Download CLASSROOM ACTIVITY A Lot of “Light” Music

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C L A S S R O O M AC T I V I T Y
A Lot of “Light” Music: A Close Look at the Influence of the
European Enlightenment on Mozart and Don Giovanni
A comic opera about a serial seducer may seem an unlikely place to look for ideas
IN PREPAR ATION
that reshaped Western thought and culture over the course of the 18th century—
For this activity, students will need
but such ideas continually surface in Don Giovanni. Mozart and Da Ponte’s titular
the reproducible resources available
at the back of this guide. You will also
anti-hero begins the opera by killing a man; he ends it en route to hell. And yet
the philosophical principles embodied in, and sometimes parodied by, this opera
caused such different intellectuals as the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and
the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw to lavish praise on both the work and
need to prepare a set of index cards,
each bearing one of the 14 statements
found on the reproducible A Lot of
“Light” Music.
its protagonist. Kierkegaard believed that Don Giovanni marvelously depicted the
The audio selections for this activity
darker sides of human nature. Shaw considered Giovanni himself a powerful life
are available online or on the
accompanying CD.
force, a model for modern men. How might someone as badly behaved as Don
Giovanni merit any praise at all? In this two-session activity, students will
• become acquainted with key ideas of the European Enlightenment
• assess commonalities and differences in Enlightenment thought
• place Mozart, Da Ponte, and the world they knew in the broader context of
Western history
• evaluate the composer and librettist’s intentions in key scenes and statements
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Social Studies (World history)/
Philosophy (the European
Enlightenment)
Language Arts (Authors’ perspective
on their characters)
found in Don Giovanni
• express personal interpretations of scenes and characters, citing specific evidence
• apply the social thought reflected in Don Giovanni to fictional and current-events
situations
For background on the European Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason,
see the sidebar New Findings, New Ideas, on page 6.
STEPS
The title character of Mozart and Da Ponte’s opera can hardly be described as
anything but irresponsible and selfish. But his creators provided numerous indications that they held a more complicated view of their protagonist. He is, at the
very least, an incurable optimist. Though the audience never actually sees him
successful at seduction, he remains cheerfully prepared to try, and try again. He
is fearless, too, especially when confronting the supernaturally animated statue of
the Commendatore in Act II. He may even be honorable at the start of Act I, when
he accepts the living Commendatore’s challenge to duel: Although the result is
interpreted as murder, Don Giovanni may only have been following an old-fashioned
nobleman’s sense of duty.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• To become familiar with concepts
developed during the era of the
European Enlightenment that shape
contemporary thinking
• To explore ways in which these
concepts influence the plot and
characters of Don Giovanni
• To practice critical thinking by
interpreting characters’ speech and
behaviors, as well as the intentions
of the creators of these characters
• To assess the complex nature of the
opera’s title character
• To become familiar with the
relationships, ideas, and
controversies embedded in Don
Giovanni
The complexities found in the story of Don Giovanni are largely due to the time
of its creation—an era of great intellectual turmoil that eventually was to lead to the
American and French Revolutions.
In this two-session activity, students will discover ideas that are often taken for
granted in the 21st century, but were brand new in Mozart’s day—ideas that inform
the actions, the personal relationships, and the moral codes of characters in Don
Giovanni.
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INSTRUCTIONAL SUMMARY
SESSION 1
SEEING THE WORLD ANEW
1 Build a timeline placing Mozart, Da
Ponte, and Don Giovanni in the
S E S S I O N 1:
SEEING THE WORLD ANEW
STEP 1: Begin the lesson by providing students with a graphic representation of
Mozart’s times. Draw a line on the board and divide it into six equal sections, with a
little bit extra at each end, then label it as follows:
context of historical events.
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2 Introduce Mozart as a historical figure,
influenced by the times he lived in.
3 Discuss a set of key concepts from the
European Enlightenment and assess
them in terms of the categories
individual liberty and social control.
1500
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1600
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1700
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1800
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1900
2000
Have students add the following events to the timeline. Some will be more challenging
to place than others. Students may have to guess at some of these dates. Don’t be
afraid to correct them. This is simply an orienting activity.
