Playbill, 1981

Amadeus is the title of a stage play written in 1979 by Peter Shaffer, loosely based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. Amadeus was inspired by Mozart and Salieri, a short play by Aleksandr Pushkin (later adapted into an opera of the same name by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov), and was itself later adapted into the film Amadeus. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (822x1350, 109 KB)May 1981 Amadeus Playbill from the Broadhurst Theatre This image is of a magazine cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the magazine or the individual contributors who worked on... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (822x1350, 109 KB)May 1981 Amadeus Playbill from the Broadhurst Theatre This image is of a magazine cover, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the magazine or the individual contributors who worked on... Amadeus can refer to: Amadeus, a stage play written in 1979 Amadeus (film), a film from 1984 Rambo Amadeus, a pseudonym for the Serbian-Montenegrin rock singer-songwriter Antonije PuÅ¡ić Amadeus (computer system), an electronic reservation system Rock Me Amadeus, a 1985 song by the Austrian popstar Falco. ... A stage play is a dramatic work intended for performance before a live audience, or a performance of such a work. ... Template:Unsourced A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is someone who writes dramatic literature or drama. ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ... Peter Shaffer (born May 15, 1926) is a English dramatist, author of numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been filmed. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... Mozart redirects here. ... Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (August 18, 1750 – May 7, 1825), born in Legnago, Italy, was a composer and conductor, as well as one of the most important and famous musicians of his time. ... Aleksandr Pushkin by Vasily Tropinin Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin (Russian: Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Пу́шкин, Aleksandr Sergeevič PuÅ¡kin,  ) (June 6, 1799 [O.S. May 26] – February 10, 1837 [O.S. January 29]) was a Russian Romantic author who is considered to be the greatest Russian poet[1] [2][3] and the founder of modern Russian... Mozart and Salieri (Motsart i Sal’yeri in transliteration) is an opera in two acts by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov to Russian libretto by the composer, based on a verse drama by Alexander Pushkin. ... Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: , Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov), also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 6 (O.S. March 18), 1844 – June 8 (O.S. June 21) 1908) was a Russian composer, one of five Russian composers known as The Five, and was later a teacher of harmony and... Amadeus is a 1984 film directed by MiloÅ¡ Forman and based on the stage play Amadeus. ...

The title refers to a name that Mozart often used (he was baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart) as a pen name. It is a Latinization of the Greek Theophilos, which Mozart sometimes also Germanized as "Gottlieb". All three names mean "God-lover" or "Loved by God" and, aside from being a direct reference to Mozart, the title serves as an ironic reference to Salieri's relationship with God in the play and film (see the plot section, below, for more detail). A pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. ... Tetradrachm of Theophilos, Attic standard. ... Gottlieb (formerly D. Gottlieb & Co. ... Theophoric names are exceedingly common in the Ancient Near East and Mesopotamia, where the personal name of an individual included the name of a god in whose care the individual is entrusted. ... This article is in need of attention. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

The play, and to a much larger extent the film, make use of Mozart's music (as well as that of a few other composers, including Salieri). The film famously opens with the powerful "Allegro con brio" from Mozart's Symphony No. 25 in G Minor (although the orchestral chord played at the very beginning of the movie is actually from his opera Don Giovanni), and reaches its denouement with Mozart's inimitable Requiem. The film's score was performed by The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner. This article is in need of attention. ... A symphony is an extended composition usually for orchestra and usually comprising four movements. ... Don Giovanni (K.527) is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. ... The Requiem Mass in D minor (K. 626) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in 1791. ... The Academy of St. ... Sir Neville Marriner (born April 15, 1924) is a conductor and violinist. ...

Plot

Amadeus the theatrical production tells Mozart's story from the point of view of the court composer Antonio Salieri, who is presented as a caricature of jealous mediocrity. Salieri speaks directly to the audience at many times during the play, his soliloquies serving to move the timeline forward and back, and to narrate the goings-on. In the film, Shaffer employs an interlocutor (a young priest) for Salieri to achieve this same function, but the film is told from a more neutral, third-person perspective and there are more scenes without Salieri in them (especially in the Director's Cut). Most of the film, and much of the play, are presented in retrospective. Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (August 18, 1750 – May 7, 1825), born in Legnago, Italy, was a composer and conductor, as well as one of the most important and famous musicians of his time. ... This article is in need of attention. ... An interlocutor (pronounced in-ter-lock-you-ter) describes someone who informally explains the views of a government and also can relay messages back to a government. ... Roman Catholic priests in clerical clothing. ... This article is in need of attention. ... This article is in need of attention. ... A Directors cut is a specially edited version of a movie (or sometimes a TV series) that is supposed to represent the directors own approved edit of the movie. ... Retrospective (from Latin retrospectare, look back) generally means to take a look back at events that already have taken place. ...

