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    List of Operas by Mozart

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    eugenios
    This document provides a summary of Mozart's operas in 3 paragraphs. It begins by explaining that Mozart composed 22 operas in various genres that ranged from small-scale works in his youth to full-fledged operas in his maturity. The second paragraph discusses how Mozart had a gift for assimilating different styles and became an innovator in the genres of Italian opera seria and opera buffa as well as the German Singspiel. The final paragraph outlines the process used to compile the list of Mozart's operas, including the criteria for inclusion, the general sequencing, and sources used for details about each opera.

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    List of Operas by Mozart

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    eugenios
    1K views5 pages
    This document provides a summary of Mozart's operas in 3 paragraphs. It begins by explaining that Mozart composed 22 operas in various genres that ranged from small-scale works in his youth to full-fledged operas in his maturity. The second paragraph discusses how Mozart had a gift for assimilating different styles and became an innovator in the genres of Italian opera seria and opera buffa as well as the German Singspiel. The final paragraph outlines the process used to compile the list of Mozart's operas, including the criteria for inclusion, the general sequencing, and sources used for details about each opera.

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    List of Operas by Mozart

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    This document provides a summary of Mozart's operas in 3 paragraphs. It begins by explaining that Mozart composed 22 operas in various genres that ranged from small-scale works in his youth to full-fledged operas in his maturity. The second paragraph discusses how Mozart had a gift for assimilating different styles and became an innovator in the genres of Italian opera seria and opera buffa as well as the German Singspiel. The final paragraph outlines the process used to compile the list of Mozart's operas, including the criteria for inclusion, the general sequencing, and sources used for details about each opera.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    1K views5 pages

    List of Operas by Mozart

    Uploaded by

    eugenios
    This document provides a summary of Mozart's operas in 3 paragraphs. It begins by explaining that Mozart composed 22 operas in various genres that ranged from small-scale works in his youth to full-fledged operas in his maturity. The second paragraph discusses how Mozart had a gift for assimilating different styles and became an innovator in the genres of Italian opera seria and opera buffa as well as the German Singspiel. The final paragraph outlines the process used to compile the list of Mozart's operas, including the criteria for inclusion, the general sequencing, and sources used for details about each opera.

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    The document discusses Mozart's 22 operas, including the genres, sources of librettos, and his collaborators. It also provides references and further reading.

    Mozart's operas encompass a variety of genres including opera seria, opera buffa, and Singspiel. Three of his early works were abandoned before completion.

    In his early career, Mozart often adapted existing works and librettos from other sources for his operas. The first librettist he chose himself was Giambattista Varesco for Idomeneo in 1781.

    List of operas by Mozart

    tional forms of the Italian opera seria and opera bua as


    well as the German Singspiel. In his maturity, according to music writer Nicholas Kenyon, he enhanced all of
    these forms with the richness of his innovation,[1] and, in
    Don Giovanni, he achieved a synthesis of the two Italian
    styles, including a seria character in Donna Anna, bua
    characters in Leporello and Zerlina, and a mixed seriabua character in Donna Elvira.[1]
    Ideas and characterisations introduced in the early works
    were subsequently developed and rened. For example, Mozarts later operas feature a series of memorable, strongly drawn female characters, in particular
    the so-called Viennese soubrettes who, in opera writer
    Charles Osborne's phrase, contrive to combine not true
    instinct.[4] Music writer and analyst Gottfried Kraus has
    remarked that all these women were present, as prototypes, in the earlier operas; Bastienne (1768), and Sandrina (La nta giardiniera, 1774) are precedents for the
    later Constanze and Pamina, while Sandrinas foil Serpetta is the forerunner of Blonde, Susanna, Zerlina and
    Despina.[5]
    Mozarts texts came from a variety of sources, and the
    early operas were often adaptations of existing works.[6]
    The rst librettist chosen by Mozart himself appears to
    have been Giambattista Varesco, for Idomeneo in 1781.[7]
    Five years later, he began his most enduring collaboration, with Lorenzo Da Ponte, his true phoenix.[8] The
    once widely held theory that Da Ponte was the librettist
    for the discarded Lo sposo deluso of 1783 has now been
    generally rejected.[9] Mozart felt that, as the composer,
    he should have considerable input into the content of the
    libretto, so that it would best serve the music. Musicologist Charles Rosen writes, it is possible that Da Ponte understood the dramatic necessities of Mozarts style without prompting; but before his association with da Ponte,
    Mozart had already bullied several librettists into giving
    him the dramatically shaped ensembles he loved.[10][11]

