Mozart's Brilliant Instrumental Music

A man known for composing brilliant instrumental music for most of his career, made a huge step in the world of opera on 7 May 1783. It was on this date which Mozart wrote a letter to his father with the intentions of his next composition. In the coming years this spectacle would become Mozart's 18th Operatic Work and 11th in Italian, Le Nozze di Figaro. Already having 10 Italian Operas accredited to his name Le Nozze di Figaro seemed to be Mozart's greatest operatic challenge to date. The Burgtheater in Vienna was currently home to an Italian Company whom Mozart thought would not last long – however, now was doing excellent business. There were many members of the Opera Company who could not wait to get involved in the project Mozart had
Hundreds of librettos were looked through, examined, acted out however, none seemed to be the perfect fit. Eventually Mozart's second hand man at the time, the buffo bass, Benucci came across Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais outrageously cheeky play La folle journee, ou Le mariage de Figaro.[2] Just as Mozart's Figaro Beaumarchais' play was not well accepted in the beginning. Yet the way to acceptance was paved by the Viennese success of the first Figaro play by Beaumarchais, Le barbier de Seville.[3] Now having found a libretto to work with Mozart felt so many changes would have to be made. Writing a new text seemed easier to Mozart then having to work through and omitting parts of dis-interest – possibilities which he had little time for. A new text Mozart felt would be better anyways. Mozart goes on in his letter saying “ Our poet here is now a certain Abbate da Ponte.
"Lorenzo Da Ponte and the perfect marriage." In Mozart and his Operas. London: Penguin Group, 2006. 99.
[2] Heartz, Daniel. "The Metamorphosis of Figaro." In Mozart's Operas. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1990. 108.
[3] Heartz, Daniel. "The Metamosphosis of Figaro." In Mozart's Operas. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1990. 108.
[4] Cairns, David. "Lorenzo Da Ponte and the perfect marriage." In Mozart and his Operas. London: Penguin Group, 2006. 99.
[5] Cairns, David. "Lorenzo Da Ponte and the perfect marriage." In Mozart and his Operas. London: Penguin Group, 2006. 100.
[6] Brophy, Brigid. "The Importance of Mozart's Operas." In Mozart The Dramatist. Worcester and London: Ebenezer Baylis and Son Ltd., 1964.