| Operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
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Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebotes (1767) |
La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus), K. 621, is an opera seria composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with text after Metastasio. Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebotes (The Obligation of the First and Foremost Commandment K Bastien und Bastienne (Bastien and Bastienne is a one-act Singspiel, comic Opera, with German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Weiskern La finta semplice ( The Pretended Simpleton) K 51 (46a is an Opera buffa in three acts for soloists and orchestra composed in 1769 Mitridate re di Ponto ( Mithridates, King of Pontus) K 87 (74a, is an early Opera seria in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Ascanio in Alba, K 111, is a Pastoral Opera in two parts ( Festa teatrale in due atti) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Il sogno di Scipione, K 126, is a dramatic serenade in one act ( Azione teatrale) composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Lucio Silla (K135 is an Italian Opera in three acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. La finta giardiniera ("The Pretended Garden-Girl" K 196 is an Italian Opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Il re pastore ( The Shepherd King) is an Opera, K 208 written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian Libretto Thamos König in Ägypten ( Thamos King of Egypt, or King Thamos, in English is a play by Tobias Philipp baron von Gebler for which between 1773 Zaide is an unfinished Opera, K 344 written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1780 Idomeneo re di Creta ossia Ilia e Idamante ( Italian: Idomeneo King of Crete or Ilia and Idamante; usually referred to simply as Idomeneo Die Entführung aus dem Serail ( K 384; The Abduction from the Seraglio; also known as Il Seraglio) is an Opera Singspiel L'oca del Cairo is an Opera buffa in three acts K 422 begun by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in July 1783 but abandoned in October Lo sposo deluso ossia La rivalità di tre donne per un solo amante ( The Deluded Bridegroom or The Rivalry of Three Women for One Lover) is a two act Opera buffa Der Schauspieldirektor ( The Impresario) K 486 is a comic Singspiel written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German Le nozze di Figaro ossia la folle giornata (Trans The Marriage of Figaro or the Day of Madness) K Don Giovanni ( K527; complete title Il dissoluto punito ossia il Don Giovanni, literally "The Rake Punish'd or Don Giovanni Così fan tutte ossia La scuola degli amanti ( Thus Do They All or The School For Lovers) K The Magic Flute (German Die Zauberflöte, K 620 is an Opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart This is a complete list of the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, listed chronologically. Opera seria (usually called dramma per musica or Melodramma serio) is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his Pseudonym of Metastasio, ( January 3, 1698 &ndash April 12, 1782 It was, in fact, his very last opera, having been started after the bulk of Die Zauberflöte was already written (though Mozart did not complete Die Zauberflöte until his return to Vienna after the Prague premiere of Tito). The Magic Flute (German Die Zauberflöte, K 620 is an Opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic.
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Background
In July 1791, the last year of his life, Mozart was already well advanced in writing The Magic Flute when he was asked to compose an opera seria. The Magic Flute (German Die Zauberflöte, K 620 is an Opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The commission came from the impresario Domenico Guardasoni, who lived in Prague and who had been charged with providing a new work to mark the coronation of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor as King of Bohemia. A coronation is a ceremony marking the investiture of a Monarch with regal power specifically involving the placement of a crown upon his or her head and the Leopold II (May 5 1747 March 1 1792 born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor from 1790 to 1792 and Grand Duke Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the The ceremony would take place on September 6; Guardasoni had been approached about the opera in June. There was not much room to manoeuvre.
In a contract dated July 8, 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). A libretto is the text used in an extended Musical work such as an Opera, Operetta, Masque, sacred or secular Oratorio and
Metastasio's libretto had already been set by nearly 40 composers; the story is based on the life of Roman Emperor Titus, from some brief hints in The Lives of the Caesars by the Roman writer Suetonius, and was elaborated by Metastasio in 1734 for the Italian composer Antonio Caldara. Titus Flavius Vespasianus, commonly known as Titus ( December 30 39 &ndash September 13 81) was a Roman Emperor who Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius (ca 69/75 &ndash after 130 was an equestrian and a historian during the Roman Empire. Antonio Caldara (1670 or 1671 - December 26, 1736) was an Italian Baroque Composer. Among later settings was Gluck's, in 1752; there would be three further settings after 1791. Mozart was not the first choice of Guardasoni. Instead, he had approached Antonio Salieri, who, as the most distinguished composer of Italian opera in Vienna, would provide exactly the lustre which Guardasoni sought. Antonio Salieri ( 18 August 1750 &ndash 7 May 1825) was an Italian Composer and conductor. But Salieri was too busy and he declined the commission.
