What if MOZART was actually jealous of Salieri?

While the classic movie “Amadeus” might have painted Antonio Salieri as a bitter composer, burning with envy over Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's talents, the real story of their relationship is far more intriguing.

In fact, Salieri had little reason to be jealous of his younger contemporary. He not only enjoyed greater opportunities but also achieved more success than Mozart during their lifetimes.

Surprisingly, a peek into Mozart's private letters hints at a different narrative – one where Mozart might have been the one feeling a twinge of jealousy, particularly when it came to Salieri's opportunities.



📚 Sources📚
BROWN, A. PETER. “Amadeus and Mozart: Setting the Record Straight.” The American Scholar 61, no. 1 (1992): 49–66. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41211976.

MIKELS, FRANK X., and JAMES RURAK. “FINISHING SALIERI: Another Act to ‘Amadeus.’” Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal 67, no. 1 (1984): 42–54. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41178283.

Alexander Pushkin, and G. M. Lee. “Mozart and Salieri.” Music & Letters 38, no. 4 (1957): 315–19. http://www.jstor.org/stable/730111.

BOROWITZ, ALBERT I. “Salieri and the ‘Murder’ of Mozart.” The Musical Quarterly 59, no. 2 (1973): 263–84. http://www.jstor.org/stable/741525.

Swafford, Jan. Mozart: The Reign of Love. Harper, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2020.

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Mozart’s Letters, Mozart’s Life: Selected Letters. Edited by Robert Spaethling, WW Norton & Company, 2006.