Oberes Belvedere

Cherubino alla vittoria!

Außenansicht des Mozarthauses Vienna
(c) Mozarthaus Vienna / David Peters
Außenansicht des Mozarthauses Vienna

Mozart’s Figaro aria in the context of military music

In the so-called military aria at the end of Act One of the opera "Le Nozze di Figaro" (The Marriage of Figaro), the main character, Figaro, drastically describes the horrors of a soldier’s life to the page Cherubino who has just been promoted to the rank of an officer. At a time when in Europe wars seemed to be raging everywhere, this must have made a far greater impression on audiences than nowadays.

An Austrian military march dating from this period, found recently, shows a striking thematic similarity with the said march at the end of Figaro’s aria. Did Mozart perhaps know this military march and deliberately use it in his opera? If so, with a few ingenious touches he made it fit for performance on stage, thus giving the scene even greater reference to reality.

The exhibition presents this thesis as a subject for discussion and also throws light on the resonance of the Figaro aria in subsequent works of military and battle music. Attention is also focused on the military during the Habsburg monarchy and armed conflicts at the time when "Le Nozze di Figaro" was being created and becoming renowned, as well as Mozart’s loyalty to the emperor, expressed in patriotic and propagandistic compositions. Ultimately, with reference to the music, the subjects citation – borrowing – plagiarism are also dealt with.

An exhibition of the Vienna Library in the City Hall in cooperation with Mozarthaus Vienna

Venue

Mozarthaus Vienna

Domgasse 5
1010 Wien

Tickets & Info

Current Dates

  • Sat. 23 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 24 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 25 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 26 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 27 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 28 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 29 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 30 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 01 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 02 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
All dates

All Dates

September

  • Sat. 23 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 24 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 25 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 26 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 27 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 28 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 29 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 30 Sep 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

October

  • Sun. 01 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 02 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 03 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 04 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 05 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 06 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 07 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 08 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 09 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 10 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 11 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 12 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 13 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 14 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 15 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 16 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 17 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 18 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 19 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 20 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 21 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 22 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 23 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 24 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 25 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 26 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 27 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 28 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 29 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 30 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 31 Oct 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

November

  • Wed. 01 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 02 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 03 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 04 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 05 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 06 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 07 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 08 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 09 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 10 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 11 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 12 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 13 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 14 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 15 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 16 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 17 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 18 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 19 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 20 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 21 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 22 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 23 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 24 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 25 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 26 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 27 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 28 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 29 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 30 Nov 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

December

  • Fri. 01 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 02 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 03 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 04 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 05 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 06 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 07 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 08 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 09 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 10 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 11 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 12 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 13 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 14 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 15 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 16 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 17 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 18 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 19 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 20 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 21 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 22 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 23 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 24 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
  • Mon. 25 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Tue. 26 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 27 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 28 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 29 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 30 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 31 Dec 2023, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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