L  E  C  T  U  R  E        S  L  I  D  E  S  

Chapter  7  

Monday,  October  29,  1787,  Prague:  W.  A.  Mozart’s  Don  Giovanni  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

Mozart  Aria  

Music Then and Now’s Lecture PowerPoints embed the author video(s) for each chapter for easy use in class.

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

•  Reasons  for  Don  Giovanni’s  prominence  in  the  operaJc  repertory  – Music:  Mozart’s  ability  to  fascinate  and  move  the  audience  with  dramaJc  music  

– Drama:  Mozart  collaborated  with  the  poet  and    dramaJst  Lorenzo  Da  Ponte,  one  of  the  most  

   giPed  libreQsts  in  history  

– Performance:  Mozart  composed  the  opera        with  specific  performers  in  mind  and  took  full          advantage  of  their  abiliJes  

Introduc)on  

Lecture PowerPoints provide a basic outline of key points covered in the chapter, including the Introduction, The Setting, The Premiere, The Music, Listening to the Music, and the music Then and Now. Scroll down to see samples of slides for each section.

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

The  Se/ng  

•  Prague  in  1787  – Capital  of  Bohemia  and  important  city  in  the  Austro-­‐Hungarian  Empire,  with  a  rich  musical  and  arJsJc  life  

– Count  NosJtz’s  Theater  (now  known  as  the  Estates  Theater)  built  in  1783;  site  of  the  premieres  of  Don  Giovanni  in  1787  and  La  clemenza  di  Tito  in  1791  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

The  Se/ng  

•  The  Bondini  Opera  Company  – Opera  company  started  by  Pasquale  Bondini,  Italian  singer  and  impresario  (manager);  winter  season  in  Prague,  summer  season  in  Leipzig  

– Specialized  in  Italian  opera,  popular  throughout  most  of  Europe  and  characterized  by  bel  canto,  or  “beauJful  song”  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

Mozart  and  Da  Ponte  

•  Wolfgang  Amadè  Mozart  (1756–1791)  – Born  in  Salzburg;  trained  by  his  father,  Leopold  Mozart,  a  violinist  

– Toured  Europe  with  father  and  sister,  Nannerl,  becoming  internaJonally  famous  as  a  child  prodigy  

– Employed  as  a  court  musician  in  Salzburg  unJl  1781  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

The  Premiere  of  Don  Giovanni  

•  PreparaJons  in  Prague  – Mozart  conJnued  working  on  the  opera  while  in  Prague  in  October  1787  

– Mozart  and  Da  Ponte  spent  Jme  with  Giacomo  Casanova,  who  may  have  contributed  revisions  to  the  libredo  aPer  Da  Ponte’s  departure  

– The  premiere  had  been  scheduled  to  coincide  with  a  visit  by  the  Archduchess  Maria  Theresa  but  was  postponed  due  to  insufficient  rehearsal  Jme  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

The  Music  

•  Opera  Seria  and  Opera  Buffa  – Opera  seria  (serious  or  tragic  opera)  was  based  on  mythical  or  historical  subjects,  with  elevated  acJon  and  characters  who  are  gods  or  members  of  the  nobility  

– Opera  buffa  (comic  opera)  included  servants  as  well  as  nobles;  class  disJncJons  were  important  (and  potenJally  controversial)  in  plays  and  operas  of  the  period  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

The  Music  

•  Orchestra:  Size  and  Makeup  – The  orchestral  musicians  were  residents  of  Prague;  the  woodwind  players  were  parJcularly  skillful  

– Orchestra  was  comparaJvely  small  – Don  Giovanni  includes  onstage  bands  in  the  finales  of  Acts  1  and  2  

– Trombones  accompany  the  appearance  of  the  Commendatore’s  statue;  associated  with  the  supernatural,  they  are  also  used  in  the  Requiem  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

Listening  to  the  Music  

•  Aria,  “Node  e  giorno  faJcar,”  Act  1,  Scene  1  – Opens  the  opera  – Three  “voices”  or  stances:  complaining,  imitaJng  Don  Giovanni,  and  expressing  fright  at  the  approach  of  Don  Giovanni  and  Donna  Anna  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

Listening  to  the  Music  

•  Ensemble,  Act  1,  Scene  1  – Dialogue  between  Donna  Anna  and  Don  Giovanni,  with  asides  from  Leporello,  forming  a  trio  

– Music  of  the  characters  is  largely  disJnct  

– The  music  changes  to  minor  mode  with  the  appearance  of  the  Commendatore  

– Badle  music:  instrumental  duel  – Change  of  tempo  to  andante  as  the  Commendatore  dies  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

Don  Giovanni  Then  and  Now  

•  RecepJon  of  Premiere  – Contemporary  newspaper  review  briefly  describes  the  performance;  it  possibly  hints  that  Don  Giovanni  was  less  popular  than  The  Marriage  of  Figaro  and  appealed  more  to  “connoisseurs  and  musicians”  

– The  manager  of  the  company,  Guardasoni,  praised  Mozart  and  Da  Ponte  

– The  Bondini  Company  performed  Don  Giovanni  again  in  Prague,  Warsaw,  and  other  ciJes  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

The art slides include the images from the chapter for display in class, and include explanatory captions in the notes field.

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

Music  Then  and  Now,  1st  EdiJon  

Mozart:  Don  Giovanni,  Act  I,  Scene  12,  “Non  J  fidar”  

The musical examples in each chapter are embedded in lecture PowerPoints.

Lecture  Slides  

Music  Then  and  Now  Thomas  Forrest  Kelly  

First  EdiJon  

Visit  this  Chapter’s  Study  Space  Page:    

hdp://wwnorton.com/college/music/musicthenandnow/  

ch/07/studyplan.aspx