    Playbill for the opening performance of Die Zauberte, 30


    September 1791

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's operas comprise 22 musical


    dramas in a variety of genres. They range from the smallscale, derivative works of his youth to the full-edged
    operas of his maturity. Three of the works were abandoned before completion and were not performed until
    many years after the composers death. His mature works
    are all considered classics and have never been out of the
    repertory of the worlds opera houses.[1]

    1 Compiling the list

    From a very young age Mozart had, according to opera


    analyst David Cairns, an extraordinary capacity [...] for
    seizing on and assimilating whatever in a newly encountered style (was) most useful to him.[2] In a letter to his
    father, dated 7 February 1778, Mozart wrote, As you
    know, I can more or less adopt or imitate any kind and
    style of composition.[3] He used this gift to break new
    ground, becoming simultaneously assimilator, perfector
    and innovator.[2] Thus, his early works follow the tradi-

    1.1 Basis for inclusion


    The list includes all the theatrical works generally accepted as composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In
    this context theatrical means performed on a stage, by
    vocalists singing in character, in accordance with stage
    directions. Some sources have adopted more specic criteria, leading them to exclude the early Sacred Singspiel
    1

    REFERENCES

    3 References
    Notes
    [1] Kenyon, pp. 28385
    [2] Cairns, p. 11
    [3] Cairns, p. 17
    [4] Osborne, pp. 19192
    [5] Kenyon, p. 302
    [6] For example, Metastasio's text for Il re pastore had been
    written in 1751 and had been set to music before. Kenyon,
    p. 303
    [7] Kenyon, p. 308
    [8] From a letter to his father, circa 1774, quoted in Holden,
    p. xv

    Mozart circa 1780, by Johann Nepomuk della Croce

    [9] According to some recent scholarship, the unknown Italian poet responsible for the text is more likely to have
    been Giuseppe Petrosellini, who initially prepared it
    for Domenico Cimarosas opera Le donne rivali, 1780.
    Dell'Antonio, pp. 404405 and 415
    [10] Rosen 1997, p. 155
    [11] For two instances in which Mozart coaxed his libret-

    Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots,[12] which they classify


    tists into reshaping their work, see Die Entfhrung aus
    as an oratorio.[13] However, as Osborne makes clear, the
    dem Serail (which quotes Mozarts correspondence on this
    libretto contains stage directions which suggest that the
    point) and Giambattista Varesco.
    work was acted, not merely sung, and it is formally described as a geistliches Singspiel (sacred play with mu- [12] Gebotes or Gebottes are archaic spelling variants of
    the modern Gebots which is regularly used in he title.
    sic), not as an oratorio.[14]

    1.2

    Sequence

    In general, the list follows the sequence in which the operas were written. There is uncertainty about whether
    La nta semplice was written before or after Bastien
    und Bastienne, and in some listings the former is given
    priority.[15] Thamos was written in two segments, the earlier in 1774, but is listed in accordance with its completion in 177980. Die Zauberte and La clemenza di Tito
    were written concurrently. Die Zauberote was started
    earlier and put aside for the Tito commission,[16] which
    was completed and performed rst and is usually listed
    as the earlier work despite having a higher Kchel catalogue number.

    List of works

    Note: Eng refers to English translation of title

    [13] Kenyon begins his guide to the operas with Apollo et Hyacinthus (p. 287); Cairns more or less dismisses Die
    Schuldigkeit (p. 24), seemingly following the view of Edward J. Dent, quoted by Osborne, p. 27. Grove, also, does
    not list Die Schuldigkeit as an opera.
    [14] Osborne, p. 26
    [15] Both were written in 1768. The rst performance of
    La nta semplice was delayed until May 1779, whereas
    Bastien und Bastienne may have been performed in October 1768. It is entirely possible, however, that La nta
    semplice was written rst. See Osborne, pp. 3738 and
    45
    [16] Osborne, p. 300
    [17] Kchel numbers refer to the Kchel Catalogue of Mozarts
    work, prepared by Ludwig von Kchel and rst published
    in 1862. The catalogue has been revised several times,
    most recently in 1964.
    [18] Unless indicated otherwise, these descriptions are taken
    from the title pages of Neue Mozart-Ausgabe. In instances where the English meaning is unclear, an English
    equivalent is given
    [19] Unless noted otherwise, librettist details are as given by
    Osborne: The Complete Operas of Mozart

    [20] Voice part summaries are as given by Osborne. Additional


    notes indicate roles originally sung by castrati

    [42] 1964 revised to K. 336a. Kchels Catalog of Mozarts


    Works. ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.