At the opening of the tale, Salieri has not met Mozart in person, but has heard of him and his music. He adores Mozart's compositions, and is thrilled at the chance to meet Mozart in person, during a salon at which both of their compositions will be played. When he finally does catch sight of Mozart, however, he is deeply disappointed to find that Mozart's personality does not match the grace or charm of his compositions: Mozart is crawling around on his hands and knees, engaging in an immature sexual dialogue with Constanze Weber (who later became his wife). As Mozart himself later explains: "I am a vulgar man. But... my music is not." Download high resolution version (903x575, 96 KB) This work is copyrighted. ... Download high resolution version (903x575, 96 KB) This work is copyrighted. ... This article is in need of attention. ... A salon is a gathering of stimulating people of quality under the roof of an inspiring hostess or host, partly to amuse one another and partly to refine their taste and increase their knowledge through conversation and readings, often consciously following Horaces definition of the aims of poetry, to... In psychology, personality is a description of consistent emotional, thought, and behavior patterns in a person. ... “Constanze Mozart is perhaps the most unpopular woman in music history,” writes H.C. Robbins Landon. ...

Salieri cannot reconcile Mozart's boorish behavior with the massive genius that God has inexplicably bestowed upon him. Indeed, Salieri, who has been a devout Catholic all his life, cannot believe that God would choose Mozart over him for such a gift. Salieri rejects God and vows to do everything in his power to destroy Mozart. A genius is a person with great intelligence. ...

Throughout much of the rest of the play, Salieri masquerades as Mozart's ally to his face, while at the same time doing his utmost to destroy his reputation and any success his compositions may have. On more than one occasion it is only the direct intervention of the emperor himself that allows Mozart to continue (interventions which Salieri opposes, and then is all too happy to take credit for when Mozart assumes it was he who intervened). Salieri also humiliates Mozart's wife when she comes to Salieri for aid, and smears Mozart's character with the emperor and the court. A major theme in Amadeus is Mozart's repeated attempts to win over the aristocratic "public" with increasingly brilliant compositions, which are always frustrated either by Salieri or by the aristocracy's own inability to appreciate Mozart's genius. During this time Mozart also receives the services of a maid, Lorl, played by Cynthia Nixon. While this is never made fully clear in the story, the indications seem to be that she was in fact supplied to him by Salieri in order that she could spy on Mozart, reporting back to Salieri. The word Ally, when used alone, has several possible meanings. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... A maidservant or in current usage maid is a female employed in domestic service. ... Cynthia Nixon (born April 9, 1966) is a Tony and Emmy Award-winning American actress who is best known for her portrayal of lawyer Miranda Hobbes in the popular HBO dramedy Sex and the City (1998–2004). ... This article is in need of attention. ... Spy and secret agent redirect here; for alternate use, see Spy (disambiguation) and Secret agent (disambiguation). ... This article is in need of attention. ...

Only Baron van Swieten (who early in the story inducts Mozart into the Brotherhood of the Freemasons) continues to support Mozart. Indeed, by the end of the play, Mozart is surviving solely because of the charity of his brother Masons. Finally, Salieri convinces Mozart (who by this time is half-crazed from frustration and poverty) to compose an opera based on the mythos of the Masons. As a result, Mozart produces the comedy Die Zauberflöte. Van Swieten is horrified to see that Mozart has, in his opinion, parodied the venerated traditions of Freemasonry. He summarily removes Mozart from the Masons. Meanwhile, Mozart's partner in the production of Die Zauberflöte, Emanuel Schikaneder, cheats Mozart out of most of his share of the ticket proceeds.

