Mozart composed his requiem (well, part of it) in 1791.

In 1984, I was a teenager who had become obsessed with the movie Amadeus. The story, the characters, the music, everything.

What I think I was obsessed about was this conflict between someone with innate talent and someone who has to work hard and struggle with his. It exemplified how we put all our awe and admiration to those who have these talents and who may be frivolous and flippant about it. Others who may rely on their craft for their livelihood work tirelessly in the background with little reward or recognition.

To me, the movie Amadeus exemplified (and still does) conflicts we still see today.

One scene that showed the difference between genius and those who don’t have this, is the scene where Mozart lays dying in his bed recounting out loud, the music in his head while a frustrated Salieri sits by the candelabra utterly confused. The speed at which Mozart dictates the requiem mass is simply too much for Salieri.

In that moment, even at 15, I realised that this is the difference between creative geniuses and those who don’t have it. They have their art within them, they get fired up about it, they hear music, see beauty, within them, all the time. It needs to be expressed. Even in their dying hours, they are consumed by it.

Even Mozart asks Salieri, if he believes in “flammis acribus addictis” (convicted to the flames of hell).

I believe it must be hell to be consumed by your creative genius and yet to the rest of us, we want it, we yearn it.

It was eye opening that at 15 years of age, I sat in the movie theatre and had the dawning realisation that I was destined to be Salieri all my life….and I was pissed off.

Watch the clip above where Martin Gonzalez transcribes the music of the requiem on paper. This small scene hits home the enormity of the difference of genius and the rest of us.