The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) is a comic opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered in Vienna in 1786 and is considered one of Mozart’s greatest operatic achievements. The opera is based on a play by Pierre Beaumarchais and is set in Count Almaviva’s castle near Seville.
“The Marriage of Figaro” is celebrated for its sophisticated music and clever libretto. The opera combines elements of comedy and drama, creating a rich tapestry of human emotions and relationships.
The story unfolds over a single day, focusing on the clever servant Figaro and his fiancée Susanna, who are preparing to marry. However, their plans are complicated by Count Almaviva, who attempts to seduce Susanna. The opera explores themes of love, fidelity, and social class through a series of humorous and intricate plots.
Enjoy this excellent analysis of Acts I & II from Joshua Weillerstein at Sticky Notes beginning at minute 16:30.
Getting You Ready | Follow the timeline below to prepare for your night at the opera.
The Characters
Who's Who in Act I
Figaro, Susanna, Dr. Bartolo, Cherubino
FIGARO: He is the protagonist, serving as Count Almaviva’s valet. Figaro is engaged to Susanna, the Countess’s maid, and is determined to thwart the Count’s advances towards her.
SUSANNA: She is Figaro’s fiancée and the Countess’s maid. Susanna is clever and wary of the Count’s intentions, as he has been pursuing her.
COUNT ALMAVIVA: The master of the house, who is attempting to seduce Susanna despite being married to the Countess. His actions drive much of the plot’s tension.
COUNTESS ROSINA ALMAVIVA: The Count’s wife, who is aware of her husband’s infidelities and collaborates with Susanna to regain his affection and outwit his schemes.
CHERUBINO: A young page in the Count’s household, Cherubino is infatuated with several women, including the Countess. His youthful indiscretions lead to comedic situations throughout the opera.
The Marriage of Figaro
One of Mozart's great works.
Overture
Musically, the overture features rapid string passages and playful interactions between various sections of the orchestra, including strings and woodwinds, particularly bassoons. These elements create a sense of excitement and anticipation, effectively capturing the spirit of the opera’s narrative, which revolves around clever schemes and romantic entanglements.
The overture was completed just two days before the opera’s premiere on May 1, 1786. It has since become a popular concert piece due to its standalone appeal and ability to capture the opera’s spirit without quoting specific themes from it. The piece’s energetic and celebratory feel makes it accessible and enjoyable for audiences, contributing to its enduring popularity
Story: Suspicians
Figaro and Susanna: Plotting
The Feudal Right
In the first act of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, the setting is Count Almaviva’s estate near Seville. The act begins with Figaro, the Count’s valet, and Susanna, the Countess’s maid, preparing for their wedding. Figaro is measuring their new room, but Susanna is concerned because it is too close to the Count’s chambers. She suspects that the Count intends to exercise his droit du seigneur, a feudal right allowing him to seduce a servant girl on her wedding night.
Duet: "Cinque... dieci... venti..."
Five... Ten... Twenty...
Figaro and Susanna
FIGARO measuring the room
Five … ten … twenty … thirty …
Thirty-six … forty-three
SUSANNA to herself, gazing into the mirror
Yes, I’m very pleased with that;
It seems just made for me.
Take a look, dear Figaro,
Just look at this hat of mine.
She continues to gaze at herself
FIGARO
Yes, my dearest, it’s very pretty;
It looks just made for you.
SUSANNA and FIGARO
On this morning of our wedding
How delightful to my (your) dear one
Is this pretty little hat
Which Susanna made herself.
Duet: “Se a caso madama la notte ti chiama”
Supposing my lady Calls you at night
Susanna and Figaro
FIGARO
Supposing my lady
Calls you at night:
Ding ding: in two steps
You can be there from here.
Or if it should happen
That his lordship should want me,
Dong dong: in three bounds
I’m there at his service.
SUSANNA
And supposing one morning
The dear Count should ring,
ding ding, and send you
Three miles away,
Dong dong, and the devil
Should lead him to my door?
Dong dong, in three bounds…
FIGARO
Hush, hush, Susanna.
SUSANNA
Listen.
FIGARO
Quick, tell me!
SUSANNA
If you wish to hear the rest,
Banish those suspicions
Which do me wrong.
FIGARO
I burn to hear the rest:
Doubts and suspicions
Freeze my blood.
Aria: "Se vuol ballare, signor Contino"
If you would dance, my pretty Count
Figaro
If you would dance, my pretty Count,
I’ll play the little guitar for you, yes.
If you will come to my dancing school
I’ll teach you the capriole, yes
I will, I will learn, slowly;
Sooner every dark secret
by dissembling I shall uncover.
Artfully fencing, artfully striving,
stinging here, joking there,
all of your schemes I’ll turn inside out.
