The work: --------- Le Nozze di Figaro ossia la folle giornata (KV 492) Dramma giocoso in quattro atti (Burgtheater Vienna, 1-May-1786) (The Marriage of Figaro) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (*27-Jan-1756 Salzburg, +5-Dec-1791 Vienna) Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte (Emanuele Conegliano) (*10-Mar-1749 Ceneda, +17-Aug-1838 New York) based on the comedy "Le mariage de Figaro" (Paris, 1784) by Beaumarchais (Pierre Augustin Caron) (*24-Jan-1732 Paris, +19-May-1799 Paris) Transcribed from G. Ricordi & C. Editori, Milano 1985 by Michael Bednarek [mb@doh.health.nsw.gov.au] Background: ----------- The score I used is much more than a piano excerpt; in fact, I'm convinced that some parts are unplayable: it really is a condensed orchestral score. I transcribed these pieces for the pleasure of seeing W.A. Mozart at work and, my own practical instrumental skills being limited, making the sounds come to live. I'm grateful to the author of "Mozart", a notation program like no other in its very pleasing method of using the computer keyboard economically to enter a musical score. The piece: ---------- Coro e Recitativo - Finale Terzo No.22(b): "Amanti costanti" Atto III. Scena XIII. (I separated No.22 into (a) and (b) mainly for practical reasons of keeping the necessary number of strands small.) Locals sing a laudatory hymn to their lord, celebrating his relinquishment of his feudal right. Then, Susanna slips the previously written letter (No.20) to the Count, albeit not unnoticed by Figaro. The Count then invites all with some rather self-serving words to start the festivities. The locals repeat their hymn of praise. As with most pieces I did for "Nozze", the orchestra is here represented by MIDI instrument 49 "String Ensemble 1", the female voices -soloist and choir- are 74 "Flute", the male are 58 "Trombone". Spatial orientation has female voices far right, male voice far left, high strings slightly left, low strings slightly right. As the female/male choir voices have only very few notes in a different rhythm (bars 18, 50, 54, 131, 132, 136, 138, 139, 140, 143, 144), I decided to use only one strand for each. Unfortunately, this also means that unison notes, like the very first G in bar 13, lack the second stem. I solved the first problem with tied notes, which works rather well. The missing stem for the second voice is left to the reader's imagination. Details: -------- The hymn by the locals is -very stage effective- introduced by two choir girls; closer listening however reveals some rather ironic comments: the horns after the words "A un dritto cedendo" and "che oltraggia, che offende" (bars 35ff), and the "saggio signor" (wise lord) is mentioned rather too much. Two little throw-away phrases deserve mentioning: bar 43 and then bar 45 which is now very much part of pop music and jazz. The middle part is a complete change of mood: from 4/4 allegretto to 3/4 an- dante, from C-maj to a-min, from homophonic symphony to chromatic polyphony. Again, this elaborate concert is the backdrop to a recitativo (Count, Figaro) which develops the action for the viewer more than for the protagonists. I am grateful for notification of any mistakes I may have made, or just for a brief email from anyone who used this file. July 2003: I noticed that I had omitted a rather important tempo change: The Andante in bar 72, without which it sounded quite horrible. So I modified the piece -which was originally entered with MOZART version 4- using the features available in version 7: trills and lyrics. The space savings from the former were however cancelled by the latter, plus some more sensible stave and staff spacing; so the score remains at 11 pages. While I was at it, I also added separate voices for the choir's 2nd soprano(s) and the and basses.