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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Perfect Soprano Recital Selections

August 20, 2018 By Nora Miller Rubinoff Leave a Comment

Are you preparing for a Junior Recital, Senior Recital, or Graduate Recital? Deciding upon the perfect program of music for your performance is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. A vocalist must carefully select the right balance of music to appropriately highlight vocal skills. Curated from our database, here are 24 selections perfect to consider for inclusion in a Soprano recital.

Neue Liebe
Text by Heinrich Heine (1797-1856)
Set by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847), op. 19, #4
https://www.ipasource.com/neue-liebe-8243.html

Ach, um deine feuchten Schwingen
Text by Marianne von Willemer (1784-1860), attributed to Goethe
Set by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel (1805-1847); Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847), op. 4, #4;
Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828), Suleika II, (D. 717)
https://www.ipasource.com/suleika.html

Die Schwalbe fliegt (Hexenlied)
Text by Ludwig Heinrich Christoph Hölty (1748-1776)
Set by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847), And’res Maienlied: Hexenlied, op. 8, #8
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/6898/category/831/

À une fontaine (To a fountain)
Text by Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585)
Set by Darius Milhaud (1892-1974), from Quatre Chansons de Ronsard, #1
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/8853/category/1774/

À Cupidon (To Cupid)
Text Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585)
Set Jacques Leguerney (1906-1997), Darius Milhaud (1892-1974), from Quatre Chansons de Ronsard,
#2
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/8854/category/1774/

Dieu vous gard’
Text by Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585)
Set by Sas Bunge, from Deux poèmes, #1; Darius Milhaud (1892-1974), from Quatre Chansons de
Ronsard, #4
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/8856/category/1774/

Quel guardo, il cavaliere… So anch’io la virtù magica
Norina’s aria from the opera Don Pasquale (soprano)
Text by Gaetano Donizetti and Giacomo Ruffini
Set by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/190/category/424/

Ich folge dir gleichfalls
#9, aria for soprano from the Johannespassion (St. John Passion), BWV 245
Text from the Martin Luther translation of The Gospel According to St. John, chapters 18-19
Set by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
https://www.ipasource.com/ich-folge-dir-gleichfalls.html

Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen (Complete)
Cantata BWV 32 for soprano and bass for the 1st Sunday after Epiphany
Text by Georg Christian Lehms (1684-1717); Luke 2: 49; Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676)
Set by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
https://www.ipasource.com/bwv-032-liebster-jesu-mein-verlangen-complete.html

L’idéal (The Ideal)
Text by René-François Sully-Prudhomme (1839-1907)
Set by Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/5869/category/321/

Trahison (Betrayal)
Text by Edouard Guinand (1838-?)
Set by Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/5875/category/321/

Rosamonde
Text by Marc Constantin (1810-1888)
Set by Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/5874/category/321/

Hark! The Echoing Air
Air of the Second Woman from The Fairy Queen (soprano)
Text by Elkanah Settle (1648-1724) [Br] adapted from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William
Shakespeare (1554-1616) [Br]
Set by Henry Purcell (1658/9-1695) [Br], Z. 629 no. 48 (1692)
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/1456/category/3442/

Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (The shepherd on the rock)
Text by Willhelm Müller (1794-1824) and Wilhelmina von Chézy (1783-1856)
Set by Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828), D. 965
https://www.ipasource.com/der-hirt-auf-dem-felsen-7493.html

Una voce poco fa
Rosina’s aria from the opera Il barbiere di Siviglia
Text by Cesare Sterbini (1784-1831)
Set by Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868)
https://www.ipasource.com/una-voce-poco-fa.html

Quatre chansons de jeunesse

Apparition (Apparition)
Text by Stéphane Mallarmé (1842-1898)
Set by Claude Debussy (1862-1918); Kaikhosru (Leon Dudley) Sorabji (1892-1988)
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/5968/category/364/

Clair de lune (Moonlight)
Text by Paul Verlaine (1844-1896)
Set by Gustave Charpentier (1860-1956); Claude Debussy (1862-1918), from Fêtes Galantes I, #2;
Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921); Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924), op. 46, # 2; Jósef Szulc (1875-1956),
from Dix mélodies sur des poésies de Verlaine, op. 83
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/5992/category/364/

