Italian and Austrian composer, conductor, teacher and mentor of the famous L. van Beethoven, F. Schubert and F. Liszt, court conductor, author of more than 40 operas and instrumental works. The man with whom the majority of Russians associate the death of V. A. Mozart, thanks to the little tragedy of A. S. Pushkin - Antonio Salieri.
Biography and career
Antonio Salieri was born in the small town of Legnago (Italy) on August 18, 1750, into a large family of a sausage and ham merchant. Elder brother Francesco, who took violin lessons from Giuseppe Tartini, shared his skills with Antonio. The boy mastered playing the harpsichord together with the organist of a small cathedral, Giuseppe Simoni. It was hard work, a beautiful voice and a refined ear that made the boy a famous musician.
After the death of the parents of 14-year-old Antonio, his father's friends, the wealthy aristocrats of Mocenigo, took over. The boy moved to live in Venice. The new guardians helped the boy get a proper musical education from the best musicians of that time: JB Peshetti, F. Pacini, F. L. Gassman. It was Florian Leopold Hassmann, the court composer of Joseph II, who took the boy to Vienna in 1766. He perfected Salieri's skills in playing the violin, bass general, reading the score, hired teachers of French, German, Latin for the boy, and taught him secular manners. Thanks to the contribution of his mentor, Salieri, years later, will be called "the most educated Austrian musician."
Antonio's court career began in 1767, when he officially became Gassmann's assistant. In 1769 Salieri was offered the position of harpsichordist-accompanist of the court opera house. Gradually, Gassman fully introduced his most capable student into the narrow circle of courtiers with whom Joseph II played music.
Separately, in the biography of Salieri, an acquaintance with the composer Christopher Gluck should be highlighted. It was his understanding of opera that became an example for Antonio, which he followed until the end of his life.
After the death of Gassmann, in 1774, Antonio took over as court composer of chamber music and conductor of the Italian opera company. At that time Vienna was the opera capital, and it was the Italian Opera that enjoyed the greatest popularity among the audience. In 1778, due to the hostilities of Joseph II and the empty treasury, Salieri was forced to switch to a less expensive comedy genre - the singspiel. Antonio closed the Italian Opera, and after 6 years of working with comedy, due to the lack of public interest in it, he revived the opera again.
From 1777 to 1819, Salieri pursued a career as a conductor at the Vienna Musical Society (Tonkünstlersocietät), founded by Gassmann. It was here in 1808 that Salieri fell out with Beethoven.
In 1788, Emperor Joseph II appointed Salieri to the post of court conductor, and in fact - the manager of the entire musical life of Vienna. After the death of Joseph II (1790) and the coming to power first of his brother Leopold, and then his nephew Franz II (1792), Salieri was able to hold on to his post and continued to delight the court with his works and events, for which he was responsible. Salieri was able to refuse his favorite work only in 1824, for health reasons.
The famous Antonio Salieri had already headed the Vienna Conservatory for 7 years. In addition, he was a member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences, an honorary member of the Milan Conservatory, a foreign member of the French Academy. In 1815 Salieri was awarded the Legion of Honor.
The last years of the composer's life were darkened by gossip about his involvement in the death of Mozart. It was this pressure, according to many critics, that provoked a nervous breakdown, and in some sources it is noted that a suicide attempt, after which Salieri ended up in a mental hospital, where he died on May 7, 1825. The musician's funeral was attended by the entire musical elite of Vienna.
In Russia, the legend about the murder of Mozart was fueled by the tragedy of Alexander Pushkin "Mozart and Salieri". This "little tragedy" inspired Schaeffer to create the play "Amadeus" (1979), with which he eventually came to Italy. The performance angered spectators who did not know about the existence of the legend so much that in 1997 the Milan Conservatory initiated a lawsuit, as a result of which the court acquitted the composer "for lack of corpus delicti."
Creation
The first composer's success comprehended Salieri already in 1770. It was then that Antonio composed the opera-buffa "Educated Women". A little later - "Venice Fair", "Innkeepers", "The Stolen Bucket" and many others.
In 1771, Salieri wrote Armida - a real musical tragedy. It was the first piece that other conductors later decided to stage, which was usually not accepted at the courts.
In 1778, Salieri received an order for the opera Recognized Europe, dedicated to the opening of the restored Teatro alla Scala. In 1779, commissioned by the Venetian theater, Salieri wrote the opera-buffa The School of the Jealous, which was a great success, and in which more than 40 performances were organized throughout Europe.
Full recognition of the European public, Antonio, as the author of a tragic opera, and not a comedy, received after Gluck's stroke, in 1784, when he was able to convey to the public the drama "Danaid" written by Salieri.
In 1787, the premiere of the opera Tarare took place in Paris. The success of the famous production was interrupted by the revolution of 1789.
In total, during his creative career, the musician has created at least 40 world-famous works. Salieri wrote his last opera Negroes in 1804.
Personal life
The daughter of a retired Viennese official, Theresia von Helferstorfer, became the chosen one of the great musician. Salieri signed with his wife in 1775. Theresia gave birth to her husband seven daughters and one son. For Antonio, his wife became the love of his life. Antonio Salieri was destined to survive the death of four children and his wife.
