to ''Greatness that is Mozart'' -> nobody specific can be traced who would spread the rumour - except for a newspaper publisher Schickh and the enigmatic phrase ''the people say'' in Beethoven's Konversationshefte -> transfer of identity: ''Mozart'' = ''We, Germans'' ~ Rock! and everybody envies us our inherent Awesomeness! -> in 1829 to the Novello's, Constanze Mozart spreads rumours of alleged hatred and envy further and in 1830 Richard Wagner picks up the band wagon as well as Pushkin who publishes his play in 1832. We also have an answer to Carpani's letter by Mozart's eldest son, Karl Thomas Mozart (of somewhat dubious authenticity, say the experts, however Karl neither denied nor confirmed writing it) stating amongst others: ''Possa il Maestro Salieri essere innocente di morte di Mozart come lo spero e credo. Su questo punto io vorrei unirmi ai numerosi testimoni che lo conobbero e ne apprezzarono le qualita personalli; e percio lo credo innocente ...''

It may be worthy to note that Salieri has been thought of as a German composer by Maria Theresa, had more German musical masters than Mozart, wrote in four languages and was proud of it, taught people from all over Europe etc., and despite not relinquishing the language he was born in - thought himself Viennese. Holy Roman Empire, remember? (R.I.P. in 1806.) The man who gave Salieri back to us is a German, Rudolf Angermüller, director of Mozarteum and thus direct inheritor to Franz Xaver Mozart.  ... It's time we put lies and ideologies aside.

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