Amadeus Essay 2

The emphasis on individualism and passionate expression of the self during the late 18th and early 19th century is also exemplified in the musical realm through the revolutionary work of one of the most highly influential musicians, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. At the time of Mozart’s birth, the most popular and conventional music was created in the style of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. After the discovery of Mozart’s prodigal musical genius and honing his skill through several positions of employment, Mozart began to realize his individualism as a gifted artist. Mozart became aware of his potential for greatness and used his gift not to conform to the style of music at the time, but to use his music as a form of passionate self-expression. Mozart would not let anything extinguish his passion and freedom to create, even if it caused him great financial struggle throughout most of adulthood. The musical pieces Mozart created differed from that the music of the time in the sense that his work was highly driven by passion and emotion. Rather than focusing solely on the structure and the elaborateness of the

The whole movie takes place in Vienna, Austria. Besides the first few scenes where Mozart is seen as a child, the story begins in 1782 when Mozart is the age of 26; the story being told by Salieri takes place around 1825, near his death. Amadeus is primarily set in the noble class, and doesn’t do the best job portraying the poor side of life. For the noble’s of course living conditions are fine,

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart lived from January 27, 1756 to December 5, 1791. Mozart was a very influential and prolific composer of more than 600 works, including symphonies, concertante, chamber, piano, opera, and choral music. Regarded as a child prodigy, Mozart composed and performed in the European courts from the age of five, and was engaged at the Salzburg court at 17. Mozart’s musical style can be classified as Classical, although he learned from many of his contemporaries throughout his musical career. In order to better understand Mozart’s genius it is best to begin looking at his earliest contributions to the musical world as a child. From there, an exploration of his

Mozart was a prolific and most influential composer of the classical era. As a mere toddler he began to observe his sister’s lessons with their father, developing a keen ear, and showing signs of surprising comprehension. His father, Leopold, was himself a successful composer, violinist and assistant concert master of the Salzburg Court. Both Mozart and his sister were tutored by their father, a dedicated and task-oriented pedagogue. Young Mozart progressed anon, excelling even above his father’s pedagogic genius. At the verdant age of six, he performed as a child prodigy at royal courts in London, Paris, and Zurich. Mozart’s youth was spent fully engaged in touring and performance. These tours were financed through donors and patrons. Through the years, and while abroad, Mozart met many accomplished musicians such as Johann

Though extremely different in many ways, Amadeus was successfully translated from stage to film not as an adaptation but a parallel work. Peter Shaffer’s stage version is highly theatrical and unfortunately does not literally translate well to film, for multiple reasons. Shaffer and Milos Forman adapted Amadeus in a way that appealed to cinema audiences through cutting characters, expanding upon characters, altering language and narration, set and costume design, plot changes and taking full advantage of the dramatic powers of the camera. Milos Forman said “The fact that Amadeus was so stylized, so theatrical—well, so un-cinematic, was actually a blessing—it meant we wouldn’t be tempted to merely translate the play to screen, but would be forced to demolish the original, then totally reimagine it as a film.” One of the largest differences between play and film that make the film Amadeus its own piece of art, are the changes in narration. Though called Amadeus, it is really Salieri that occupies the center of the stage and “conducts” the action of the play. In the film, Mozart’s role is enhanced from the beginning.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven are two of the greatest composers ever to write music. Both men lived in the early 18th and 19th century, but their music and influences are still felt today. The men faced similar experiences, yet they both lead very different lives. All together the pieces that these men composed amounts to over 300 published, and unpublished works of art. The people of their time period often had mixed feelings about these men, some “complained that Mozart’s music presented them with too many ideas and that his melodies moved from one to the next faster than audiences could follow, yet the ideas themselves seem effortless and natural, clear and

“The Saliere of 1781 is an honored and prolific composer in the court of Joseph II, Emperor of Austria, who he has dedicated his life and his talents to the greater honor and glory of God and has obtained fame. Salieri belongs to a clique of Italians who have culturally

     Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s style unlike anyone else. Mozart was a master of counterpoint, fugue, and the other traditional compositional points of his day. He is also considered the best melody writer the world has ever known. Wolfgang perfected the grand forms of symphony, opera string quartet, and concerto made the classical period. “Mozart’s music is characterized by lucid ease and distinction of style....”2 Wolfgang wrote over 600 works which consisted of 21 stage and opera works, 15 masses, over 50 symphonies, 25 piano concertos, 12 violin concertos,27 concert arias, 17 piano sonatas, 26 string quartets, and many more. His operas range from comic baubles to tragic pieces. In his Requiem it illustrates the supreme vocal sounds in any of his work.

"Amadeus" is not just about as much fun as you're probably going to have with a motion picture, it additionally is exasperatingly valid. Reality enters

This paper will take a look into the movie Amadeus, to see if the film accurately

One of the problems clarinetists of the 21st century face when performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, K. 622, is creating a performance that is memorable while keeping the authentic integrity of the work. Many clarinetists who perform this work are often concerned with how they should the approach and execute the concerto. Any musician who tackles any new work will approach it by researching historical information on the composer and work, do a musical analysis, and gathering recordings of other interpretations of the same work. This approach will not only allow the performer to be fully immersed in the piece but allow for the performer to create a memorable interpretation.

On stage Mozart wore extravagant clothing and was given lavish attire by the royals he performed for. Throughout the tour they lived with those who they performed for, they were constantly surrounded by aristocrats and other distinguished people, and they had to support the lifestyle they were living. They made a lot of money on the tour, but to keep up pace with the crowd they lived with, the Mozart’s spend a decent amount on lavish objects. The cirumstances of Wolfgang’s life were dependent upon the country he was in, the exposure as an artist he had, and the fan base he kept. As he proved great composers wrong, he became their apprentices at times, and learned at great deal about ‘style’ of playing rather than just playing an instrument.

Historically, there is evidence from Mozart's own written letters that there was some sort of antagonism between Salieri and Mozart, "If he is allied with Salieri, I won't ever get a thing out of him." Be it jealousy or a difference in personality, one cannot say, however, the conflict between Salieri's mediocrity and Mozart's genius is evident throughout the play. Salieri himself is musically competent, he has been educated and has learnt the skills of music and so is able to recognise Mozart's greatness, however, he seems to be the only one in Mozart's age to have recognised it, ."..my only reward...is to be the sole man alive in this time who shall clearly recognize your Incarnation!" He shows his obvious awareness of Mozart's posterity and his own "mediocrity." We can see Salieri and Mozart in the light of Nietzsche's opposing struggle of the Apollian and Dionysian personalities. Mozart embodies the Dionysian elements of a

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Concise Biography. Films On Demand. Films Media Group, 2007. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Amadeus is an exciting play in which the author displays high levels of experience in using different styles to present various themes. Flashback and narration form an important component of the techniques that the playwriter uses. Throughout the play, Salieri tells the story of his youthful life and the encounters he had with Mozart and other players. It is amazing how lighting, décor, and other film styles have been utilized to bring out the various themes of the play. Just from Salieri’s narration