Antonio Salieri was born on August 18, 1750 in Legnago, Italy. He began his musical studies at home under the tutelage of his older brother Francesco Salieri and Giuseppe Simoni. Around 1764, Salieri moved to Vienna with his brother, where he caught the attention of Florian Leopold Gassmann, who became his mentor. His career took off when he was appointed director of the Italian opera by the Habsburg court in 1774. Notable works include La passione di Gesù Cristo (1776) and Armida (1771). In 1788, Salieri became the Austrian imperial Hofkapellmeister, overseeing music, the selection of new instrumentalists and singers at the court chapel, and maintaining the music library until 1824. His influence extended to teaching; notable pupils include Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Salieri passed away on May 7, 1825. Despite his works falling out of performance after 1804, Salieri's legacy was revived in the late 20th century due to Peter Shaffer’s play Amadeus (1979) and its subsequent film adaptation.
