As the masterpiece Amadeus (1984) turns 40 this month (launched on 6th September 1984 in LA), we had a dig around to find some genuine information about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's personality.
There are surviving written records about the man and his great talent, which we thought we very intriguing indeed. And that's what we're exploring today, which marks the 40th anniversary of Amadeus' cinematic launch.
Historical Insights on Mozart's Personality
Amadeus depicted Mozart as a happy-go-lucky, crass, immature, annoying lout with a silly laugh.
But was that true? Well, it was based on some reason (see Mozart and scatological humour). The guy wrote a composition called Leck mich im Arsch ("Lick me in the arse"). He was also a prolific letter writer, a significant chunk of which featured this bizarre focus on toilet humour.
One of his letters, dating to 5th November 1777, states this.
"Tomorrow we'll speak freak sensubly with each other. Things I must you tell a lot of, believe it you hardly can, but hear tomorrow it already will you, be well in the meantime. Oh my ass burns like fire! what on earth is the meaning of this!—maybe muck wants to come out? yes, yes, muck, I know you, see you, taste you—and—what's this—is it possible? Ye Gods!—Oh ear of mine, are you deceiving me?—No, it's true—what a long and melancholic sound!"
There are dozens of examples of this type of thing, which has baffled Mozart scholars and made Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher have a mental shutdown on the matter.
Whilst the composer clearly had a silly side, there are surviving written records about the man, his great talent, and wider behaviour. However, this is with the massive caveat that information is scant. Such is the chasm in time since his passing in 1791, there's just not much to turn to.
But that hasn't stopped a lot of pontificating over his psychiatric condition, with some suggesting he could have been autistic, bipolar, BPD, or labouring under Tourette's syndrome. We'll never know! But there are those tantalising glimpses.
Mozart as Described By His Family and Friends
Mozart was friends with Irish composer and tenor Michael Kelly (1762-1826). An actor and singer at the Vienna Opera venue, he wrote this of his friend.
"He entertained visitors by playing fantasias and capriccios on the piano. His sensitivity, his feeling, the speed of his fingers and, above all, the agility and power of his left hand, left me absorbed. After the splendid performance, we would sit at the dinner table, and I had the honor of sitting between him and his wife. After dinner, if the occasion was propitious and there were more guests, they would all march to the ball, and Mozart would join them with great enthusiasm. Physically, he was a man of small build, very thin and of pale complexion, with abundant hair, though somewhat thin and fair, of which he was, by the way, very proud. I remember that once he invited me to his house and I stayed there for a long time, where I was always received with hospitality and esteem; on that occasion I could see his great fondness for punch, which he mixed with other drinks and ingested, in truth with little moderation. He was very fond of billiards, and we played many games together, although he always beat me. He was a kind-hearted man, and his spirit was constantly ready to please others. He was only somewhat different when he played his music: he was capable of interrupting his performance if he heard the slightest noise. He gave concerts every Sunday, which I do not remember missing on any occasion."
There are several references of his physique. Mainly that he was a very short man, thin, pallid, and he had lots of fine hair—he was very fond of this hair.
As the composer remains ever popular, and a major tourist attraction in Vienna (where he lived for much of his life). The tourist traps about this now feature pictures of Mozart looking extra handsome, with a chiselled jawline not too far removed from Brad Pitt.
The reality is there's one picture that his wife, Constanze (1762-1842), confirmed as a considerable likeness to her husband. That picture? This one right here.
It's actually an unfinished portrait by Mozart's brother-in-law Joseph Lange. The painting dates to circa 1782. Constanze had this to say about it in an 1829 interview.
"Undoubtedly, the one painted by Madame Lange's husband, which, although it is an unfinished work, bears an admirable resemblance."
In the same interview she said of his general countenance.
"He was always cheerful."
She went on to describe his voice as a "tenor, rather soft in oratory and delicate in singing" and that he could get excitable over certain things. There's also a note that he couldn't control a habit of drumming his fingers and fiddling.
His sister (Mara Anna) confirmed his slight stature and thinness. Some of her written statements were used by Mozart's first biographer, Friedrich Schlichtegroll, who ended up writing this.
"Mozart's parents were the best-looking couple in Salzburg of their time, and in their younger years the daughter passed for possessing remarkable beauty. But the son, Wolfgang, was small, thin, of pale complexion and without any extraordinary appearance in his outward appearance and figure."
Mozart's face also bore the brunt of a bout of smallpox from when he was a child.
There's also more negative stuff, such as suggestions of his childishness. Written in 1792 by his sister Maria Anna (1751-1829) she stated this.
"Except for his music he remained a child, and this is the main characteristic of the dark side of his personality: he always needed a father, a mother or someone to look after him; he was incapable of managing money; he married, against his father's will, a young woman who was not at all suitable for him, and hence the great disorder in his home during and after his death."
There is that side to Mozart—he died penniless. And accounts suggest he was just rubbish at managing his financial affairs.
Despite that, all his peers said he was kind, generous, and welcoming as a person. But also a workaholic (he did write over 600 full works). But we do get the sense he was a bit lost in the adult world, in love with creativity and music.
Mozart in Amadeus
Certainly for the first 90 minutes of Amadeus, the composer is portrayed as a bit of an annoying git. He's petulant, drinks, blows loud raspberries, and makes lewd jokes.
That depiction aside, the portrayal of his genius is relentless.
That's what drives Salleri (F. Murray Abraham) into a fit of endless jealousy. Why does this nincompoop, a "performing monkey", have such an astonishing talent?
It plays into what we expect of our geniuses—profundity and yearning. Beards to be strokes and, bloody hell, how dare any of them have a sense of humour.
Towards the end of the film, Mozart was portrayed with a bit more depth than legend would have it. Just a reminder, but the man died at only 35. It's still a bit of a mystery what happened.
No comments:
Post a Comment