• Today (2011)
4 Imagine a “hero” embodying such
complicated values.
• Columbus comes to the Americas (1492)
SESSION 2
DON GIOVANNI: VILLAIN,
HERO, OR BOTH?
• Isaac Newton discovers gravity (1687)
5 Review concepts from Session 1.
• Oxygen is discovered by Joseph Priestley (1774)
6 Assess scenes from Don Giovanni in
terms of individual liberty and social
control.
• The Declaration of Independence is signed (1776)
7 Examine Mozart and Da Ponte’s
intentions: What is the message of
Don Giovanni?
• The French Revolution begins (1789)
• The Pilgrims come to North America (1620)
• Johann Sebastian Bach praises a new musical instrument called the piano (1747)
• Benjamin Franklin proposes the idea that lightning is electricity (1750)
• Hydrogen is discovered by Antoine Lavoisier (1783)
• The U.S. Constitution is ratified (1788)
• Toussaint L’ouverture sparks a slave rebellion that leads to the free state of Haiti
(1791)
8 Consider contemporary controversies
involving the same central concerns,
including individual liberty and social
control.
Notice how many of these dates hover close to 1800. The point of this preliminary
exercise is to show students what a busy, productive time the late 18th century
was—a time of new ideas in science and politics, a time when liberty and equality
became an important concept in societies that had long been ruled by absolute
monarchs.
Add one more date to the timeline: 1787. Don Giovanni had its premiere that year
in Prague, in central Europe. Mozart and Da Ponte were living and working in the
middle of the era of the European Enlightenment. The thinking of the times came
as naturally to them as thoughts of protecting the environment or social networking
might come to your students today.
Explain to your students that you’ll return to Mozart and Don Giovanni during
the next class session, but for now, you’re going to get to know the ideas that were
floating around Europe the night Don Giovanni had its premiere.
STEP 2: Use the events on the timeline to help your students understand the spirit
of the European Enlightenment. In the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, Europeans
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were beginning to visit faraway parts of the globe like the Americas and China. This
period is called the Age of Discovery. By the 18th century, these discoveries led to
a kind of information explosion, the Age of Enlightenment. Scholars began to argue
that through careful observation and the application of reason—and only through
this—humans could come to understand the universe. This was the beginning of
modern science. Enlightenment thinkers took nothing on faith. Immanuel Kant, the
German philosopher, may have expressed these views best when he wrote, “Dare
to think!”
While many Enlightenment thinkers explored the physical world, including the
fields of chemistry, biology, geography, and astronomy, others focused on relationships in human society. Those are the thinkers who most influenced Mozart and Da
Ponte. The balance of this lesson is designed to help students develop a general
sense of the views these scholars developed with respect to individual rights and
the life of communities. See sidebar New Findings, New Ideas on page 6.
STEP 3: In this part of the lesson, students will consider a number of fundamental
statements made in the period of the Enlightenment. Students may be surprised to
learn that it was not until the 18th century that philosophers began to advocate the
notions of civil rights and governance that inspire most people today. They may be
even more surprised that such ideas would be reflected in an opera.
A central idea of the Enlightenment was that social authority comes from the
COMMON CORE ELA
College and Career Readiness
Anchor Standards for Reading:
Grades 6–12
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
9. Analyze how two or more texts address
similar themes or topics in order to build
knowledge or to compare the approaches
the authors take.
Responding to Literature
11. Respond to literature by employing
knowledge of literary language, textual
features, and forms to read and
comprehend, reflect upon, and interpret
literary texts from a variety of genres and
a wide spectrum of American and world
cultures.
NATIONAL CENTER FOR
HISTORY IN THE SCHOOLS
Historical Thinking Standards
for Grades 5–12
STANDARD 1: Chronological Thinking
E. Interpret data presented in time lines
and create time lines.
F. Reconstruct patterns of historical
succession and duration; explain historical
continuity and change.
people being governed. No god or supernatural power chooses human leaders. But
STANDARD 2: Historical Comprehension
thinkers differed as to the question of “human nature”—notably, whether people
F. Appreciate historical perspectives.
were inherently cooperative and peaceful or selfish and violent. This resulted
in different viewpoints on liberty and authority. Some Enlightenment thinkers
supported individual liberty, no matter what. Some supported such liberty only as
long as one person’s liberty did not infringe on the rights of others. Others, more
worried about people’s selfish tendencies, emphasized the need for authority and
social control.
