Essay/Term paper: Wolfgang amadeus mozart

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Biography

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a remarkable

musician and composer. Mozart was born in

Salzburg Austria in 1756. By the age of four it

was evident that he possessed tremendous

musical talent and music memory. His father

Leopold who was a master violinist and

composer decided to enroll young Wolfgang in

harpsichord lessons. At age five Mozart was

composing music and by age six he had mastered

the keyboard. By his early teens, he had

mastered the piano, violin, and harpsichord and

was writing symphonies and operas.



Amadeus is a drama of the 18th century in

Vienna Austria, starring Tom Hulce as Wolfgang

Amadeus Mozart, Murray Abraham as Salieri,

Elizabeth Berridge as Constanze Mozart, and

Jeffery Jones as Emperor Joseph II. It is a

biographical film that is as much about Salieri as

it is about Mozart. Amadeus is a portrait of

Salieri and the overwhelming jealousy he had for

Mozart. From the time Salieri was a little boy he

was consumed by music. He wanted nothing

more but to be a legend in the music world, but

Mozart is portrayed as a college preppy who is

rude, arrogant and extremely talented. Although

he is extremely talented it is also obvious he

wants to be a common man in society.



After attempting to commit suicide Antonio

Salieri finds himself in a mental institution. He

once was a court composer for Emperor Joseph

II. He had written forty operas of his own and

Mozart was his living idol. Unlike Mozart"s"

father, Salieri"s father did not like music and did

not support his efforts. While a patient in the

institution the story of Amadeus is related by

Salieri to a priest. He tells him of his jealousy for

Mozart and his distrust of God, because God

gave Mozart all the talent and did not pass that

talent to him.



Salieri"s downfall occurred when Mozart was

invited to the royal manner of Emperor Joseph II

and simply astounded everyone. Salieri is

immediately overwhelmed with jealousy. Mozart

seems to lead a rebellious life but his operatic

works simply overwhelmed the royalty and

higher ups.



At age twenty-six Mozart married Constanze

against his fathers will. After his marriage,

finances were extremely tight, due to the fact he

was a poor businessman he eventually led a life

of poverty. Due to the fact his wife Constanze

was subjected to a plot of sabotage by selling

Mozart"s music to Salieri. When she became

pregnant the lady that stayed with them and

cared for the family was also involved in an

attempt to pass his music on to Salieri. Both

attempts were quite risky since Mozart never

made additional copies of his works. Prior to the

birth of their first child Mozart"s father moved in

with them. He and his father never had a good

relationship and this was obvious after his father

passed away. Mozart carried the guilt of his

father"s death and this was typified by the writing

of a requiem that is almost intimidating.



In comparing the customs of that time period to

that of today it is very obvious, the operas and

symphonies were attended only by royalty and

the very elite. While wigs were a societal emblem

signifying wealth and royalty.



At age thirty-five Mozart passed away. In

probably my favorite scene, on his deathbed

Mozart dictates the music in his head to Salieri.

This scene alone portrays his genius IQ level.



In his short life he composed over 600 works,

including 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, the list is never

ending.



I really didn"t feel there was a plot to the film,

like some people I don"t understand opera and at

the first I was lost. The music plays a very

important role in the movie, but I thought there

was too much. There is a scene in the first act

that describes my feelings of the movie, after

Emperor Joseph II had watched his first Mozart

opera, he said he liked it but there were too many

notes. The movie was well done but I didn"t

understand what the point was.