Thank you for the music...

Today I will answer the music questions, sent in by Jim, Nola, and Gene.

1) What is the technical term for a 64th note?
Hemidemisemiquaver
Source : Picerno, Vincent J. Dictionary of Musical Terms. Brooklyn, N.Y. : Haskell House Publishers, 1976.

2) Is there credible evidence to suggest that Salieri killed Mozart, as the movie Amadeus claimed?
When he attempted suicide in 1823, and again at his death in 1825, Antonio Salieri did accuse himself of poisoning Mozart. This outburst caused controversy in its time, and has remained as one of History’s Mysteries. I refer you to the Official Site for the movie Amadeus, where the filmmakers explain that the movie (as well as the play it was based upon) was not meant to be a biography of Mozart, but rather Mozart’s life as viewed by a dying old man (Salieri). Also, please visit The Mozart Project, which is an excellent resource.

3) How many symphonies did Beethoven write?
Nine.
Source : Stanley Sadie’s Music Guide : an introduction. Stanley Sadie, ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1986.

4) Schubert wrote an unfinished symphony. Why was it unfinished?
Schubert’s 8^th symphony is often called the “Unfinished Symphony” because it had only two movements, rather than the standard four.
Sources : Stanley Sadie’s Music Guide : an introduction. Stanley Sadie, ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1986. and Dictionary of Music. Theodore Karp, ed. Evanston, IL : Northwestern University Press, 1973.