On the reproducible A Lot of “Light” Music on page 37, you will find 14 statements paraphrased from the writings of Enlightenment thinkers. During the next
exercise, students will consider each of these statements and decide for themselves
which of these two broad concerns the “speaker” is emphasizing—individual liberty
or social control.
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Prepare a set of cards, each bearing one of the statements on the reproducible A
Lot of “Light” Music. (You may want to glue a copy of the reproducible to a piece of
cardboard, then cut it into cards.)
Draw two columns on a chalkboard, whiteboard, or sheet of poster paper, one
labeled “Individual Liberty,” the other labeled “Social Control.” (You will need this
chart for the next class session, so make sure it won’t be erased overnight.)
Divide the class into groups of two or three, and give each group one of the 14 cards.
Give the groups five to ten minutes to consider their statements and to decide
themselves whether the statement stresses individual liberty or social control.
Then, group by group:
• Each group can present the statement they have considered to the rest of the
class.
• The group should make an argument for placing the statement in the category
they chose.
• The rest of the class can offer questions and/or comment on the statement.
• The entire class should vote on the appropriate category for the statement in
question: emphasis on individual liberty or emphasis on social control.
Costume sketch for peasant
girls by Christopher Oram
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(You may want to point out to the class that such reasoned debate and democratic
decision-making were important outcomes of Enlightenment thought.)
Record the statement in the appropriate column on the chart. (Feel free to use the
short summary found in parentheses after the statement itself. You may also want to
list the name of the thinker associated with that statement.) Then go on to the next
group of students. If you like, give students their own copies of the reproducible A
Lot of “Light” Music so they can keep track of the class’s analysis.
Note: The point of this exercise is to get students to think about the concepts
Martín y Soler
of liberty and social control. There are not right or wrong answers about any given
thinker’s place on the “individual liberty” or “social control” side of the chart.
FUN FACT: In the dinner
STEP 4: After all 14 statements have been categorized, students can discuss whether
Enlightenment thinkers, all together, were more interested in individual liberty or
social control. What do your students think of this dichotomy? How do these values
come into conflict? How do they affect daily life, even today? When might individual
liberty matter more than social control? When should individual liberty be restricted
to protect the community? For example, students might consider such phenomena as
• traffic laws
• military service
• elections
• waiting in line at the post office
• use of controlled substances like alcohol or prescription drugs
• websites that oppose government policies
FOLLOW-UP
For homework, students should make up a story in which individual liberty and
social control clash. It can be realistic, science fiction, a superhero story, a romance—
whatever each student likes. But each story should involve a situation that prompts
readers to think about the pros and cons of each of these values. For instance, a
story might involve a skateboarder who rides wildly on the street, inattentive to the
danger he’s creating for pedestrians. Another might present a shopper determined
to get into a store offering big discounts—and trampling other shoppers in the
process. The next class session will begin with a discussion of these stories.
scene near the end of Act€II,
Mozart played a little
joke on his audiences by
incorporating three melodies
from previously written
operas into the music that
the stage band plays for Don
Giovanni’s entertainment.
Be first of these is from
Martín y Soler’s opera, Una
Cosa Rara (“A Rare Bing”)
(CD 2, Track 37). Leporello
comments “cosa rara” (“a rare
thing”), acknowledging the
music.
Be second of these
melodies is from Giuseppe
Sarti’s opera, Fra i due litiganti
il terzo gode (“While two
dispute the third enjoys”)
(Track 38). Once again,
Leporello casually announces
the name of the opera from
which this tune is taken.
Finally, Mozart borrows
from himself, a famous tune
from his previous opera,
Le Nozze di Figaro (“Be
Marriage of Figaro”), with
Leporello commenting, “I’ve
heard this once too oNen.”
Knowledgeable opera goers
will smile or chuckle as they
hear this melody from Figaro
in this context (Track 39).