    [21] Unless noted otherwise, details of rst performances are


    as given by Osborne.

    [43] 1964 revised to K. 336b. Kchels Catalog of Mozarts


    Works. ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.

    [22] Part II is by Michael Haydn, Part III by Anton Cajetan


    Adlgasser. Osborne, p. 16

    [44] The role of Idamante, originally written for castrato, was


    rewritten by Mozart as a tenor role in 1786. (Osborne,
    p. 155) Also, the role of Arbace is sometimes sung by a
    tenor

    [23] Weiser is the most likely of several possible authors of the


    text. See Osborne, pp. 2425
    [24] Kenyons description, p. 288, is Music for a Latin drama

    [45] One speaking role, that of a sailor, is absent from most


    modern productions

    [25] Premiered with an all-male cast, the soprano and alto parts
    being sung by boy choristers. Osborne, p. 32

    [46] 1964 revised to K. 424a. Kchels Catalog of Mozarts


    Works. ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.

    [26] 1964 revised to K. 46b. Kchels Catalog of Mozarts


    Works. ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.

    [47] Osborne, pp. 20809


    [48] Sadie, p. 415

    [27] The text was derived from a French parody, Les amours
    de Bastien et Bastienne, a work by Jean-Jacques Rousseau:
    Le Devin du Village, 1752. Kenyon, p. 291
    [28] Dr Franz Anton Mesmer was the founder of the form of
    hypnotherapy known as "mesmerism". Batta, p. 343
    [29] 1964 revised to K. 46a. Kchels Catalog of Mozarts
    Works. ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
    [30] The contralto or mezzo role was created by Maria Anna
    Braunhofer, who had sung a soprano role in the rst performance of Die Schuldigkeit. Osborne, pp. 13 & 35
    [31] 1964 revised to K. 74a. Kchels Catalog of Mozarts
    Works. ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
    [32] The soprano roles of Sifare and Arbate, and the alto role
    of Farnace, were written for castrati. Osborne, p. 59
    [33] In Italian this translates to festa teatrale (Kenyon, p. 294).
    Osborne, p. 63, calls it a pastoral opera.
    [34] The soprano roles of Ascanio and Fauno were written for
    castrati. Osborne, p. 69

    [49] According to Osborne, p. 207


    [50] The soprano mezzo singers include the two servant-girls,
    either two sopranos or one soprano and one mezzo, who
    sing the duet Amanti, costanti in the Act III Finale. Osborne, p. 251
    [51] The full name of the opera is Il dissoluto punito, ossia Il
    Don Giovanni, but as Kenyon (p. 326) states: It is fruitless to argue against the habits of opera houses around the
    world.
    [52] For the Vienna premiere, six months later, certain changes
    were introduced, mainly to accommodate the ranges of
    a dierent group of singers. Modern performances generally conate the Prague and Vienna productions. Osborne, p. 268
    [53] This is an approximate translation from the Italian. Cairns
    (p. 177) gives: That is what all women do. The subtitle,
    La scola degli amanti, is more easily translatable as The
    School for lovers. Cairns, p. 176, Osborne, p. 281

    [35] Details of rst performance are obscure. Osborne gives


    dates 29 April or 1 May, Kenyon, p. 296 says: There
    is no record it was actually performed in 1772

    [54] One mezzo-soprano role, depicting the male character


    Annio, was originally a castrato and is now done by mezzos. The role of Sesto (Sextus) was originally written by
    Mozart for a tenor before he found out it had been assigned
    to a mezzo castrato.

