Mozart in fiction
Encyclopedia
The celebrated composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756–1791) led a life that was dramatic in many respects, including his extraordinary career as a child prodigy, his struggles to achieve personal independence and establish a career, his brushes with financial disaster, and his somewhat mysterious death
in the course of attempting to complete his Requiem
. Authors of fictional works have found his life a compelling source of raw material. Such works have included novels, plays, operas, and films.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
(1756–1791) led a life that was dramatic in many respects, including his extraordinary career as a child prodigy, his struggles to achieve personal independence and establish a career, his brushes with financial disaster, and his somewhat mysterious death
Death of Mozart
The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died at 1:00 am on 5 December 1791 at the age of 35, following a short illness.-Illness and last days:...
in the course of attempting to complete his Requiem
Requiem (Mozart)
The Requiem Mass in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the...
. Authors of fictional works have found his life a compelling source of raw material. Such works have included novels, plays, operas, and films.
Fiction
- The first major works of literature inspired by Mozart were by the German writers E. T. A. Hoffmann and Eduard MörikeEduard MörikeEduard Friedrich Mörike was a German Romantic poet.-Biography:Mörike was born in Ludwigsburg. His father was Karl Friedrich Mörike , a district medical councilor; his mother was Charlotte Bayer...
. Hoffmann published his Don Juan in 1812, Mörike his Mozart's Journey to Prague in 1856. Mozart also appears in Hermann HesseHermann HesseHermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature...
's novel Der Steppenwolf. - In 1968, David WeissDavid Weiss (novelist)David Weiss was an American novelist and writer best known for his bestselling 1963 biographical novel Naked Came I about the life of sculptor Auguste Rodin. Weiss’s novels have been published in America and Europe, and translated into 27 languages.-Biography:Born in 1909, from an early age Weiss...
published Sacred and profane: a novel of the life and times of Mozart, a narrative account on the composer's life drawing heavily on the documented historical record, but with invented conversations and other details. It is in the same style as Naked Came INaked Came INaked Came I is a bestselling 1963 historical novel by David Weiss based on the life of sculptor Auguste Rodin.Naked Came I portrays Rodin as a born artist who was driven to be an artist because his desire and temperament would allow him to be nothing else...
, the same author's bestselling 19631963 in literatureThe year 1963 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*First United States printing of John Cleland's 1749 novel, Fanny Hill . The book is banned for obscenity, triggering a court case by its publisher.*Leslie Charteris publishes his final collection of stories...
historical novelHistorical novelAccording to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
based on the life of sculptorSculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
Auguste RodinAuguste RodinFrançois-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
. - In modern fiction, the mystery surrounding the composer's death is explored within a popular thriller context in the 2008 novel The Mozart Conspiracy by British writer Scott Mariani, who departs from the established Salieri-poisoning theory to suggest a deeper political motive behind his death.
- Mozart has also featured as a sleuth in detective fictionDetective fictionDetective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
, in Dead, Mister Mozart and Too many notes, Mr. Mozart, both by Bernard Bastable (who also writes as Robert BarnardRobert BarnardRobert Barnard is an English crime writer, critic and lecturer.- Life and work :Born in Essex, Barnard was educated at the Colchester Royal Grammar School and at Balliol College in Oxford....
). Bastable's stories involve the conceit of an alternate history scenario in which the young Mozart remained on in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the time of his childhood visit to EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he has lived a long - though not very prosperous - life as a hack musician, rather than returning to his native SalzburgSalzburg-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
or ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to die young and celebrated. - Charles Neider's Mozart and the Archbooby is an epistolary novel wherein the young Mozart writes to his father about his new life in Vienna and his new problem, the Archbishop of Salzburg. Stephanie Cowell's Marrying Mozart: A Novel provides a fictionalised account of Mozart's relationship with Aloysia WeberAloysia WeberMaria Aloysia Louise Antonia Weber was a German soprano, remembered primarily for her association with the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.-Biography:...
before his marriage to her sister, ConstanzeConstanze MozartConstanze Mozart was the wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.-Early years:Constanze Weber was born in Zell im Wiesental. Her mother was Cäcilia Weber, née Stamm. Her father Fridolin Weber worked as a "double bass player, prompter and music copyist." Fridolin's half-brother was the father of composer...
