Publication Date

11-2023

Document Type

Bibliography

Organizational Units

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Lamont School of Music, Musicology and Ethnomusicology

Keywords

Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composition

Abstract

One of the most prominent composers of opera since the latter half of the 18th century is the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Lauded for his catchy melodies, notoriously difficult passages, and his structural brilliance, his operas remain as popular today as they were when they first premiered. At the same time as these operas were being composed, another movement was occurring within Italianate vocal music, that of “bel canto” or beautiful song. This movement, although highly disputed over its exact definition and origin appears to refer to a style of singing popularized in Italy within the 17th and 18th centuries that is characterized by incredible agility and tonal beauty, hence its name. Bel canto can also refer to a repertory of Italian opera composed in the early 19th century that is associated with composers like Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini. Despite Mozart and the bel canto era coinciding, it is less clear whether they had an impact on each other, or even if one could be considered a part of the other. Is Mozart bel canto? This essay seeks to answer this question by exploring what bel canto is and how it compares to three of Mozart’s most famous works: the Da Ponte operas Le Nozze di Figaro, Così fan Tutte, and Don Giovanni.

Copyright Date

11-18-2023

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Author

Provenance

Received from author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

7 pgs

File Size

105 KB

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

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