Pantomime
Text by Paul Verlaine (1844-1896)
Set by Claude Debussy (1862-1918); Willem Pijper (1894-1947), from Fêtes galantes, #1; Kaikhosru
Sorabji (Leon Dudley) (1892-1988)
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/5966/category/364/

Pierrot
Text by Théodore Faullin de Banville (1823-1891)
Set by Claude Debussy (1862-1918); Francis Poulenc (1899-1963), FP. 66
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/5967/category/364/

Vado, ma dove?
Text by Lorenzo da Ponte (1749-1838)
Set by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), concert aria for soprano, K. 583
https://www.ipasource.com/vado-ma-dove.html

Auf dem Strom (On the River/In the Current)
Text by Ludwig Rellstab (1799-1860)
Set by Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828)
https://www.ipasource.com/auf-dem-strom-7557.html

Del cabello más sutil (Dos cantares populares)
Text by Anonymous
Set by Fernando J. Obradors (1897-1945), from Canciones clásicas españolas, vol. 1, #6
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/10257/category/3366/

La mi sola, Laureola
Text by Juan Ponce (1480?)
Set by Fernando J. Obradors (1897-1945), from Canciones clásicas españolas, vol. 1, #1
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/10252/category/3366/

Al amor
Text by Cristóbal de Castillejo (1491?-1556)
Set by Fernando J. Obradors (1897-1945), from Canciones clásicas españolas, vol. 1, #2
https://www.ipasource.com/catalog/product/view/id/10253/category/3366/

More on recital prep:

  • “Choosing your singing repertoire“
  • “Take me to your Lieder: the delicate art of the song recital“
  • “The Vanishing Vocal Recital (and Where to Find Some)“
  • “Dos And Don’ts When Preparing For A Voice Recital“
  • “How to Plan a Successful Vocal Recital“

Filed Under: Composers, Featured, Voice Classification Tagged With: Cecile Chaminade, Claude Debussy, Darius Milhaud, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Fernando J. Obradors, Franz Peter Schubert, Gaetano Donizetti, Gioacchino Rossini, Henry Purcell, Johann Sebastian Bach, recital, soprano, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

La clemenza di Tito as set by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

May 18, 2018 By Nora Miller Rubinoff Leave a Comment

Metastasio by Batoni
Pietro Metastasio
La clemenza di Tito is an opera in two acts that premiered at the Estates Theatre in Prague on September 6, 1791, just a few hours following the coronation of Leopold II, Roman Emperor, as King of Bohemia.

In 1791, impresario Domenico Guardasoni commissioned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to compose an opera seria in honor of the coronation of Leopold II,  Roman Emperor, as King of Bohemia. At the time, Mozart was already engaged in writing Die Zauberflöte. Guardasoni had been approached about the opera in June, and its opening was slated for early September.

From wikipedia:

In a contract dated 8 July, Guardasoni promised that he would engage a castrato “of leading quality” (this seems to have mattered more than who wrote the opera); that he would “have the libretto caused to be written…and to be set to music by a distinguished maestro”. The time was tight and Guardasoni had a get-out clause: if he failed to secure a new text, he would resort to La clemenza di Tito, a libretto written more than half a century earlier by Pietro Metastasio (1698–1782).

Mozart had previously displayed his ability to work on a tight timeline, and Guardasoni knew he was up to the task. Ultimately it was decided that the text La clemenza di Tito, libretto by Pietro Metastasio, would be used. The text was revised by court poet Caterino Mazzolà, who among other edits, merged the three-act opera into two. Clearly some of the intent behind using La clemenza di Tito had to do with its theme: it is based upon the life of Roman Emperor Titus. It is also worth noting that Metastasio’s libretto had already been set by almost 40 other composers!

La clemenza di Tito was composed in the last year of Mozart’s life, and some say he struggled with the composition. His wife Constanze had recently given birth to their sixth son, Franz Xaver Wolfgang. Under tremendous time pressure, he composed nearly around the clock. Mozart did not care whether the opera succeeded, simply taking the musician’s fee (twice the fee he had collected on a recent similarly-sized opera) so that he could return home and resume work on The Magic Flute and The Requiem Mass.

