A Remarkable Note-for-Note Transcription of the ‘Confutatis’ Scene From the 1984 Film ‘Amadeus’

Martin Gonzalez remarkably transcribed, note-for-note, the amazing musical arrangement that a bedridden Mozart was dictating to fellow composer Antonio Salieri in the iconic “Confutatis” scene from the 1984 film Amadeus, scrolling the score so it would visually move with the action. This piece would become Mozart’s “Requiem in D minor”.

From Amadeus best clip ever. Mozart’s Requiem is one of the most well-known musical compositions in the world, and Confutatis is a very good example of much of the musical technique that Mozart used that made him and many other musicians so successful. We are in 1791, and Mozart has been seriously ill for over a year. Since he believes he has been poisoned with Aqua Tofana (a very slow poison) and thus sensing his end, he decided to compose his own Requiem.

Here’s the original scene from the film.