"Non più andrai" (You shall go no more) is an

aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

for

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

from Mozart's 1786 opera ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...

'', K. 492. The Italian

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

was written by

Lorenzo Da Ponte Lorenzo Da Ponte (; 10 March 174917 August 1838) was an Italians, Italian, later American, opera libretto, librettist, poet and Catholic Church, Roman Catholic priest. He wrote the libretti for 28 operas by 11 composers, including three of Wolfgan ...

based on a stage comedy by

Pierre Beaumarchais Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (; 24 January 1732 – 18 May 1799) was a French playwright and diplomat during the Age of Enlightenment. Best known for his three #Figaro plays, Figaro plays, at various times in his life he was also a watc ...

, '' La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro'' (1784). It is sung by Figaro at the end of the first act.

Context

At the end of the first act, Count Almaviva finds Cherubino hiding in Susanna's quarters. The Count was already suspicious that Cherubino had designs on his wife, Countess Rosina, and overall disapproves of his loose lifestyle. However, he cannot punish Cherubino, as he himself was only in Susanna's quarters to proposition her. The Count sends Cherubino away instead, to his regiment in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

. In this aria, Figaro teases Cherubino about his Spartan military future, in stark contrast with the pleasant and flirtatious life he has enjoyed in the Count's palace.

Libretto

The libretto of ''Le nozze di Figaro'' was written by librettist

, who collaborated with Mozart on two other operas, ''

Così fan tutte (''Women are like that, or The School for Lovers''), Köchel catalogue, K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written ...

'' and ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

''. Non più andrai, farfallone amoroso, notte e giorno d'intorno girando; delle belle turbando il riposo Narcisetto, Adoncino d'amor. Non più avrai questi bei pennacchini, quel cappello leggero e galante, quella chioma, quell'aria brillante, quel vermiglio donnesco color. Tra guerrieri, poffar Bacco! Gran mustacchi, stretto sacco. Schioppo in spalla, sciabla al fianco, collo dritto, muso franco, un gran casco, o un gran turbante, molto onor, poco contante! Ed invece del fandango, una marcia per il fango. Per montagne, per valloni, con le nevi e i sollioni. Al concerto di tromboni, di bombarde, di cannoni, che le palle in tutti i tuoni all'orecchio fan fischiar. Cherubino alla vittoria: alla gloria militar! You shall go no more, lustful butterfly, Day and night flitting to and fro; Disturbing ladies in their sleep Little Narcissus,

Adonis In Greek mythology, Adonis (; ) was the mortal lover of the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone. He was considered to be the ideal of male beauty in classical antiquity. The myth goes that Adonis was gored by a wild boar during a hunting trip ...

of love. No longer will you have these beautiful feathers, That light, romantic cap, That hair, that glowing countenance, That rosy, womanly complexion. Among soldiers, by Jove! A big moustache, a little kit. With a rifle on your shoulder, and a sabre on your flank, Standing up straight, hard faced, A big helmet, or a big turban, Plenty of honour, little pay! And instead of dancing the

fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...

, A march through the mud. Through mountains, through valleys, With snow and with the sun beating down. To the beat of the bugle, Of bombs, of cannons, Whose thunderous report Makes your ears ring. Cherubino, to victory: To glory in battle! The meter of the verse is anapestic

trimeter In poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addi ...

for the first two stanzas,

trochaic tetrameter In English poetry, trochaic tetrameter is a meter featuring lines composed of four trochaic feet. The etymology of ''trochaic'' derives from the Greek ''trokhaios'', from the verb ''trecho'', meaning ''I run''. In modern English poetry, a troc ...

for the remainder. The intricate rhyme scheme is BAC

EEC The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

F GG HH II JJJJK LK where the long series of -''oni'' rhymes ( supports the

patter song The patter song is characterised by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note. It is a staple of comic opera, especially Gilbert and Sullivan, but it h ...

describing the soldier's miseries.

Music

The aria is set in

C major C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...

, in

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

() and is in the style of a military

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...

. It is 114 bars long and takes about four minutes to perform. Its

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

and

tessitura In music, tessitura ( , , ; ; ) is the most acceptable and comfortable vocal range for a given singer (or, less frequently, musical instrument). It is the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding (or characteristic) tim ...

covers C to E. The melody often mimics the sound of a military bugle by concentrating on the natural

harmonic In physics, acoustics, and telecommunications, a harmonic is a sinusoidal wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the ''fundamental frequency'' of a periodic signal. The fundamental frequency is also called the ''1st har ...

s (C–E–G–C). This effect is strengthened when horns are prominent several times in the orchestra. The final 14 bars are played entirely by the orchestra as the characters (in productions respecting the original stage direction ') march off the stage in military fashion.

Reception

The catchy tune and stirring military accompaniment have made this aria popular from the very beginning; indeed at the rehearsals of the premiere the performers burst spontaneously into bravos for the composer (for details see article on Francesco Benucci, who created the role). Mozart later quoted his own tune, played by a stage band as part of a medley sequence, in his opera ''

'' (1787) – evidently aware that the audience would instantly recognize it (the character Leporello, in ''Don Giovanni's'' Vienna premiere also sung by Benucci, ironically sings, ' – "Now that tune I know too well"). Mozart further reused this aria in the first of his Five Contredanses, K. 609 (1791). Harris calls "Non più andrai" "the most famous aria in the opera", continuing: "this is simply a great tune, a great comic piece ... Mozart at his most playful and entertaining." The march is currently the regimental slow march of the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

in the United Kingdom and the

Governor General's Foot Guards The Governor General's Foot Guards (GGFG) is the senior reserve infantry regiment in the Canadian Army. Located in Ottawa at the Cartier Square Drill Hall, the regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry unit, and the members are part-time soldiers. ...

in Canada."Traditions"

It is also the march of

St John Ambulance St John Ambulance is an affiliated movement of charitable organisations in mostly Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries which provide first aid education and consumables and emergency medical services. St John organisations are primari ...

in England.

References

External links

"Non più andrai"
from ''Le nozze di Figaro'', Mozart's autograph manuscript in the

Berlin State Library The Berlin State Library (; officially abbreviated as ''SBB'', colloquially ''Stabi'') is a universal library in Berlin, Germany, and a property of the German public cultural organization the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (). Founded in ...

* *, Joshua Bloom (bass), Garsington Opera, Douglas Boyd (conductor), John Cox (director), 2017 {{DEFAULTSORT:Non piu andrai Arias from The Marriage of Figaro Opera excerpts 1786 compositions 1786 songs Compositions in C major Bass arias Songs about the military