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S E S S I O N 2:
D O N G I OVA N N I : V I L L A I N , H E R O, O R B O T H?
STEP 1: In the preceding class session, students were introduced to Enlightenment
thought—in particular, to the concepts of individual liberty and social control. In this
session, students will explore ways Mozart and Da Ponte used to incorporate these
concepts into Don Giovanni.
Go around the room and have students briefly describe the stories they wrote for
homework.
• Who is the protagonist?
• What is the conflict between individual liberty and social control?
• How is it resolved?
• Does the protagonist prove to be a hero?
STEP 2: The problem students grappled with in their writing assignment is precisely
the problem that critics have long grappled with over Don Giovanni: For better or
worse, the character who gives the opera its name is in constant conflict with the
values of his society. Did Mozart and Da Ponte consider Don Giovanni to be a hero,
a villain, or something in between? The answer rests on the concepts of individual
liberty and social control discussed in the previous session.
Review the chart made in the previous session in order to remind students of
Enlightenment thinking on liberty and social control. These will again be the two
central themes of the class session. In this session, however, students will try to
figure out where Mozart and Da Ponte stood on these critical conflicting values:
Is Don Giovanni, the opera, a lesson in the necessity of social control, as
suggested by Hobbes in statement #14 (Pleasure and pain) and Voltaire in statement #6 (Necessary inequality)?
Or is Don Giovanni, the character, a paragon of individual liberty in spite of what,
to all other characters (and perhaps to your students too), seem like antisocial
behavior and deep moral flaws?
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STEP 3: The core of this session is a discussion of six scenes from Don Giovanni.
For context, you may want to review the synopsis of the opera found on page 3,
although it is not necessary that your students be familiar with the plot as they begin
the activity. These are simply snapshots from a character’s life.
Scene A presents the opening of the opera. Giovanni, fresh from an attempt to
seduce Donna Anna, kills her father in a duel.
Scenes B and C take place at the wedding of Zerlina and Masetto. Giovanni tries to
get Masetto out of the way in order to seduce his bride.
Scene D takes place near the end of Act I. This is the only point in the opera at which
Mozart and Da Ponte specifically refer to the subject of liberty.
Scene E, near the beginning of Act II, finds Leporello, Don Giovanni’s servant, and
Giovanni discussing the latter’s attitude toward women.
Scene F, at the end of the opera, includes the argument between Giovanni and the
statue of the Commendatore, directly preceding Giovanni’s descent into hell.
Discussion guides for each scene follow. Texts and translations for the audio clips
discussed can be found on the reproducibles A Lot of “Light” Music on pages 38–46.
Students should read along in the libretto excerpts as they listen to each scene.
Then, after discussing each scene, students will be asked to rate the relative influence of individual liberty and social control ideas in Don Giovanni. They will record
their assessments on the reproducible Which Side Are They On?
DISCUSSING SCENE A
The Opera: Music and Libretto
Track 1 begins with a scream, but the high-energy music that follows doesn’t
indicate fear or danger. In fact, the libretto specifies that the woman who was heard
screaming has the situation well under control. She has a tight grip on a masked
man’s arm, singing, “Don’t hope that if you don’t kill me, I will let you escape.”
Students may want to guess what’s going on here before you play the next
excerpt: In Track 2, failing to break loose, the man replies, “Crazy woman! You cry
out in vain! You’re not going to find out who I am!”
This adds a bit more information, but not much. The tones of their voices and their
parallel melodies suggest that this woman and man are social equals. This can be
heard even more clearly in Track 3, where, in harmonic lines, they yell at one another
and call one another names.
The characters are Donna Anna and Don Giovanni. She is obviously angry at him,
though we don’t know yet exactly why. Still, even in her fury, their exchange has a
quality of romantic banter.
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That changes a few seconds later. In Track 4, the music played by the cellos introduces the first sounds of genuine tension into the scene. Then, in Track 5, a new
voice is heard. This is Donna Anna’s elderly father, the Commendatore. He has heard
her scream and has come running to her aid. He challenges the masked man to a
duel.
Don Giovanni’s tone changes in Track 6. He does not want to fight an old man.