. - MirrorshadesMirrorshadesMirrored sunglasses are sunglasses with a reflective optical coating on the outside of the lenses to make them appear like small mirrors. The lenses typically give the wearer's vision a brown or grey tint...
: The Cyberpunk Anthology (1986) is a defining cyberpunk short story collection, edited by Bruce SterlingBruce SterlingMichael Bruce Sterling is an American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which helped define the cyberpunk genre.-Writings:...
. It contains a story, the "Mozart in Mirrorshades" by Bruce SterlingBruce SterlingMichael Bruce Sterling is an American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which helped define the cyberpunk genre.-Writings:...
an Lewis ShinerLewis ShinerLewis Shiner is an American writer.Shiner began his career as a science fiction writer, identified early on with cyberpunk, and later wrote more mainstream novels, albeit often with magical realism and fantasy elements...
, in which Mozart appears as a DJ wannabe instead of being the real Mozart after he met the people and culture of his future.
Drama
- Aleksandr PushkinAleksandr PushkinAlexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was a Russian author of the Romantic era who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature....
's play Mozart and Salieri is based on the supposed rivalry between Mozart and Antonio SalieriAntonio SalieriAntonio Salieri was a Venetian classical composer, conductor and teacher born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, but who spent his adult life and career as a faithful subject of the Habsburg monarchy....
, particularly the idea that it was poison received from the latter that caused Mozart's death. This idea is not supported by modern scholarship. - Peter ShafferPeter ShafferSir Peter Levin Shaffer is an English dramatist and playwright, screenwriter and author of numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been filmed.-Early life:...
's play AmadeusAmadeusAmadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer.It is based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, highly fictionalized.Amadeus was first performed in 1979...
focuses on the difference between true and sublime genius (Mozart) and mere high-quality craftsmanship (Salieri). Shaffer seems to have been especially taken by the contrast between Mozart's enjoyment of vulgarity (for which historical evidence exists, in the form of his letters to his cousinMaria Anna Thekla MozartMaria Anna Thekla Mozart , called Marianne, known as Bäsle , was the cousin of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart....
) and the sublime character of his music. - In 2007, he was portrayed by John SessionsJohn SessionsJohn Gibb Marshall , better known by the stage name John Sessions, is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?; as a panellist on QI; and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and in Hollywood.-Early...
in the Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
audio adventure 100100 (Doctor Who audio)100 is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. As the 100th release, it is made of four one-part stories, by different authors, rather than the usual multi-part serial...
in a story that explored the ramifications of Mozart being granted immortality.
Film
- Shaffer's play was subsequently made into a film, AmadeusAmadeus (film)Amadeus is a 1984 period drama film directed by Miloš Forman and written by Peter Shaffer. Adapted from Shaffer's stage play Amadeus, the story is based loosely on the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, two composers who lived in Vienna, Austria, during the latter half of the...
. The scene where Mozart dictates music to Salieri on his deathbead is entirely an author's fancy, created especially for the film; for the question of whether Mozart did any dictation on his deathbed at all see: "Death of MozartDeath of MozartThe composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died at 1:00 am on 5 December 1791 at the age of 35, following a short illness.-Illness and last days:...
"
Opera
- Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov'sNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
opera Mozart and SalieriMozart and SalieriMozart and Salieri is a one-act opera in two scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, written in 1897 to a Russian libretto taken almost verbatim from Alexander Pushkin's 1830 verse drama of the same name....
, based on Pushkin's play, treats the Salieri poisoning legend. - In Reynaldo Hahn'sReynaldo HahnReynaldo Hahn was a Venezuelan, naturalised French, composer, conductor, music critic and diarist. Best known as a composer of songs, he wrote in the French classical tradition of the mélodie....
comédie musicale MozartMozart (musical comedy)Mozart is a comédie musicale in three acts with music by Reynaldo Hahn and words by Sacha Guitry, a pastiche of the composer's early works to fit beside arias written for Yvonne Printemps...
with words by GuitrySacha GuitryAlexandre-Pierre Georges Guitry was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the Boulevard theatre.- Biography :...