La clemenza di Tito was Mozart’s first opera to reach London.  The opera remained quite popular for a number of years following Mozart’s death.

From the IPA Source database, La clemenza di Tito:

  • Ah, se fosse intorno al trono
  • Deh per questo istante solo
  • Deh se piacer mi vuoi
  • Del più sublime soglio
  • Ma che giorno e mai questo
  • Non piu di fiori
  • Parto, ma tu, ben mio
  • S’altro che lacrime
  • Se all’impero, amici Dei
  • Tardi s’avvede d’un tradimento
  • Torna di Tito a lato
  • Tu fosti tradito

 

Listen to the entire opera:

Filed Under: Composers, Librettists and Poets Tagged With: Caterino Mazzolà, Pietro Metastasio, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Perfect for Bass – 8 concert arias as set by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

May 10, 2018 By Nora Miller Rubinoff Leave a Comment

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791), born in Salzburg, Austria, was an important and respected composer. As an adult, he referred to himself as “Wolfgang Amadè Mozart,” but it is noted that his name had many variants. As a child, his baptismal record listed his name in Latin as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. Mozart was a prolific composer; over the span of his career composing hundreds of works including sonatas, symphonies, masses, chamber music, concertos, and operas.

There is much more about Mozart in our two-part blog series. Get started with part 1 here.

Review all 301 texts as set by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the IPA Source database here:

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/m/mozart-wolfgang-amadeus-1756-1791.html

 

Here, most with listening links, are eight concert arias perfect for Bass.

Alcandro, lo confesso… Non so donde viene

Listen to Kurt Moll:


Cara, se le mie pene

(Mozart also wrote Cara, se le mie pene for Soprano.)


 

Cosi dunque tradisci… Aspri rimorsi atroci

Listen to Ildebrando D’Arcangelo:


Io ti lascio

Listen to Robert Lloyd:


Mentre ti lascio

Listen to Klaus Mertens:


Per questa bella mano

Listen to Cesare Siepi:


Un bacio di mano

Listen to Bryn Terfel:


Warnung

Listen to Robert Lloyd:


 

Review all 301 texts as set by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the IPA Source database here:

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/m/mozart-wolfgang-amadeus-1756-1791.html

Filed Under: Composers Tagged With: bass, composers, fach, voice classification, voice type, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Featured composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (part 2 of 2)

May 9, 2018 By Nora Miller Rubinoff Leave a Comment

Wolfgang-amadeus-mozart 1

This is part 2 of a two-part series on the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Read part 1 here.

Church works and Idomeneo

Mozart’s desire to not stay in Salzburg had not diminished, but his need for employment and income won out and he returned in 1779. There, Mozart composed a series of church works, as well as another opera for Munich, Idomeneo.

Idomeneo (1781)

  • Accogli, o re Del Mar
  • D’Oreste, d’Ajace
  • Fuor del mar ho un mar in seno
  • Ha vinto Amore
  • Idol mio, se ritroso
  • Il padre adorato ritrovo
  • No, la morte io non pavento
  • Non ho colpa, e mi condanni
  • Padre, germani, addio
  • Se colà ne’ fati è scritto
  • Se il padre perdei
  • Se il tuo duol
  • Torna la pace al core
  • Tutte nel cor vi sento
  • Vedrommi intorno l’ombra dolente
  • Zeffiretti lusinghieri

Although Mozart had an opportunity to perform outside the court for Emperor Joseph II, he was largely kept under wrap and control by Archbishop von Colloredo. Mozart was unhappy with his treatment, and there was bad chemistry between the two men. Ultimately, Mozart resigned his position. Initially the resignation was refused by the Archbishop, but eventually, it was accepted and Mozart was rather unceremoniously shown the door.