If you would dance, my pretty Count,
I’ll play the little guitar for you.
Story
Figaro Schemes
How to Outwit the Count
Figaro vows to outwit the Count and prevent his advances on Susanna. As Susanna leaves to attend to the Countess, Figaro devises plans to thwart the Count’s intentions. Meanwhile, Dr. Bartolo and Marcellina enter, intending to enforce a marriage contract between Marcellina and Figaro due to an unpaid debt. This adds another layer of complication to Figaro’s plans.
Aria "La vendetta, oh, la vendetta"
Revenge, yes, revenge
Dr. Bartolo
BARTOLO
Revenge, yes, revenge
Is a pleasure meant for the intelligent;
To forget insults and outrages
Is always low and base.
With astuteness and acuteness,
With judgment and discernment,
I can do it … The case is serious;
But, believe me, I’ll bring it off.
If I have to search the whole legal code,
If I have to read through the whole statute book,
With a quibble or a paraphrase
I’ll find some obstacle.
All Seville knows Dr. Bartolo:
That rascal Figaro will lose the day!
Story
Welcome Cherubino
A "pants role"
The act introduces Cherubino, a young page who is infatuated with all women, including the Countess. To rid himself of Cherubino’s presence, the Count decides to send him away to join the army. The act closes with Figaro and Susanna plotting ways to ensure their marriage proceeds without interference from the Count.
A “pants role,” also known as a “trouser role” or “breeches role,” is a type of role in opera where a female performer portrays a male character. This practice has a long history in the opera world, dating back to the time when castrati—male singers castrated before puberty to preserve their high voices—were prevalent.
Aria: "Non So Piu Cosa Son, Cosa Faccio"
I do not know anymore what I am, what I do,
Cherubino
I do not know anymore what I am, what I do,
One moment I’m on fire, the next moment I am cold as ice,
Every woman changes my color,
Every woman makes me tremble.
At the very mention of love, of delight,
I am greatly troubled, my heart stirs within my chest,
It compels me to speak of love
A desire I can not explain.
I do not know anymore what I am, what I do,
One moment I’m on fire, the next moment I am cold as ice,
Every woman changes my color,
Every woman makes me tremble.
I speak of love while I’m awake,
I speak of love while I’m dreaming,
Water, shade, mountains,
Flowers, grass, fountains,
echo, air, and the winds,
The sound of my hopeless words
are taken away with them.
And if I do not have anyone near to hear me
I speak of love to myself!
Aria "Non piû andrai"
You won't go
Count Almaviva
The Count suspects his page Cherubino of pursuing the Countess; when he discovers Cherubino hiding in the chambers of the Countess’ servant Susanna, he orders the page to depart for a regiment in Seville. In the aria, Figaro gently mocks Cherubino, teasing the “little Narcissus” about his military fate, something underlined by the martial character of the number, with its trumpets and drums.
You won’t go any more, amorous butterfly,
Fluttering around inside night and day
Disturbing the sleep of beauties,
A little Narcissus and Adonis of love.
You won’t have those fine feathers any more,
That light and jaunty hat,
That hair, that shining aspect,
That womanish red color [in your face]!
Among soldiers, by Bacchus!
A huge moustache, a little knapsack,
Gun on your back, sword at your side,
Your neck straight, your nose exposed,
A big helmet, or a big turban,
A lot of honour, very little pay.
And in place of the dance
A march through the mud.
Over mountains, through valleys,
With snow, and heat-stroke,
To the music of trumpets,
Of bombards, and of cannons,
Which, at every boom,
Will make bullets whistle past your ear.
Cherubino, go to victory!
To military glory!
Musical Analysis
What Just Happened?
Opera Notes
In the first act of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, the music plays a crucial role in developing characters and advancing the plot. The act opens with Figaro and Susanna preparing for their wedding, with Figaro measuring their new room while Susanna tries on her wedding bonnet. The duet “Cinque, dieci, venti” reflects their harmonious relationship through its light-hearted melodies. However, Susanna’s concerns about the room’s proximity to the Count’s chambers introduce tension, as she fears his intentions to seduce her, indicated by the shift to G minor during her protestations.
Figaro’s aria “Se vuol ballare” is a cavatina that expresses his determination to outwit the Count. Mozart uses a minuet form to reflect Figaro’s restrained passion and frustration with the social hierarchy. This is contrasted by Dr. Bartolo’s aria “La vendetta,” which uses a more traditional structure to convey his comic yet vengeful character.
Throughout Act 1, Mozart employs musical elements such as unexpected tempo changes and orchestration choices to mirror the characters’ emotions and intentions. The act concludes with Figaro plotting to distract the Count with anonymous letters, using music to underscore his cunning plans