The film portrays Italian composer Antonio Salieri poisoning Mozart out of jealousy, but historically, the two were mostly respectful colleagues.

Mozart was writing this mass for the dead while terminally ill in 1791. His student Franz Xaver Süssmayr ultimately completed the masterpiece.

Beginning at age six, he toured royal courts with his older sister Nannerl. They astounded European nobility by sight-reading and improvising complex music.

This opera heavily features the number three, a significant Masonic symbol. Its themes of enlightenment and brotherhood also reflect the secret society's ideals.