LE NOZZE DI FIGARO THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

Opera in four acts by Mozart; words by Lorenzo da Ponte, after Beau march a is. Produced at the National Theatre, Vienna, May 1, 1786, Mozart conducting. Académie de Musique, Paris, as "Le Mariage de Figaro" (with Beau march a is's dialogue), 1793; as "Les Noces de Figaro" (words by Barbier and Carré), 1858. London, in Italian, King's Theatre, June 18, 1812. New York, 1823, with T. Phillips, of Dublin, as Figaro ; May 10, 1824, with Pearman as Figaro and Mrs. Holman, as Susanna ; January 18, 1828, with Elizabeth Alston, as Susanna ; all these were in English and at the Park Theatre. (See concluding paragraph of this article.) Notable revivals in Italian, at the Metropolitan Opera House: 1902, with Sembrich, Eames, Fritzi Scheff, de Reszke, and Campanari; 1909, Sembrich, Eames, Farrar, and Scotti; 1916, Hempel, Matzenauer, Farrar, and Scotti. Characters | Count Almaviva | Baritone | | Figaro, his valet | Baritone | | Doctor Bartolo, a Physician | Ba | | Don Basilio, a music-master | Tenor | | Cherub i no, a page | Soprano | | Antonio, a gardener | Ba | | Don Curzio, counsellor at law | Tenor | | Counte Almaviva | Soprano | | Susanna, her personal maid, affianced to Figaro | Soprano | | Mar cell in a, a duenna | Soprano | | Bar bar in a, Antonio 's daughter | Soprano | Time —17th Century. Place —The Count's château of Aguas Frescas, near Seville. "Le Nozze di Figaro" was composed by Mozart by command of Emperor Joseph II., of Austria. After con gratulating the composer at the end of the first performance, the Emperor said to him: "You must admit, however, my dear Mozart, that there are a great many notes in your score." "Not one too many, Sire," was Mozart's reply. (The anecdote, it should be noted, also, is told of the first performance of Mozart's "Così Fan Tutte.") No opera composed before "Le Nozze di Figaro" can be compared with it for development of ensemble, charm and novelty of melody, richne and variety of orchestration. Yet Mozart composed this score in a month. The finale to the second act occupied him but two days. In the music the sparkle of high comedy alternates with the deeper sentiment of the affections. Michael Kelly, the English tenor, who was the Basilio and Curzio in the original production, tells in his memoirs of the splendid sonority with which Benucci, the Figaro , sang the martial "Non più andrai" at the first orchestral rehearsal. Mozart, who was on the stage in a crimson peli e and cocked hat trimmed with gold lace, kept repeating sot to voce , "Bravo, bravo, Benucci!" At the conclusion the orchestra and all on the stage burst into applause and vociferous acclaim of Mozart: "Bravo, bravo, Maestro! Viva, viva, grande Mozart!" Further, the Reminiscences of Kelly inform us of the enthusiastic reception of "Le Nozze di Figaro" upon its production, almost everything being encored, so that the time required for its performance was nearly doubled. Notwithstanding this succe , it was withdrawn after comparatively few representations, owing to Italian intrigue at the court and opera, led by Mozart's rival, the composer Salieri—now heard of only because of that rivalry. In Prague, where the opera was produced in January, 1787, its succe was so great that Bondini, the manager of the company, was able to persuade Mozart to compose an opera for first performance in Prague. The result was "Don Giovanni." The story of "Le Nozze di Figaro" is a sequel to that of "The Barber of Seville," which Ro ini set to music. Both are derived from "Figaro" comedies by Beau march a is. In Ro ini's opera it is Figaro , at the time a barber in Seville, who plays the go-between for Count Almaviva and his beloved Rosina , Dr. Bartolo's pretty ward. Rosina is now the wife of the Count , who unfortunately, is promiscuous in his attentions to women, including Susanna , the Counte 's vivacious maid, who is affianced to Figaro . The latter and the music-master Basilio who, in their time helped to hoodwink Bartolo , are in the service of the Count , Figaro having been rewarded with the position of valet and majordomo. Bartolo , for whom, as formerly, Mar cell in a is keeping house, still is Figaro's enemy, because of the latter's interference with his plans to marry Rosina and so secure her fortune to himself. The other characters in the opera also belong to the personnel of the Count's household. Aside from the difference between Ro ini's and Mozart's scores, which are alike only in that each opera is a masterpiece of the comic sentiment, there is at least one difference between the stories. In Ro ini's "Barber" Figaro , a man, is the mainspring of the action. In Mozart's