Mozart set out for Vienna, where he taught, wrote music, and performed. In 1781 he began working on Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

From the IPA Source database, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782):

  • Ach, ich liebte, war so glücklich
  • Durch Zärtlichkeit und Schmeicheln
  • Frisch zum Kampfe
  • Hier soll ich dich denn sehen
  • Ich baue ganz auf deine Stärke
  • In Mohrenland gefangen war
  • Martern aller Arten
  • O wie ängstlich, o wie feurig
  • O! wie will ich triumphiren
  • Solche hergelaufne Laffen
  • Traurigkeit ward mir zum Lose
  • Welche Wonne, welche Lust
  • Wenn der Freude Tränen fliessen
  • Wer ein Liebchen hat gefunden

Marriage and Fellow Composer Influence

In 1782 Mozart began courting Constanze, a daughter of the Weber family, with whom he was lodging. They were married later that year. The Mozarts had six children. Sadly only two of their children survived infancy.

Gottfried van Swieten, a diplomat, librarian, and government official owned many manuscripts of Baroque masters. As such, Mozart became very familiar with the work of Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Friedrich Händel. It is said that this influenced Mozart in his creation of Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute).

Die Zauberflöte (1791)

  • Ach, ich fühl’s
  • Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden
  • Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen
  • Der Hölle Rache
  • Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja
  • Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon
  • Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen
  • In diesen heil’gen Hallen
  • O Isis und Osiris
  • O zitt’re nicht, mein lieber Sohn
  • Papageno’s Suicide Scene
  • Papageno-Papagena Duet

Mozart met Joseph Haydn in Vienna about 1784, and they became friends. They occasionally performed in impromptu string quartet concerts. Mozart dedicated six quartets to Haydn; some have the opinion that these quartets are a response to Haydn’s Opus 33.

During this time, Mozart did a great deal of performing, sometimes in unconventional venues. He and Constanze embraced a fancier lifestyle, with a more expensive apartment, a fortepiano, and even a billiard table. They sent their son to boarding school, kept servants, and didn’t save any money for future lean times.

While the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail was successful, Mozart did little additional opera composition beyond Der Schauspieldirecktor, focusing instead on performing as a piano soloist and composer of concertos.

Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782)

  • Ach, ich liebte, war so glücklich
  • Durch Zärtlichkeit und Schmeicheln
  • Frisch zum Kampfe
  • Hier soll ich dich denn sehen
  • Ich baue ganz auf deine Stärke
  • In Mohrenland gefangen war
  • Martern aller Arten
  • O wie ängstlich, o wie feurig
  • O! wie will ich triumphiren
  • Solche hergelaufne Laffen
  • Traurigkeit ward mir zum Lose
  • Welche Wonne, welche Lust
  • Wenn der Freude Tränen fliessen
  • Wer ein Liebchen hat gefunden

Der Schauspieldirecktor (1786)

  • Bester Jüngling
  • Da schlägt die Abshiedsstunde
  • Ich bin die erste Sängerin
  • Jeder Künstler strebt nach Ehre

In late 1786, Mozart began his collaboration with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosí fan tutte were products of this famed partnership. Read our blog post about da Ponte to learn more.

In 1787, Mozart was appointed Chamber Composer by Emperor Joseph II. Although the income was modest, it was steady and helped Mozart and his family when their finances began to dwindle. It is said that the Emperor appointed Mozart to this role in an attempt to keep him from departing Vienna.

Soon after, Mozart and his family moved to the suburb of Alsergrund. They were intending to save money by making this move, but their financial situation continued to deteriorate. Soon Mozart was borrowing money from friends, as well as traveling to locations such as Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin, and Frankfurt with the hope of earning some money to improve his family’s situation.

Last operas, last days

Slowly, Mozart’s financial situation began to improve. He began repaying debts. Work began picking up for him. Mozart composed Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) and it received a great amount of positive feedback. Mozart’s final opera was La clemenza di Tito, during which he sadly became ill with his final illness.

Die Zauberflöte (1791)

  • Ach, ich fühl’s
  • Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden
  • Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen
  • Der Hölle Rache
  • Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja
  • Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon
  • Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen
  • In diesen heil’gen Hallen
  • O Isis und Osiris
  • O zitt’re nicht, mein lieber Sohn
  • Papageno’s Suicide Scene
  • Papageno-Papagena Duet

La clemenza di Tito (1791)

  • Ah, se fosse intorno al trono
  • Deh per questo istante solo
  • Deh se piacer mi vuoi
  • Del più sublime soglio
  • Ma che giorno e mai questo
  • Non piu di fiori
  • Parto, ma tu, ben mio
  • S’altro che lacrime
  • Se all’impero, amici Dei
  • Tardi s’avvede d’un tradimento
  • Torna di Tito a lato
  • Tu fosti tradito

When Mozart was gravely ill and confined to bed, he labored to complete his famous Requiem Mass. There are accounts of him dictating passages to Franz Xaver Süssmayr, but there is insufficient evidence to support this claim.

