Aria from The Marriage of Figaro, music by Mozart, with the accompaniment of the harp or piano “Six Sonatas for the harpsichord with the accompaniment of a violin.” This item is from 1767. Portrait of Mozart, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons This is an autograph manuscript, containing the “Aria Non so d’onde viene.” The original text is by Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet and librettist. This text is extracted from act III, scene 6 of “Olimpiande” and contains measures of the vocal part. The MS also contains annotations in black ink at the bottom of the folio by Constance Mozart. This page was pasted in the center of a large letter describing the various stages of composition of the aria. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Letter to Maria Anna Thekla Mozart, 5 November 1777. Autograph. Dated Mannheim, 5 October [recte November], 1777, the date written in reverse at the end of the letter (f. 2v).
The images in this gallery celebrate the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose 264th birthday occurs on January 27th.
Mozart began composing from the age of 5 and composed over 600 works throughout the course of his short life. His work is considered archetypical of the Classical style, spanning many genres including symphony, opera, solo concerto, chamber music, and piano sonata. After his death, Mozart’s reputation for skill and versatility persisted, influencing later composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky.
The images and information presented here are courtesy of Europeana. Europeana Collections is an initiative of the European Union (EU), working with thousands of European archives, libraries and museums to share Europe’s cultural heritage for enjoyment, education, and research. The entire collection of books, music, artworks, and more contains over 50 million digitized items. Their music collection features over 300,000 recordings, sheet music, instruments, and much more, all freely accessible to 18thConnect users.