opera it is Susanna , a woman; and a clever woman may po e in the rôle of protagonist in comedy a chicne and sparkle quite impo ible to a man. The whole plot of "Le Nozze di Figaro" plays around Susanna's efforts to nip in the bud the intrigue in which the Count wishes to engage her. She is aided by the Counte and by Figaro ; but she still must appear to encourage while evading the Count's advances, and do so without offending him, lest both she and her affianced be made to suffer through his disfavour. In the libretto there is much that is risqué , suggestive. But as the average opera-goer does not understand the subtleties of the Italian language, and the average English translation is too clumsy to preserve them, it is quite po ible—especially in this advanced age—to attend a performance of "Le Nozze di Figaro" without imperilling one's morals. There is a romping overture. Then, in Act I, we learn that Figaro , Count Almaviva's valet, wants to get married. Susanna , the Counte 's maid, is the chosen one. The Count has a igned to them a room near his, ostensibly because his valet will be able to respond quickly to his summons. The room is the scene of this Act. Susanna tells her lover that the true reason for the Count's choice of their room is the fact that their noble master is running after her. Now Figaro is willing enough to "play up" for the little Count , if he should take it into his head "to venture on a little dance" once too often. ("Se vuol ball are, Signor Contino!") IMG:872270115144378713_music026.png:Music [ Listen ] Unfortunately, however, Figaro himself is in a fix. He has borrowed money from Mar cell in a , Bartolo's housekeeper, and he has promised to marry her in case of his inability to repay her. She now appears, to demand of Figaro the fulfilment of his promise. Bartolo encourages her in this, both out of spite against Figaro and because he wants to be rid of the old woman, who has been his mistre and even borne him a son, who, however, was kidnapped soon after his birth. There is a vengeance aria for Bartolo , and a spiteful duet for Mar cell in a and Susanna , beginning: "Via rest i servita, madam a brillante" (Go first, I entreat you, Mi , model of beauty!). IMG:872270115144378713_hempel_figaro.png:Hempel Photo by White Hempel (Susanna), Matzenauer (the Counte ), and Farrar (Cherub i no) in “Le Nozze di Figaro” The next scene opens between the page, Cherub i no , a boy in love with every petticoat, and Susanna . He begs Susanna to intercede for him with the Count , who has dismi ed him. Cherub i no desires to stay around the Counte , for whom he has conceived one of his grand pa ions. "Non so più cos a son, cos a faccio"—(Ah, what feelings now po e me!). The Count's step is heard. Cherub i no hides himself behind a chair, from where he hears the Count paying court to Susanna . The voice of the music-master then is heard from without. The Count moves toward the door. Cherub i no , taking advantage of this, slips out from behind the chair and conceals himself in it under a dre that has been thrown over it. The Count , however, instead of going out, hides behind the chair, in the same place where Cherub i no has been. Basilio , who has entered, now makes all kinds of malicious remarks and insinuations about the flirtations of Cherub i no with Susanna and also with the Counte . The Count , enraged at the free use of his wife's name, emerges from behind the chair. Only the day before, he says, he has caught that rascal, Cherub i no , with the gardener's daughter Bar bar in a (with whom the Count also is flirting). Cherub i no , he continues, was hidden under a coverlet, "just as if under this dre here." Then, suiting the action to the words, by way of demonstration, he lifts the gown from the chair, and lo! there is Cherub i no . The Count is furious. But as the page has overheard him making love to Susanna , and as Figaro and others have come in to beg that he be forgiven, the Count , while no longer permitting him to remain in the castle, grants him an officer's commi ion in his own regiment. It is here that Figaro addre es Cherub i no in the dashing martial air, "Non più andrai, far fall one amoroso" (Play no more, the part of a lover). Act II. Still, the Count , for whom the claims of Mar cell in a upon Figaro have come in very opportunely, has not given consent for his valet's wedding. He wishes to carry his own intrigue with Susanna , the genuinene of whose love for Figaro he underestimates, to a succe ful i ue. Susanna and Figaro meet in the Counte 's room. The Counte has been soliloquizing upon love, of whose ficklene the Count has but provided too many examples.