Why am I here? What does this all mean? What is my destiny? Where is God? These are questions we ask during our lifetime, questions of discernment that unlock not only the truth about ourselves, but our perception of God. Even as time passes, these questions remain and we are drawn to answer them not by words but the way we live our lives. Still one should not doubt that God also plays a prevalent role in who we are to become and and recognize that even if we choose to deny God's existence he will play a role within our ruin. Similar to 1830’s play Amadeus, we are introduced to Court Composer, Antonio Salieri, a once virtuous man now fallen from grace due to his continuous sin. After his disappointing encounter with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Salieri comes to realize the true nature of his work and how, despite his virtuous life, he will never be as talented as his counterpart. Within Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus Salieri wages a war against God through His “believed” disciple, Mozart; after Salieri’s discontent he is quickly engulfed by the deadly sins of greed, lust & gluttony, and pride using them to prove that it is possible for Man’s actions on earth are greater than God’s virtues.
Initially, Salieri’s transition into the annihilation of his faith came through his acknowledgement of the musical virtues Mozart had been given over him (by God); through this Salieri begins to transform from a virtuous man to a man rising from jealousy to a being actively pursuing his greed. In the beginning of his life, Salieri had adored and devoted his life to God through his given talents and passion of music, and through this he lived a chaste life of a catholic man, able to appreciate and give thanks for the abilities he had been given. Ho...
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...ior vows and his new found denial of God’s authority. From simple sweet cakes to vicious murder, Salieri’s transition into his fall from grace is seen as one of the vital plot points of the play, which are due to the copious amounts of relatable questions and desires people face even now. In leaving behind his pursuit for a righteous lifestyle, Salieri weakens and gives into his malicious intent through sin. He believed that in order to attain the attention he deserved from a higher being, he would have to discard the vows he had promised Him, replacing them with indulgences of fine foods, women, and raising himself above God on earth. In the war between good and evil, Salieri battled with God for power and authority, but his actions proved that no bad deed goes unpunished.
Works Cited
Shaffer, Peter. Peter Shaffer's Amadeus. New York: Harper & Row, 1981. Print.
Sadie, Stanley. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Essays on his Life and his Music. United States: Oxford University Press. 1996, Print.
Through this theme, the author hoped to denote the importance of religion and sins. Antonio is the perfect delineation of the irrefutable desires of man when he says, “And although I did not feel good about it, I ate the golden carrot. I had never eaten anything sweeter or juicier in my life.” (Anaya, 109). Despite knowing that it is a sin to take something of someone else’s without permission, Antonio, even if reluctant, still chooses to consume the carrot. He, being a religious boy who firmly believes in always performing good deeds, still chooses to indulge in wrongdoing and even ends up enjoying it. Antonio’s perspective on god significantly changes after discussing sins with Florence; “there seemed to be so many pitfalls in the questions we asked…would the knowledge of the answers make me share in the original sin of Adam and Eve?” (113). Similar to the biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Antonio consumes a vegetable that was not meant for him. He firmly believes that what happened in the Garden of Eden was a result of the irrevocable habit of man to sin; a habit now being attained to Antonio as well. However, shortly after performing this act which was almost identical to that of Adam and Eve, Antonio starts to question the beliefs
...eview Dance Board. (2010, February 13). Mark Morris on Mozart. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from The Harvard Art Review: http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~harvardartreview/wordpress/2010/02/24/mark-morris-on-mozart-2/
	Antonio shows a startling maturity. Psychologically, a typical six-year old will suffer serious mental agonies if he or she witnesses the death of four other people. Tony, however, "[runs] the words of the Act of Contrition" (23) through his mind, praying to God promising that "[he] will sin no more." (170) Furthermore, the typical six year old child will not possess the mentality to question the flaws of a religion nor question why God "forgives all" (173), even murderers. This is not the case for Tony, who is bothered by the fact that God will "forgive Narciso…" only "…if [Tony] also asks [God] to forgive Tenorio." (173) In addition, Tony’s maturity leads him to order someone to "go get the lifeguard" (239) during the drowning of Florence. At the same time, Tony notices a "red spot on [Florence’s] forehead where he must have hit the edge of the culvert." (240) Death, to a six year old, is a mystery while religion is accepted just like the letters of the alphabet. However, Tony’s questions of religion and reactions to death reflect a mindset of someone far beyond his age group.
Salieri got his wish for fame in the end. He reflects on this, “I was
...ts of fever and general ill-health. And in his last ten years in Vienna, the constant need to write commissioned work - for he was the first of the composing freelances, with no regular patrons or court salaries - had worn him down to the point where one bout of fever was sure to finish him off. In July he'd had the anonymous commission to write a Requiem for the Dead; but that had been progressing slowly, because he'd been busy with two operas - La Clemenza di Tito and The Magic Flute - and two cantatas at the same time. Thirty-five years of artistic, social and personal pressure was taking its toll.
This paper will explore the life of the great composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach was considered one of the greatest composers of all time. He created amazing, famous compositions that made a big impact in today’s world. He went through rough times like many people do, the loss of his parents and finding a way back to the old routine was not an easy task. Bach came from generations of musicians and was given a religious education which is something that played a big role in his life when becoming a musician. We will analyze and learn the significance of some of his great compositions, the stories and what inspired him to compose music.
Amadeus is a movie based on the career and the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Viennese during the 18th century. Throughout the film Antonio Salieri tells his story of his growing hatred for Mozart that eventually led to his ?murder?. Through out the rest of the movie you can see where Salieri is getting even more jealous of Mozart.