Now thoroughly destroyed and without recourse, Mozart begins to waste away. Salieri seals his fate by appearing to him in the form of an apparition that Mozart believes to have commssioned a requiem mass from him, driving the man further into insanity. Finally, Salieri reveals himself as the phantom stranger, and Mozart's body finally gives out, dying in the arms of his wife. His requiem is left unfinished.

The play ends with Salieri attempting suicide in a last pathetic attempt to be remembered, leaving a false confession of having murdered Mozart with arsenic. He survives, however, and his confession is disbelieved by all, leaving him to once again wallow in mediocrity.

Historicity

It is well known that Shaffer took dramatic license in his portrayals of both Mozart and Salieri. There is some debate, however, as to just how much. Documentary evidence suggests that there was indeed some antipathy between Mozart and Salieri, but the idea that Salieri was in fact the instigator of Mozart's demise is not given academic credence. In fact, while there may have been real rivalry between Mozart and Salieri, there is also evidence that they enjoyed a relationship marked by mutual respect. For a historical re-evaluation of this rivalry as represented in the play and the film, musicologist A. Peter Brown's article "Amadeus and Mozart: Setting the Record Straight"^[1] may be more useful. A musicologist is someone who studies musicology. ...

Mozart

Many classical music critics and experts feel that Shaffer's portrayal of Mozart as petulant and loutish is unfair. On the other hand, surviving letters by and about Mozart give examples of his brutal and sometimes profane sense of humor, his arrogance, his stubbornness, and penchant for juvenile indulgences. Also, extant records show Mozart was not a good money manager and suffered from large debts, as portrayed in Amadeus. Finally, Mozart's relationship with his father as portrayed in the film seems to be accurate, judging from the subtext of their letters to each other. In the film, Salieri says that the ghost who appears to take away Don Giovanni in Mozart's opera of that name was in fact Mozart's impression of his own father. Subtext is content of a book, play, film or television series which is not announced explicitly by the characters (or author) but is implicit or becomes something understood by the reader / viewer as the production unfolds. ... Don Giovanni (K.527) is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan. ...

David Cairns called Amadeus "myth-mongering" and argued against Shaffer's portrait of "two contradictory beings, sublime artist and fool" in favour of a "fundamentally well-integrated" Mozart. He also refutes the "Romantic legend" that Mozart always wrote out perfect manuscripts of works already completely composed in his head (or "noodle," to use Shaffer's word), citing major and prolonged revisions to several manuscripts. David Cairns is a British journalist, non-fiction writer and musician. ...

A major disparity between the screenplay and real life is the fact that Mozart's mother-in-law, Caecilia Weber, is portrayed as Mozart's landlady, and her daughter Constanze as an innocent girl whom the composer casually met. In fact, Mozart was in love with one of Constanze's sisters, Aloysia, when he met Constanze for the first time, and only years later he would ask Constanze's hand in marriage. His relationship with the Webers seems to have been normal and friendly, especially with one of his sisters-in-law, Sophie, who was among his favourite singers and played one of the main roles in the debut of "The Magic Flute".

Recent studies suggest that Mozart died of some form of rheumatic fever (possibly aggravated by overwork and heavy drinking), and not from any poison. A similar fate befell Felix Mendelssohn who also demonstrated prodigal gifts for composing - and, like Mozart, did not survive to his 40th birthday. Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease which may develop after a Group A streptococcal infection (such as strep throat or scarlet fever) and can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. ... Felix Mendelssohn at the age of 30 Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and known generally as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847) was a German composer and conductor of the early Romantic period. ...

Production

The 1980 Broadway performance of the play starred Ian McKellen as Salieri and Tim Curry as Mozart. Both actors were nominated for Tony Awards, and McKellen won. The play itself was also nominated for costume design (John Bury), and it also won awards for director Peter Hall, best play, lighting designer, and scenic designer, both of which were done by John Bury as well. Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... Sir Ian Murray McKellen CBE, (born May 25, 1939) is a veteran English stage and screen actor, the recipient of a Tony Award and two Oscar nominations. ... Timothy James Curry (born April 19, 1946) is an English actor, singer and composer perhaps best known for his role as mad scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). ... What is popularly called the Tony Award® but is formally the Antoinette Perry Award is an annual American award celebrating achievements in theater, including musical theater. ... John Bury (January 27, 1925 - November 12, 2000) was a British costume designer who worked for a long time with directors Joan Littlewood and Sir Peter Hall. ... Sir Peter Reginald Frederick Hall (born 22 November 1930) is a British theatre and film director. ...

