Act 1, Part 1 Summary

As the play begins, whispers fill the theatre. At first, individual words can't be made out, but after a few moments, two words stand out: "Salieri" and "assassin." As a chorus of nineteenth century "Citizens of Vienna" fill the stage (giving the impression of people gossiping), we become able to see an old man, sitting in a wheelchair with his back to us.

Two men hurry on. The men are the Venticelli (an Italian word meaning "little winds"), characters who both narrate, and participate in the action. Speaking loudly enough to be heard over the whispers, they discuss the subject of the gossip: the old and reclusive composer Salieri, who is thought to be dying and who apparently cries out at night that he killed Mozart, the famous composer. The Venticelli identify Salieri's two servants as the source of the rumor...