For the writing assignement due Feb. 12, here are selections that are
mostly sung by one singer, rather than an ensemble. As you listen, consider
the dramatic situation and how Mozart has set the text (and that situation)
to music. What do you hear that conveys the emotional message of the aria?
Describe what you hear, using Shafer's vocabulary, metaphor, or musical
terms... anything that works. See if you can show how what you hear relates
to what you understand. (E.g. if Donna Elvira expresses anger, what features
in the music convey that?)
These are .mp3 files. The texts are identified by Act
and scene. (The page numbers refer to the libretto handed out, but you
will have to write in the page numbers.)
Read the entire scene, then reread the text of the selection.
Listen, following the text as well as you can. Practice will help with
this.
