# The wit and wisdom of Mozart?



## Apricot (Feb 9, 2019)

I am going through the M22 operas, and I began thinking of the aria as poetry.

I was wondering if you could say his poetry is sort of like wit and wisdom.

For example, you have in fiagro cheribino explains how love feels or in La finta nardo sings about how women's hearts are like stone.

What would be some more examples of Mozart "poetic" genius?

Thank you.


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Well for a start I don’t think he wrote a word of his libretti but I could be wrong. So we’re really looking at the wit and wisdom of people like Da Ponte, Metastasio and Schikaneder et al


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

I think the OP is talking about Mozart's mastery in setting pre-existing text to music.

Take a look at Mozart's vespers and the idea of recapitulating with Minor doxology (_"Gloria patri"_) in each of the movements. (Rhythmically they share the common concept: one long (or multiple slurred) note(s) followed a shorter note, "Glo-----ri-a...")
It feels kind of like a chameleon; you won't notice each time it appears; he just does it, and it's done.

*dixit dominus ( 2:51 )
confitebor tibi ( 8:14 )
beatus vir ( 13:03 )
laudate pueri ( 16:42 )
laudate dominum ( 20:09 )
magnificat anima ( 27:09 )*





*dixit dominus ( 2:54 )
confitebor tibi ( 7:27 )
beatus vir ( 12:09 )
laudate pueri ( 15:42 )
laudate dominum ( 19:19 )
magnificat anima ( 24:51 )*


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

hammeredklavier said:


> I think the OP is talking about Mozart's mastery in setting pre-existing text to music.
> 
> Take a look at Mozart's vespers and the idea of recapitulating with Minor doxology (_"Gloria patri"_) in each of the movements. (Rhythmically they share the common concept: one long (or multiple slurred) note(s) followed a shorter note, "Glo-----ri-a...")
> It feels kind of like a chameleon; you won't notice each time it appears; he just does it, and it's done.
> ...


It's not very clear but when the op talks about poetry it seems to me to be a question of literary wit and wisdom rather than music.


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