The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas: The Cultural and Musical Background to Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosï¿1/2 fan tutte (Clarendon Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Andrew Steptoe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 1990 | Series: Clarendon Paperbacks

Mozart's collaborations with the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte led to the composition of three of the great masterpieces of opera. This book, designed to guide the reader to a deeper understanding and appreciation of these enigmatic works, charts the musical, cultural, and social context in which they were written--the tastes and expectations of the contemporary opera audience, Mozart's intentions and aspirations in a period of rapid intellectual and political change, Da Ponte's views of opera, and the practical logistics of opera production at the time. Together, these strands provide illuminating insights into Mozart's creative process and the functions of eighteenth-century opera.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The most illuminating exploration of the territory to appear in English since Edward Dent's historic study of 1913."--Observer

"Steptoe's clarification of the enigmatic interplay and the consequent cross-fertilization between composer and librettist is indeed a major advance in our knowledge and appreciation of Mozart's remarkable achievement."--Notes

"Steptoe has drawn a clear picture of Mozart's surroundings, both personal and musical, before and during the composition of his three most popular operas. He enlivens his discourse by drawing on contemporary accounts and on later studies. His knowledge of 18th-century Viennese opera allows him to make comparisons that clarify Mozart's contribution....Strongly recommended for both undergraduate and graduate students."--Choice

"Steptoe's clarification of the enigmatic interplay and the consequent cross-fertilization between composer and librettist is indeed a major advance in our knowledge and appreciation of Mozart's remarkable achievement."--Notes

"His discussion of Mozart and Enlightenment Vienna represents a particularly needed contribution to the field."--Opera Quarterly

About the Author

Andrew Steptoe is at University of London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 8, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198162219
• ISBN-13: 978-0198162216
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,269,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clear and concise treatment of a complex topic, March 25, 2003

By 

F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas: The Cultural and Musical Background to Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosï¿1/2 fan tutte (Clarendon Paperbacks) (Paperback)

Any complete study of the life and works of Mozart would take thousands of pages and hundreds of recordings just to crack the surface of this subject. Even merely the operas of Mozart cannot be adequately handled in a single volume (let alone the number of recordings involved). So on a much more modest scale, we have Andrew Steptoe's "The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas" from the Clarendon Paperbacks division of Oxford University Press (1988, reprinted 2001).

For those wondering about that title, Lorenzo Da Ponte was the fascinating character who wrote the libretti to three of Mozart's greatest operas. In fact, the subtitle of this book is "The Cultural and Musical Background to 'Le Nozze di Figaro,' 'Don Giovanni,' and 'Cosi fan tutte,' but the book does not even get to those works until page 98. Roughly the first third of the book gives us an excellently organized and clear background to the works and the chapter titles will tell you exactly what I mean: "The Social Context: Vienna and Her Ruler," "Musicians, Audience, and Opera in Mozart's Time," "Mozart and Vienna," and "Mozart and His Personal Circle." The next chapter deals with Da Ponte and the opera buffa tradition, and we finally have what we need to understand more fully what Mozart's audiences saw in these works that are all but lost to us.

The sixth chapter talks about "Cosi fan tutte" and how it reflected the moral climate of the day, while the next one discusses how Mozart treated the buffa plot from the musical standpoint. The remaining three chapters handle each of the Mozart-Da Ponte collaborations, and there are detailed synopses of the works in the appendix.

Although I have read most of this material before, I have never seen it put in so well-organized a fashion; and my next move is to reread it, putting margin notes in along the way. I plan to make much use of this book in my opera seminars, and the general reader (who will need some rudimentary knowledge of music to understand at least parts of this book) will find in it many a key to a deeper understanding of these three masterworks.