Music&Society
Rebellions started long before the French Revolution—they were intertwined in every opera note.
Introduction
Le nozze di Figaro is an opera that was composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto based on the 1784 stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée (The Mad Day). Mozart brought the 18th-century Enlightenment ideas into this comedy by telling a story of how the servant Figaro, foiling the Count’s effort in seducing Suzanna (Figaro’s fiancée), and got married to her, teaching the higher class—the Count—a lesson of fidelity. Countless aspects of this opera challenge the social norms of the feudal European system as it premiered in Vienna in 1786, 3 years before the French Revolution, but this essay is going to focus on one song, which, in particular, Figaro challenges class hierarchy through music and dance rhythms—Se vuol ballare.
Historical Context- The Enlightenment Era
The Age of Enlightenment began in 1685 and ended in 1815, a European intellectual and philosophical movement that valued rationalism and empiricism. Major philosophers argued against traditional authority and empirical dogma; instead, they sought natural law, liberty, progress, and a separation of church and state. The “divine right” given to the aristocracy, the King, and the Church has given the higher class the right to manipulate and exploit the lower-class workforce, disregarding their equal human rights. As part of the protest combining Enlightenment ideals, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a famous philosopher from the same era, said in his Essay on the Origin of Languages (1781), “La musique est le langage des passions.” Music speaks to the soul in a way that reason can not. So operas, for example, Le nozze di Figaro, managed to bring people from different classes into different characters, making a comedy both funny and satirical, combining Enlightenment ideals.
Lyrics
Suzanna has just told Figaro how the Count wants to sleep with her before their marriage, whereas Figaro, through this song, Se vuol ballare, translated as If you want to dance, claims to thwart him and reveal his schemes.
The use of “my little Count” and “my little guitar” is mocking and musically playful. Figaro, through the lyrics, is telling the Count that he can “teach him” as he can play the game better with strategy over the Count’s power.
Melody&Harmony
Se vuol ballare opens with a sarabande rhythm, which is slow and courtly, resembling an aristocratic dance. However, as the aria unfolds, the melody switches to ascending phrases that hint at Figaro’s anger and cunningness buildup. Though the harmony may sound polite, even playful, as part of a comedy, the song is loaded with irony.
Rhythm & Tempo
The tempo in a dance rhythm masks Figaro’s growing rage with elegance. The dance rhythm aligns with the higher class’s customs while hiding the lower class’s, represented by Figaro, rage of not being treated equally. As a musical mockery, the lyrics stab while the music smiles.
Voice
This Aria is written for male altos, now sung by baritone, a voice often associated with grounded, everyman characters, instead of a mezzo or Soprano that requires multiple opera techniques. Figaro doesn’t reach the high notes; instead, he represents the everyday public, not screaming, but speaking for their rage and defiance. The restrained dynamic, along with word clarity, makes the sarcasm more powerful.
This kind of musical satire was subversive in Mozart’s time, showing the aristocracy that the servant is no longer silent. Figaro’s voice carries centuries of unheard resistance, which is demonstrated by Roland Barthes’ theory of the “grain of the voice”: meaning is not only in the words, but also how a voice cracks, swells, and vibrates when immersed in the character’s emotion.
Conclusion
Mozart makes the aria intertwine with sarcasm, a waltz with underlying rebellion. From rhythm, melody, and tune, the song Se vuol ballare questions the feudal system with laughter and mockery. At the same time, the power of music and lyrics that connects universal emotions, in particular for ones who believe themselves as Figaros, highlights the idea of its existence being a silent enlightenment protest. Whenever it is performed from anywhere in the past 4 centuries, the power its aria carries continues to vibrate with the current world and every audience, as music is universal, after all.