Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site allegra.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!dep From: dep@allegra.UUCP (Dewayne Perry) Newsgroups: net.music.classical Subject: Re: Salieri and Mozart; psyco-babble biographies Message-ID: <4980@allegra.UUCP> Date: Sat, 24-Aug-85 10:29:45 EDT Article-I.D.: allegra.4980 Posted: Sat Aug 24 10:29:45 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 25-Aug-85 02:02:46 EDT Distribution: net.music.classical Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 36First, Salieri and Mozart. Dick Grantges indicated that his aspiring to being an organist suffered from the problem of hiseing akin to Salieri. Dick, if I had even the talent of Salieri, I would be ecstatic. Our view of this important classical composer has been completely colored by the almost completely fictional account given in 'Amadeus'. For a good defence of both Salieri and Mozart, I highly recommend reading the article by Paul Henry Lang in the latest issue of Opus (October 1985) entitled "Salvaging Salieri (and Mozart) after 'Amadeus'", pages 18-21. For a much more accurate portrayal of Mozart and some of the problems he had with the muscial establishment, see "Mozart and Haydn" by Ernst Fritz Schmidt in "The Creative World of Mozart" edited by Paul Henry Lang and published in paperback by Norton. This article contains a good description of the musical environment of Vienna in Mozart's time and how differently Haydn and Mozart responded to it. Second, a small flame about psychobabbliographies. I would excercise a large amount of caution interpreting metaphors, etc from previous times in terms of our own. Therein lies almost sure misinterpretation. Even within comptemporary times, it is not clear that the psychobiography approach "really" unveils the subject in question. All you have to do to convince yourself of this is to consider how often your friends (and your detracters - even those on the net) dont "really" understand what you mean, or meant, in any given situation. Often I dont even understand myself, but it certainly was not what was impugned. To add one or two centuries, several cultures removed can only add to the problem. It seems to worthwhile to distrust those who are willing to tell youwhat you "really" had in mind. Classically yours - Dewayne