57-915 Mozart Operas

6 units, Carnegie Mellon University

In the genre with the highest stakes and the highest failure rate, Mozart composed the earliest operas to have staked a permanent place at the center of the repertory. This course seeks to account for his success, to explain why he succeeded where others failed and what has made his operas beloved for over 225 years. We begin with a brief overview of all of Mozart?s operas and discuss the types of opera in circulation in late 18th century Austro-Hungary, especially opera seria, opera buffa, and Singspiel, and the pressures that shaped the music and libretto of each production, from the type of patronage to the style of recitative. Then we examine The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute at a pace of about one act per class session, looking at poetry, dramaturgy, stagecraft, acting, performance practice, character development, theme, and politics, always through the filter of Mozart?s music, especially its melody, reform elements, blurring of genre and affect, vocal counterpoint, use of topics, and musical symbolism.

Prerequisites: none listed

Courseweave needs JavaScript to show sections, workloads and planning tools.