Mozart’s Political Position: Visual & Performing Arts Essay

Mozart’s Political Position
Ten weeks after the performance of Mozart’s Figaro the Vienna paper states that ‘What is not allowed to be said these days is sung, one may say, with Figaro – this piece, which was prohibited in Paris and not allowed to be performed here as a comedy, either in a bad or in a good translation, we have at last had the felicity to see represented as an opera. It will be seen that we are doing better than the French.’ The Marriage of Figaro is a four act play that was composed by Figaro and translated into Italian by Da Ponte. It talks about how two servants succeeded in getting married thus foiling the efforts of their employer Count Almaviva to seduce Susanna. The original Figaro is a politically radical play composed by Beaumarchais. Mozart and De Ponte used music to soften the play and performed an opera that is not entirely devoid of social and political criticism. In Figaro, there are a couple of remarks about politicians and social justice and the last act comprises of sour jokes on rank privileges and censorship. The main difference between Mozart’s and Beaumarchais’ Figaro is that Mozart’s version uncovered depths of hurt and bitterness that were not visible in the original version.[Hutchings, Arthur et al. "Mozart And His Times". The Musical Times, vol 101, no. 1411, 1960, p. 556. ]
Benard Williams’, On Opera summarizes the above fact by stating;
‘If what is meant is a revolutionary critique, in the sense of one that shows the necessity, in order to cure human evils, of social or political action, then there is none of that in this work. But if what is meant by a social critique is a work which not merely displays human feelings and relations in a real social context, but shows those feelings as formed and distorted by that context, and shows also how rank can itself generate rage and loneliness, while lack of it can leave room for a greater openness, then Figaro is, among many other things, such a critique.’[Williams, Bernard. On Opera. Yale University Press, 2016, p. 30.]
The play represents a society where rank and power form the basis of most relationships especially sexual relations. In this society, common people are expected to rejoice in these types of relations as we can see from the count’s character trait. The presence of a count in the play is also not accident and critics have found this to be a social statement. Great artists are sometimes capable of sensing the mood in society and to give it substance before it is expressed by historical protagonists. Although Mozart was not a revolutionary, he could scarcely be aware of the message Josef II passed across when he banned Beaumarchais’ play.[Hutchings, Arthur et al, p. 556. ]
The play begins in a room in Count Almiva’s house. While Figaro is trying to find a good position for their marriage bed, Suzanna pleads with him to look at the head gear she plans to wear at their wedding. These preoccupations with sex and fashion might seem trivial to a 21st century audience4 but with Mozart simple things often have deeper meanings. There are two freedoms people take for granted: freedom over what they wear and freedom of choosing a spouse. Figaro and Suzanna, as servants are not as privileged. Figaro thinks that the location of their room will make it easier to respond to their employer’s calls. He goes ahead and tells Suzanna that 'If by chance Madam should call you in the night, din din, then in two steps you'll be there.' In Le Nozze de Figaro, Frits concludes that; ‘In this spiritual climate an intelligent female servant will not have too much difficulty in bridging, at least externally, the distance from her mistress. She daily observes the manners of the higher classes and soon succeeds in imitating them.’ European sumptuary laws had also forbidden ‘superfluity’ among the lower classes and dictated what they could wear. Suzanna’s concerns about what she would be allowed to wear are profound. The bed also signifies that the count wants to exercise the right of the first night and Figaro intends to refuse him. Figaro eventually wins this battle of wills. In this context, Mozart challenges the aristocratic system.[Law and Literature, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Spring 2008), pp. 47-67] [Noske, Frits. Social Tensions In 'Le Nozze Di Figaro', vol 1, 1969, p. 48., /stable/732899. Accessed 29 Oct 2020.] [Law and Literature, ...