Discourse of Sense (P4/a) BEAUMARCHAIS / SALIERI

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PART 4 (A)

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SALIERI: ... Grab a beer, this will take a while ...

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A.) ... FIRST THINGS FIRST!:

Now. About Caterina Cavalieri and Antonio Salieri ~ 'cause let's face it: this is the most interesting part of the canon!

Antonio Salieri as a Lover ... Hmmm! Well, we only have the ONE anecdote which Wolf Mozart related in his letter about them visiting his *Zauberflöte* together – and a single report by entirely unreliable Volcano Of Resentment - Lorenzo Da Ponte - who crowned her his ''German woman'' and ''Mistress'' ~ but as much as I absolutely deplore to admit it – Braunbehrens might be right in saying they were ''just friends'' especially because pretty much the entire said letter ~ was a projection of Da Ponte's own sins - which he, to appear as spotless as possible, then transferred onto Salieri ...

Turn ON the Logic button:

1.) Mozart personally new both and was collaborating with both on many projects (de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_la_r…), the last of which may have been the Tonkünstlersozietät's concert of 16/17 April 1791 ~ where Salieri directed works by Mozart (symphonies, arias) and Paisiello, and again (under direction of Salieri) in August the *Coronation Mass* (some dispute whether it was ever performed then) with inserts of both (plus Michael Haydn, Albrechtsberger, Linek, Padre Martini) for new Emperor, Leo II ~ meaning that in last year of Mozart's life – they would have been at least closely aware of each other. Had Salieri directed Mozart's music badly, Mozart would not have invited him to share coach and opera box with. Yet the tone he reports this event with – is casual and light. Perfectly satisfied. That is - absent the usual poison, hate and resentment.

2.) ... Ergo follows that Mozart was on friendly terms with at least one of them & obviously relatively cordial with the other: = Wolf was cool with Tony.

3.) Therefore Mozart (who by then probably thought it a clever idea to get on Imperial Kapellmeister Salieri's good side, also wished to get Salieri in a friendly atmosphere and in person to cheer and clap and show approval of his new opera - in the very eye of the public ~ which Salieri indeed has most obligingly done (and, possibly, to, with his this time around *perfect* Singspiel ~ stick it up Salieri's nose for beating him in 1786 ''Opera VS Singspiel'' challenge)) - also invited a mutual friend, Caterina, to tag along. She, as a friend of both and therefore Terra Nullius (neutral territory with affections to both), would have definitely decreased any tension. ... Or maybe increase it?! LOL! But important thing here is – that it was Mozart who probably personally gave out invitations to both: it was likely not Salieri who gate crashed and brought Miss Cavalieri under his arm to the party.

4.) Miss Cavalieri was about 14 years old when she began her study with Salieri - at the time of Salieri's wedding around 1774/75 and was thus amongst his oldest students and friends. She was a Godmother to *Catharina Salieri*, 7th child born in 1788 (+ 1849) and two years later (in 1790) Salieri's wife was pregnant with and gave birth to their last child ~ which means that after 15 years of living together - Tony and Therese must have still had quite a frisky rapport! Ergo, no immediate need for a mistress. ... Eat your hearts out!

5.) Salieri was a devout Christian and more or less without any excesses in his behaviour; there is absolutely no evidence poor boy EVER had any sweethearts (but when a widower, he was frequently in tender and timid love ... Still, most of such notes and lines speak of mutual admiration (without any advances on either side) and the ladies did adore his company and have sought out his advice! But whether anybody actually made a move on, it remains mysteriously unclear ...)

6.) Caterina Cavalieri was one of Salieri's oldest pupils: they met in 1775 when (or around this time, conflicting info) Salieri, curiously, enthusiastically married his wife Therese (even wrote an *Alleluia!* for choir and orchestra to commemorate their sacred union!) ... Think about it: you too go to the cinema with old friends – and don't necessarily get laid!

SYNTHESIS: (as per Mosel):

As a rabid ISTJ - Salieri would have considered making his proper and by the law wife as happy as possible - and added this to his inner list of duties - all of which consequently made him who he was and therefore happy:

''The tumultuous, eventful time, which deeply affected every sensitive person who was loyal to his prince and country, took from our master the peace of mind necessary for the practice of his art; he was no less affected by the deaths in rapid succession of his many children and finally the loss of a wife to whom he was attached with a love that was pure and selfless, and in whom he found his life's happiness; these losses gradually choked off the enthusiastic pleasure that he had formerly felt in working for the public.'' Poor man. With his patron and half of the family and friends dead - Salieri became orphaned for the second time in his life.

... So there it is! (Damn, the only really interesting little nugget and he doesn't even give us this to chew on!)


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... And now to BUSINESS!!! Remember, I began writing this because Da Ponte accused Salieri of being an ego maniac!

To have, out of about 18 ~ just the TWO books about Salieri in English (Maligned Master, Viennese Opera (+ Thayer's newspaper articles)) – is really NOT ENOUGH. Please turn everything you think you know about Salieri – on it's head;

~ for *IT IS THE OTHER WAY AROUND* ...

(TH-LoB:173) ''Cartellieri was a young man of twenty-three years who, a year or two since, had come from Berlin to study operatic composition with then greatest living composer in that field, Salieri.''

... Pihh, you say – that Thayer is sucking up again! ... No. Actually, Thayer is quite correct.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kW0SZ…

And with more of Salieri's works recorded – I think we'll all get to hear it!

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