Posted on 08/18/2009 11:38:16 AM PDT by JoeProBono
A new European study says it wasn't bad pork chops or a jealous rival:
There have been a lot of theories about what killed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at age 35, said Doug Stanglin in USA Today. Was it kidney failure? Undercooked pork chops? Poisoning? But a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests the composer may have died from a simple case of strep throat.
This will come as good news to fans of Mozart's "jealous rival, Italian composer Antonio Salieri," said Sue Michaels in Chattahbox. Salieri, after all, is the one rumored to have poisoned Mozart back in 1791. Mozart’s death certificate offered little in the way of medical clues, other than to say that he died of severe fever and rash. Maybe that's why the conspiracy theories lasted so long.
Even now the European researchers behind this study say to take their findings with a grain of salt, said Jacob Goldstein in The Wall Street Journal. The fact that Mozart suffered from fever, swelling, and rash doesn't point to any specific disease, so the authors of the study looked at community-wide outbreaks of disease at the time to see which "might fit with the great man’s death." Strep throat seemed a better fit than scarlet fever -- but there's still room for debate.
My very own senior moment.
Thanks
“My response was flip, but heartfelt. WAS tragic that he died so young. Schubert, as well. Oh, well... Let’s put a Handel on it It and get Bach to basics. (Dare I say it? Another score. From clef notes, mayhap?) sd”
“My response was flip, but heartfelt”
No, it was not flippant. In no way did I interpret it that way. Therefore relax my good friend. Then it must have been something I said which was misinterpret.
“WAS tragic that he died so young. Schubert, as well. Oh, well... Let’s put a Handel on it It and get Bach to basics. (Dare I say it? Another score. From clef notes, mayhap?) sd”
What can I say about the crap we have had for some many years. You know what I am talking about.
I learned to love classical music when I was 3 years old. At that time it was Handel. And yes, I can remember when I was at least 1 ½ years of age.
Mozart's youngest son was taught by Salieri after Mozart died, so I guess Mozart's widow didn't think that Salieri poisoned her husband.
I've loved the music of the other supremely talented composer who died young that was featured in the movie Amadeus. Pergolesi. In the movie Salieri listens to Pergolesi's music when he was sitting in church as a boy wishing he could compose music like that.
I was being fatuous ...I have the movie Amadeus - in the beginning Saliari says “I killed Mozart” ... so I was just going on that ...BTW, I have the CD “Pergolesi” - I first heard it in the movie “Jesus of Montreal” my other fav. is Carmina Burana, sort of on the same style ....
“Then it must have been something I said which was misinterpret.”
misinterpret = misinterpreted
I’m to going to bed soon.
“Mozart’s youngest son was taught by Salieri after Mozart died”
Please continue.
I had not read this. What happend to Mozart’s youngest son? Thank you.
A CD jacket I have for his Stabat Mater says it was the single most popular piece of music in the eighteenth century. I don't know whether that was correct or not, but the music is superb. I have three or four versions of the Stabat Mater. The version I enjoy most is the one with Margaret Mitchell. A bit slow for some, but well done.
If you are interested in other Pergolesi music I'd recommend his Missa Romana in an Orfeo recording with Roschmann et al. I see it is still listed in Amazon with online playable excerpts. Listen to the finale (track 8). Joyous music. My wife wants that finale to be played at her funeral along with Mozart's Queen of the Night aria.
My wife is a pianist, and I traced her teachers and their teachers’ teachers etc. One of them was Wolfgang Amadeus (Franz Xaver) Mozart, born in Vienna in 1791. He was Mozart’s son. He studied under Hummel and Salieri, both of whom are independently in my wife’s teacher tree along with Mozart, Beethoven, etc. Mozart Jr wrote some music and taught students, but as far as I know never had descendants.
Both are what I call ‘haunting’ music - I just remember those two girls playing Sabat Mater on the sidewalk .... then I bought the CD ...
Thank you..
I will be doing my homework tomorrow.
What a wondrful piece of information.
I just got back from purchasing a Chopin CD when I read this article. If it had been a Mozart CD, I would be waiting for the Twilight Zone music.
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