cactuswatcher (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cactuswatcher) wrote2006-01-27 01:21 pm
cactuswatcher) wrote2006-01-27 01:21 pm
Moe Zart
Or was it Moats' Art? Whatever, Happy 250th!
Frankly, though I like classical music, Mozart has always been one of my least favorite classical composers. Definitely, the guy was popular. He was not just a composer, but a fine musician. I don't doubt that seeing Mozart perform was analogous to seeing Elvis perform, if you liked that kind of thing. We know that Mozart had something like the opposite of my writing dyslexia. He could write page after page of music with no corrections and no mistakes. He probably could have lived a successful, moderately long and happy life as a copy clerk, a profession with plenty of openings before the days of typewriters. But instead his papa raised him to support the family as a musician, which naturally led him to be a fairly shiftless sort of oaf. Beethoven tried studying under him and gave up after a month, then spent a good bit of time studying under, guess who, Salieri. Other would be composers of the time had similar experiences. Consequently Mozart's actual influence on the history of music turned out to be much less than the impact his music has had on those who play it. Conversely, if you listen to Salieri's music, you know why people say those who can't do, teach. Big influence, little talent.
The movie Amadeus is based loosely on Alexander Pushkin's narrative poem "Mozart and Salieri," which fleshed out the nasty rumors that the plodder Salieri murdered Mozart over professional jealousy. Chances are the rumors weren't true. Like Elvis, Mozart was more than a little self-destructive. But, Pushkin like Mozart, was very much the center of his artistic world, and no doubt felt threatened by the jealousy of lesser writers. It would be easy to see Pushkin's death (in a very suspiciously provoked duel), as the result of the jealousy of Tsar Nicholas I over Pushkin's ability to influence others in Russia. It's not known for certain that the Tsar was involved, but suspicion has always been more strongly against the Nicholas than it ever was against Salieri.
I'm jealous of Mozart's ability to write so perfectly, but I swear I didn't kill him!
Frankly, though I like classical music, Mozart has always been one of my least favorite classical composers. Definitely, the guy was popular. He was not just a composer, but a fine musician. I don't doubt that seeing Mozart perform was analogous to seeing Elvis perform, if you liked that kind of thing. We know that Mozart had something like the opposite of my writing dyslexia. He could write page after page of music with no corrections and no mistakes. He probably could have lived a successful, moderately long and happy life as a copy clerk, a profession with plenty of openings before the days of typewriters. But instead his papa raised him to support the family as a musician, which naturally led him to be a fairly shiftless sort of oaf. Beethoven tried studying under him and gave up after a month, then spent a good bit of time studying under, guess who, Salieri. Other would be composers of the time had similar experiences. Consequently Mozart's actual influence on the history of music turned out to be much less than the impact his music has had on those who play it. Conversely, if you listen to Salieri's music, you know why people say those who can't do, teach. Big influence, little talent.
The movie Amadeus is based loosely on Alexander Pushkin's narrative poem "Mozart and Salieri," which fleshed out the nasty rumors that the plodder Salieri murdered Mozart over professional jealousy. Chances are the rumors weren't true. Like Elvis, Mozart was more than a little self-destructive. But, Pushkin like Mozart, was very much the center of his artistic world, and no doubt felt threatened by the jealousy of lesser writers. It would be easy to see Pushkin's death (in a very suspiciously provoked duel), as the result of the jealousy of Tsar Nicholas I over Pushkin's ability to influence others in Russia. It's not known for certain that the Tsar was involved, but suspicion has always been more strongly against the Nicholas than it ever was against Salieri.
I'm jealous of Mozart's ability to write so perfectly, but I swear I didn't kill him!