Antonio Salieri (18 August 1750-7 May 1825) was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and musical teacher who served as the court musician of the Austrian Empire under King Joseph II of Austria from 1774 to 1792. Salieri is best known as the rival of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, his idol and his worst enemy. Salieri would go into an insane asylum after he came to believe that he was responsible for Mozart's 1791 death, and he died in 1825 at the age of 74.
Biography[]
Antonio Salieri was born on 18 August 1750 in Legnago, northern Italy, which was then a part of the Republic of Venice. Salieri aspired to become a composer like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was already a famous musician at a young age, but Salieri's father Francesco told him that he did not want Antonio to become a "pet monkey" taken across Europe to do "tricks". Salieri prayed to God that he could become a famous and adored composer; in exchange, Salieri would live a very Christian life.
Rise to fame[]
Salieri playing a duet with King Joseph II of Austria
Salieri belived that a miracle occurred when his father choked to death on his lunch one afternoon, and Salieri decided to pursue a musical career. He stayed away from sexual relations with women, was a member of several committees dedicated to helping the poor, and taught music classes, many of them free. Salieri later came to the city of Vienna, the capital of the Austrian Empire and a center of the arts in Central Europe. Salieri became the court musician of King Joseph II of Austria in 1774, and he wrote several popular works of music that "brought down the house", as he called it.
Meeting Mozart[]
Mozart speaking with a female friend
One day in 1781, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was invited to perform at the court of Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus von Colloredo of Salzburg, and Salieri was in attendance, hoping to meet him. Salieri searched for Mozart in the crowd of people, but he failed to find him; instead, he entered a room filled with delicious food, and he hid when he heard Mozart chasing a girl into the room. Salieri was astonished that Mozart was so childish and boorish, but he later heard him conduct his music in front of the Prince-Archbishop. Salieri would see Mozart again at the court of King Joseph in Vienna when Mozart was invited to meet the monarch, and Salieri met Mozart in person. Salieri wrote a "March of Welcome" to welcome his idol to the palace, and King Joseph played it. Mozart annoyed many with his high-pitched laughter, his unrefined nature, and his idea for a new opera, which would be set in a Turkish harem. Salieri would become rivals with Mozart as Mozart became more famous and Salieri was sidelined, and he considered forcing Mozart's newlywed wife Constanze Mozart to have sex with him in exchange for recommending Mozart to Emperor Joseph. However, he backed off before they could do so, and he swore that he would be enemies with Mozart.
Salieri's revenge[]
Salieri was insulted when Mozart was asked to play one of his songs at a masquerade ball by a disguised Salieri, and Mozart flatulated loudly after playing it, causing everyone to laugh. Salieri was convinced that God was laughing at him, and that he would no longer serve God. He burnt the cross that he kept in his house, swearing to block God out of his life. Salieri feigned friendship with Mozart whenever Mozart came to him for help with his works, but he eventually began to realize that Mozart was doing better. Salieri fell in love with the opera Don Giovanni; although he ensured that it was shown only five times in Vienna, he attended all five shows, realizing that the ghost Don Giovanni was that of Mozart's father, who had recently died. Salieri helped Mozart in writing his Requiem in D minor, which Salieri had hoped would destroy him; Salieri claimed that he had written it and not Mozart, and he would have accused Mozart of plagiarizing the work. Mozart died of exhaustion and alcoholism while working on these two works, and Salieri claimed that he had killed Mozart.
Last years[]
After his "killing" of Mozart, Salieri live the rest of his life in his mansion in Vienna, feeling guilty about Mozart's death. Salieri attempted to slit his throat in 1823 after loudly shouting that he had killed Mozart, and two of his house servants broke open his door to find him bleeding. He was taken to a psychiatric institution, where he told his story to Father Vogler, a Catholic priest. Salieri claimed that he was the patron saint of mediocrity and "blessed" his fellow patients as he was wheeled out in a wheelchair. He died on 7 May 1825 at the age of 74.