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Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus is partly based on the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, but the play takes a large amount of poetic license and is more focused on entertainment than verifiable fact. At the beginning of the play an elderly Salieri speaks to the audience about his belief that he killed Mozart with poison and then explains his reasons.
Salieri was initially impressed by Mozart's compositions. His excitement about meeting Mozart turned to disappointment when he discovered that Mozart's behavior and personal life did not have the grace and dignity of his music. Salieri is upset that God would give the gift of the ability to compose beautiful music to someone who lived their life in opposition to Catholic teachings. Salieri renounced God and begins his plot to destroy Mozart. He pretends to be Mozart's friend while plotting against him.
After Mozart's death Salieri attempts suicide and leaves a note saying that he poisoned Mozart, but he survives and nobody believes his note.
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Fast Facts:
- Written by Peter Shaffer
- First performed at the National Theatre in 1979
- Amadeus was Mozart's pen name which means "beloved of God"
- Inspired by Aleksandr Pushkin's play Mozart and Salieri
- Adapted into a 1984 film also titled Amadeus
- Premiered on Broadway in 1980
- Broadway play won five Tony Awards including best actor for Ian McKellen
- Broadway play revived in 2000
- Scholars disagree about far the play deviates from reality
- Scholars do not believe that Salieri really killed Mozart
Important Quotation:
- "While my father prayed earnestly to God to protect commerce, I would offer up secretly the proudest prayer a boy could think of: Lord, make me a great composer. Let me celebrate Your glory through music and be celebrated myself. Make me famous through the world, dear God. Make me immortal. After I die, let people speak my name forever with love for what I wrote. In return, I will give You my chastity, my industry, my deepest humility, every hour of my life, Amen."
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The Mahalo Top 7
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PDF: Amadeus Study Guide (341 KB)
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Wikipedia: Amadeus Play
en.wikipedia.org -
Internet Broadway Database: Amadeus
ibdb.com -
YouTube Video: Amadeus- Salieri (Time 1:05)
youtube.com -
The Mozart Project: "Amadeus and Mozart: Setting the Record Straight"
mozartproject.org (November 22, 2001) -
Johannes Gutenberg University: "Amadeus: The Theological Interpretation"
fask.uni-mainz.de (January 23, 2003) -
Amazon.com: Amadeus Merchandise
amazon.com
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PDF: Amadeus Study Guide (341 KB)
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Amadeus Play on Twitter Powered by Twitter
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@luis_guerra Well if ur into coming-of-age dramedies, yes,it is.Soundtrack's cool too.They do play Falco's"Rock Me Amadeus"on a loop tho lol
@jesstx | November 06, 2009 05:34 PM -
Stayed out too late @ the opening night party for the AMADEUS play. Ugh. Slept late. Fighting a cold, too.
@blambot | November 06, 2009 01:52 PM -
@hithapalepu happy to have more Phoenix, i play the HELL out of Wolfgang Amadeus. was a steal, no? you're welcome!
@sunlovey | November 05, 2009 08:21 PM -
RT @blambot: AMADEUS http://bit.ly/3AXqAW a play that my wife & I have been working to get produced for over a year in Rhode Island.
@sampagan | November 05, 2009 06:08 PM -
Come see AMADEUS http://bit.ly/3AXqAW a play that my wife and I have been working to get produced for over a year in Rhode Island. It's HERE
@blambot | November 05, 2009 05:25 PM
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Amadeus Play on Amazon | View All
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Amadeus: A Play by Peter Shaffer - $15.99
0riginating at the National Theatre of Great Britain, Amadeus was the recipient of both the Evening Standard Drama Award and the Theatre Critics Award. In the United States, the play won the coveted Tony Award and went on to become a...
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James Galway Plays Mozart - $10.98
Brand: Crystorama Lighting Finish: Weathered Patina Bulbs: Style: other Lighting Type: For more information cantact us.
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Dreaming - $15.98
The Concertmaestro Conducts Popular Favorites Used in Films and Other Media. A Generous 18 Tracks Occupies the 'films' (As Opposed to Grooves) of this Disc.
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Questions and Answers About Amadeus Play | View All | Ask a Question
View All Amadeus Play Questions (2093) | Ask a QuestionTV/ Movies: Category: Name That Actor: ...who played Mozart in Amadeus ? (1 Answer)Tom Hulce played Mozart in the 1982 movie Amadeus read moreHow do you play Pokemon Crater? (1 Answer)There's a page about Pokemon Crater on Mahalo! Here's the link: read more
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Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus is partly based on the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, but the play takes a large amount of poetic license and is more focused on entertainment than verifiable fact. At the beginning of the play an elderly Salieri speaks to the audience about his belief that he killed Mozart with poison and then explains his reasons.
Salieri was initially impressed by Mozart's compositions. His excitement about meeting Mozart turned to disappointment when he discovered that Mozart's behavior and personal life did not have the grace and dignity of his music. Salieri is upset that God would give the gift of the ability to compose beautiful music to someone who lived their life in opposition to Catholic teachings. Salieri renounced God and begins his plot to destroy Mozart. He pretends to be Mozart's friend while plotting against him.
After Mozart's death Salieri attempts suicide and leaves a note saying that he poisoned Mozart, but he survives and nobody believes his note.
-
Fast Facts:
- Written by Peter Shaffer
- First performed at the National Theatre in 1979
- Amadeus was Mozart's pen name which means "beloved of God"
- Inspired by Aleksandr Pushkin's play Mozart and Salieri
- Adapted into a 1984 film also titled Amadeus
- Premiered on Broadway in 1980
- Broadway play won five Tony Awards including best actor for Ian McKellen
- Broadway play revived in 2000
- Scholars disagree about far the play deviates from reality
- Scholars do not believe that Salieri really killed Mozart
- Important Quotation:
- "While my father prayed earnestly to God to protect commerce, I would offer up secretly the proudest prayer a boy could think of: Lord, make me a great composer. Let me celebrate Your glory through music and be celebrated myself. Make me famous through the world, dear God. Make me immortal. After I die, let people speak my name forever with love for what I wrote. In return, I will give You my chastity, my industry, my deepest humility, every hour of my life, Amen."
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