Three Modes of Perception in Mozart: The Philosophical, Pastoral, and Comic in CosA­ fan tutte

Cosi fan tutte is widely regarded as Mozart's most enigmatic opera with Lorenzo Da Ponte's most erudite text. Edmund Goehring presents a new perspective on the relationships between text and tone in the opera, the tension between comedy and philosophy as well as its representation in stage works, and the pastoral mode. Goehring's argument is sustained by the detailed analysis of primary sources (many of which are little known), and is richly illustrated with musical examples. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 2 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Tables......Page 13 Preface......Page 15 Acknowledgments......Page 17 A note on translations......Page 18 Nineteenth-century roots to modern thought......Page 21 Così fan tutte and postmodern poetics......Page 35 The reception of Così fan tutte in the eighteenth century......Page 40 The recitative......Page 48 The overture and "Tutti accusan le donne"......Page 62 2 The philosophical mode......Page 73 Don Alfonso as old man and poet......Page 74 Don Alfonso as cynic......Page 80 The philosopher as comic character......Page 85 The comic philosopher as an operatic type......Page 95 Paisiello’s Il Socrate immaginario......Page 100 Don Alfonso as philosopher......Page 107 Materialism and Mesmerism in Così fan tutte......Page 108 Don Alfonso and popular wisdom......Page 114 The moral tale in Così fan tutte......Page 118 Don Alfonso's musical identity......Page 127 Don Alfonso’s ottava......Page 133 3 The pastoral mode......Page 142 "In uomini, in soldati"......Page 144 "Una donna a quindici anni"......Page 150 The theory and practice of the pastoral mode......Page 158 Eros and episode in the pastoral......Page 159 The sentimentalization of the pastoral in the eighteenth century......Page 164 Despina and the pastoral mode......Page 168 Despina's Epicureanism......Page 172 The uses of pity in the pastoral and in Così fan tutte......Page 176 “Smanie implacabili”......Page 191 “È amore un ladroncello”......Page 197 The limits of the pastoral in così fan tutte......Page 204 Beauty and transcendence in "Soave sia il vento"......Page 205 “Soave sia il vento“ revisited: of beauty and contingency......Page 210 Introduction: Don Alfonso as comedian......Page 217 Una cosa rara and sentimental heroism......Page 223 The origins and language of sentimental comedy......Page 228 Heroic and martial images of love in the soldiers......Page 237 “Come scoglio”......Page 244 “Per pietà”......Page 253 “Il core vi dono”......Page 262 “Fra gli amplessi”......Page 266 Ferrando‘s second-act scena......Page 279 The comic vision of Così fan tutte......Page 285 Epilogue......Page 294 Bibliography......Page 301 Index......Page 312 This is the first full-length, scholarly study of what is widely regarded as Mozart's most enigmatic opera and Lorenzo Da Ponte's most erudite text. Against the long-standing judgment that the opera uses a misguided confidence in reason to traduce feeling, Goehring's study shows how Così affirms comedy's regenerative powers and its capacity to grant access to modes of sympathy and understanding that are otherwise inaccessible. In making this argument, Three Modes of Perception in Mozart surveys a rich literary, operatic, and intellectual territory. This monograph offers a new perspective on the relationships between text and tone in opera, on the tension between comedy and philosophy and its representation in stage works, and on the pastoral mode, which the opera uses in especially subtle ways. Throughout, Goehring's argument is sustained by close readings of primary sources, many of them little known, and is richly illustrated with musical examples.--Publisher description This 2004 book is a full-length, scholarly study of what is widely regarded as Mozart's most enigmatic opera and Lorenzo Da Ponte's most erudite text. Against the long-standing judgement that the opera uses a misguided confidence in reason to traduce feeling, Goehring's study shows how Cosi affirms comedy's regenerative powers and its capacity to grant access to modes of sympathy and understanding that are otherwise inaccessible. In making this argument, the book surveys a rich literary, operatic and intellectual territory. It offers fresh perspective on the relationships between text and tone in the opera, on the tension between comedy and philosophy and its representation in stage works and on the pastoral mode which the opera uses in subtle ways. Throughout, Goehring's argument is sustained by close readings of primary sources, many of them little known, and is richly illustrated with musical examples. During the two centuries following its premiere, the news about Cosi fan tutte has generally not been good.