Mozart, the man behind the movie

In our music appreciation class, we saw the move Amadeus; which apparently tells the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  While this movie had some factual background, there were also many parts which were thought to be pure fiction, to add excitement and drama to the movie.  The first point we can make is the relationship between Mozart and Salieri.  In the movie, it depicts the two men being rivals, both being composers of their time.  It shows them confronting eachother often, and depicts Salieri even helping Mozart write his final piece of music, titled Requiem Mass in D minor.  As facts show, Salieri and Mozart may have never even spoken.  But this is one point that cannot be proven.  The other facts and fictions will be written in a neat chart.

FACT:
1. Mozart actually did not get along with the Archbishop of Salzburg. The Archbishop heavily disliked Mozart, and eventually dismissed him.
2. Mozart loved billiards.  In the movie there are many instances where he is playing or writing music at his billiards table.
3. Mozart was buried in a common grave.
4. Salieri and his co-workers did work secretly to make Le Nozze di Figaro a failure. But the emperor ended up finding out, and had the piece restored to it's original form. Which turned out to be a huge success.
5. Mozart was broke at the end of his life.
6. Mozart's father never actually approved of Mozart's marriage.
7. Mozart was said to have had tourettes syndrome, which would lead to his compulsive swearing.



FICTION:
1. Amadeus showed Mozart to be a heavy drinker, especially towards the end of his life.  In reality, while Mozart did enjoy drinking, he rarely consumed alcohol.  Mozart's favorite drink was punch, which he drank in large quantities.
2. In the movie, it showed Mozart die with his eyes open. But in actuality, it is said that he slipped into unconsciousness and never awoke, which would lead to him dying with his eyes closed.
3. Salieri was not with Mozart when he died.  The people present were Constanze, her sister, and a doctor.
4. Mozart didn't just have one child; he had six.
5. Constanze, Mozart's wife, did not attend Mozart's funeral.  It was held two days after his death, and she was too distraught.
6. Salieri was not the man behind the mask who asked Mozart to write the Requiem.  It was actually the servant of a rich man who planned to claim to have written the Requiem.
7.  Salieri is confessing to murdering Mozart by poisoning him. It was a rumor during the 1820s, but was never proven.  Mozart was said to have died from a fever.

http://www.moviemistakes.com/film1755/corrections


http://mozartsmusic.blogspot.com/2011/05/amadeus-fact-and-fiction.html



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