Long-lost Mozart score discovered tucked away in Czech museum
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Version 0 of 1. A long-lost musical composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been discovered in a museum. The collaborative effort, a libretto, between Antonio Salieri and Mozart was found tucked away in the reserve collection of the Czech national museum, according to The Local. "It's a joint composition by Mozart and Salieri, a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte put to music," Sarka Dockalova, the museum's spokeswoman, told AFP. Salieri, a key figure in the development of late 18th-century opera, was described by Mozart in various letters as a "favourite" Italian composer of the Emperor of the time, Joseph II, and his rival in musical terms. "It's a really valuable work [...] long thought to have been lost," said Ms Dockalova. According to letters sent to his father, Mozart said "the only one who counts in [the Emperor's] eyes is Salieri." Rumours circulated after Mozart's early death in 1791 that Salieri had poisoned the Austrian composer, which were further compounded by a 1984 film of his life, "Amadeus". The discovery of a co-authored composition would appear to support the long-since dismissed theory that Salieri might have played a role in Mozart's death. Alexander Pushkin's 19th century poetic drama "Mozart and Salieri" had also sought to dramatise the mysterious circumstances surrounding Mozart's death at the age of 35.
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