Antonio Salieri   

Antonio Salieri was an Italian composer and musician, born in a little town in Venetia on 18^th August 1750.  Salieri was 6 years older than WA Mozart; performing keyboard solos around the time Mozart was also a keyboard prodigy.  Salieri and Mozart were good friends, although for a while rumours said otherwise.  Salieri was a highly successful musician and composer who was much honoured and considered a very important expert during his own lifetime – a rare recognition for musicians during this time.

    Antonio Salieri loved music from the time he was a toddler.  His brother, Francesco, was a successful violin performer.  Salieri went to his brother’s concerts as often as he could.  One day, when he was ten, Salieri left his home village to see his brother’s concert without permission from his father.  After the worried parents finally found Salieri, he was told that if he ever went away like that again he would be confined to his room for a week with just bread and water.  Salieri decided he didn’t mind that if he could just have some sugar with his bread, so he saved a little pile of sugar in case.  One day he meant to go to church mass, but couldn’t resist a detour when he heard his brother was performing.  According to his father’s word, he was caught and sent to his room for a week.  Unfortunately, his pile of sugar had disappeared because he told his little sister about it. 

    Salieri was taught music by his talented brother and by a local church organist, Giuseppe Simone.  He developed a strong taste about music quality, and had little respect for what he thought was ‘bad’ music.

    Sadly, both Salieri’s parents died before he was 13.  He stayed with a brother a short time, then with a wealthy man in Venice.  Here he was able to learn under Pacini and Pescetti.  Pacini introduced Salieri to Gassman, who took him to learn composition in Vienna.  Salieri spent the remainder of his life in Vienna.

    Gassman intended to make Salieri a master of vocal composition and had him tutored in Germelf away to compose in secret as often as possible. 

    Joseph II was the Emperor at the time, a highly musical man who employed Gassman.  When Joseph heard of talented, young Salieri he asked to meet him.  The Emperor was impressed with Salieri’s singing and keyboard skills, and liked him very much as a youth.  Joseph’s admiration was important in helping Salieri to succeed as a musician in his own time.

    Salieri’s compositions were recognised for the first time when he was 19.  Gassman was assigned to write a comic opera, but was away and unable to complete the task.  The duty fell instead to Salieri.  Salieri worked hard on the opera, and was anxious until the opening night.  The opera was much applauded – the first of several successful operas written in a few years. 

    At 24 years of age, Salieri’s second father, Gassman, died.  Emperor Joseph offered the open positions of director of royal music and of Italian opera to Salieri.  Joseph tripled the income from the position so that Salieri would have consent to marry his fiancé.  In this position, between 1776 and 1788, Salieri wrote many successful operas at an international level. 

    After Joseph II’s death in 1790, Salieri’s career declined.  This was by choice and circumstance.  With the Revolution in Paris, international requests for operas stopped.  He gave more time to looking after the regional music library and the widows and families of deceased musicians.  He composed and conducted for charity.  In gratitude to Gassman’s free tuition, he took students without payment – including Schubert, Beethoven and Liszt.  He wrote many musical genres in addition to opera, such as piano concertos and symphonies.  His work was usually popular and he was much respected as a kind man.

    Due to his humility, Salieri’s work fell out of circulation after his death in 1825.  His popularity is in the process of rekindling. 

Last modified: April 13, 2009