The Marriage of Figaro - Roles

Roles

The voice types which appear in this table are those listed in the original libretto. In modern performance practice, Cherubino is usually assigned to a mezzo-soprano (sometimes also Marcellina), Count Almaviva to a baritone, and Figaro to a bass-baritone. Mozart (and his contemporaries) never used the terms "mezzo-soprano" or "baritone". Women's roles were listed as either "soprano" or "contralto", while men's roles were listed as either "tenor" or "bass". Many of Mozart's baritone and bass-baritone roles derive from the basso buffo tradition, where no clear distinction was drawn between bass and baritone, a practice that continued well into the 19th century. Similarly, mezzo-soprano as a distinct voice type was a 19th century development. Modern re-classifications of the voice types for Mozartian roles have been based on analysis of contemporary descriptions of the singers who created those roles and their other repertoire, and on the role's tessitura in the score. Changes in role assignment can also result from modern preferences for contrasts in vocal timbre between two major characters, e.g. Fiordiligi and Dorabella in Così fan tutte. Both roles were written for sopranos, although the slightly more low-lying role of Dorabella is now often sung by a mezzo.

Role Voice type Premiere cast, 1 May 1786
(Conductor: W.A. Mozart)
Count Almaviva baritone Stefano Mandini
Countess Rosina Almaviva soprano Luisa Laschi
Susanna, the countess's maid soprano Nancy Storace
Figaro, personal valet to the count bass Francesco Benucci
Cherubino, the Count's page soprano Dorotea Bussani
Marcellina, Doctor Bartolo's housekeeper soprano Maria Mandini
Bartolo, doctor from Seville, also a practising lawyer bass Francesco Bussani
Basilio, music master tenor Michael Kelly
Don Curzio, judge tenor Michael Kelly
Barbarina, Antonio's daughter soprano Anna Gottlieb
Antonio, the Count's gardener, Susanna's uncle bass Francesco Bussani
Chorus of peasants, villagers, and servants

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