But the Commendatore insists. As they argue, a third male voice is heard, Giovanni’s
manservant Leporello, who foresees trouble (“I just want to get out of here!”). In
Track 7, a beat of silence focuses all attention on Don Giovanni. With both resignation and condescension, he agrees to duel the Commendatore: “Wretch! Wait just a
moment if you want to die.”
The instrumental stretch that follows provides a musical description of the
duel. The outcome is clear from the climax in Track 7, but any doubt disappears
in the music heard in Track 8, where Mozart and Da Ponte weave together the
old Commendatore’s last words, Don Giovanni’s thoughts on his fatal blow, and
Leporello’s commentary on the whole affair.
This entire scene can be heard continuously in Track 9.
Enlightenment Influences
The opera begins with fast-paced moral drama. Some students may resist the
challenge to interpret this brief episode through the lens of Enlightenment thought,
but point out that Mozart’s acquaintance with Enlightenment thinkers and proposals
is well documented. (Interested students may enjoy the reading resources suggested
at the end of the activity.) If, in that spirit, you wanted to interpret the scene as
influenced by the Enlightenment, what might you find? What do the characters’
actions convey? What message can be drawn from Mozart’s music, where energetic,
bantering strings open the scene only to be supplanted by mournful woodwinds?
Point out key elements and ask students to consider which of the statements on
the reproducible A Lot of “Light” Music might apply:
Don Giovanni has done something that angers Donna Anna. This is the subject of
several statements supporting the concept of social control:
#8 (Locke: Do no harm)
#9 (Locke: Punish when needed)
#10 (Rousseau: Agree to be moral)
#11 (Rousseau: Zero tolerance)
Whatever Don Giovanni’s offense might have been, it seems to have been the kind
of self-centered act that some Enlightenment thinkers saw as natural and unavoidable, in the spirit of
#5 (Voltaire: The drive to control)
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Both Donna Anna and Don Giovanni seem capable of taking care of themselves, in
the spirit of arguments for individual liberty such as
#3 (Locke: The drive to be independent)
#4 (Locke: Natural liberty)
The Commendatore rises to his duty, representing social control, in the spirit of
#9 (Locke: Punish when needed)
Which Side Are They On?
On the reproducible Which Side Are They On?, each student should rate the influence of each of the Enlightenment values, individual liberty and social control, on
Mozart and Da Ponte, based on the evidence in this scene. They should also note
Costume sketch for
Don Giovanni by
Christopher Oram
which Enlightenment statements apply to this scene. This part of the activity should
be repeated after analyzing each scene.
DISCUSSING SCENE B
The Opera: Music and Libretto
The next scene brings Don Giovanni and Leporello into a different social setting,
the wedding of a peasant couple. His eye on the lovely Zerlina, Don Giovanni has
directed his manservant to escort the groom, Masetto, to his palace, ostensibly to
celebrate the wedding. Track 10 begins with Masetto’s objection. He doesn’t want
to leave his bride alone. Leporello and his master both assure him that Zerlina is safe
in the hands of a nobleman like Don Giovanni.
In Track 11, the issue of social class is introduced: Zerlina assures Masetto that a
nobleman can do her no harm. Masetto remains suspicious, but Don Giovanni cuts
their conversation short. In Track 12, he turns on the peasant with a soft, but steely
“Watch out!” Students should pay particular attention to the sarcastic, ironic words
of Track 13, in which the defeated Masetto comments on the imbalance in his and
Giovanni’s social status, then attacks his fiancée Zerlina.
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Enlightenment Influences
Key points in this scene, and Enlightenment viewpoints which may apply to them,
include:
Don Giovanni’s unapologetic claim on Zerlina. This certainly embodies a hardheaded position like Voltaire’s in
#5 (The drive to control)
together with the universal right declared by John Locke in
#4 (Natural liberty)
Giovanni’s confidence and success, grounded in social status, seem to support
Voltaire’s view in
#6 (Necessary inequality)
On the other hand, Rousseau might have argued that Don Giovanni is betraying the
unspoken commitment of
#10 (Agree to be moral)
The American and French Revolutions put Enlightenment principles of social equality
into practice, overturning class relationships that had long organized European
Cesare Siepi was a memorable
Don Giovanni of the 1950s and 60s.
