The Marriage of Figaro

ACT 1,  Last Scene: Non Piu Andrai

Cherubino who flirts with all women in castle was punished by  the Count  and he has to join military service.Figaro wants to give him a lesson about love in a sarcastic way.Figaro tells him his sweet life which is passed amoung women is expired.When Figaro says " That light and jaunty hat, That hair, that shining aspect, That womanish red color in your face!"  he derides with noble class features as a servant.And aslo his sayings about honorable life with a little pay is a lift head to aristocratic system.

Figaro owes his critical view to the idea of enlightenment.With the help the enlightenment movement, people started to think them-selves as individuals who can have critical ideas about social issues with out distinction of class discrimination.In the atmospher of enlightenment before French Revolution, people realized that they should have freedom to say aloud  their thoughts although they belong to low economic class.


Non piu andrai, farfallone amoroso, You won't go any more, amorous
                                                      butterfly,
Notte e giorno d'intorno girando,      Fluttering around inside night and day,
Delle belle turbando il riposo,        Disturbing the sleep of beauties,
Narcisetto, Adoncino d'amor.           A little Narcissus and Adonis of love.
Non piu avrai questi bei penacchini,   You won't have those fine feathers
                                                     any more,
Quel cappello leggiero e galante,      That light and jaunty hat,
Quella chioma, quell'aria brillante,   That hair, that shining aspect,
Quel vermiglio donnesco color!         That womanish red color [in your face]!
Fra guerrieri, poffar Bacco!           Among soldiers, by Bacchus!
Gran mustacchi, stretto sacco,         A huge moustache, a little knapsack,
Schioppo in spalla, sciabla al fianco, Gun on your back, sword at your side,
Collo dritto, muso franco,             Your neck straight, your nose exposed,
Un gran casco, o un gran turbante,     A big helmet, or a big turban,
Molto onor, poco contante.             A lot of honour, very little pay.
Ed in vece del fandango                And in place of the dance
Una marcia per il fango.               A march through the mud.
Per montagne, per valloni,             Over mountains, through valleys,
Con le nevi, e i solioni,              With snow, and heat-stroke,
Al concerto di tromboni,               To the music of trumpets,
Di bombarde, di cannoni,               Of bombards, and of cannons,
Che le palle in tutti i tuoni,           Which, at every boom,
All'orecchio fan fischiar.             Will make bullets whistle past your ear.
Cherubino, alla vittoria!             Cherubino, go to victory!
Alla gloria militar!                      To military glory!

The Marriage of Figaro

ACT I,  Scene 2; CAVATINA

Se vuol ballare, signor contino, il chitarrino le suonerò, sì, se vuol venire nella mia scuola, la capriola le insegnerò, sì.

If you would dance, my pretty Count, I'll play the little guitar for you, yes. If you will come to my dancing school I'll teach you the capriole, yes.

Figaro who just learned the Count's interest to Susanna, stars his aria with these words.It is a lift head to Count's immorality and Figaro sarcastically challange to powerful nobility for his love.When he says "If you would dance, my pretty Count, I'll play the little guitar for you, yes" he wanted to emphasize that Count Almaviva has no right to behave in an immoral way just because of he has power.Under the way of French Revolution, people began to give value their own ethics, ideas and believe system.The enlightenment idea gave people who belongs to substratum opportunity to advocate their ideas as individuals who have the ability of thinking as much as people from upper classes.

The Marriage of Figaro

Synopsis & Characters

It is a story about a crazy day; the wedding day of Figaro and Susanna.The story was formed of intrigues and confused events in Count Almaviva's palace in Spain.First, Figaro and Susanna try to trick Count with the help of the Countess.By the way Marcellina and Bartolo plan to stop the marriage of Figaro but this plan is  failed because of the results of other happenings.Towards the end of the opera almost characters against Count.After the  surprise conspiracy of Susanna and Countess, the opera finishes with happy end.