, Mozart has amorous adventures in Paris in 1778. - Michael Kunze's and Sylvester LevaySylvester LevaySylvester Levay is a Hungarian composer. He was born 16 May 1945 in Subotica , in the North Bačka District of Vojvodina, Yugoslavia ; his name is pronounced in English similarly to "lave-ah-ee."...
's musicalMusical theatreMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, Mozart!Mozart!Mozart! is an Austrian musical, originally written in German. The original book and lyrics were written by Michael Kunze and the music and arrangements were composed by Sylvester Levay. The show is a new imagining of the struggles of the famous composer....
, premiered in 1999 to portray an older, more sensually inclined Mozart as he struggles with the spectre of his chaste and productive "porcelain" boyhood. The musical was composed in German but is currently performed in Hungarian. - The French musical Mozart, l'opéra rockMozart, l'opéra rockMozart, l'opéra rock is a French musical directed by Olivier Dahan and produced by Dove Attia and Albert Cohen. The show uses both pop-rock compositions and music composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.-Productions:...
premiered in September 2009 in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Mozart is played by Italian singer Mikelangelo LoconteMikelangelo LoconteMikelangelo Loconte is an Italian singer, author, composer, musician, performer and artistic director. He began his acting and performing career in France, in the musical Les Nouveaux Nomades by Claude Barzotti and Anne-Marie Gaspard...
with Florent MotheFlorent MotheFlorent Mothe is a French singer, actor and musician.He plays the role of Antonio Salieri in Mozart, l'opéra rock. In this role, he has performed on a number of singles including Vivre à en crever, l'Assasymphonie, and Le bien qui fait mal.- Biography :Florent Mothe was born on May 13, 1981 in...
as Antonio SalieriAntonio SalieriAntonio Salieri was a Venetian classical composer, conductor and teacher born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, but who spent his adult life and career as a faithful subject of the Habsburg monarchy....
.
Children's literature
- Children's author Daniel PinkwaterDaniel PinkwaterDaniel Manus Pinkwater is an author of mostly children's books and is an occasional commentator on National Public Radio. He attended Bard College. Well-known books include Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Borgel, and the picture book The Big Orange...
has Mozart appear as a character in several of his books, including The Muffin Fiend, in which Mozart helps solve a crime involving an extraterrestrial creature who steals muffins from Vienna's bakeries. - Little AmadeusLittle Amadeus-Main Characters:Wolfgang Amadeus-Little Amadeus is an animated television series which is intended to promote the interest in music and musical instrument playing in young viewers...
, television show produced in Germany in 2006, focuses on Mozart's life as a child in Salzburg. It has aired in English in Australia (ABCABC TelevisionABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
) and North America (KQED Kids). - Mozart (as well as his sister Nannerl) are a major component in the second "39 Clues" book, One False NoteOne False NoteOne False Note is the second book in The 39 Clues series. It is written by Gordan Korman, and was published by Scholastic on December 2, 2008. Following the events of The Maze of Bones, the protagonists Amy and Dan Cahill learn about Mozart and travel to Vienna, Austria to search for the second...
.
Video games
- The early pitch-based hybrid music game, Amadeus RevengeAmadeus RevengeAmadeus Revenge is a music-based shoot 'em up created by System Editoriale s.r.l. in 1988 for the Commodore 64. The game was developed using the SEUCK .-Summary:...
(1988, Commodore 64Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
) has the player play as Mozart to defend the integrity of his Piano Concerto No. 25Piano Concerto No. 25 (Mozart)The Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503, was completed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on December 4, 1786, alongside the Prague Symphony, K.504. Although two more concertos would later follow, this work is the last of the twelve great piano concertos written in Vienna between 1784 and...
from the corrupting influence of rival musicians. The NESNes-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
game The Adventures of Captain Comic features Sonata in A major, (K.331)Piano Sonata No. 11 (Mozart)Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K 331 is a sonata in three movements:#Andante grazioso — a theme with six variations#Menuetto — a minuet and trio#Alla Turca: Allegretto in A minor and major....
in the coast stage.