The Requiem Mass – Mozart’s Complete Text

The cause of Mozart’s death at age 35 is officially listed as “severe miliary fever,” but many of have speculated on what his final illness may have been, including strep infection, influenza, and even mercury poisoning. He was buried in a common grave, which at the time and in Vienna did not mean a mass grave but rather a commoner’s grave (as opposed to an aristocrat’s grave).

While he may have been buried as a commoner, his standing with the public was much greater. Memorial services and concerts were held and widely attended. Mozart’s music and popularity actually increased greatly in the period immediately after his death.

Did you miss the first part of this two-part series? Read part 1 here.

Filed Under: Composers Tagged With: composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Featured composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (part 1 of 2)

May 4, 2018 By Nora Miller Rubinoff 1 Comment

Wolfgang-amadeus-mozart 1Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791), born in Salzburg, Austria, was an important and respected composer. As an adult, he referred to himself as “Wolfgang Amadè Mozart,” but it is noted that his name had many variants. As a child, his baptismal record listed his name in Latin as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. Mozart was a prolific composer; over the span of his career composing hundreds of works including sonatas, symphonies, masses, chamber music, concertos, and operas.

Wolfgang and his sister Nannerl were the only surviving children of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. Mozart’s mother came from a family of community leaders; and his father, Leopold, a successful violinist and composer, was a recognized musical talent in his own right and held the role of assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court. Not only did Leopold teach young Wolfgang, but also his older sister, Maria Anna, who was nicknamed Nannerl. When Nannerl was playing keyboard at age 7, a 3-year-old Wolfgang began imitating his sister. His early and surprising grasp of concepts of musical theory soon had his father formally instructing him.

By the time Mozart was 5 years old, he had mastered the violin and keyboard. Leopold soon began a series of tours to courts to Bavaria, Paris, London, The Hague and Zurich with Wolfgang and Nannerl, where his prodigious children performed and were exposed to other musical talents.

In December 1769, Leopold and Wolfgang made a trip to Italy so that Leopold could display young Wolfgang’s talents to additional audiences. As Nannerl was now of an age that she could marry, she did not accompany them on the trip. It was the custom that women were not permitted to show artistical talent in public once they reached marriageable age.

Early years

Mozart’s mind was truly incredible. In Rome, after hearing Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere performed twice in the Sistine Chapel, he wrote the score out from memory. In doing so, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart produced the first unauthorized copy of this closely guarded property of the Vatican. During this visit to Italy, the 14-year-old Wolfgang wrote Mitridate, re di Ponto (his fifth work for the stage!) for the court of Milan.

From the IPA Source database, Mitridate, re di Ponto (1770)

  • Al destin, che la minaccia
  • Già dagli occhi il velo è tolto
  • Già di pietà mi spoglio
  • In faccia all’oggetto
  • L’odio nel cor frenate
  • Lungi da te, mio bene
  • Nel grave tormento
  • Nel sen mi palpita
  • Pallid’ombre, che scorgete
  • Parto: nel gran cimento
  • Quel ribelle, e quell’ingrato
  • Se di lauri il crine adorno
  • Se di regnar sei vago
  • Se il rigor d’ingrata sorte
  • So quanto a te dispiace
  • Soffre il mio cor con pace
  • Son reo, l’error confesso
  • Tu sai per chi m’accese
  • Tu, che fedel mi sei
  • Va, l’error mio palesa
  • Vado incontro al fato estremo
  • Venga pur, minacci, e frema

Successive trips to Italy yielded two other commissioned operas, Ascanio in Alba (1771) and Lucio Silla (1772).