—"Porgi am or, qualche ristoro" (Love, thou holy, purest pa ion.) Figaro has contrived a plan to gain the consent of the Count to his wedding with Susanna . The valet's scheme is to make the Count ashamed of his own flirtations. Figaro has sent a letter to the Count , which divulges a supposed rendezvous of the Counte in the garden. At the same time Susanna is to make an appointment to meet the Count in the same spot. But, in place of Susanna , Cherub i no , dre ed in Susanna's clothes, will meet the Count . Both will be caught by the Counte and the Count thus be confounded. Cherub i no is then brought in to try on Susanna's clothes. He sings to the Counte an air of sentiment, one of the famous vocal numbers of the opera, the exquisite: "Voi che sapete, che cos a è am or" (What is this feeling makes me so sad). IMG:872270115144378713_music028.png:Music [ Listen ] The Counte , examining his officer's commi ion, finds that the seal to it has been forgotten. While in the midst of these proceedings someone knocks. It is the Count . Consternation. Cherub i no flees into the Counte 's room and Susanna hides behind a curtain. The evident embarra ment of his wife arouses the suspicions of her husband, who, gay himself, is very jealous of her. He tries the door Cherub i no has bolted from the inside, then goes off to get tools to break it down with. He takes his wife with him. While he is away, Cherub i no slips out and leaps out of a window into the garden. In his place, Susanna bolts herself in the room, so that, when the Count breaks open the door, it is only to discover that Susanna is in his wife's room. All would be well, but unfortunately Antonio , the gardener, enters. A man, he says, has jumped out of the Counte 's window and broken a flowerpot. Figaro , who has come in, and who senses that something has gone wrong, says that it was he who was with Susanna and jumped out of the window. But the gardener has found a paper. He shows it. It is Cherub i no's commi ion. How did Figaro come by it? The Counte whispers something to Figaro . Ah, yes; Cherub i no handed it to him in order that he should obtain the mi ing seal. Everything appears to be cleared up when Mar cell in a , accompanied by Bartolo , comes to lodge formal complaint against Figaro for breach of promise, which for the Count is a much desired pretext to refuse again his consent to Figaro's wedding with Susanna . These, the culminating episodes of this act, form a finale which is justly admired, a finale so gradually developed and so skilfully evolved that, although only the principals participate in it, it is as effective as if it employed a full ensemble of soloists, chorus, and orchestra worked up in the most elaborate fashion. Indeed, for models. But to return to the story. At the trial in Act III, between Mar cell in a and Figaro , it develops that Figaro is her long-lost natural son. Susanna pays the costs of the trial and nothing now seems to stand in the way of her union with Figaro . The Count , however, is not yet entirely cured of his fickle fancies. So the Counte and Susanna hit upon still another scheme in this play of complications. During the wedding festivities Susanna is to contrive to send secretly to the Count a note, in which she invites him to meet her. Then the Counte , dre ed in Susanna's clothes, is to meet him at the place named. Figaro knows nothing of this plan. Chancing to find out about the note, he too becomes jealous—another, though minor, contribution to the mix-up of emotions. In this act the concoction of the letter by the Counte and Susanna is the basis of the most beautiful vocal number in the opera, the "letter duet" or Canzonetta sull'aria (the "Canzonetta of the Zephyr")—"Che soave zeffiretto" (Hither gentle zephyr); an exquisite melody, in which the lady dictates, the maid writes down, and the voices of both blend in comment. IMG:872270115144378713_music030.png:Music [ Listen ] The final Act brings about the desired result after a series of amusing contretemps in the garden. The Count sinks on his knees before his Counte and, as the curtain falls, there is reason to hope that he is prepared to mend his ways. Regarding the early performances of "Figaro" in this country, these early performances were given "with Mozart's music, but adapted by Henry Rowley Bishop." When I was a boy, a humorous way of commenting upon an artistic sacrilege was to exclaim: "Ah! Mozart improved by Bishop!" I presume the phrase came down from these early representations of "The Marriage of Figaro." Bishop was the composer of "Home, Sweet Home." In 1839 his wife eloped with Bochsa, the harp virtuoso, afterwards settled in New York, and for many years sang in concert and taught under the name of Mme. Anna Bishop.