Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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212 SALIEEI SALIEEI
While Gaasmann was iii Rome, composing an
opera for the Carnival of 1770, Salieri conducted
the rehearsals for him, and composed his own
first comic opera, Le Donne ' letterate,' which
received the approval of Gluok and Calzabigi,
and was performed with success at the Burgtheater.
On Gassmann's death in 1774 Salieri
returned his paternal kindness by doing all in
his power for the family, and educating the two
daughters as opera-singers. In the same year
.the Emperor appointed him court composer, and
on Bonno's death in 1788 he became Courtcapellmeister.
He was also a director of the
opera for twenty-four years, till 1790, when he
resigned, and out of compliment to him the
post was given to his pupil Weigl. In 1778
Salieri was in Italy, and composed five operas
for Venice, Milan, and Rome. For the
Emperor's newly- founded National Singspiel
he wrote 'Der Rauchfangkehrer '
(1781), and
for a fete at Sohbnbrunn Prima ' la musica, poi
le parole' (1786).i When the Academie de
Musique in Paris requested Gluck to suggest a
composer who could supply them with a French
opera in which his own principles should be
carried out, he proposed Salieri, who accordingly
received the libretto of 'Les Danaides' from
Moline, worked at it under Gluok's supervision,
and personally superintended its production in
Paris (April 26, 1784).2 He was entrusted
with librettos for two more operas, and returned
with a great increase of fame to Vienna, where
he composed an
'
opera buffa, La Grotto di
Trofonio' (Oct. 12, 1785), the best of its kind
and one of his finest works, which had an
extraordinary success, and was engraved by
Artaria. In 1787 he again visited Paris,
where the first of his operas, Les ' Horaces,
had failed (Dec. 7, 1786), owing to a variety
of untoward circumstances, a failure amply
retrieved, however, by the brilliant success of
' Axur, Re d'Ormus ' (June 8, 1787) or Tarare,'
'
as it was first called. This, which has remained
his most important work, was first performed in
Vienna, Jan. 8, 178S. Another work composed
in Vienna for Paris was a cantata, Le ' Dernier
Jugement ' ' (libretto by Chevalier Roger),
ordered by the Soci^t^ d'ApoUon, and performed
there and at the Concerts Spirituels
with great applause from the connoisseurs. In
1801 Salieri went to Trieste to conduct an opera
composed for the opening of a new opera-house.
This was his last Italian opera, and Die Neger
'
(Vienna, 1804) his last German one, for owing
to his dislike to the change of taste in dramatic
-1 Mozart's ' SchAuspleldireotor was given the same evening.
'
^ Tlie play-bill of tlie first twelve performances described it as
.an opera by Gluck and Salieri. in accordance with a stipulation of
the publisher Deslauriers, but before the thirteenth representation
Oiuck publicly stated in the Jowmal de Paris that Salieri was the
.sole author.
•I
The following anecdote is connected with this cantata. Salieri
was talking over the difficulties of the worlE with Oluck, especially
.as to the voice to be assigned to the port of Christ, for which he
finally proposed a high tenor. Gluck assented, adding, half in joke,
'
lialf in earnest, Before long 1 will send you word from the other
world in what key our Saviour speaks.' Four days later, Nov. 15,
1*787, he was dead.
music, he devoted himself chiefly to church
music, composing also a few instrumental pieces,
choruses, and canons in various parts, published
as 'Scherzi armonici.' On June 16, 1816, he
celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the commencement
of his career in Vienna, when he
'
was decorated with the gold Civil - Ehrenmedaille
and chain, and honoured by a, fgte,
'
at which were performed special compo,sitions
by each of his pupils, including Schubert.*
Salieri was also vice-president of the Tonkiinstler
Societat, and till 1818 conducted nearly all the
concerts. For the twenty-fifth anniversary of
its foundation (1796) he composed a cantata
'
La Kiconosoenza, ' and for the fiftieth (1821) a
part-song, Zu Ehren Joseph Haydn,' to whom
'
the society was largely indebted. Salieri was
also a generous contributor to the funds. He
took great interest in the foundation of the
Conservatorium (1817), and wrote a singingmethod
for the pupils. He lost his only son in
1805, and his wife in 1807, and never recovered
his spirits afterwards. On June 14, 1824,
after fifty years of service at court, he was
allowed to retire on his full salary, and died
May 7, 1825.
His biographer, Edler von Mosel (JJeber das
Leben v/nd die TVerJce des Anton Salieri, Vienna,
1827), describes him as a methodical, active,
religious -minded, benevolent, and peculiarly
grateful man, easily imtated, but as quickly
pacified. We have seen how he discharged his
obligations to Gassmann. He gave gratuitous
instruction and substantial aid of various kinds
to many poor musicians, and to the library of
the Tonkiinstler Societat he bequeathed fortyone
scores in his own handwriting (thirty-four
operas, and seven cantatas) now in the Hofbibliothek.
In accordance with his own wish
his Requiem was performed after his death at
the Italian church. He remained throughout
on cordial terms with Haydn, whose two great
oratorios he often conducted, and Beethoven
dedicated to him in 1799 three sonatas for PF.
and violin, op. 12. In the first volume of his
Beethoven's Slvdien (Rieter-Biedermann, 1873),
Nottebohm has printed ten Italian vocal pieces,
submitted by Beethoven to Salieri, with the
corrections of the latter. These ohiefiy concern
the arrangement of the notes to the words, so
as to conform to the rules of Italian prosody,
and produce the best effect. The pieces are
undated, but internal evidence fixes them to
the period between 1793 and 1802. It appears
that as late as 1809 the great composer consulted
his old adviser as to the arrangement of
his Italian, probably in the 'Four Ariettas
and Duet ' of op. 82 ; and that even then,
when Beethoven was so fiercely independent of
all other musicians, their relations were such
that he voluntarily styled himself ' Salieri's
*
4 The autograph of Schubert's Cantata^both words and music by
him—was sold by auction in Paris, May 14, 1881.