Mozart's Keys

[m1469]

One of my former Opera coaches put this together.  I have found it interesting and for some reason just felt like sharing it.  I think it could be quite useful as musical knowledge itself, as well as if you happen to accompany vocalists and so on.  It would also be interesting to see how this relates to Mozart's piano pieces and other works.  Or maybe there is something to it on a broader scale? 

I am going to triple post for the sake of clarity.

(there is a legend as to the letters next to the names at the very end of reply #2)


Moods
C Major:  Physical pleasure
C Minor:  Pain, dementia

Vivat Bacchus (E)
Vedrai carino  (G)
Martern aller Arten  (E)
D'Oreste, d'Ajace (I)
Monostatos aria  (Z)
Zu Hilfe (Z)
Dove sono (F)
Tradito, schernito (C)
Non piu andrai  (F)
Giunse alfin il momento (F)
Ma qual mai s'offre, oh Dei (G)
Don Ottavio, son morta (G)
Se il tuo duol (I)
Qual nuovo terrore! (I)
O voto tremendo (I)
Pieta! Numi, pieta! (I)
Cosi overture (C)

G Major:  Happiness
G minor:  Sadness

Welche Wonne (E)
Ora si chi'io son contenta (F)
Giovinette che fate all'amore (G)
Or che tutto (G)
Giovani liete (G)
Der Voglefanger bin ich ja (Z)
Traurigkeit (E)
Ach, ich fuhl's (Z)
Zum Leiden (Z)
Da schlagt die Abschiedsstunde (S)
Papageno suicide (Z)
Padre, germani (I)
Deh, se piacer mi vuoi (T)
E voi ridete (C)
Una donna (C)
Godiam la pace (I)
Idol mio (I)

F Major: Hope
F Minor: Despair

Ein Madchen oder Weibchen (Z)
Se vuol ballare (F)
Deh vieni, non tardar (F)
L'ho perduta (F)
Batti, batti (F)
Commendatore death scene (G)
Tu fosti tradito (T)
Il padre adorato (I)
Non piu di fiori (T)
Il padre adorato (I)
O Isis und Osiris (Z)
Vorrei dir (C)
Di scrivermi ogni giorno (C)
In uomini (C)
Vaudeville (E)

[m1469]

(moods continued)

D Major "Happy" Vengeance
D Minor: Retribution, revenge

La Vendetta (F)
Vedro mentr'io sospiro (F)
Frisch zum Kampfe (E)
Der Holle Rache (Z)
Tutte nel cor vi sento (I)
Ha! wie will ich trimphieren (E)
Or sai chi l'onore (G)
Fuggi, crudele, fuggi (G)
Commendatore's death (G)
Ah, se fosse intorno al trono (T)
Madamina (G)
Fuor del mar (I)
Overture (F,G)

A Major: Love, affection
A Minor: Cruelty

Crudel, perche finora (F)
Un' aura amorosa (C)
O wie angstlich (E)
La ci darem la mano (G)
Fra gli amplessi (C)
Ah taci, ingiusto core (G)
Ah, perdona al primo affetto (T)
Deh, per quesio istante solo (T)
Ah guarda, sorella (C)
Durch Zartlichkeit (E)
Via, resti servita (F)
S'io non moro (I)
Vorrei spiegarvi

Eb Major: Nobility

Dies Bildnis (Z)
Bei Mannern (Z)
Andro ramingo e solo (I)
Smanie implacabili (C)
Ich baue ganz (E)
Porgi, amor (F)
Aprite un po' (F)
Se il padre perdei (I)
Mi tradi (G)
Overture (Z)

E Major: Philosophy, loftiness

E la fede delle femmine (C)
O statua gentilissima (G)
In diesen heil'gen Hallen (Z)
Soave sia il vento (C)
Per pieta (C)
Placido e il mar (I)
Zeffiretti lusinghieri (I)

[m1469]

Ranks

0-1 Accidental: Servants, peasants

Susanna (G,F)
Despina (F,G)
Zerlina (F,C)
Figaro (F,D, *Eb)
Leporello (F,G)
Papageno (G,F,G)
Pedrillo (*D)
Monostatos (C)
Masetto (G, transposed to F)
Blonde (*A, G)
Osmin (*g, F, *D)

2 Accidentals: Upper Class

Konstanze (Bb, *g, *C)
Belmonte (*C, *A, Bb, *Eb)
Cherubino (*Eb, Bb)
Basilio (Bb)
Don Giovanni (Bb, D, *F)
Don Ottavio (Bb, *G later added)
Donna Anna (D, *F)
Donna Elvira (*Eb, *Eb)
Ferrando (*Ab, Bb, *c)
Guglielmo (D, later G, G)
Dorabella (*Eb, Bb)
Fiordiligi (Bb, *E)

3-4 Accidentals: Nobility

Tamino (Eb)
Sarastro (*F, E)
Pamina (*g)
Ilia (*g, Eb, E)
Queen of the Night (*Bb, *d)
Count (*D)
Countess (Eb, *C)
Idomeneo (*C, *D, Eb)

*key determined by mood rather than rank


C: Cosi fan tutte
E: Entfuhrung
F: Le Nozze di figaro
G: Don Giovanni
I: Idomeneo
S: Der Schauspieldirektor
T: La Clemenza di Tito
Z: Die Zauberflote

[pianonut]

dear m1469Fox, 

i think i will print this out and take it to my next class!  it is interesting how creative mozart was with keys, musical humor of the day, and ability to take a particular voice (ie. a Nancy Storace vs Adriana del Bene) and make an aria fit it, the part, and the context of the opera.  from what i have learned, Nancy Storace was only 21 when she sang in the Marriage of Figaro for the first time.  she was quite a comedian (and used the garden shears to beat time in one instance).

In 1786 Mozart wrote Der Schauspieldirektor and received 225 gulden (the same amount as the members of the opera company) for not merely performing but COMPOSING the music.  it is amazing he took such meticulous time and effort and was not remunerated for this, but did it anyway (in good times and bad - the extrordinary effort was still the same). 

[timothy42b]

Mozart wrote a bassoon concerto in Bb.  I'm not sure why, may have had something to do with the range and ideosyncracies of that instrument.  I've played it on trombone, it works out very nicely.  (some of the ornaments are not trivial on the slide trombone!) 

He wrote four concertos for French horn.  I can't remember all four keys off hand, but for sure one is in D and one in Eb.  They might all be different.  This is very popular music for horn, and has been recorded by all of the decent horn soloists.  Therefore a CD with all four concertos is readily available at any library.  (if you have a choice, I'm partial to the Dennis Brain version) 

It would be an interesting experiment to put it into your CD player without looking at the keys first, and just listen.  Can you tell any difference?  I personally don't think he made much use of different keys for a specific purpose, at least when writing for wind instruments, but you may pick up someting I missed. 

[pianonut]

in cm girdlestone's book 'Mozart's Piano Concertos,' she write "Bb is a favorite key with Mozart.  In his mature period (not sure if the bassoon concerto was written then?)  ...it calls up a benedictory spirit; applying to it what has been written of an andante of Beethoven, we would say that its mildness is like 'grace falling on the soul of a saint.'  A typical Bb work of Mozart's leaves behind it a feeling of moral well-being the expression of which is accompanied by playfulness in the first movements and gaiety in the finales."  p. 489

the reason i happened upon this is that i am studying the K595 concerto (in Bb of course).  When i listen to it, it is much different than the feeling of the K467 (taking it as a for instance).

Also, K450 concerto, the Paris sonata K333, and the trio K502 are all in Bb.  Who knows!?  Have to listen.