'Che soave zeffiretto' and the Structure of Act 3 of Le nozze di Figaro. Issue 1 (2nd January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Woodfield, Ian
• Is Part Of: Journal of the Royal Musical Association. Volume 143:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 89
• Page End: 136
• Publication Date: 2018-01-02
• Subjects: Music -- History and criticism -- Periodicals; Music -- Periodicals; 780.5
• DOI: 10.1080/02690403.2018.1434345
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-0403

Abstract

ABSTRACT: 'Che soave zeffiretto', the letter duettino sung by the Countess and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, has achieved iconic status as a perfect example of the transcendental beauty of Mozart's music. An examination of the extant sources suggests that the composer and his librettist regarded it as a key moment in the opera: the crux of a developing relationship between the two women. A late change of plan over its location led to a reconfiguration of Act 3, resulting in the minor inconsistencies that Robert Moberly and Christopher Raeburn sought to explain in their celebrated double-casting hypothesis. The various versions of the text and a complete continuity draft of the score reveal the meticulous craftsmanship that went into its creation, in particular the development of its comedic potential as a vaudeville.