The libretto was edited into a more useful state by court poet Caterino Mazzolà, whom, unusually, Mozart credited for his revision in his own catalogue of his compositions. Guardasoni's experience of Mozart's work on Don Giovanni convinced him that the younger composer was more than capable of working on the tightest deadline. Don Giovanni ( K527; complete title Il dissoluto punito ossia il Don Giovanni, literally "The Rake Punish'd or Don Giovanni Mozart had no hesitation in accepting Guardasoni's offer - how could he resist when Guardasoni offered him twice the fee he was used to receive for an opera in Vienna? Mozart's earliest biographer Niemetschek alleged that the opera was completed in just 18 days, and in such haste that the secco recitatives were supplied by another composer, probably Mozart's pupil Süssmayr. Recitative /rɛsɪtə'tiv/ (also known by its Italian name "recitativo" (/retʃita'tivo/ is a style of delivery (much used in Operas Oratorios Franz Xaver Süßmayr (Franz Xaver Suessmayr 1766 in Schwanenstadt – September 17 1803 in Vienna) was an Austrian Composer.
Unfortunately, King Leopold was known to favor opera in the Italian style, rather than the more Germanic manner for which Mozart was known (that is one reason for Salieri being the first choice to write Clemenza). It is not known what Leopold thought of the opera written in his honor, but his wife Maria Louisa is reputed to have dismissed it as porcheria tedesca, or "German swinery. "
Orchestration
The opera is scored for:
- 2 transverse flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, (I also basset clarinet and basset horn), 2 bassoons
- 2 French horns, 2 trumpets
- timpani
- Strings. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto A transverse flute or side-blown flute is a Flute which is held horizontally when played "Hautbois" redirects here for the strawberry variety see Hautbois strawberry. The clarinet is a Musical instrument in the Woodwind family The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word The basset clarinet is a Clarinet, similar to the usual Soprano clarinet but longer and with additional keys to enable playing several additional lower notes The basset horn or tenor clarinet (sometimes written basset-horn) is a Musical instrument, a member of the Clarinet family The bassoon is a Woodwind instrument in the Double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and Tenor registers and occasionally Timpani (also known colloquially as kettledrums or kettle drums) are Musical instruments in the percussion family A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs
Basso continuo in recitativi secchi is made of cembalo and violoncello. Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer Musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords and Nonchord tones in relation The violoncello (abbreviated to cello, or 'cello, plural cellos or celli —the c is tʃ
Performance history
The premiere took place a few hours after Leopold's coronation. The role of Sesto was taken by castrato, Domenico Bedini. The opera was first performed publicly on September 6, 1791 at the Estates Theatre in Prague. Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started Year 1791 ( MDCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Estates Theatre or Stavovské divadlo is a historic Theatre in Prague, Czech Republic.
The opera remained popular for many years after Mozart's death (Stivender, p. 502). But for a long time, Mozart scholars regarded Tito as an inferior effort of the composer. Alfred Einstein in 1945 wrote that it was "customary to speak disparagingly of La clemenza di Tito and to dismiss it as the product of haste and fatigue," and he continues the disparagement to some extent by condemning the characters as puppets — e. Alfred Einstein ( December 30, 1880 &ndash February 13, 1952) was a German-American Musicologist and music editor Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar g. , "Tito is nothing but a mere puppet representing magnanimity" — and claiming that the opera seria was already a moribund form (Einstein, Mozart, pp. Magnanimity (derived from the Latin roots magn- great and anima, soul is the virtue of being great of mind and heart 408-11). However, in recent years the opera has undergone something of a reappraisal. Stanley Sadie considers it to show Mozart "responding with music of restraint, nobility and warmth to a new kind of stimulus" (New Grove Mozart, p. Stanley Sadie CBE ( October 30 1930 - March 21 2005) was a leading British musicologist, music critic and editor 164).
Given the similarity of Mozart's score and plot with some aspects of La clemenza di Scipione by Johann Christian Bach, it is likely that Mozart knew and was influenced by the older composer's work to a certain extent. Johann Christian Bach ( September 5, 1735 &ndash January 1, 1782) was a Composer of the Classical era the eleventh and
The opera was the inspiration for the 2006 film Daratt, by Chadian director Mahamat Saleh Haroun. Daratt ( English: "Dry Season" French: "Saison sèche" is a 2006 film by Chadian director Mahamat Saleh Haroun Chad (Tchad تشاد Tshād) officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a Landlocked country in Central Africa. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (b 1961 N'Djamena) is a Film director from Chad who has lived in France since 1982
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, September 6, 1791 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Tito | tenor | Antonio Baglioni |
| Vitellia | soprano | Maria M. The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Fantozzi |
| Servilia | soprano | Sig. a Antonini |
| Sesto | mezzo-soprano | Domenico Bedini |
| Annio | mezzo-soprano | Carolina Perini |
| Publio | bass | Gaetano Campi |
Synopsis
Act 1
Vitellia, daughter of deposed emperor Vitellius, wants revenge against Titus and stirs up Titus's vacillating friend Sextus, who is in love with her, to act against him. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. But when she hears word that Titus has sent Berenice of Cilicia, of whom she was jealous, back to Jerusalem, Vitellia tells Sextus to delay carrying out her wishes, hoping Titus will choose her (Vitellia) as his empress. Berenice of Cilicia, also known as Julia Berenice and sometimes spelled Bernice (28 AD &ndash ? was a Jewish client queen of the Roman Empire
Titus, however, decides to choose Sextus's sister Servilia to be his empress, and orders Annius (Sextus's friend) to bear the message to Servilia. Since Annius and Servilia, unbeknownst to Titus, are in love, this news is very unwelcome to both. Servilia decides to tell Titus the truth but also says that if Titus still insists on marrying her, she will obey. Titus thanks the gods for Servilia's truthfulness and immediately forswears the idea of coming between her and Annius.
