“Of course. It's the best opera yet written.”
Why it's great
The superlative with yet written sounds absolute, which makes the flattery hollow.
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Critics call it the best novel yet written.
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Salieri Explains the Emperor's Yawns, Explained
Amadeus · 1984
Chapter 19 of 25 · 2'26"
Salieri explains why Mozart's opera ran only nine nights: the Emperor yawned once, and that was that. Three yawns, he says, and "the opera would fail the same night." He tells Mozart he makes too many demands on the royal ear and overestimates the Viennese, who need a bang at the end of a song to know when to clap.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:26–0:50
❝ Monologue · 6 lines Nine Nights and Withdrawn
24s - 0:53–1:57
Salieri Explains the Yawns
64s
Salieri Explains the Emperor's Yawns, explained
What happens
Salieri and Mozart revisit the opera's short run. Salieri explains that the Emperor's attention decides everything: one yawn and a composer gets nine performances, three yawns and the opera fails the same night. Mozart's work lasted nine nights before being withdrawn. When Mozart asks why no one came, Salieri blames his demands on the royal ear, his view of the Viennese, who need a bang to know when to clap.
What's really going on
The yawn is a joke that explains the whole system. In Vienna, an opera's life is decided not by quality but by the Emperor's patience, and Salieri lays out the arithmetic with a straight face: one yawn, nine performances; three yawns, failure by midnight. He is also, gently, taking his revenge. Telling Mozart he "makes too many demands on the royal ear" disguises a real criticism as practical advice, and "I think you overestimate our dear Viennese" lets him dismiss both the audience and Mozart's faith in it. The final suggestion - a bang at the end of songs "to let them know when to clap" - is the sharpest cut, because it asks the best composer alive to write down to listeners who only applaud on cue.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Of course. It's the best opera yet written.”
- Salieri's verdict, delivered after the failure: he praises the work absolutely, which makes the court's indifference look like proof of his own superior judgment.
- “I think you overestimate our dear Viennese,friend.”
- A polite put-down: the audience Mozart believes in is not worth his effort, or so Salieri wants him to think.
- “Nine performances! Nine! That's all it's had! Withdrawn!”
- The bare facts of the failure, repeated with disbelief - an opera by Mozart ran nine nights and was pulled.
- “Still,if the public doesn't like one's work...”
- A conventional, reasonable-sounding position that quietly sides with the public against the artist.
- “The poor man can't concentrate for more than an hour. You gave him four.”
- The Emperor's yawns explained as a physical limit, turning a failure of taste into a failure of Mozart's timing.
Theme
- Power — The Emperor's attention, not the music, decides an opera's fate, and everyone at court knows the arithmetic.
- Pride — Salieri delivers the lesson as friendly advice, but each point flatters himself and quietly cuts Mozart down.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
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A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“I think you overestimate our dear Viennese,friend.”
Why it's great
Overestimate shifts the blame to the audience, gently and condescendingly.
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Formal
Use it yourself
I think you overestimate the market.
“Nine performances! Nine! That's all it's had! Withdrawn!”
Why it's great
The numbers and repeats hammer the defeat home.
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Informal
Use it yourself
Two days! That's all the run lasted!
“Still,if the public doesn't like one's work...”
Why it's great
The general one's turns a personal failure into an abstract rule.
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Formal
Use it yourself
If the market doesn't like one's product, one adapts.
“The poor man can't concentrate for more than an hour. You gave him four.”
Why it's great
He excuses the emperor and then blames the length, kind and cutting at once.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
She can't focus for more than ten minutes, and you scheduled an hour.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Salieri counts the yawns
Mozart was lucky the emperor yawned only once. Three yawns... ...and the opera would fail the same night. Two yawns,within a week at most. With one yawn,the composer could still get... Nine performances! Nine! That's all it's had! Withdrawn!
He computes success from yawns, cold as a betting table and horribly funny.
Up next · 20with your own handsThe scene: Salieri's Plan to Kill MozartTakeaways
What you walk away with- Overestimate is the opposite of underestimate.
- Yet written pairs with superlatives for 'so far'.
- Accept the fact means coming to terms with reality.
- Salieri's comfort is secretly triumphant.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy did Mozart's opera run only nine nights?
According to Salieri, because the Emperor lost attention during the performance and the audience follows his lead. In this telling, the opera's fate is decided by royal boredom, not by the music.
Why does Salieri tell Mozart he makes too many demands on the Emperor?
He is arguing the opera asks for more attention than the Emperor can give - four hours against a one-hour limit. It sounds like practical advice, but it puts the blame on Mozart's timing rather than the court's taste.
Why does Salieri say Mozart overestimates the Viennese?
He is arguing the audience is not capable of appreciating the opera and that Mozart expects too much of it. The remark flatters Salieri and blames Vienna, not the work.
What does 'a bang' mean in a song?
A loud, obvious flourish at the end of a number so the audience knows when to applaud. It is a piece of showmanship advice that cuts against everything Mozart wants his music to be.
What does Mozart ask of Salieri at the end?
He asks him to look at a new piece. The request keeps him tied to Salieri and sets up the next stage of their rivalry, even though the older man is quietly undercutting him.