Antonio Salieri Murdered Mozart Out of Jealousy

There is no good evidence Salieri murdered anyone. Mozart died in 1791, most likely of an illness, with rheumatic fever, kidney failure, and other infections among the leading medical guesses; he was 35 and had been unwell. The poisoning rumour swirled even then, partly because Mozart, feverish, reportedly mused that he might have been poisoned, but no contemporary investigation found anything. Salieri, far from a bitter mediocrity, was one of the most respected composers and teachers in Vienna, who taught Beethoven, Schubert, and Liszt, and the two men were professional rivals who also at times cooperated. The murder story is essentially gossip, supercharged centuries later by Peter Shaffer's brilliant but fictional play Amadeus and the 1984 film. Great drama. Lousy history. Salieri's real crime was being outshone, which is not actually a crime.