In the meantime, however, Vitellia has heard the news about Titus's interest in Servilia and is again boiling with jealousy. She urges Sextus to go assassinate Titus. He agrees, singing one of the opera's most famous arias, "Parto, parto. " Almost as soon as he leaves, Annius and the guard Publius arrive to escort Vitellia to Titus, who has now chosen her as his empress. She is torn with feelings of guilt and worry over what she has sent Sextus to do.
Sextus, meanwhile, is at the Capitol wrestling with his conscience as he and his accomplices go about to burn it down. The other characters (except Titus) enter severally and react with horror to the burning Capitol. Sextus reenters and announces that he saw Titus slain, but Vitellia stops him from incriminating himself as the assassin. The others lament Titus in a slow, mournful conclusion to Act I.
Act 2
Begins with Annius telling Sextus that Emperor Titus is in fact alive and has just been seen; in the smoke and chaos, Sextus mistook another for Titus. Soon Publius arrives to arrest Sextus, bearing the news that it was one of Sextus's co-conspirators who dressed himself in Titus's robes and was stabbed, though not mortally, by Sextus. The Senate tries Sextus as Titus waits impatiently, sure that his friend will be exonerated; but the Senate finds him guilty, and an anguished Titus must sign Sextus' death sentence.
He decides to send for Sextus first, attempting to obtain further details about the plot. Sextus takes all the guilt on himself and says he deserves death, so Titus tells him he shall have it and sends him away. But after an extended internal struggle, Titus tears up the execution warrant for Sextus and determines that, if the world wishes to accuse him (Titus) of anything, it can charge him with showing too much mercy rather than with having a revengeful heart.
Vitellia at this time is torn by guilt and decides to confess all to Titus, giving up her hopes of empire in the well-known rondo "Non più di fiori. " In the amphitheater, the condemned (including Sextus) are waiting to be thrown to the wild beasts. An amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is an open-air venue for spectator sports concerts rallies or theatrical performances Titus is about to show mercy when Vitellia offers her confession as the instigator of Sextus's plot. Though shocked, the emperor includes her in the general clemency he offers. The opera concludes with all the subjects praising the extreme generosity of Titus, while he himself asks that the gods cut short his days when he ceases to care for the good of Rome. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2
Noted arias
- "Ah, perdona al primo affetto" - Annius (Annio) and Servilia in Act I
- "Ah se fosse" - Titus (Tito) in Act I
- "Deh se piacer" - Vitellia in Act I
- "Del più sublime soglio" - Titus (Tito) in Act I
- "Parto, parto" - Sextus (Sesto) in Act I
- "Deh per questo istante" - Sextus (Sesto) in Act II
- "Non più di fiori" - Vitellia in Act II
- "S'altro che lagrime" - Servilia in Act II
- "Se all'impero" - Titus (Tito) in Act II
- "Tardi s'avvede" - Publius (Publio) in Act II
- "Torna di Tito a lato" - Annius (Annio) in Act II
- "Tu fosti tradito" - Annius (Annio) in Act II
Selected recordings
- Rene Jacobs (2006)- Harmonia Mundi, Mark Padmore (Tito), Alexandrina Pendachanska (Vitellia), Bernarda Fink (Sesto), Marie-Claude Chappuis (Annio), Sunhae Im (Servilia), Sergio Foresti (Publio), Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Berlin RIAS Chamber Chorus
Sources
- David Stivender, ed. René Jacobs (born October 30, 1946, Ghent) is a Belgian ( Flemish) musician Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. "Harmonia Mundi" is also the title of a track on Mike Oldfield 's Music of the Spheres album and trans. , "La Clemenza di Tito" (libretto), in The Metropolitan Opera Book of Mozart Operas, NY: HarperCollins, 1991.
- Alfred Einstein, Mozart: His Character, His Work, NY: Oxford University Press, 1945.
- Stanley Sadie, The New Grove Mozart, NY: Norton, 1983.
Scores
- La clemenza di Tito: Score and critical report (German) in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe
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