Great Scene: Amadeus

This is one of my favorite all-time scenes, a brilliant inspiration for the viewer to hear what Mozart is ‘hearing’ in his own mind, but Solieri not to hear, both to give Solieri an actual taste of creative genius at work in the moment, and also to underscore to us how damn frustrating it was for him to live in the shadow of Mozart’s genius. It is, in effect, the story’s Final Struggle — for Mozart to attempt to complete this piece before he dies and for Solieri to be a part of a profoundly creative act.

I’m posting this scene in honor of my oldest son Will, who is studying music composition in college. It’s his 18th birthday today.

INT. MOZART’S APARTMENT — BEDROOM — NIGHT — 1790'S

 Mozart is sitting up in bed, propped against pillows. The
 coins lie on the coverlet; many candles burn in the necks of
 bottles. Salieri, without coat or wig, is seated at an
 improvised worktable. On it are blank sheets of music paper,
 quills, and ink. Also the score of the Requiem Mass as so
 far composed. Mozart is bright-eyed with a kind of fever.
 Salieri is also possessed with an obviously feverish desire
 to put down the notes as quickly as Mozart can dictate them.

 MOZART
 Where did I stop?

 SALIERI
 (consulting the
 manuscript)
 The end of the Recordare — Statuens
 in parte dextra.

 MOZART
 So now the Confutatis. Confutatis
 Maledictis. When the wicked are
 confounded. Flammis acribus addictis.
 How would you translate that?

 SALIERI
 Consigned to flames of woe.

 MOZART
 Do you believe in it?

 SALIERI
 What?

 MOZART
 A fire which never dies. Burning one
 forever?

 SALIERI
 Oh, yes.

 MOZART
 Strange!

 SALIERI
 Come. Let’s begin.

 He takes his pen.

 SALIERI
 Confutatis Maledictis.

 MOZART
 We ended in F Major?

 SALIERI
 Yes.

 MOZART
 So now — A minor. Suddenly.

 Salieri writes the key signature.

 MOZART
 The Fire.

 SALIERI
 What time?

 MOZART
 Common time.

 Salieri writes this, and continues now to write as swiftly
 and urgently as he can, at Mozart’s dictation. He is obviously
 highly expert at doing this and hardly hesitates. His speed,
 however, can never be too fast for Mozart’s impatient mind.

 MOZART
 Start with the voices. Basses first.
 Second beat of the first measure -
 A.
 (singing the note)
 Con-fu-ta-tis.
 (speaking)
 Second measure, second beat.
 (singing)
 Ma-le-dic-tis.
 (speaking)
 G-sharp, of course.

 SALIERI
 Yes.

 MOZART
 Third measure, second beat starting
 on E.
 (singing)
 Flam-mis a-cri-bus ad-dic-tis.
 (speaking)
 And fourth measure, fourth beat — D.
 (singing)
 Ma-le-dic-tis, flam-mis a-cri-bus ad-
 dic-tis.
 (speaking)
 Do you have that?

 SALIERI
 I think so.

 MOZART
 Sing it back.

 Salieri sings back the first six measures of the bass line.
 After the first two measures a chorus of basses fades in on
 the soundtrack and engulfs his voice. They stop.

 MOZART
 Good. Now the tenors. Fourth beat of
 the first measure — C.
 (singing)
 Con-fu-ta-tis.
 (speaking)
 Second measure, fourth beat on D.
 (singing)
 Ma-le-dic-tis.
 (speaking)
 All right?

 SALIERI
 Yes.

 MOZART
 Fourth measure, second beat — F.
 (singing)
 Flam-mis a-cri-bus ad-dic-tis, flam-
 mis a-cri-bus ad-dic-tis.

 His voice is lost on the last words, as tenors engulf it and
 take over the soundtrack, singing their whole line from the
 beginning, right to the end of the sixth measure where the
 basses stopped, but he goes on mouthing the sounds with them.
 Salieri writes feverishly. We see his pen jotting down the
 notes as quickly as possible: the ink flicks onto the page.
 The music stops again.

 MOZART
 Now the orchestra. Second bassoon
 and bass trombone with the basses.
 Identical notes and rhythm.
 (He hurriedly hums
 the opening notes of
 the bass vocal line)
 The first bassoon and tenor trombone -

 SALIERI
 (labouring to keep up)
 Please! Just one moment.

 Mozart glares at him, irritated. His hands move impatiently.
 Salieri scribbles frantically.

 MOZART
 It couldn’t be simpler.

 SALIERI
 (finishing)
 First bassoon and tenor trombone -
 what?

 MOZART
 With the tenors.

 SALIERI
 Also identical?

 MOZART
 Exactly. The instruments to go with
 the voices. Trumpets and timpani,
 tonic and dominant.

 He again hums the bass vocal line from the beginning,
 conducting. On the soundtrack, we hear the second bassoon
 and bass trombone play it with him and the first bassoon and
 tenor trombone come in on top, playing the tenor vocal line.
 We also hear the trumpets and timpani. The sound is bare and
 grim. It stops at the end of the sixth measure. Salieri stops
 writing.

 SALIERI
 And that’s all?

 MOZART
 Oh no. Now for the Fire.
 (he smiles)
 Strings in unison — ostinato on all -
 like this.

 He sings the urgent first measure of the ostinato.

 MOZART
 (speaking)
 Second measure on B.

 He sings the second measure of the ostinato.

 MOZART
 (speaking)
 Do you have me?

 SALIERI
 I think so.

 MOZART
 Show me.

 Salieri sings the first two measures of the string ostinato.

 MOZART
 (excitedly)
 Good, good — yes! Put it down. And
 the next measures exactly the same,
 rising and rising — C to D to E, up
 to the dominant chord. Do you see?

 As Salieri writes, Mozart sings the ostinato from the
 beginning, but the unaccompanied strings overwhelm his voice
 on the soundtrack, playing the first six bars of their
 agitated accompaniment. They stop.

 SALIERI
 That’s wonderful!

 MOZART
 Yes, yes — go on. The Voca Me.
 Suddenly sotto voce. Write that down:
 sotto voce, pianissimo. Voca me cum
 benedictis. Call me among the blessed.

 He is now sitting bolt upright, hushed and inspired.

 MOZART
 C Major. Sopranos and altos in thirds.
 Altos on C. Sopranos above.
 (singing the alto
 part)
 Vo-ca, vo-ca me, vo-ca me cum be-ne-
 dic-tis.

 SALIERI
 Sopranos up to F on the second ‘Voca’?

 MOZART
 Yes, and on ‘dictis’.

 SALIERI
 Yes!

 He writes feverishly.

 MOZART
 And underneath, just violins -
 arpeggio.

 He sings the violin figure under the Voca Me (Bars 7,8,9).

 MOZART
 (speaking)
 The descending scale in eighth notes,
 and then back suddenly to the fire
 again.

 He sings the ostinato phrase twice.

 MOZART
 (speaking)
 And that’s it. Do you have it?

 SALIERI
 You go fast!

 MOZART
 (urgently)
 Do you have it?

 SALIERI
 Yes.

 MOZART
 Then let me hear it. All of it. The
 whole thing from the beginning -
 now!

 The entire Confutatis bursts over the room, as Mozart snatches
 the manuscript pages from Salieri and reads from it, singing.
 Salieri sits looking on in wondering astonishment.

[Originally posted 1/23/09].

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