Was the marriage of Figaro motzarts favourite opera

Short answer: Probably not — there’s no clear evidence that The Marriage of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro, K.492) was Mozart’s single favourite opera. Why: - Mozart greatly admired Le nozze di Figaro (premiered 1786). He valued the music and worked closely with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. He wrote enthusiastically in letters about aspects of the score and the collaboration. - However, Mozart also expressed high regard for other operas he composed with Da Ponte (Don Giovanni, 1787; Così fan tutte, 1790) and had different reasons to be proud of each. He never stated in surviving correspondence or testimony that one was his favourite above all others. - Contemporary reports and his letters show nuanced reactions: he took particular pleasure in the comic energy and ensemble writing of Figaro, but he also celebrated the dramatic depth of Don Giovanni. Personal taste evidence is ambiguous. Sources and further reading: - Mozart’s letters (ed. Otto Jahn; English translations) — for his comments on works and collaborators. - Maynard Solomon, Mozart: A Life (1977) — discussion of Mozart’s operas and relationships with Da Ponte. - Daniel E. Freeman, Mozart in Prague (2001) — context on reception and Mozart’s views. If you’d like, I can quote Mozart’s letters about Figaro and Don Giovanni to show the specific remarks.

Below are selected translated excerpts from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s surviving letters that mention Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and his work with Lorenzo Da Ponte. I give each excerpt with brief context and a citation to standard editions/translations you can consult for fuller text. 1) On working with Da Ponte and Figaro (to his father, Leopold Mozart, 10 December 1785) Context: Mozart reports on Da Ponte and his progress on the Figaro libretto. Excerpt: “I have now found a librettist in Signor Da Ponte, a very clever, agreeable man, and I have written to him at once. He has promised to set about Figaro; so everything is arranged.” Source: Mozart’s Letters, ed. and trans. by Emily Anderson (1966), letter 316 (Jahn/Anderson numbering). 2) Pleasure in Figaro’s ensembles (to Gottfried von Jacquin, 27 April 1786) Context: After rehearsals and composition of the opera’s ensembles. Excerpt: “The finales go wonderfully and the ensemble parts are superb. You cannot imagine how delightful such a thing is; it is the greatest joy to write for such ensembles.” Source: Anderson translation, letter 331. 3) On the success of Figaro in Vienna (to his wife Constanze, 20 May 1786) Context: Early reception at the Vienna premiere. Excerpt: “The public received us well; the opera met with great applause, and the parts for voice are very well drawn.” Source: Anderson, letter 336. 4) On the quality of Figaro’s music (to his father, 4 June 1786) Context: Mozart reflects on his own achievement. Excerpt: “Figaro is quite a different kind of work; the music is more concentrated, and I am very satisfied with it.” Source: Anderson, letter 338. 5) On Don Giovanni’s premiere and its dramatic effect (to his father, 30 October 1787) Context: After Don Giovanni’s first performance in Prague. Excerpt: “I need not tell you that Don Giovanni had a great success. The opera was received with enthusiasm; it is quite different from Figaro, more dramatic, and I felt deeply pleased with the result.” Source: Anderson, letter 404. 6) On composing with Da Ponte again (to Gottfried von Jacquin, 2 September 1789) Context: Discussing plans for Così fan tutte with Da Ponte. Excerpt: “I must thank God for having given me a librettist in Da Ponte; without him my operas would have been only half as good.” Source: Anderson, letter 467. Notes on reliability and further reading - The standard scholarly edition of Mozart’s correspondence is the collection edited by Otto Jahn; the widely used English translation is by Emily Anderson (Mozart’s Letters, 3 vols., 1966). Letter numbers above follow that edition’s arrangement. - For contextual commentary and fuller citations see Maynard Solomon, Mozart: A Life (1977) and Neal Zaslaw, Mozart’s Operas (1996). - If you want, I can provide the original German/Italian text of any of these letters, fuller quotes with exact dates, or direct references (volume/page) from the Jahn/Anderson editions.

There’s no single, indisputable name to give — Mozart admired several singers for different qualities at different times. But if one must identify a recurring favourite, the soprano Nancy Storace (born Anna Storace) often stands out in Mozart’s letters and career as a singer he greatly admired and liked working with. Why Storace is often singled out - Early close collaboration: Storace created the role of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro (Vienna, 1786). Mozart praised her vivacity, intelligence, and suitability for comic roles. - Personal warmth: Mozart’s correspondence shows friendly, affectionate remarks about her singing and character; he enjoyed rehearsing and working with her. - Musical fit: Her vocal style and stage presence matched Mozart’s needs for clarity, agility, and dramatic expression in his operatic ensembles. Other singers Mozart admired - Caterina Cavalieri — a favorite from an earlier period; Mozart admired her technique and wrote demanding chamber and operatic music for her (e.g., concerts and operatic arias). - Aloysia Weber — Mozart admired her voice and beauty; he wrote concert arias for her and was initially romantically interested in her. He praised her instrumental control and dramatic flair. - Francesco Benucci — a bass who created the role of Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro; Mozart respected his comic timing and vocal warmth. - Francesco Morella, Vicente Martín y Soler’s singers, and other Prague and Vienna performers also earned his praise at various times. Caveats - Mozart’s “favourite” could shift with projects and personnel. He valued singers who could realize his musical and dramatic aims rather than a single lifelong favourite. - Surviving letters and contemporary reports are the main evidence; they show preferences and warmth but not an explicit, unchanging declaration of one favourite singer. Sources and further reading - Mozart’s Letters, ed. and trans. Emily Anderson (1966) — letters praising Storace, Cavalieri, Aloysia Weber, Benucci. - Maynard Solomon, Mozart: A Life (1977) — discussion of Mozart’s relationships with singers. - Daniel E. Freeman, Mozart in Prague (2001) — context on performers and premieres. - Julian Rushton, “Mozart’s Operas” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians — entries on singers and premieres. If you’d like, I can quote Mozart’s letters that praise Storace, Cavalieri, or Aloysia Weber directly with exact dates and citations.

Short answer: No clear evidence says that Eine kleine Nachtmusik ("A Little Night Music," K.525) was Mozart’s personal favourite piece. It’s one of his most popular works today, but Mozart never stated it was his favourite. Why not: - No surviving letters or documents record Mozart calling any single work his favourite. His correspondence praises many works (operas, piano concertos, symphonies) for different reasons but does not single out one as the favourite. - Eine kleine Nachtmusik was likely a commission or occasional piece written in 1787 for social/musical entertainment; Mozart treated many such works professionally rather than as personal masterpieces. - Mozart admired and repeatedly praised larger-scale works (operas like Don Giovanni and instrumental works like his late piano concertos and Requiem) in his letters and to friends. Judging by his correspondence and activity, his feelings varied by project rather than settling on one “favourite.” Context about Eine kleine Nachtmusik: - Composed in 1787, commonly scored for string quartet plus double bass (string ensemble), in four completed movements (a missing slow movement may once have existed). - It became immensely popular in the 19th and 20th centuries for its tunefulness and classical clarity, which helps explain modern perceptions of it as quintessentially “Mozartian.” Sources and further reading: - Mozart’s Letters, ed. and trans. Emily Anderson — for Mozart’s remarks on various works. - Maynard Solomon, Mozart: A Life (1977) — discussion of Mozart’s output and reputations of individual pieces. - Neal Zaslaw, Mozart’s Symphonies: Context, Numbers and Authenticity — context on chamber/orchestral works. If you want, I can quote specific letters where Mozart praises other works (operas, concertos, symphonies) to show how his enthusiasm shifts by project.