society. In the encounter of Don Giovanni, Masetto, and Zerlina, Mozart and Da
Ponte play on those relationships. Masetto’s protest, then his defeated sarcasm,
support the Enlightenment values of
#2 (Locke: Equal at birth)
#3 (Locke: The drive to be independent)
Of course both Don Giovanni and Masetto—and perhaps Zerlina as well—also
represent the observation of Hobbes in
#13 (Pleasure and pain)
Scene B can be heard, continuous with Scene C, in Track 25.
Which side are they on?
DISCUSSING SCENE C
The Opera: Music and Libretto
Moments later, the audience can assess Don Giovanni’s true intentions. As he sings
in Track 14, he is at last alone with Zerlina, free of that “idiot.” That idiot, replies
the naïve Zerlina, “is my fiancé!” In Track 15, we finally see Don Giovanni in action
as a seducer. He lays it on thick, praising Zerlina and insulting Masetto, laying the
groundwork to convince her, in Track 16, to betray her nuptial vows.
Zerlina is more savvy than she might have seemed in Scene B: In Track 17, she
makes clear that she is concerned not only about betraying Masetto, but also that
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Giovanni’s status as nobleman may not be the guarantee of virtue he has claimed.
Don Giovanni, relentless, promises to marry her in the music heard in Track 18.
The seduction plays out musically in Tracks 19 to 22, the duet “Là ci darem la
mano” (“Let us put our hands together”). As the duet begins, Giovanni and Zerlina’s
lines alternate, expressing their thoughts in delicate, decorous four-line verses
(Track 19). Their conversation becomes a bit more intimate in Track 20, where they
alternate in shorter, one-line bursts. Zerlina at first insists upon her betrothal to
Masetto. Giovanni explicitly promises to improve her fortunes. Zerlina is tempted,
as depicted by the repetition of her wish that she were made of stronger stuff.
As Track 21 begins, Zerlina repeats that wish a third time. Now Mozart and Da
Ponte present an intricate play of emotion. Sensing her weakness, Giovanni jumps
in without pause, passionately calling upon her to come away with him. Then
he catches himself, and his tone shifts from an insistent plea back to the gentler
opening tactic of “Là ci darem la mano”—only this time Zerlina responds after one
line, not four. Her resolve is wobbling. First, they alternate lines within the verse.
Then they repeat the one-line assertions of Track 20, only now overlapping, without
pause, until Zerlina again sings three times, plaintively, “I’m not strong enough!”
With Track 22, Giovanni moves to close the deal: “Let’s go!” Zerlina, as if hypnotized, agrees, “Let’s go!” They continue to sing, now in harmony, of their “innocent
love.”
The seduction would seem a success—until we reach the music heard in Track 23.
Out of nowhere, the scorned Donna Elvira appears, denouncing Giovanni. Zerlina is
mystified, Elvira will prove to be her guardian angel, and Giovanni is caught between
them. In Track 24, he tries to salvage the situation, then turns on Elvira for spoiling
his fun. She, having been in Zerlina’s shoes, is not deterred.
Enlightenment Influences
Key points in this scene, and Enlightenment concepts which may apply to them,
include:
Don Giovanni’s personality—manipulative in seduction, fierce when caught out by
Elvira:
#4 (Locke: Natural liberty)
#5 (Voltaire: The drive to control)
#10 (Rousseau: Agree to be moral)
#12 (Hobbes: Death and power)
#13 (Hobbes: Pleasure and pain)
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Elvira’s personality—her fury at Don Giovanni’s behavior past and present, her
sense of responsibility toward Zerlina:
#1 (Smith: Self-interest)
#7 (Hume: No judgment)
#8 (Locke: Do no harm)
#9 (Locke: Punish when needed)
#10 (Rousseau: Agree to be moral)
#11 (Rousseau: Zero tolerance)
Zerlina’s capitulation to Giovanni’s seduction:
#1 (Smith: Self-interest)
#4 (Locke: Natural liberty)
#5 (Voltaire: The drive to control)
#6 (Voltaire: Necessary inequality)
#13 (Hobbes: Pleasure and pain)
#14 (Hobbes: Defense from selfishness)
Scenes B and C can be heard continuously in Track 25.
