Did Salieri kill Mozart? WebQuest

Introduction

Are the rumors true? Did Antonio Salieri murder Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? Some say Mozart was poisoned by Salieri, who was jealous of Mozart's natural talent. According to the movie "Amadeus", Salieri planned to get Mozart to compose a Requiem Mass, then Salieri would kill Mozart and steal the work to pass off as his own, claiming credit for it as it was played at Mozart's funeral. Is that what really happened? Let's reopen the case.

Task

The investigation involves a team of three experts: a Musicologist, a Historian, and a Movie Critic. Each member of has their own research to do, and then the experts will draw a conclusion about whether or not Salieri killed Mozart.The team will prepare a presentation to be shared at the trial.

This is all explained under the "Process" section. Be sure to review the rubric in the "Evaluation" section to check your progress.

Process

FIRST: Select which role you will play in this investigation. You can create a Google doc to organize your research.

NEXT: Use the information listed for your role below to complete your portion of the investigation. Copy your questions and their answers into your document. Always return to this page to make sure you have answered all of the questions.  You may use the links in the "Credits" section or find your own information on the web.

THEN: After each of you has finished your research, you and your team must draw a conclusion: did Salieri kill Mozart or not?

FINALLY: Prepare a PowerPoint Presentation to be presented at the trial. Your presentation must contain a total of (14) slides: 1 title slide at the beginning with team names and roles, 1 conclusion (verdict) slide at the end, and each team member is responsible for making 4 slides containing the information they found in the research process. You may add pictures and music to your slides.

 

Musicologist

Type the answers to these questions in your notes and include them on your slides.  All resources must be cited.

1. What was Mozart like as a child and as an adult?

2. What kind of music did he write?

3. What was Salieri like as a child and as an adult?

4. What kind of music did he write?

5. What was his relationship with Mozart?

 

Historian:

Type the answers to these questions in your notes and include them on your slides.  All resources must be cited.

1. What are some biographical facts about Mozart? Include his exact birth and death dates and places, where he lived and worked, his family, and other facts.

2. What are some biographical facts about Salieri? Include his exact birth and death dates and places, where he lived and worked, his family, and other facts.

3. When and where did Mozart and Salieri meet? What was their relationship?

4. What was the importance of composing music for the Emperor?

 

Movie Critic:

1. Do the critics think the movie "Amadeus" showed what really happened?

2. How does the movie portray Mozart?

3. How does the movie portray Salieri?

4. Are those characters believable? Explain.

5. From your research here, does the movie show any truth about Mozart's last days?

Evaluation

Did Salieri kill Mozart? Rubric

Category and Score 4 3 2 1
Sequencing of Information Information is organized in a clear, logical way.  All slides are included. Most information is organized in a clear, logical way.  One slide might be missing. Some information is organized in a clear, logical way.  Two slides may be missing. Information is disorganized.  Three of more slides may be missing.
Content - Accuracy All content is complete and accurate.  There are no factual errors.  All resources are cited. Most of the content is complete and accurate.  There may be one or two factual errors.  Most resources are cited. Some of the content is complete and accurate.  There may be three factual errors.  Some resources are cited. Much content is incomplete and/or inaccurate.  There are many factual errors.  Little or no resources are cited.
Text - Font and Format Font and format is easy to read.  Format requirements were followed. Font and format is fairly easy to read.  A few requirements were not followed. Font and format is somewhat difficult to read.  Many format requirements were not followed. Font and format is difficult to read.  Most format requirements were not followed.
Spelling and Grammar Presentation has 0-1 misspellings and/or grammatical errors. Presentation has 2-3 misspellings and/or grammatical errors. Presentation has 4-5 misspellings and/or grammatical errors. Presentation has 6 or more misspellings and/or grammatical errors.

 

Conclusion

Did Salieri kill Mozart? Your team has researched that very question and organized your answer into a presentation. Did you solve a mystery that has gripped the music world for centuries?

Credits