The image above is a portrait of both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (left) and Antonio Salieri (right)
"Мо́царт и Салье́ри" (Mozart and Salieri) was written by Alexander Pushkin in 1830 and was published in 1832 as 1 of 4 short plays, commonly known as Pushkin's Little Tragedies. Below is the original Russian text followed by an English translation
Born on May 26th, 1799, Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (Александр Сергеевич Пушкин) was one of the most prominent figures of the Golden Age of Russian literature. Born in Moscow, Pushkin is often referred to as the "greatest" poet from Russia and the founder of modern Russian Literature. Growing up, Pushkin enrolled in the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. There he began his literary career. At first, Pushkin followed the romantic style of his older colleagues, Vasily Zhukovsky (Василий Жуковский), but eventually developed a more creative style than that of Zhukovsky. In 1817, Pushkin was elected to an exclusive literary circle, the Arzamas Society. Other prominent Golden Age writers were members of this group, notably Zhukovsky. At the same time, Pushkin began to gain notoriety. His claim to fame came as a result of his beautiful poems and his outspoken political views. These were the same political views that inspired rebels to stage a revolt in December of 1825. Unfortunately for the rebels, their uprising was unsuccessful and shut down quickly. As a result of Pushkin's revolutionary political views, the tsar, Alexander I of Russia, exiled Pushkin in May of 1820. After the rebel uprising in late-1825, the new tsar, Nicholas I of Russia, allowed Pushkin to return because he knew Pushkin had not taken part in the revolt and because he knew of Pushkin's immense fame. However, the tsar put him under heavy censorship to prevent him from writing anti-government literary pieces. Pushkin had agreed to the censorship, but he was not yet aware of the burden it would become. This censorship forced Pushkin to become more creative and marked a turning point in his writing.
"Мо́царт и Салье́ри" (Mozart and Salieri) was written in 1830. It is a short play that only includes two scenes and three characters. The characters are Amadeus Mozart, a famous composer, Antonio Salieri, another famous composer, and a blind man that plays the violin. The play is based on the popular conspiracy that Salieri poisoned and therefore killed Mozart. Supposedly, Salieri hated Mozart because while Salieri worked incessantly his entire life to become an elite musician, Mozart was a child prodigy and it seemed as music came easily to him. In reality, it is noted that Salieri mourned at Mozart's funeral and "later taught Mozart's son." According to conspiracy theory, this supposed hatred led Salieri to poison Mozart's drink, causing him to die. However, scientists believe that Mozart's death was due to an illness. In 2009, Richard Zegers concluded that Mozart's fatal illness was pharyngitis, but it is difficult to confirm his exact cause of death as it occurred 230 years ago. The gossip surrounding Mozart's death prompted Pushkin to write "Мо́царт и Салье́ри."The rumor carried unto today as a result of Pushkin's play which was later adapted to an Opera by Peter Shaffer, despite the wide dismissal from the scientific community.
"Мо́царт и Салье́ри" begins with a monologue from Salieri. In the monologue, Salieri describes the hard work he has done to achieve his success. He also states that he has never envied anyone until he met Mozart. Then Mozart enters the scene and informs Salieri that he wants to show him something. Mozart proceeds to bring in an old blind man who plays some of Mozart's pieces on the violin. Mozart finds the man playing the violin hilarious, while Salieri is perplexed as to why Mozart is laughing. Following the old man's exit, Mozart plays Salieri music that Mozart wrote late the previous night. Salieri is in awe listening to the music. The pair then agree to dinner and Mozart exits. The first scene is concluded by another monologue by Salieri. In his second monologue, Salieri states his jealously of Mozart and decides to poison Mozart as a result of his own greed for Mozart's fame. The second scene begins with Mozart and Salieri dining in a private room in a tavern. Mozart explains to Salieri that he is having nightmares about a man who asked him to write a requiem (any musical service, hymn, or dirge for the repose of the dead). In comforting Mozart, Salieri mentions a friend of his, Pierre Beaumarchais, who helped him when he was troubled. Pierre Beaumarchais was a french polymath who was rumored to have killed his first two wives by poisoning them. Mozart proceeds to ask Salieri about the rumor, and Salieri claims that Beaumarchais was too foolish to do such a thing. Mozart responds by informing Salieri that Beaumarchais is a genius, and so are they. He also says that genius and crime "don't combine" to which Salieri asks, "You think so?" Mozart drinks the poison, and Salieri immediately regrets poisoning him. The play concludes with Salieri stating that genius and crime do combine. He references Michelangelo, a famous Italian sculptor whose works include painting the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel, who was rumored to have killed a man to study the human body.
It is important to consider Pushkin's motivation for dramatizing the rumor of Mozart's poisoning. Some critics maintain Pushkin had access to private information about Mozart's death, while others prefer to view this work simply as an artistic exploration of envy. Pushkin's library did not contain German newspaper copies or alternative publications referencing the event first hand, so the review of Mozart's death as factual rather than a rumor has no real basis. So why did Pushkin choose to write about Salieri's relationship with Mozart? Dr. Monika Greenleaf of Stanford University, asks the same question in Alexander Pushkin's Little Tragedies: The Poetics of Brevity. Although Salieri was not tried and convicted of murder, rumors of Salieri's poisoning spread like wildfire, and as Dr. Greenleaf notes, Salieri lost control of his legacy towards the end of his life. It is likely Pushkin feared facing the same fate as Salieri. In 1825, Pushkin was put under censorship by the Russian tsar, Nicholas I, and as a result, began to lose control over his own legacy. Pushkin needed to change his style of writing to have his works published in any form. But as "Мо́царт и Салье́ри" was written in 1830, it is clear Pushkin had concerns of his own reputation's demise through the likes of federally sponsored propaganda.
"Мо́царт и Салье́ри" (Mozart and Salieri) explores envy and the combination of villainy and genius. While Salieri never directly states his motives for killing Mozart, readers can infer that it is a result of envy. Salieri was envious of Mozart's talent and wanted to remove his competition. Salieri's envy transformed into villainy, highlighting how genius and crime can go hand and hand. Pushkin drives home the point that villainy and genius are not mutually exclusive. Envy lives inside of everyone, even the geniuses of the world. Mozart's mistake was not recognizing that in Salieri. Pushkin's "Мо́царт и Салье́ри", serves as a forewarning for those embarking on a journey to explore their own genius, filled with competition and envy. In American culture, competition is viewed as hopeful, positive, and fair, but rarely does American culture highlight stories of tragedy. Tragedy, unfortunately, is a reality American culture does not like to shine a light on. But, as Russians like to point out, tragedy is likely, and often inevitable.
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