Which side are they on?
DISCUSSING SCENE D
The Opera: Music and Libretto
Halfway through Don Giovanni, Mozart and Da Ponte reprise a bit of stagecraft that
seemed incidental in the opera’s opening scene. The beginning of Act I found Don
Giovanni, masked, in the home of Donna Anna. As Act I approaches its climax, his
adversaries —Anna, her fiancé Don Ottavio, and Donna Elvira—arrive at Giovanni’s
own home, wearing masks themselves. Track 26, the quintet they share with Giovanni
and Leporello, highlights the philosophical differences these characters represent.
The track begins with Leporello welcoming the guests. He pointedly identifies
them as masked. Here Mozart and Da Ponte provide a sharp contrast to the opening
scene, in which Giovanni’s mask upset Donna Anna enough to prompt him to say, in
Track 2, “You’re not going to find out who I am.” Here, in Track 26, Giovanni does not
ask that the masked guests reveal themselves. He declares that his home is open to
all, framing this welcome in terms of individual liberty: “Viva la libertà!”
Anna, Ottavio, and Elvira, on the other hand, reply in terms of social convention. In
Track 27, they thank Giovanni for his generosity—in the view of the Enlightenment,
a socially cultivated interpersonal attitude, not a “natural” right like liberty. In other
words, despite the cordiality of their words and the dainty grace of their song, the
adversaries’ response indicates a worldview different from Giovanni’s. The two
sides oppose each other in harmony through Track 28.
Scene D can be heard continuously in Track 29.
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Enlightenment Influences
Key points in this scene, and Enlightenment viewpoints which may apply to them,
include:
Don Giovanni’s reference to liberty
#1 (Smith: Self-interest)
#4 (Locke: Natural liberty)
Elvira, Anna, and Ottavio’s reference to generosity
#10 (Rousseau: Agree to be moral)
Don Giovanni’s welcome of masked guests
#2 (Locke: Equal at birth)
#7 (Hume: No judgment)
Which side are they on?
Christopher Oram’s set model for Act II, Scene 4
PHOTO: ALISON CHERRY / METROPOLITAN OPERA
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DISCUSSING SCENE E
The Opera: Music and Libretto
As this scene begins, in Track 30, Don Giovanni asks Leporello to perform an as yet
unspecified service. Leporello, aware of the trouble Don Giovanni has caused him,
asks his master to stop chasing women. Giovanni responds, as might be expected,
in Track 31: “Leave women alone? Are you crazy?” Then, in Track 32, he explains
why—in language that’s surprisingly serious, coming from such a devil-may-care
character. Not only does Giovanni call women as necessary to him as food or air, but
he justifies his ceaseless pursuit both ethically—were he monogamous, he would
be denying his love to many other deserving women—and, in Enlightenment terms,
scientifically: Women don’t understand his incalculable capacity to love. Leporello,
sarcastic and true to social convention, responds that he has never met anyone with
so vast and kind a nature.
Scene E can be heard continuously in Track 33.
Enlightenment Influences
Key points in this scene, and Enlightenment viewpoints which may apply to them,
include:
Don Giovanni’s philosophy of love
#1 (Smith: Self-interest)
#6 (Voltaire: Necessary inequality)
#7 (Hume: No judgment)
#13 (Hobbes: Pleasure and pain)
The scene also parodies the Enlightenment’s interest in science and mathematics.
See the Musical Highlight Count the Ways, on page 26.
Leporello’s sarcastic response
#8 (Locke: Do no harm)
#10 (Rousseau: Agree to be moral)
#14 (Hobbes: Defense from selfishness)
Which side are they on?
DISCUSSING SCENE F
The Opera: Music and Libretto
Don Giovanni meets his fate in the final scene of the opera. He is hosting another
one of his lavish banquets, when at the height of the festivities a knock is heard
at the door. The marble statue of the man he killed at the start of Act I arrives at
Giovanni’s home to offer him one last chance to apologize for his actions.
