Life of Mozart

THE RAPID PARLANDO.l8laudience to laughter;they merely give natural expression totheir feelings, and it is the situation which produces thecomic effect. These characters, it is true, belong to thelower classes, to whom some indulgence might be accordedin respect of good manners ; but even Don Giovanni makesfree use of his tongue when he ceases to exercise controlover himself. In his intercourse with Leporello especiallyhe allows much freedom to his servant, and lowers himselfto the same level ; this is of course made apparent in themusical expression, and various small indications of a freeand easy tone of conversation have an extraordinary effecton the free and vivid conception of the whole. In the shortduet (Act II., i) in which he appeases the incensed Leporello,he expresses himself altogether after the manner of thelatter, but it must be remembered that Leporello is reallyhighly indignant, while Don Giovanni is only in joke all thetime ; in this contrast consists the comic point of the situation.Again, too, in the first finale, when he loses presence ofmind for a moment, he falls into this rapid utterance with thewords :" E confusa la mia testa," which, as soon as he hascollected himself, ceases again with the words " ma nonmanca in me coraggio." In the quartet (Act I., 8) thedanger threatening him through Elvira excites him so greatlythat in counselling her to be careful— " Siate un poco piuprudente"—the rapidity of his address betrays his own loss ofself-control.There is something of a comic tone in this, butthe gravity of the situation does not allow it to go beyond amere shade, and even this rapid parlando ought not to assumea really buffo character. Elvira herself, with the unbridledpassion of her nature, gives vent to her anger in wingedwords, which are certainly not calculated to produce a comiceffect. Donna Anna, on the other hand, and Don Ottavio,persons of high birth and breeding, never so far lose commandover themselves as to fall into this hurried speech.The quartet just mentioned is one of the finest instances ofthe quality and extent of Mozart's genius. The conversationbetween Donna Anna, Don Ottavio, and Don Giovanni ismost unexpectedly interrupted by the warnings of Elvira ;the two first are amazed, and uncertain what to make of it.