The first act of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)

Description

Write two paragraphs about your musical observations.  Paragraphs must be between 4-6 sentences.  The first paragraph should provide some general information: either a short bio of Mozart or historical context for the opera itself.  If you opt for the historical information consider answering the following questions: when did Mozart write it, what kind of opera was it (opera seria or opera buffa), and what is that particular type of opera known for?  The next paragraph should focus on the music itself.  Pick one musical element you observed and write a paragraph about it.  Let me say that again for the sake of clarity: your second paragraph should focus on only one musical element. Your descriptive writing needs to be detailed and specific, not broad and superficial. Here are some ideas for musical elements to focus on: singing styles (recitative vs aria), use of musical themes in the overture, form of the overture (is the overture in sonata-allegro form or something else?), form of the duets or arias, or texture of the arias. https://youtu.be/lVrt5QO7iOU This is a YouTube video of a production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). I’d like you to watch the first act, which ends at the 48:10 mark. The opera begins, as all do, with an overture by the orchestra.  You’ll then hear a duet between the two main characters, Figaro and Susanna.  Movements in operas are known by their first line, so this opening duet is “Cinque, dieci, venti” (“Five, ten, twenty”).  A recitative precedes the next duet between the two leads, “Se a caso madama la notte ti chiama” (“If the countess should call you during the night”).  After more recitative Figaro sings the aria “Se vuol ballare” (“If you want to dance”).  You’ll then hear a recitative between two new characters, Dr. Bartolo and Marcellina. The recit is followed by an aria by Bartolo: “Ah vendetta” (“Vengeance”).  There are, of course, more arias, duets, and ensembles in the first act, but notice how I’ve referred to specific parts of the opera by mentioning their titles.  You should do the same as you describe your musical element.  As part of your description, you should indicate in what movement you heard the musical characteristic that you’re describing. Stay focused on the music Here are a couple things I do not want you to write about in the 2nd paragraph: Plot synopsis Please don’t summarize the story of this opera.  You need to demonstrate that you understand and can recognize some of the musical elements on display in the music.  Detailing who did what in the story does not communicate that you understand the music itself.  Emotional Response The music may be impressive and exciting, but again you have a very specific task here: demonstrate understanding.  Writing about how the music made you feel or how wonderful Mozart was is the equivalent of a neon sign that says, “I don’t know what’s happening in the music so I’m going to load this paragraph up with filler and hope the professor doesn’t notice.”  That never works.  Give me the facts.  What musical element did you recognize?  Define/explain that element.  Describe what you heard that enabled you to recognize that element