The soubrette roles in the Mozart -Da Ponte operas

Evolving from the commedia dell'arte of Italian theater and the eighteenth-century French comedy, the soubrette role in the opera refers to a stereotype of clever coquette that usually employs a light lyric voice.;Collaborating with Da Ponte, who provided skillful adaptations of plot, character and versification, Mozart immortalized the soubrette roles of Susanna and Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, as well as Despina in Cosi fan tutte . His devices of musical characterization include careful tonal organization, moderate to fast tempo, changing meters, various dance rhythms, gently supportive orchestration, as well as simple melody and easy harmony. Furthermore, he made his music complement his original singers' capable ranges, favorite tessituras and particular techniques.;As modern performers, we missed the opportunities to encounter the composer, the librettist, the original casts, as well as the tradition of performance. Difficulties occur not only when we endeavor to understand the music, the drama, the vocal techniques and the operatic style, but also when we try to make decisions on tempos, appoggiaturas and cadenzas.;In this study, the author attempts to provide sufficient information to help singers, especially sopranos and mezzo-sopranos, to interpret and perform the soubrette roles in the Mozart-Da Ponte operas by (1) tracing the literary origins, (2) studying Da Ponte's adaptation, (3) analyzing Mozart's composition, (4) investigating Mozart's soubrette singers, and (5) discussing performance practice.;An ideal singer for the soubrette role must have a youthful, healthy voice, agile technique, clear diction and good acting. The advantages of young singers consist of their unspoiled vocal quality, their light vocal weights, their exuberant energy, as well as their befitting looks and convincing moves. The benefits for young singers in the soubrette roles include acquiring pure vocal production, flexible singing techniques, clear verbal enunciation, and fine theatrical skills.