Ascanio in Alba

  • Ah di sì nobil alma
  • Al mio ben mi veggio avanti
  • Dal tuo gentil sembiante
  • Sì, ma d’un altro amore
  • Torna mio bene, ascolta

Lucio Silla

  • Il tenero momento
  • Pupille amate non lagrimate
  • Se lusinghiera speme
  • Vieni ov’amor t’invita

In 1773, Wolfgang and Leopold returned from Italy. Archbishop von Schrattenbach, recently deceased, had been replaced by Hieronymus von Colloredo. Archbishop von Colloredo appointed Wolfgang as assistant concertmaster. During this time, Mozart composed symphonies, string quartets, sonatas, violin concertos, and operas. One of those operas was La finta giardiniera.

Here, from the IPA Source database, is La finta giardiniera (1774-1775).

La finta giardiniera

  • A forza di martelli
  • Appena mi vedon
  • Care pupille belle
  • Che beltà, che leggiadria
  • Chi vuol godere il mondo
  • Con un vezzo all’Italiana
  • Crudeli, oh dio! fermate
  • Da scirocco a tramontana
  • Dentro il mio petto io sento
  • Dolce d’amor compagna
  • Geme la tortorella
  • Già divento freddo
  • Mio padrone, io dir volevo
  • Mirate che contrasto
  • Nach der welschen Art und Weise
  • Noi donne poverine
  • Se l’augellin sen fugge
  • Si promette facilmente
  • Un marito, oh Dio – Nardo
  • Un marito, oh Dio – Serpetta
  • Una damina, una nipote
  • Una voce sento al core
  • Va pure ad altri in braccio
  • Vorrei punirti indegno

Young Mozart soon grew frustrated in Salzburg and set out to seek more lucrative employment elsewhere. After resigning his post in August 1777, he set out for Mannheim, Paris, Munich, and Augsburg. As the Archbishop would not release Leopold, Mozart’s mother Anna Maria accompanied him. Although a few opportunities sounded promising, ultimately they either fell through or weren’t to his liking. Mozart fell into debt and started pawning his belongings. Mozart’s mother became ill and died in July 1778. It is said by some that Mozart’s financial situation probably delayed the call to a doctor until it was too late.

Meanwhile, Leopold was continuing to search for more gainful employment for his son Wolfgang back in Salzburg. Mozart returned and became the court organist in Salzburg.

 

Ready for more? Read part two of our blog on the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart here.

Filed Under: Composers Tagged With: composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Three Mozart Opera Librettos written by Lorenzo da Ponte

May 1, 2018 By Nora Miller Rubinoff Leave a Comment

Lorenzo da Ponte
Lorenzo da Ponte
Lorenzo da Ponte (March 10, 1749 – August 17, 1838) was an Italian (later American) poet and opera librettist who is remembered today for his librettos for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s three most famous operas: Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosí fan tutte. Born into a Jewish family, his father, upon the death of Lorenzo’s mother, converted himself and his family to Roman Catholicism so he could marry a Catholic woman. In his later life, Lorenzo himself became a Roman Catholic priest.

Even though da Ponte was a priest, he led a scandalous life that eventually caused him to be banished from Venice for 15 years.

Upon his banishment, da Ponte moved to Vienna, where he continued writing. Eventually, through an introductory letter from a friend, Lorenzo da Ponte obtained a position as librettist to the Italian Theatre in Vienna. It was during this tenure that da Ponte composed three librettos for Mozart.  Le nozze di Figaro was written in 1786, Don Giovanni in 1787 and Cosí fan tutte was written in 1790.

As a librettist, da Ponte worked closely with the composer to bring out characterization, humor, and satire, joining the more natural theater of Comedia del’arte with the historic story-telling of the opera seria. His work was in great demand, and Mozart wrote to his father, worrying about securing da Ponte, out of fear that other composers were trying to keep him for themselves.

From npr.org:

He seems all the way through his life to have had the most extraordinary charm,” author Rodney Bolt says.

Bolt says Da Ponte helped bring Mozart’s works to life. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in the famous “Catalog Song” from Don Giovanni, in which the title character’s servant lists the number of women his master has seduced:

In Italy six hundred and forty / In Germany, two hundred and thirty-one. / A hundred in France, in Turkey ninety-one, / But in Spain already a thousand three.