    [36] The soprano role of Cecilio was written for a castrato. Osborne, p. 86

    Cited sources

    [37] Mozart prepared a Singspiel version, Die verstellte Grtnerin, produced in Augsburg on 1 May 1780. The German version, now known as Die Grtnerin aus Liebe, has
    remained popular. Kenyon, pp. 30001, Osborne, p. 97
    [38] The libretto was formerly credited to Raniero
    de'Calzabigi, revised by Marco Coltellini, but is
    now credited to Petrosellini. Kenyon, p. 300
    [39] The soprano role of Ramiro was written for a castrato.
    [40] Kenyon, p. 303
    [41] The soprano role of Aminta was written for castrato. Osborne, p. 105

    Batta, Andreas (editor) (2000). Opera: Composers,


    Works, Performers (English edition ed.). Cologne:
    Knemann. ISBN 3-8290-3571-3.
    Cairns, David (2006). Mozart and his Operas. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-029674-3.
    Dell' Antonio, Andrew (1996). Il Compositore
    Deluso: The Fragments of Mozarts Comic Opera
    Lo Sposo Deluso (K424a/430)". In Stanley Sadie
    (ed.). Wolfgang Amad Mozart: Essays on His Life
    and Work. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN
    0-19-816443-2.

    4 FURTHER READING
    Glover, Jane (2005). Mozarts Women. London:
    MacMillan. ISBN 1-4050-2121-7.
    Holden, Anthony (2007). The Man Who Wrote
    Mozart: The extraordinary life of Lorenzo Da Ponte.
    London: Phoenix. ISBN 978-0-7538-2180-0.
    Kenyon, Nicholas (2006). The Pegasus Pocket Guide
    to Mozart. New York: Pegasus Books. ISBN 1933648-23-6.
    Osborne, Charles (1992). The Complete Operas of
    Mozart. London: Victor Gollancz. ISBN 0-57503823-3.
    Rosen, Charles (1997). The Classical Style: Haydn,
    Mozart, Beethoven. New York: Norton. ISBN 0393-00653-0.
    Kchels Catalog of Mozarts Works. ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
    Neue Mozart-Ausgabe (New Mozart Edition)".
    Brenreiter-Verlag. Retrieved 17 July 2008.

    Other sources
    Dent, Edward J. (1973). Mozarts Operas: A Critical
    Study. Oxford: OUP. ISBN 0-19-284001-0.
    Gutman, Robert W. (2000). Mozart: A Cultural Biography. London: Secker and Warburg. ISBN 0304-31135-9.
    Heartz, Daniel (ed.) (1990). Mozarts Operas.
    Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0520-07872-1.
    Mann, William (1986). The Operas of Mozart. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-31135-9.
    Newman, Ernest (1954). More Opera Nights. London: Putnam.
    Robbins, Landon, H. C. (1990). 1791: Mozarts
    Last Year. London: Fontana. ISBN 0-00-654324-3.
    Steptoe, Andrew (1988). The MozartDa Ponte Operas. Oxford: OUP. ISBN 0-19-816221-9.
    Till, Nicholas (1993). Mozart and the Enlightenment. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-57117042-0.

    Further reading
    Whiteld, Sarah (2011). Cos fan tutte: Brilliance
    or Buoonery?", Musical Oerings: Vol. 2: No.
    2, Article 1. Available at http://digitalcommons.
    cedarville.edu/musicalofferings/vol2/iss2/1.

    Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

    5.1

    Text

    List of operas by Mozart Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_operas_by_Mozart?oldid=623800664 Contributors: Rmhermen,


    Opus33, Wadewitz, Alansohn, Noetica, G.W., Drbogdan, Rjwilmsi, The Rambling Man, Canuckguy, Fram, D Monack, Kleinzach, FordPrefect42, GuillaumeTell, Michael Bednarek, Voceditenore, Rurp, Jimknut, Reywas92, DavidRF, Ssilvers, GimmeBot, Nrswanson, Broadbot, MeegsC, Dabomb87, ClueBot, Safebreaker, Chrisfa678, Obelix83, Brianboulton, Indopug, Addbot, LaaknorBot, Tassedethe, Luckasbot, Maximilian Caldwell, Kingpin13, Omnipaedista, Beyond My Ken, NerdyScienceDude, John of Reading, Mentibot, ClueBot NG,
    Tijd-jp, Helpful Pixie Bot, Toccata quarta, AlanPalgut, ChrisGualtieri, Khazar2, Lugia2453, Dcmo and Anonymous: 23

    5.2

    Images

    File:Croce-Mozart-Detail.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Croce-Mozart-Detail.jpg License: Public


    domain Contributors: [1] Original artist: Johann Nepomuk della Croce (1736-1819)
    File:Cscr-featured.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Cscr-featured.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original
    artist: ?
    File:Zauberflte-Theaterzettel1791.jpg
    Source:
    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Zauberfl%C3%
    B6te-Theaterzettel1791.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ?

    5.3

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