Amadeus - Peter Shaffer

...It is true that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the greatest composers, died young aged only 36-years-old. It is also true that there was another composer at the time called Antonio Salieri. Pure artistic license on Peter Shaffer's part drives the main plot of the play, that Salieri murdered Mozart out of jealousy. He is perfectly entitled to do so as other theories for Mozart's death seem just as far-fetched, theories that include rheumatic fever, ...
...disease from a worm in under-cooked pork). It may not be true, but it makes for a very gripping story.

Peter Shaffer presents Mozart as a young, enthusiastic, vulgar, disgusting, childish, lovable, influential, heart-warming, swearing, manic, maverick, rebellious genius. His music is from another world; it survives the ages, but his genius was not recognised in his lifetime. On the other hand Salieri is the perfect villain, driven ... more

This is the play script of 'Amadeus' by Peter Shaffer which, first performed in 1979, won the Tony Award for Best Play of the year, the 1979 Evening Standard Award, the Plays and Players Award, and the London Theatre Critic's Award. 'Amadeus' achieved the rare distinction of having run for over a thousand performances on Broadway and in 1984 was made into a highly successful film (DVD also catalogued on Ciao).

This well-deserved praise highlights how good a play 'Amadeus' is, and I would highly recommend going to see it performed in theatre. This play script is the next best thing. But whereas in a novel all characters, feelings and thoughts are described, play scripts are a little different and can be more difficult to read. For the uninitiated, a play script is made up of dialogue and stage directions. Therefore a lot of imagination is required as you must, in effect, direct the play as it would be staged, in your head.

e.g.
SALIERI [shaken: to audience] And then, right away, the concert began. I heard it through the door - some Serenade: at first only vaguely - too horrified to attend. But presently the sound insisted - a solemn Adagio in E flat.
[The Adagio from the Serenade for Thirteen Wind Instruments
(K.361) begins to sound. Quietly and quite slowly, seated in
the wing-chair, SALIERI speaks over the music.]
It started simply enough: just a pulse in the lowest registers - bassoons and basset horns - like a rusty squeezebox. It would have been comic except for the slowness, which gave it instead a sort of serenity. And then suddenly, high above it, sounded a single note on the oboe.

I hope this helps you see that a play script is completely different from an ordinary book. It may take a bit of time or practise to get used to this style of literature, a consideration to make before you buy it. I studied this at school for my A-levels and it is worth persevering with as you learn a lot about how directors make decisions in plays, the different effects they achieve for the audience (except all lighting, music and staging happens in your imagination).

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The story of 'Amadeus' is not entirely true to history. It is true that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the greatest composers, died young aged only 36-years-old. It is also true that there was another composer at the time called Antonio Salieri. Pure artistic license on Peter Shaffer's part drives the main plot of the play, that Salieri murdered Mozart out of jealousy. He is perfectly entitled to do so as other theories for Mozart's death seem just as far-fetched, theories that include rheumatic fever, kidney stones, heart disease, pneumonia, poisoning, syphilis and trichinosis (a disease from a worm in under-cooked pork). It may not be true, but it makes for a very gripping story.

Peter Shaffer presents Mozart as a young, enthusiastic, vulgar, disgusting, childish, lovable, influential, heart-warming, swearing, manic, maverick, rebellious genius. His music is from another world; it survives the ages, but his genius was not recognised in his lifetime. On the other hand Salieri is the perfect villain, driven by professional jealousy and intimidated by this young prodigy. Yet the greatest irony is that Salieri is in fact Mozart's biggest which almost tears him in two; the burning pain at the knowledge that he can never be better than Mozart; and the burning passion he feels towards Mozart's music.

No wonder we are left doubting whether Salieri, an old man at the beginning of the play, really had it in him to kill Mozart. Or perhaps he was as useless at murder as he was at composing (he can't even commit suicide right). This is a play of botched murders, botched suicides, botched adultery, an exploration of whether music can make you eternal, the poverty of musicians, the fight for rank and titles, the clash of cultures and the secret corruption in the court of Joseph II, Emperor of Austria.

* * * * *
It is quite a complicated plot involving lots of characters with long names (such as Count Orsini-Rosenberg, Baron Van Swieten, Constanze Weber) but don't let this put you off. It may be a little difficult to get your bearings at first, but I recommend that you stick with it. It is a truly brilliant play with great twists and turns, laugh-out-loud moments, intense tension between characters and a hauntingly tragic ending.

'Amadeus' is also a great introduction to Mozart's music. Before reading it I knew very little about Mozart or his music. Many pieces are mentioned in this play, and I was surprised how many tunes I recognised when I heard them. If you don't get to see this performed I suggest you listen to some of the excerpts mentioned, for example the sinister and sombre 'Requiem Mass', and bits from 'The Magic Flute' and 'The Marriage of Figaro.' To get an even better feel for the 'Amadeus' phenomenon I think it is also worthwhile to see the film. The story differs slightly, but it is packed full of Mozart's music, colourful acting, and even recreates some of the ballet of the time, in contemporary costume as it would have been done in Mozart's day.

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Critics have noted:

"Shaffer works out his tremendous, his colossal, theme in language of great strength…those who go to it prepared to understand what it is about will have an experience that far transcends even its considerable value as drama" - Bernard Levin in 'The Times'

"A marvellously engrossing and often amusing costume-thriller, a feast for the eye and the ear" - Steve Grant in the 'Observer'

"Glorious…Amadeus may be a play inspired by music and death, but it fills the theatre with that mocking heavenly silence that is the overwhelming terror of life" - 'The New York Times'

"He is dealing with the very nature of art; with immortality itself…Shaffer paints his heady subject on a wide and spectacular canvas" - Jack Tinker in the 'Daily Mail'

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I highly recommend this play, but since it is a play script I believe it isn't suitable for everyone as script reading is not what everyone is useful. It is well worth the challenge and extra effort of reading it as a script and I believe it helps you get much more out of it than simply seeing the play, or watching the DVD.

Some editions, such as the one I have, include a postscript by Peter Shaffer about the making of the film 'Amadeus'. I own the Penguin edition which has a scene from the film on the front cover which I believe was published in 1993.

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ISBN: 0140481605
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Edition: Paperback 112 pages
First published: July 27, 1981

UK price: £7.99
Amazon price: £6.39 

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