 Count Almaviva: Spanish lord.(baritone)
 Countess Almaviva:The Count Almaviva's wife.(soprano)
 Susanna: The Countess's maid and engaged to Figaro.(soprano)
 Figaro:The Count's  servant.(bass or baritone)
 Cherubino:A pageboy.(soprano or  mezzo-soprano)
 Bartolo: A doctor from Seville.(bass)
 Don Basilio: A music teacher.(tenor)
 Antonio:The Count's  gardener and Susanna's uncle(bass)

 Barbarina: The doughter of Antonio 

 Don Curzino: A lawyer (tenor)

references

Edward J.Dent,1947.Mozart's Operas/Le Nozze di Figaro

The Marriage of Figaro

Text

The marriage of Figaro(Le Nozze Di Figaro) was written by French dramatist Beaumarchais(1732-1799) by basing on The Barber of Seville(Le Barbier de Séville).The characters of The Barber of Seville won great fame and Beaumarchais wrote a second play with same characters, The Marriage of Figaro.With changing political conditions in France, especially character of Figaro became important because he can say out loud the hatred against the nobility and impassivity of the palace.The Marriage of Figaro was banned by the king and the play was accused of instigating  of class divisions.Beaumarchais was forced to make some changes and the king allowed to performence of the play.The Marriage of Figaro was staged in 1754 and it made a major impact.A few year laters Napolion said about the play;  "The Marriage of Figaro was the Revolution already in action.”

The Marriage of Figaro's fame spread throughout all Europe.Mozart read the german translation of the play and he was very impressed.Mozart wanted to adapt the play to opera and he started to work with famous Venetian opera librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte(1749-1838).Work have been completed in a short time and opera was staged in Vienna(1786).

Figaro's famous monologue from the play

"No, Monsieur le Comte, you shan't have her! You shan't have her. Because you are a great noble, you think you are a great genius! Nobility, a fortune, a rank, appointments to office: all this makes a man so proud! What did you do to earn all this? You took the trouble to get born - nothing more. Moreover, you're really a pretty ordinary fellow. While as for me, lost in the crowd, I've had to use more knowledge, more brains, just to keep alive than your likes have to spend on governing Spain and the Empire for a century. And you want to contest with me - ..."


References
Aydın Büke, 1998.İki Dahi Üç Opera\Le Nozze di Figaro
Tim Carter,1991.Le Nozze di Figaro\Beaumarchais, da Ponte and Mozart:from play to opera

The Changing Face of Music in Conjunction with the French Revolution

1793 Jacques-Lois David
The Death of Marat  

Before focusing on influences of the revolution on opera, I want to mention how revolution change the usage of music, it will help us to understand the atmospher of the period and it will also help me to make a simple introduction to my subject.

Before the French Revolution, opera was seen as a plaything or frivolous entertainment of aristocracy.French leaders started to use opera as a popular enlightment or public-spirited tool.They organized open-air operas to stimulate people to take part in it.Firstly, this organizations were for the celebration of important events of the revolution.Later, festivals honourned pure or theoretical merits like equality, liberty.This change in usage of music forced composers to enlarge the orchestra and they added wind and percussion sections.They created chorus section for only male and millitary bands became  widely popular because of patriotic emotions.

The reflections of French Revolution influenced librettos before music.As a result of this the plots became more ideological.Librettos began to process the rescue of innocence from villainy, unjust destiny or disasters.There were always heroic characters who ensure the happy ends.Librettos emphasized the toil of hero, instead of chance or God and they underlined the praise of human-bravery which was the major message of French Revolution.

reference
Wınton Dean,(n.d.)Essays on Opera/Opera Under The French Revolution

Outline

                   Impact of French Revolution on Opera

• French Revolution

the idea of enlightenment
economical, political and social reasons

the results of revolution

• The Changing Face of Music in Conjunction with the French Revolution

• The Marriage of Figaro      

synopsis 

acts

 

• Fidelio

synopsis

acts