Duettino Sull'aria
Encyclopedia
"Sull'aria...che soave zeffiretto" is a duettino, or a short duet, from act 3 of Mozart's
opera
The Marriage of Figaro
, K. 492, to a libretto
by Lorenzo Da Ponte
. In the duettino, Countess Almaviva (a soprano
) dictates to Susanna (also a soprano) the invitation to a tryst addressed to the countess' husband in a plot to expose his infidelity.
, bassoon
, and strings
. Its time signature
is 6/8, its key is B-flat major, and it is 62 bars
long; the tempo
indication is allegretto. During the first part of the duet (bars 1–37), the Contessa dictates the title and the three lines of the letter and, after a pause, Susanna repeats the lines as she writes them. In the second part, the contessa and Susanna read alternate lines with a slight overlap (bars 38–45) until they finish in a true duet with their conclusion. The duet has a vocal range from F4
to B5 for Susanna and from D4 to G5 for the Contessa.
The full dialogue is:
, prisoner Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins
) defies Warden Sam Norton (Bob Gunton
) by playing the duettino over the prison's loudspeakers. Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman
) remarks in his voice-over narration that, "I'd like to think [the singers] were singing about something so beautiful it can't be expressed in words, and it makes your heart ache because of it." This is ironic
as the opera characters are singing about a duplicitous love letter to expose infidelity.
The duettino's appearance in the Shawshank Redemption soundtrack
earned it a nomination as one of 400 songs in consideration for American Film Institute
's list of 100 top movie songs, although it did not win a place on the list.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
, K. 492, to a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Lorenzo Da Ponte
Lorenzo Da Ponte was a Venetian opera librettist and poet. He wrote the librettos for 28 operas by 11 composers, including three of Mozart's greatest operas, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte....
. In the duettino, Countess Almaviva (a soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
) dictates to Susanna (also a soprano) the invitation to a tryst addressed to the countess' husband in a plot to expose his infidelity.
Music
The duet is scored for oboeOboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
, bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
, and strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
. Its time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
is 6/8, its key is B-flat major, and it is 62 bars
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
long; the tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
indication is allegretto. During the first part of the duet (bars 1–37), the Contessa dictates the title and the three lines of the letter and, after a pause, Susanna repeats the lines as she writes them. In the second part, the contessa and Susanna read alternate lines with a slight overlap (bars 38–45) until they finish in a true duet with their conclusion. The duet has a vocal range from F4
Scientific pitch notation
Scientific pitch notation is one of several methods that name the notes of the standard Western chromatic scale by combining a letter-name, accidentals, and a number identifying the pitch's octave...
to B5 for Susanna and from D4 to G5 for the Contessa.
Libretto
| Without repetitions Repetition (music) Repetition is important in music, where sounds or sequences are often repeated. One often stated idea is that repetition should be in balance with the initial statements and variations in a piece. It may be called restatement, such as the restatement of a theme... , the text is: |
"Canzonetta sull'aria" Che soave zeffiretto Questa sera spirerà Sotto i pini del boschetto. |
"A little song on the breeze" (the title) What a gentle little Zephyr This evening will sigh Under the pines in the little grove. |
| and both conclude: | Ei già il resto capirà. | And the rest he'll understand. |
The full dialogue is:
| Susanna: | |Sull'aria... | On the breeze... |
| Contessa: | Che soave zeffiretto... | What a gentle little Zephyr... |
| Susanna: | Zeffiretto... | A little Zephyr... |
| Contessa: | Questa sera spirerà... | This evening will sigh... |
| Susanna: | Questa sera spirerà... | This evening will sigh... |
| Contessa: | Sotto i pini del boschetto. | Under the pines in the little grove. |
| Susanna: | Sotto i pini... | Under the pines... |
| Contessa: | Sotto i pini del boschetto. | Under the pines in the little grove. |
| Susanna: | Sotto i pini...del boschetto... | Under the pines...in the little grove.... |
| Contessa: | Ei già il resto capirà. | And the rest he'll understand. |
| Susanna/ Contessa: |
Certo, certo il capirà. | Certainly, certainly he'll understand. |
In popular culture
In the film The Shawshank RedemptionThe Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman....
, prisoner Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
) defies Warden Sam Norton (Bob Gunton
Bob Gunton
Robert Patrick "Bob" Gunton, Jr. is an American actor. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters, with his best known roles as Warden Samuel Norton in the 1994 prison film The Shawshank Redemption, Chief George Earle in 1993's Demolition Man, and President Juan Peron in the original...
) by playing the duettino over the prison's loudspeakers. Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
) remarks in his voice-over narration that, "I'd like to think [the singers] were singing about something so beautiful it can't be expressed in words, and it makes your heart ache because of it." This is ironic
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
as the opera characters are singing about a duplicitous love letter to expose infidelity.
The duettino's appearance in the Shawshank Redemption soundtrack
The Shawshank Redemption (soundtrack)
The Shawshank Redemption is the original soundtrack, on the Sony BMG label, of the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption starring Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins, Bob Gunton, William Sadler and Clancy Brown...
earned it a nomination as one of 400 songs in consideration for American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
's list of 100 top movie songs, although it did not win a place on the list.
External links
- "Sull'aria...che soave zeffiretto", orchestral score with Italian and German text (larger version)
- Libretto in Italian/English side-by-side