Recommended for Grades 6-12
In this resource, you will:
- Learn the opera’s background and synopsis
- Meet the opera’s composer
The Marriage of Figaro
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The Marriage of Figaro
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
A quick overview of Mozart’s 1786 comic opera.
Background
In 1785, Mozart composed what is often called the perfect opera.
According to the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte (1749-1838), it was Da Ponte who convinced Emperor Joseph II to allow Mozart to compose an Italian opera based on the scandalous second play in Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais’ Figaro trilogy.
It is more likely, however, that the sensation surrounding the play’s recent ban in France and Vienna (1784) and the incredible success of Paisiello’s opera The Barber of Seville (1783) intrigued Mozart, leading him to Beaumarchais’ work and the original concept for the opera.
Whatever the origin, after compromises were made regarding offensive political and sexual material from the original play, Joseph II permitted the opera’s creation. Mozart composed The Marriage of Figaro in six weeks, and its Vienna premiere was met with positive, if not ecstatic, acclaim.
On the strength of Figaro, Mozart and da Ponte were commissioned to compose Don Giovanni (1787) and Così fan tutte (1790), the trilogy of operas which guaranteed Mozart’s reputation as the most significant opera composer of the 18th century.
Figaro is commonly recognized as the first comic opera which infused the opera buffa form with true emotional poignancy. With an eloquence and economy of musical gesture, Mozart transformed the stereotypes of opera buffa and commedia dell’arte into an opera full of complex and realistic characters.
Figaro was the first comic opera that sincerely humanized the farce and allowed audiences to relate to the characters on stage. It is this sense of honest connection which has made Figaro the most frequently performed opera in the world.
Synopsis
Act I
Count Almaviva’s servants, Figaro and Susanna, prepare for their wedding. Figaro finds their new quarters—between the Count and Countess’ rooms—convenient, but Susanna fears that the Count will continue to make advances toward her. Meanwhile, Bartolo plots against Figaro for having helped the Count win the hand of his former ward, now the Countess. He is abetted by his housekeeper Marcellina, who hopes to force Figaro to marry her in acquittal of a loan he cannot repay.
When the Count discovers that the pageboy Cherubino has overheard him flirting with Susanna, the Count postpones Figaro’s wedding and assigns Cherubino to a distant military post.
The Countess has decided to help Figaro and Susanna, hoping also to win back her wayward husband’s affections. Figaro outlines a plot to embarrass his master by arranging a tryst in the garden between Susanna and the Count, except Cherubino will take Susanna’s place. When Susanna leaves to alter the dress Cherubino will wear, the Count’s voice is heard outside the door. As Cherubino hides in the closet, the Countess nervously admits her husband. Hearing a noise from the closet, the Count demands to know who is inside. When the Count angrily leaves to fetch a crowbar to force the closet door open, Susanna helps Cherubino escape through the window and takes his place in the closet.
As the young people beg the Count to allow the wedding to proceed, Marcellina, Bartolo and Basilio burst in and appeal to the Count to adjudicate Marcellina’s lawsuit against Figaro. The encounter ends in a stalemate and confusion.
Act II
Without alerting Figaro, Susanna and the Countess devise a variation on his plot against his master. Susanna promises the Count a rendezvous, but the Countess, disguised in her maid’s clothes, will meet him there.
Don Curzio, a councilor at law, has decided the lawsuit in Marcellina’s favor. The proceedings also reveal Figaro is the son of a past romance between Bartolo and Marcellina. Susanna, Figaro, and their new inlaws happily prepare for a double wedding. The Countess dictates Susanna’s letter to the Count, naming the place where they are to meet, and Susanna soon slips her note to the Count.
That evening in the garden, Barbarina innocently informs Figaro of the rendezvous between the Count and “Susanna.” Figaro delivers a diatribe against the perfidy of women.
Thinking, as does the watchful Figaro, that the Countess is Susanna, the Count passionately courts his own wife, urging her to meet him later in the arbor. As Figaro prepares to punish the guilty pair, Susanna, dressed as the Countess, reappears. Figaro quickly sees through her disguise, and the two make peace. Figaro then pretends to woo the “Countess” in order to provoke the Count. Witnessing this, the Count is deaf to pleas for mercy until the real Countess appears, revealing her identity and the Count’s mistake. The Count begs forgiveness, the Countess grants it, and all rejoice.
Meet the Artists
Read the Cuesheet
Read the Student Guide
Listen to the Story
Anonymous, The Exposure of Cherubino from The Marriage of Figaro, 1880.
Presented by Washington National Opera, host Saul Lilienstein takes you through the musical world of Mozart’s 1786 comic opera, The Marriage of Figaro.
Watch an Excerpt
Marriage of Figaro Highlights
Related Resources
Media Don Giovanni
A quick overview of Mozart鈥檚 1787 opera buffa about an arrogant nobleman who meets his match.
Media Cos矛 fan Tutte
A quick overview of Mozart鈥檚 1789 tale of wit, deception, and seduction.
Media The Magic Flute
A quick overview of Mozart鈥檚 1791 magical comic opera.
Media La Clemenza di Tito
A quick overview of Mozart鈥檚 1791 opera seria set in the Roman Empire.
Media Opera's Classical Era: 1750-1800
Journey through opera鈥檚 second 鈥減hase鈥: the Classical era. Expect a review of how and why opera reinvented itself during the Enlightenment as well as an introduction to one of opera鈥檚 most enduringly famous composers. (Three guesses who it is鈥)
Media Understanding Different Voice Types
A soprano is a soprano because they can sing high and a bass is a bass because they sing low, right? Not really...
Media The Weird & Wonderful World of Opera
In this entertaining and educational four-part series we introduce the weird and wonderful world of opera - its history, music, styles, genres, and people. Host Peter Michael Marino provides a comprehensive exploration of the world of opera that results in a greater understanding and appreciation of the art form.
Media Who Doesn鈥檛 Love Opera?
Unfortunately, a lot of people think they don鈥檛, and most of them have never seen one. In this audio story, opera fan Eleni and opera skeptic Samantha discuss how their experiences with opera as children influenced their opinions of the art form as adults.
Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning
Eric Friedman
Director, Digital Learning
Kenny Neal
Manager, Digital Education Resources
Tiffany A. Bryant
Manager, Operations and Audience Engagement
JoDee Scissors
Content Specialist, Digital Learning
Connect with us!
Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;
Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; Wells Fargo; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..
The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.