Mark Hamill was cast as Mozart in the 1983 Los Angeles production. Mark Richard Hamill (born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and voice actor. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

The play was revived in 2000, and received Tony Award nominations for best revival and best actor (David Suchet). David Suchet as Hercule Poirot (foreground) with Hugh Fraser as Captain Arthur Hastings. ...

As part of the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, in March 2006 BBC Radio broadcast an eight-part first-person adaptation (by Neville Teller) of Shaffer's play as read by F. Murray Abraham in the narrative role of Salieri.^[2] For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... This article is an overview article about the Crown chartered British Broadcasting Corporation formed in 1927. ... F. Murray Abraham (born Fahrid Murray Abraham on October 24, 1939 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ...

The 1984 film version of Amadeus starred F.Murray Abraham as Salieri and Thomas Hulce as Mozart, with Elizabeth Berridge as Constanze. The play was thoroughly reworked for the film by Peter Shaffer in collaboration with the film's director Milos Forman, in order to make it more cinematic, and to add scenes not found in the play. 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Amadeus is a 1984 film directed by MiloÅ¡ Forman and based on the stage play Amadeus. ... Fahrid Murray Abraham (born October 24, 1939) is an American actor. ... Thomas Edward Hulce (born December 6, 1953) is an American actor. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Peter Shaffer (born May 15, 1926) is a English dramatist, author of numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been filmed. ... Jan Tomáš Forman (born February 18, 1932), better known as Miloš Forman, is a film director, actor and script writer. ...

The movie won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and the César for Best foreign film. Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ... The César Award is the national film award of France first given out in 1975. ... César Award for Best Foreign Film: 2005 : Lost in Translation (USA), directed by Sofia Coppola 2004 : Mystic River (USA), directed by Clint Eastwood 2003 : Bowling for Columbine (USA), directed by Michael Moore 2002 : Mulholland Drive (USA), directed by David Lynch 2001 : In the Mood for Love (Hong Kong), directed...

On July 20th, 2006, the Los Angeles Philharmonic presented a production of the latest revision of the play at Hollywood Bowl. Neil Patrick Harris starred as Mozart, and Michael York as Salieri; Leonard Slatkin conducted the Philharmonic. The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, USA. From 1964 to 2003, the orchestra played its concerts in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Los Angeles Music Center. ... Hollywood Bowl opening night 2005. ... Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) is an American actor. ... Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson, March 27, 1942) is a prolific British actor, more recently best known among mainstream audiences for his role of Basil Exposition in the Austin Powers series of films. ... Leonard Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor. ...

Movie Cast

• F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri
• Tom Hulce as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Elizabeth Berridge as Constanze Weber
• Jeffrey Jones as Joseph II
• Nicholas Kepros as Archbishop Colloredo
• Paul Harding as Count Johann Kilian von Strack
• Patrick Hines as Count Franz Orsini-Rosenberg
• Louis Turrenne as Gottfried van Swieten
• Gordon Gould and Edward Zang as Venticelli
• Philip Pleasants as a Majordomo and a Citizen of Vienna
• Cynthia Nixon as Lorl
• Victor Griffin as Salieri's Valet
• Haskell Gordon as Salieri's Cook and a Citizen of Vienna
• Russell Gold as Kappelmeister Bonno and a Citizen of Vienna
• Linda Robbins as Teresa Salieri and a Citizen of Vienna
• Caris Corfman as Katerina Cavalieri and a Citizen of Vienna
• Michele Farr as a Citizen of Vienna
• Martin LaPlatney as a Citizen of Vienna
• Warren Manzi as a Citizen of Vienna
• Michael McCarty as a Citizen of Vienna

