Copy of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro

An early manuscript copy in several hands of Mozart's 1786 opera Le Nozze di Figaro (the unusual misspelling “nozzi” on the cover is repeated on the title page). This copy, with text in both Italian and German, probably pre-dates Simrock’s 1819 first edition of the German-language full score. Shown here is the climactic moment of the opera's finale, when the Countess forgives the Count for failing her test of his faithfulness. 

This manuscript omits the recitatives and Susanna and Cherubino’s breathlessly frenetic Act II duettino, “Aprite presto aprite,” but includes Marcellina and Basilio’s original Act IV arias and the 43-measure fandango near the end of Act III (performed in both the Vienna premiere and the 1787 Prague revival, but absent from many early Viennese copyists’ manuscripts). Further comparison with other early exemplars is necessary to trace this manuscript's provenance and possible performance history.

See the full score here.

Geolocation: The Burgtheater in Vienna, where The Marriage of Figaro was premiered in 1786.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. La nozzi di Figaro: opera in due atti del Sigr. W.A. Mozart. Copyist's manuscript, (late 18th or early 19th century).
Merritt Room Mus 745.1.639.14