Virtually everyone has heard of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (aka "Mozart," if that didn't ring a bell). Classical era composer and musician extraordinaire, even other musicians in the pantheon of super fame like Beethoven and Handel lived and worked in his shadow. Mozart assembled over six hundred works in a mere thirty-five years of life, and performed across Europe in front of the aristocracy and nobility. He was second to none, yet much of the history and mystery around Mozart seems to revolve around competition between himself and his sometime-rival sometime-partner Antonio Salieri.

Although you've likely heard that Mozart was a musical genius of the highest order, you may not have a full understanding of just what kind of intellect we're talking about here. Starting at age four, Mozart was playing and by age five composing. These early pieces weren't along the lines of "Two Pandas Eating Crackers" or "Rainbows are Neat," but significantly heavier works with titles like "Allegro in C" that, while short, were a lot more impressive than anything another five year-old might hang on a refrigerator.

Recognizing his talent, Mozart's father, a respected musician himself, was able to introduce his son to noble courts in Vienna, Paris, Munich and London. At this time in history, musicians were always attached to wealthy patrons, typically the aristocracy. As a young Mozart toured, he became increasingly famous for his uncanny talent; he composed operas, symphonies, sonatas, string quartets... virtually no genre was left untouched.

Enter Antonio Salieri, a Venetian and favorite composer with the Austrian court to which Mozart would ultimately be attached for some time. Salieri was a huge favorite in Europe, and would be put up against Mozart who was the up and coming star. In the end, the brash upstart Mozart would overtake Salieri as the premiere composer in Vienna and the continent. Naturally, competition between two large egos is rarely pretty.

This scene from Amadeus shows the two butting heads. Salieri composes a piece for the Emperor, who gives it a try before Mozart comes in and shows everyone how it's done.

While Salieri was suspected in Mozart's death, there is in fact little evidence to support this despite the obvious motive of jealousy and - most definitely - financial hardship due to his rival's unbridled success. Claims that Salieri confessed to Mozart's murder are generally considered unfounded. The two actually worked together for some time, composing several works together. Mozart's own opinion of Salieri was initially colored by his feeling that he, an Austrian, was shut out of various musical outlets due to what he described as the "cabal" of Italians. He was complimentary of Salieri in the end, however, writing privately to his wife that Salieri possessed a keen musical mind.