Page 170 - ESSENTIAL LISTENING TO MUSIC

away fearfully below. This excellent example of vocal ensemble makes clear the conflicting emotions of each party. Older Baroque opera would have had these three emotions come in successive, separate units; Mozart’s newer Classical op- era accelerates the drama by means of simultaneous action.
Now Donna Anna’s father, the Commandant, enters to confront Don Giovan- ni. Mozart’s music tells us that this won’t end well—there is a troubling tremolo in the strings, and the mode (and mood) shifts from major to minor (3:03). Our fear is immediately confirmed as the Don, first refusing to duel, draws his sword and attacks the aging Commandant. In the brief exchange of steel, Mozart de- picts the rising tension by means of ascending chromatic scales and tight, tense chords (3:47). At the very moment Don Giovanni’s sword pierces the Comman- dant, the action stops and the orchestra holds on a painful diminished chord (4:00)—a tension-filled chord comprised entirely of minor thirds. Here again Mozart underscores the action on stage through an expressive musical gesture. He then clears the air of discord with a simple texture and accompaniment as Don Giovanni and Leporello gaze in horror on the dying Commandant.
Finally, a magical moment that perhaps only Mozart could have created: a vocal ensemble in which three very different sentiments are conveyed simulta- neously: surprise and satisfaction (Don Giovanni), the desire to flee (Leporello), and the pain of a violent death (Commandant). At the end, the listener can feel the Commandant expire, his life sinking away through the slow descent of a chromatic scale (5:02). In its intensity and compression, only the opening scene of Shakespeare’s King Lear rivals the beginning of Don Giovanni.
listening Cue
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Opera Don Giovanni (1787), K. 527 Download 28 Act I, Scene 1
Characters: Don Giovanni, a rakish lord; Leporello, his reluctant servant; Donna Anna, a virtuous noblewoman; the Commandant, her father, a retired military man
what to listen for: Leporello’s simple aria (0:00), a vocal ensemble (1:46) leading to a duel (3:47), and another vocal ensemble (4:06) during which the Commandant dies
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WATCH . . . an Active Listening Guide of this selection online. WATCH . . . a performance of this selection online.
When we next meet the unrepentant Don Giovanni, he is in pursuit of the country girl Zerlina. She is the fiancée of another peasant, Masetto, and their wed- ding is to take place the next day. But no matter: Don Giovanni quickly dismisses
chapter nine classical genres
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