At the age of the Enlightenment, Antonio Salieri becomes the most triumphant musician in the city of Vienna, however, without any warning his harmonious universe comes to an utter halt. Salieri’s absolute faith in the world, in himself, and in God is all at once diminished by this spontaneous child composer. When the two opposite ends meet, there emerges a fury, a rage, and a passion in Salieri to sabotage the boy that has secured Salieri’s deserved God given talent; to destroy the one pubescent child that has made him so mute and naked now in a world of discordance. Salieri’s entire reputation and boyhood prayer to attain fame thus rests on his ability to annihilate that child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.In analyzing the two composers, Salieri and Mozart, there is a distinct line that clearly divides them. Salieri’s operas receive astounding receptions, making them the “talk of the city,'; shaking the roofs, buzzing the cafes, and even the name Salieri “sounds throughout all of Europe'; (2,3). The reason for Salieri’s success, as well as many musicians of the eighteenth century, is because they have become enslaved by the well-to-do and hence are “no better than servants'; (1,3). This applies especially to the king. For example, in Amadeus, His Majesty forbid any ballet in his operas. Imperial commands such as this are not to be interpreted in any way, in other words, they are to be merely obeyed without any dispute. Since operas tend to the needs of the high society in order to obtain recognition, the operas must communicate through the language of the nobility, that is, Italian. In addition, since the majority of the audience is made up of the upper class, the subject matter of the operas must consist of elevated themes. Such as, mythological heroes, kings, and queens, and so forth. According to the eighteenth century view, operas are supposed to be a sublime and an aggrandizing art. The elevated subject matter is then chosen in order to venerate and honor the nobility. It’s purpose is to “celebrate the eternal in man'; says Van Swieten (2,4). Meaning that there is an element in a noble person that lasts without any end, like God who is immortal. God represents the everlasting and the eternality of existence, thus God gives inspiration to operas that...
The first step in Tony?s spiritual journey is when he questions his family?s long-standing belief in the Catholic religion and his own destiny to follow their dreams of him becoming a priest. Tony doubts his abilities as a priest, even though he is not one, because his mother dreams for him to become a priest. Subsequently, he believes that he should have been able to save Lupito?s soul from wandering the river, because he will one day be required to. Whereas, ?A priest could have saved Lupito.'; (23), Tony feels guilty that he wasn?t able to fulfill his duty even though it wasn?t his. This shows that the destiny at first laid out by Catholicism may not be the one that is best suited to Tony. By not saving Lupito or his soul, the town Tony lives in is no longer pure in his eyes. The river is the lifeline of the town and once it is stained then the town will also be tainted with the murder of Lupito. Tony asks, ?How would I ever wash away the stain of blood from the sweet waters of my river!'; (23), and in doing so also questions why God puts such obstac...
His life had already been a journey. His father had died just a year ago and he had lost three children with his wife Constanze. Mozart created music that reflected his life. Constanze felt like it was hard to deal with her problems because she felt pregnant all the time and the stress of money. Mozart was not guaranteed an income. He would borrow money from friends and send letters months after months saying he could not pay them right now and that he was not financially able. Mozart’s father as well as Constanze’s mother did not like them together at all. His father opposed the marriage and said her family was not worthy of Wolfgang. Constanze’s mother tried her hardest to keep the two separated. She went as far as banning her daughter from seeing him. Neither Leopold nor Constanze’s mother attended their wedding. After the marriage, Wolfgang tried to repair the gap that was between him and his father. He sent a letter saying he would come and visit sometime and invited him and his sister to attend his performance of C Minor that was wrote for Constanze. Before Wolfgang and Constanze got married, she was sick with an illness. But Mozart made a promise with god. His promise was that if she got better and married him, he would create a religious piece of music. He did and it became one of the greatest religious works he had ever written. Constanze said she found it hard to love her father and sister in-law. She would have loved to have a
Amadeus, the Tony-Award winning tale of 18th-century court composer Antonio Salieri's envy of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is a mighty challenge for actors.
Salieri was a noble, decent and a mature person. After his father died, God gave him what he needed and made him a court composer for the Emperor. He was simply a model of virtue for other people. “I kept my hands off woman”. This was said by Salieri and this quote also proves that he was respectful and an honored person. “Teaching students, many of them for free, sitting on endless committees to help poor musicians”. This quote was also said by the court composer Salieri. This quote tells all of us that he was a really nice person and didn’t want anything in return because God gave him what he needed the most. “Let me celebrate your glory through music”. This shows us that he was very dedicated to his religion and to God. “I was the most successful musician in Vienna”. Salieri was really happy when he knew he was the greatest composer of Vienna but when ever there is a good time for a person, there is also a bad. Salieri’s evil side took over part of his good side and this all happened when he arrived. The most famous composer named Mozart.
As an adult Mozart his career was not as successful as when he was younger. But he kept on composing anyway hoping one people would appreciate his work. He lived in poverty for the great majority of his life. In 1769 he became a concertmaster to the archbishop of Salzburg, which was another one of his jobs that afforded him little financial security. In 1777, he left on another concert tour. But, the courts of Europe ignored Mozart ‘s search for a more beneficial assignment. In 1782 he earned a living by selling compositions, giving public performances, and giving music lessons, which once again was a low paying job. The composer never did find a well paying job. The bizarre thing was is that even that he had ton of trouble finding jobs, he was still considered one of the leading composers of the late 1700s.