Eleanor Barton

Don Giovanni Mi Trad quellalma ingrata

Mi Trad quellalma ingrata is the aria from recitative and aria set
no. 23 from Mozarts Don Giovanni; it immediately follows the
recitative In quali eccessi. Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts
with music by Mozart, premiered in October 1787. Both the
recitative and aria are sung by Donna Elvira, who is furious at Don
Giovanni for betraying her but also feels sorry for him and is worried
about his eternal fate. The recitative portrays her feelings of
betrayal, in Eb minor, and the aria shows how she still loves him
despite everything hes done to her, in the tonic major. Throughout
the opera, Eb major is used when Donna Elvira sings. This aria was
not part of the original opera for the premiere in Vienna; it was
added on request of the singer playing Elvira who wanted a song to
show off her skill as an opera singer, and so Mozart wrote this. It is
in 4 at a comfortable allegretto tempo.
The aria begins with a one beat anacrusis sung by Elvira, an
unaccompanied Bb. This is simply chord V which precedes an Eb
major chord, forming a perfect cadence. The main motif that keeps
coming back is a rising Eb major arpeggio immediately followed by
the descending scale. The first four bars follow the chord sequence:
I, IIb, V, I in the standard cadential formula, and the next follow I,
V, I, I, V, I with a perfect cadence every two bars. There is a
chromatic B natural at the end of the first bar which is quickly
resolved to a C, the sixth, and the melody is very scalic throughout.
The change in tonality forms the structure. It is in rondo form with a
coda - A B A C A coda. The B section begins with a short passage in
F major, initially hinted at by A naturals in the flute and E naturals in
the cello, as E is the leading note to F. This then falls to Bb major in
a perfect cadence which forms the remainder of the B section, and
then leads back to A. This second appearance of A is shorter than
its first or third statements. The C section is longer than B and is in
Eb minor, or the tonic minor. This is first implied in the cellos in the
final 2 bars of the second A section when Gbs are used. There are
lots of accidentals in this section and the harmonic rhythm is very
fast; a lot of musical ground is covered in a very short period of
time. C is further removed in key and is more contrasting to A than
B. However, this section finishes with a pause on a Bb7 chord, ready
to lead us back to the tonic major of the A section. This is followed
by a coda, which has lots of sforzandos from the accompanying
orchestra. The occasional Db indicates Ab major, the subdominant
to Eb, though this changes back to D naturals and the aria is
finished with a VI, IV, Ic, V, I cadence.

Eleanor Barton

Strings play a key role in the accompaniment for this aria, more
than the wind. The first beat of the first bar is played by the double
basses, playing the tonic, Eb, and beats 2, 3 and 4 are played by
the violins and violas. The cellos play quavers at this point but they
only last for a few bars. Towards the B section, the cellos play
repeated quavers on F and E natural; E natural is the leading note
to F and so it is expected that the tonality would progress towards F,
and indeed it does. The violins often repeat the scalic passages that
the soloist sings, though usually in a different key and inversion as
this is part of the chord progression. These descending scales are
also played when the vocal line has rests. As well as that, the violins
sometimes double the voice. The cellos have a completely
independent part of the double bass, which is rather a new concept
in Mozarts time. The bass strings begin with playing the root note
of the chord on the first beat of the bar, though after the first four
bars things develop from there. This is essential in the role of
producing strong cadences.
The clarinet also has an important role. It is especially prominent in
the second bar like the violins do later on, it repeats the music
from the melody but a tone higher, in F minor (first inversion)
instead of Eb major. The bassoon joins in with these quavers a bar
later but an octave and third lower. The flute is used less often than
the clarinet; it is used in the short transition from A to B and at the
beginning of C, in Eb minor. We can hear the occasional scale in C
but it is not used much. There are also two horns in Eb used,
though these are rarely used and are less prominent than the other
instruments, so do not stand out.
As I mentioned before, the strings are used most often; they are
used constantly throughout. Any wind players are soloists as there
is only one to a part and they are used more scarcely than the
strings. The only time when all instruments are playing together is
the coda with the sforzandos, to end with a loud and dramatic
finish.
The tune throughout is very melismatic and lyrical with several
chromatic notes. The phrase length is very irregular which may
show the range of feelings she has towards Don Giovanni. Large
leaps are used to accent more significant words, as does melisma,
and frequent use of chromatic notes help to emphasise her distress.
The first two lines of the text repeat at the start of each returning
section, and so the rondo form help to emphasise the words: That
ungrateful wretch betrayed me, made me miserable, O Lord. Even
though Donna Elvira is singing about how Giovanni betrayed her
and how unhappy he has made her, the piece is based on her
confused and conflicting feelings towards him and how overall she

Eleanor Barton

still loves him, and so this is charming piece is in Eb major instead

of minor. In section C, when the tonality moves towards Eb minor,
she sings Quando sento il mio tormento (when I feel my
suffering), which certainly requires a minor tonality. The phrases are
shorter to show her distress, there is more chromaticism to convey
confusion and there are a lot more large leaps along with an
extended melisma on the word palpitando (beats). In the Coda,
Donna Elvira sings a very long melisma on the word pieta (past)
to emphasise how she can never forget the past, and these exact
words are repeated several times before the aria comes to a close.
Overall, this aria has clearly been very well thought out. It is a
catchy, memorable tune, very typically Mozart. The differing tonality
throughout and all the subtle techniques Mozart use vividly express
Donna Elviras conflicting emotions.