F. Murray Abraham (born Fahrid Murray Abraham on October 24, 1939 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ... Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (August 18, 1750 – May 7, 1825), born in Legnago, Italy, was a composer and conductor, as well as one of the most important and famous musicians of his time. ... Tom Hulce starring as Mozart in Amadeus. ... Mozart redirects here. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Constanze Mozart Constanze Mozart (née Constanze Weber) (Zell im Wiesenthal, Germany 1763 – 1842 Salzburg), a first cousin of the composer Carl Maria von Weber, was the wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. ... Jeffrey Duncan Jones (born September 28, 1946[1]) is an American character actor who has appeared in many roles on film and television, but is best known for his role as principal Ed Rooney in the 1986 John Hughes film Ferris Buellers Day Off. ... Joseph II may refer to either: Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Hieronymus Graf von Colloredo, or Count Hieronymus von Colloredo. ... Baron Gottfried van Swieten (1733-1803) was a minor aristocrat of the Austrian Empire during the eighteenth century. ... A majordomo is the head (major) person of a domestic staff (domo), one who acts on behalf of a usually absent owner of a typically large residence. ... Vienna (German: Wien ) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Cynthia Nixon (born April 9, 1966) is a Tony and Emmy Award-winning American actress who is best known for her portrayal of lawyer Miranda Hobbes in the popular HBO dramedy Sex and the City (1998–2004). ... Giuseppe Bonno (January 29, 1711 - April 15, 1788) was a composer. ...

Differences between the Play and movie

Miloš Forman and Peter Schaffer spent great amounts of time rewriting the play into a movie. While the play focuses primarily on Salieri, the movie shows both composers as full characters. Some scenes were shot for the movie, but not used. Some of these made it back into the movie in the Director's Cut. Amadeus is a 1984 film directed by MiloÅ¡ Forman and based on the stage play Amadeus. ...

The following is a small selection of differences between the play and the movie.

Amadeus is a 1984 film directed by Miloš Forman and based on the stage play Amadeus. ... Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (August 18, 1750 – May 7, 1825), born in Legnago, Italy, was a composer and conductor, as well as one of the most important and famous musicians of his time. ... Hieronymus Graf von Colloredo, or Count Hieronymus von Colloredo. ... Mozart redirects here. ... Constanze Mozart Constanze Mozart (née Constanze Weber) (Zell im Wiesenthal, Germany 1763 – 1842 Salzburg), a first cousin of the composer Carl Maria von Weber, was the wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. ... Leopold Mozart Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787) was a composer, music teacher and violinist. ... Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II Joseph II (Joseph Benedict August Johannes Anton Michel Adam) (March 13, 1741 – February 20, 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. ... A masquerade ball (or masque) is an event which the participants attend in costume, usually including a mask. ...

References in Popular Culture

A third season episode of HBO's Mr. Show parodies Amadeus, by setting it in the late nineteenth century and staging a rivalry between two rival marching band leaders, Falooza and Sadieri. In "Margical History Tour", an episode of The Simpsons a segment parodies Amadeus. Margical History Tour is the eleventh episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season. ... Simpsons redirects here. ...

The Austrian singer Falco had a huge international hit single with a song called Rock Me Amadeus, which was partly inspired by the film. Several people were named Falco: Quintus Pompeius Falco, a Roman governor of Britania Edie Falco, actress David Falco, the given name of serial killer David Berkowitz Saint Falco, bishop of Maastricht at the turn of the 6th century the Austrian rock star Falco The fictional character Marcus Didius Falco, protagonist... Rock Me Amadeus is the title of a 1985 song by the Austrian pop star Falco. ...

Trivia

Both Ian McKellan (Salieri) and Tim Curry (Mozart) were nominated for a Tony Award for their performances in the Broadway production and McKellan won the award. Likewise, F. Murray Abraham (Salieri) and Thomas Hulce (Mozart) were both nominated for the Academy Award for their performances in the film version and, once again, the actor portraying Salieri won.

References

1. ^ Brown, A. Peter. "Amadeus and Mozart: Setting the Record Straight"
2. ^ BBC Radio article concerning reading of March 2006

See also

• Mozart's name
• List of movies that have won eight or more Academy Awards

The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart went by many different names in his lifetime. ... List of movies that have won eight or more Academy Awards: 11 Oscars Ben-Hur (1959) - from 12 nominations Titanic (1997) - from 14 nominations The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - from 11 nominations 10 Oscars West Side Story (1961) - from 11 nominations 9 Oscars Gone...

External links

• Amadeus at the Internet Movie Database
• Amadeus at The Internet Broadway Database
• Amadeus at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list
• Analysis of Amadeus - the play and the film
• Mo' Better Mozart - Article on the film adaptation of the play.
• Amadeus Immortal - fan page of the movie.