The Writer's Almanac from Sunday, August 18, 2013
The Writer's Almanac from Sunday, August 18, 2013
"Part of Eve's Discussion" by Marie Howe, from The Good Thief. © Marie Howe, 1988.
ORIGINAL TEXT AND AUDIO - 2013
Today is the birthday of Italian-born Viennese composer Antonio Salieri, born in Legnago, in the Republic of Venice (1750). Although he was quite popular in the 18th century, he probably wouldn't be well known today were it not for the movie Amadeus (1984). The movie was based on Peter Shaffer's play by the same name (1979), which was in turn based on a short play by Aleksandr Pushkin, which was called Mozart and Salieri (1830). These stories all present Salieri as a mediocre and uninspired composer who was jealous of Mozart's musical genius; Salieri tried to discredit Mozart at every turn, and some versions of the story even accuse him of poisoning his rival.
But, in fact, Salieri was a talented and successful composer, writing the scores for several popular operas. He had a happy home life with his wife and eight children. And because he had received free voice and composition lessons from a generous mentor as a young man, he also gave most of his students the benefit of free instruction. Some of his pupils included Beethoven, Franz Liszt, and Franz Schubert. He was the Kapellmeister — the person in charge of music — for the Austrian emperor for 36 years. He and Mozart were competitors, but their rivalry was usually a friendly one; Salieri visited Mozart when he was dying, and was one of the few people to attend his funeral.
Salieri suffered from dementia late in his life and died in 1825. He had composed his own requiem 20 years earlier, and it was performed for the first time at his funeral.
On this date in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote. In the latter half of the 19th century, states began gradually loosening restrictions on voting rights for women. Most Southern states opposed the amendment, and on August 18, 1920, it all came down to Tennessee. The pro-amendment faction wore yellow roses in their lapels, and the "anti" faction wore red American Beauty roses. It was a close battle and the state legislature was tied 48 to 48. The decision came down to one vote: that of 24-year-old Harry Burn, the youngest state legislator. Proudly sporting a red rose, he cast his vote in favor of ratification. He had been expected to vote against it, but he had in his pocket a note from his mother, which instructed him to vote otherwise.
On this date in 1958, Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita was published in the United States. First released in France in 1955 by a publisher that specialized in erotica, the story of middle-aged Humbert Humbert and his obsession with his landlady's 12-year-old daughter was met with mixed reviews. A contemporary New York Times review pleaded with readers to ignore the word-of-mouth and keep an open mind.
Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®
Cheerfulness by Garrison Keillor
In Cheerfulness, veteran radio host and author Garrison Keillor reflects on a simple virtue that can help us in this stressful and sometimes gloomy era. Drawing on personal anecdotes from his young adulthood into his eighties, Keillor sheds light on the immense good that can come from a deliberate work ethic and a buoyant demeanor.
Hold on, this isn't the original audio. Something fishy is going on here.
When discussing how good Salieri might of been, it’s useful to bear in mind that Beethoven himself once identified Salieri as his favorite composer.
“Amadeus” is one of the best examples of how “Bad Facts drive out Real Facts” in the public mind, and especially when it comes to movies. “Amadeus” is certainly a wonderful movie, but it is, at its base, a work of fiction; yet that part almost always gets forgotten. And after watching something like this people make the mistake of believing that they have actually learned something about the subject of the movie.
(Other notable examples have been “Inherit the Wind”, “The Belle of Amherst”, and most recently, “Oppenheimer”.)