Musical Elements in Mozart’s Don Giovanni Opera
...nni. DVD). There are various instances throughout the play as well where Mozart distinctively imitates masculine aggressiveness in his compositions. During scene one of Act II, Don Giovanni talks to Leporello: It’s all love; whoever is faithful only to one is cruel to the others; I, who feel such ample sentiment in myself, love all of them; and since women don’t comprehend these things, they call my natural goodness deceit. (Bleiler, 67). This quote shows Don Giovanni’s aggressiveness towards women. This could not be portrayed without the use of musical intelligence from Mozart. To show aggressiveness during various pieces, Mozart tends to regulated rhythmic conventions, which can be found in the 8-bar arpeggiation of Fin ch’han dal vino. He also uses various instances of dissonance. These dissonances create energy, almost similar to dissonant shocks which bring the audience to an intense climax offering them a musical experience that is hard to forget. The same techniques can be found in Don Giovanni’s third aria of the Finale in Act II, Meta di voi qua vadano. In this piece there are various areas of syncopation used and elongated up beats. This rhythmic technique has just as much of an effect played at a slower tempo as it does quickly during the recitative I mentioned earlier (Ford, 116). The use of texture is Maia 4 important as well to look at when it comes to expressing aggressiveness. There are various instances where Mozart will build up the texture during the same time that the character begins to get aggravated. There are various flute entrances that play with the rhythmic sections, and this also gives the illusion of creating a fuller texture. Mozart’s unique forms of expressing aggressiveness can be carried through not only during pieces of such emotions but through others as well. In various pieces throughout Don Giovanni, Mozart uses unique forms in order to imitate the art of seduction. As mentioned in Don Giovanni, by Jane Miller: “Seduction contains and measures out women’s incapacity to speak for themselves or to claim as unadulterated a sexually independent of men’s dreams of them “(Miller, 48.) This quote is a prime example of the way seduction is portrayed in Don Giovanni. Don Giovanni is the master of seduction, although many of his attempts seem to fail when he becomes involved with more than one woman at a time. Mozart has a way of specific was of involving the audience into the seducing scenes when he uses rhythmic upbeats that are similar to the sound of a heart beating, and he adds various dynamics into them in order to achieve the intensity felt when someone is lusting over another. During the recitative before La ci darem la mano,when Don Giovanni is trying to seduce Maia 5 Zerlina, the peasant bride, Mozart decides to add a contrasting rhythmic section by slowing down the tempo as well as the melodic line. There are three high D2’s , and the very last is extended in order to excite Zerlina’s expectations, and to win her over. Not only does this musical accompaniment imitate this scene extremely well, it is difficult for the viewing audience as well to experience a similar feeling. Another section of the play that shows seduction is when Zerlina finds Masetto laying on the ground. Masetto thinks that Leporello has injured him, but it was really Don Giovanni in disguise. Zerlina begins singing him a seducing ballad where she explains how she will heal him by sayng: “You will see dear one, if you are really good, what a lovely remedy I want to give you. It’s natural, it isn’t distasteful, and the apothecary doesn’t know how to make it. It is a certain balm that I carry about me. I can give it to you if you want to try it.” (Gruber, 351) During these lyrics Mozart keeps the piece light and airy. The piece is written in F major, duple meter, and follows a simple basic melody comprising mostly of eighth notes. This airy effect allows Mozart to achieve the shy, yet seducing side of Zerlina towards her beloved Masetto. The audience as well becomes involved because the music allows them to relate Maia 6 to similar situations. After discussing imitation of anger, and seduction in Mozart’s music, another important aspect of imitation is during periods of grief during the opera. There are many instances of grief found in Don Giovanni. The play consists of three main women who have been deceived by Don Giovanni, and are either hurt or enraged by his lack of dignity. One of the major parts of the play that express grief is Elvira is wandering through the streets, and she begins to sing her aria based on a man who has abandoned her and broken her heart. Mozart uses intricate musical elements when she sings: “Ah! Who will ever tell me who the cruel man is? He whom I loved to my disgrace, who broke faith with me? Who broke faith with me? Ah! If I find the wicked man again, and he still does not come back to me, I will devise a dreadful torture for him, I will tear out his heart, I will tear out his heart” (Bleiler, 14). Elvira is in great sorrow during this scene, and Mozart emphasizes this through uses of dissonant chords, and dynamic accents. The piece ends in various cadences, although prior to the cadences you will find an ascending chromatic scale in the bass line. There are also areas where the tempo speeds up in order to achieve the effect of getting anxious and upset (Ford, 153). Maia 7 During this point in the opera Elvira turns around and realizes that Don Giovanni is the gentleman speaking to her. She begins her recitative, and the music modulates and changes to D minor when she begins to sing: “What can you say after such black deed? You entered my house furtively, you managed to seduce my heart with the strength of your artfulness, with promises and flatteries; you won my love, o cruel man! (Bleiler, 16). Mozart begins this ...