Da Ponte seemed to know what Mozart wanted to say, Bolt says, “and the music almost comes out of the words in themselves.”

(Rodney Bolt is the author of the book,”The Librettist of Venice“)

Shortly after the death of Austrian Emperor Joseph II, da Ponte lost his position at the Italian Theater. He left Vienna after being formally dismissed in 1791, due to more scandals. da Ponte headed to Paris, but changed direction mid-route and moved instead to London. There, he remained with his companion Nancy Grahl and their children until 1805, when he and his family fled London for the United States due to debt and bankruptcy.

In the US, da Ponte first settled in New York, then Pennsylvania. He gave private Italian language lessons, and ran a grocery store, eventually returning to New York to open a book store. Lorenzo da Ponte, through a connection with a friend, became the first professor of Italian literature at Columbia College (University). Although the role was unpaid, it was significant, because he was the first Roman Catholic priest on the faculty, and the first faculty member to be born as a Jew.

da Ponte introduced opera in 1825 to New York, where the first full performance of Don Giovanni was conducted. He became a naturalized US citizen at age 79, and at age 84, he founded the New York Opera Company. The company lasted two seasons before being disbanded due to debts. In 1836 the opera house became the National Theater.

Lorenzo da Ponte also wrote for some of these composers on IPA Source:

  • Antonio Salieri
  • Stephen Storace
  • Vincenzo Righini
  • Joseph Weigl

Here, from the IPA Source database, are the three operas as set by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with librettos by Lorenzo de Ponte.

Le nozze di Figaro https://www.ipasource.com/composer/m/mozart-wolfgang-amadeus-1756-1791.html?search=le-nozze-di-figaro#le-nozze-di-figaro

  • Aprite un po’ quegli occhi
  • Crudel! Perché finora farmi languir così
  • Deh, vieni, non tardar
  • Dove sono i bei momenti
  • Il capro e la capretta
  • In queql’anni
  • L’ho perduta
  • La vendetta
  • Non più andrai
  • Non so piu cosa son
  • Porgi amor qualche ristoro
  • Se vuol ballare
  • Sull’aria
  • Un moto di gioia
  • Vedrò mentr io sospiro
  • Venite inginocchiatevi
  • Via resti servita, Madama brillante
  • Voi, che sapete

Don Giovanni https://www.ipasource.com/composer/m/mozart-wolfgang-amadeus-1756-1791.html?search=don-giovanni#don-giovanni

  • Ah taci, ingiusto core!
  • Ah, fuggi il traditor
  • Ah, pietà, signori miei
  • Batti, batti, o bel Masetto
  • Dalla sua pace
  • Deh, vieni alla finestra
  • Eh via, buffone
  • Finch’ han del vino
  • Ho capito, signor sì
  • Il mio tesoro
  • Là ci darem la mano
  • Madamina, il catalogo è questo
  • Metà di voi qua vadano
  • Mi tradi quell’alma ingrata
  • Non mi dir
  • Notte e giorno faticar
  • Or sai chi l’onore
  • Vedrai, carino

Cosí fan tutte https://www.ipasource.com/composer/m/mozart-wolfgang-amadeus-1756-1791.html?search=cosi-fan-tutte#cosi-fan-tutte

  • Ah scostati!… Smanie implacabili
  • Ah, guarda, sorella
  • Ah, lo veggio, quell’anima bella
  • Come scoglio immoto resta
  • Donne mie la fate a tanti
  • È amore un ladroncello
  • Fra gli amplessi
  • In uomini, in soldati
  • Non siate ritrosi
  • Non son cattivo comico!… Nel mare solca
  • Per pietà, ben mio
  • Prenderò quel brunettino
  • Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo
  • Soave sia il vento
  • Tradito, schernito
  • Tutti accusan le donne
  • Un’aura amorosa
  • Una donna a quindici anni
  • Vorrei dir, e cor non ho

 

 

 

Filed Under: Composers, Librettists and Poets, Poets Tagged With: composers, librettists, Lorenzo da Ponte, poets, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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