Suddenly there is a crash of thunder and powerful chords peal out. Three
trombones have a sinister effect and a roll in the timpani adds to the eerie
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atmosphere. The rhythm is the same as the opening of the Overture, but instead
of minor chords, here they are diminished, creating a more terrifying result (see
Musical Highlight Drama or Comedy? It’s all in the Overture! on page 31). After four
measures, the Commendatore, in stentorian tones calls out, “Don Giovanni! You
invited me to supper, and here I am.” It is one of the most chilling effects in all of
opera, as everyone shudders except Don Giovanni himself (Track 34).
Mozart deploys the full power of the orchestra in Track 35, percussive and
ominous. “Repent!” intones the statue. “Change your life! It’s your last chance!”
But Don Giovanni responds in Track 36 with equal gravity. He is as passionate
here as he has been carefree until now: He will not repent. He will not renounce the
life he has led. And so he insists, arguing with the statue throughout Track 37, until,
in Track 38, the statue drags Giovanni down to hell.
Scene F can be heard continuously in Track 39.
Enlightenment Influences
Key points in this scene, and Enlightenment viewpoints which may apply to them,
include:
The statue’s demands that Don Giovanni repent
#8 (Locke: Do no harm)
#9 (Locke: Punish when needed)
#10 (Rousseau: Agree to be moral)
#11 (Rousseau: Zero tolerance)
#12 (Hobbes: Death and power)
#14 (Hobbes: Defense from selfishness)
Don Giovanni’s refusal to back off
#1 (Smith: Self-interest)
#3 (Locke: The drive to be independent)
#4 (Locke: Natural liberty)
#6 (Voltaire: Necessary inequality)
#7 (Hume: No judgment)
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Don Giovanni’s punishment
#9 (Locke: Punish when needed)
#10 (Rousseau: Agree to be moral)
#11 (Rousseau: Zero tolerance)
#12 (Hobbes: Death and power)
Which side are they on?
STEP 4: Depending on the quality of the discussions in your classroom up to this
point, you may want to conduct a summary discussion reviewing
• the concepts of individual liberty and social control
• the importance of these concepts in societies moving from monarchy and the
“divine right of kings” toward democracy
• your students’ interpretations of Mozart and Da Ponte’s views of these principles
Did they believe in radical individual liberty? Did they believe social control
was necessary to deter and punish bad behavior?
Did they believe there might be a reasonable compromise between individual
liberty and social control?
This discussion, together with your students’ notes on the reproducible Which Side
Are They On? will provide a basis for the follow-up assignment.
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FOLLOW-UP:
For homework or in class, students should write a persuasive essay on the question
“Is Don Giovanni a hero or a villain?” Essays should cite evidence from the opera,
based on students’ notes from class discussions of Enlightenment philosophy and
the scenes from Don Giovanni. Students may choose to mention their interpretations of Mozart and Da Ponte’s views of their protagonist, but they should feel free
to state their own opinions of Don Giovanni and his victims or adversaries.
SUGGESTED READING
Students interested in reading about Mozart and the Enlightenment can find
an essay on that topic by R.N. Lebow, a professor at Dartmouth University, at
www.dartmouth.edu. The opera director Nicholas Till has written an entire volume
on the subject, available at most booksellers: Mozart and the Enlightenment (New
York: Norton, 1996).
Students interested in general reading about the European Enlightenment may
find the works of Enlightenment philosophers to be tough going, but places to start
include an anthology published by Cambridge University Press, The Enlightenment
(Cambridge Readings in the History of Political Thought) or Fordham University’s
primary-sources website at www.fordham.edu.
The historian Peter Gay has written a comprehensive two-volume intellectual
history, The Enlightenment, introducing readers to the ideas and debates that
characterized the period. An intriguing set of podcasts published by the BBC
interprets the Enlightenment in terms of five physical objects (www.bbc.co.uk),
while the website of the British Museum in London offers a virtual visit to the
museum’s Enlightenment Gallery at www.britishmuseum.org. Finally, an online
course on the Enlightenment, featuring texts, pictures, and videos, can be found at
openlearn.open.ac.uk.
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