The

cavatina (Italian for "little song") is a musical term, originally meaning a short song of simple character, without a second strain or any repetition of the air. It is now frequently applied to any simple, melodious air, as distinguished from brilliant ...

"" 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 Figaro from the first act of the 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 ...

'' by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

. The

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'' (1778). The Italian title means "If you want to dance". Figaro's

voice type A voice type is a classification of the human singing voice into perceivable categories or groups. Particular human singing human voice, voices are identified as having certain qualities or characteristics of vocal range, vocal weight, tessitura ...

is given as

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 ...

in the score, but in modern performance practice is sung by a

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...

. Susanna has told her fiancé Figaro that the count intends to exercise his newly reasserted

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

, the , to sleep with her before their marriage. Figaro sings of how he will unravel the count's schemes and thwart him.

Libretto

Italian Se vuol ballare, signor contino, se vuol ballare, signor contino, il chitarrino le suonerò il chitarrino le suonerò, sì, le suonerò, sì, le suonerò. Se vuol venire nella mia scuola la capriola le insegnerò, se vuol venire nella mia scuola la capriola le insegnerò, sì, le insegnerò, sì, le insegnerò. Saprò, saprò, saprò, saprò, saprò, ma piano, piano, piano, piano, piano, piano, meglio ogni arcano, dissimulando scoprir potrò. L'arte schermendo, l'arte adoprando, di qua pungendo, di là scherzando, tutte le macchine rovescierò, rovescierò. tutte le macchine rovescierò, rovescierò. Se vuol ballare, signor contino, se vuol ballare, signor contino, il chitarrino le suonerò, il chitarrino le suonerò, sì, le suonerò, sì, le suonerò.. Literal translation If you want to dance, my little count, If you want to dance, my little count, I'll play the little guitar for you, I'll play the little guitar for you, yes, I'll play for you, yes, I'll play for you. If you want to come to my school I'll teach you the capriole, If you want to come to my school I'll teach you the capriole, yes, Teach you, yes, Teach you. I'll know, I'll know, I'll know, I'll know, I'll know, but slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly; Sooner every dark secret by dissembling I shall uncover. Artfully fencing, artfully working, stinging here, joking there, all of your schemes I'll turn inside out. all of your schemes I'll turn inside out. If you want to dance, my little count, If you want to dance, my little count, I'll play the little guitar for you, I'll play the little guitar for you, yes, I'll play for you, yes, I'll play for you. Singable translation So, little master, you're dressed to go dancing, dressed in your best to go strutting and prancing. I'll put an end to your fun pretty soon; you may go dancing but I'll call the tune, yes, I'll call the tune, yes, I'll call the tune. If you want dancing, I'll be your master; faster and faster, dance till you drop. If you want dancing, I'll be your master; faster and faster, dance till you drop, yes, dance till you drop, yes, dance till you drop. You'll see, you'll see, be careful, Figaro, be careful! Stay under cover, then you'll discover what he's about. I will be cunning, slyly deceiving, cutting and running, ducking and weaving. He may be clever but he's met his match. I can undo any scheme he can hatch. So, little master, you're dressed to go dancing, dressed in your best to go strutting and prancing. I'll put an end to your fun pretty soon; you may go dancing but I'll call the tune, yes, I'll call the tune, yes, I'll call the tune.

Variations

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

wrote a series of 12

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individual ...

for piano and violin,

WoO Woo, or variants, may refer to: People * Wu (surname), and several variants and other transliterations ** Wu (surname 伍) ** Wu (surname 武) ** Ng (name): 吳, 伍 * Hu (surname), also pronounced Woo * Woo (Korean surname) * Woo (Korean give ...

40, on the

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical appearance for certain software. * Theme (linguistics), topic * Theme ( ...

of "".

References

External links

"Se vuol ballare"
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 ...

*
"Accessible arias: 'Se vuol ballare'"
by Emma Beatty,

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

, 15 February 2011 {{Authority control Arias from The Marriage of Figaro Opera excerpts 1786 compositions Compositions in F major Bass arias Baritone arias