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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's operas comprise 22 musical dramas in a variety of genres. They range from the small-scale, derivative works of his youth to the full-fledged operas of his maturity. Three of the works were abandoned before completion and were not performed until many years after the composer's death. His mature works are all considered classics and have never been out of the repertory of the world's opera houses.

From a very young age Mozart had, according to opera analyst David Cairns, "an extraordinary capacity for seizing on and assimilating whatever in a newly encountered style (was) most useful to him". In a letter to his father, dated 7 February 1778, Mozart wrote, "As you know, I can more or less adopt or imitate any kind and style of composition". He used this gift to break new ground, becoming simultaneously "assimilator, perfector and innovator". Thus, his early works follow the traditional forms of the Italian opera seria and opera buffa as well as the German Singspiel. In his maturity, according to music writer Nicholas Kenyon, he "enhanced all of these forms with the richness of his innovation", and, in Don Giovanni, he achieved a conflation of the two Italian styles, including a seria character in Donna Anna, buffa characters in Leporello and Zerlina, and a mixed seria-buffa character in Donna Elvira.

Ideas and characterisations introduced in the early works were subsequently developed and refined. For example, Mozart's later operas feature a series of memorable, strongly drawn female characters, in particular the so-called "Viennese soubrettes" who, in opera writer Charles Osborne's phrase, "contrive to combine charm with managerial instinct". Music writer and analyst Gottfried Kraus has remarked that all these women were present, as prototypes, in the earlier operas; Bastienne (1768), and Sandrina (La finta giardiniera, 1774) are precedents for the later Constanze and Pamina, while Sandrina's foil Serpetta is the forerunner of Blonde, Susanna, Zerlina and Despina.

Mozart's texts came from a variety of sources, and the early operas were often adaptations of existing works. The first librettist chosen by Mozart himself appears to have been Giambattista Varesco, for Idomeneo in 1781. Five years later, he began his most enduring collaboration, with Lorenzo Da Ponte, his "true phoenix". The once widely-held theory that Da Ponte was the librettist for the discarded Lo sposo deluso of 1783 has now been generally rejected. Mozart felt that, as the composer, he should have considerable input into the content of the libretto, so that it would best serve the music. Musicologist Charles Rosen writes, "it is possible that da Ponte understood the dramatic necessities of Mozart's style without prompting; but before his association with da Ponte, Mozart had already bullied several librettists into giving him the dramatically shaped ensembles he loved."

Compiling the list

Basis for inclusion

The list includes all the theatrical works generally accepted as composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In this context "theatrical" means performed on a stage, by vocalists singing in character, in accordance with stage directions. Some sources have adopted more specific criteria, leading them to exclude the early "Sacred Singspiel" Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebotes, which they classify as an oratorio. However, as Osborne makes clear, the libretto contains stage directions which suggest that the work was acted, not merely sung, and it is formally described as a "geistliches Singspiel" (sacred play with music), not as an oratorio.

Sequence

In general, the list follows the sequence in which the operas were written. There is uncertainty about whether La finta semplice was written before or after Bastien und Bastienne, and in some listings the former is given priority. Thamos was written in two segments, the earlier in 1774, but is listed in accordance with its completion in 1779–80. Die Zauberflöte and La clemenza di Tito were written concurrently. Die Zauberflote was started earlier and put aside for the Tito commission, which was completed and performed first and is usually listed as the earlier work despite having a higher Köchel catalogue number.

List of works

Note: Eng refers to English translation of title

Notes and references

1. ^ Kenyon, pp. 283–85
2. ^ Cairns, p. 11
3. Cairns, p. 17
4. Osborne, pp. 191–92
5. Kenyon, p. 302
6. For example, Pietro Metastasio's text for Il re pastore had been written in 1751 and had been set to music before. Kenyon, p. 303
7. Kenyon, p. 308
8. From a letter to his father, circa 1774, quoted in Holden, p. xv
9. ^ According to some recent scholarship, the unknown Italian poet responsible for the text is more likely to have been Guiseppe Petrosellini, who initially prepared it for Domenico Cimarosa’s opera Le donne rivali, 1780. Dell'Antonio, pp. 404–405 and 415
10. Rosen 1997, p. 155
11. For two instances in which Mozart coaxed his librettists into reshaping their work, see Die Entführung aus dem Serail (which quotes Mozart's correspondence on this point) and Giambattista Varesco.
12. "Gebotes" or "Gebottes" are archaic spelling variants of the modern "Gebots" which is sometimes used in he title.
13. Kenyon begins his guide to the operas with Apollo et Hyacinthus (p. 287); Cairns more or less dismisses Die Schuldigkeit (p. 24), seemingly following the view of Edward J. Dent, quoted by Osborne, p. 27. Grove, also, does not list Die Schuldigkeit as an opera.
14. Osborne, p. 26
15. Both were written in 1768. The first performance of La finta semplice was delayed until May 1779, whereas Bastien und Bastienne may have been performed in October 1768. It is entirely possible, however, that La finta semplice was written first. See Osborne, pp. 37–38 and 45
16. Osborne, p. 300
17. Köchel numbers refer to the Köchel Catalogue of Mozart's work, prepared by Ludwig von Köchel and first published in 1862. The catalogue has been revised several times, most recently in 1964.
18. Unless indicated otherwise, these descriptions are taken from the title pages of Neue Mozart-Ausgabe. In instances where the English meaning is unclear, an English equivalent is given
19. Unless noted otherwise, librettist details are as given by Osborne: The Complete Operas of Mozart
20. Voice part summaries are as given by Osborne. Additional notes indicate roles originally sung by castrati
21. Unless noted otherwise, details of first performances are as given by Osborne.
22. Part II is by Michael Haydn, Part III by Anton Cajetan Adlgasser. Osborne, p.16
23. Weiser is the most likely of several possible authors of the text. See Osborne, pp. 24–25
24. Kenyon's description, p. 288, is "Music for a Latin drama"
25. Premiered with an all-male cast, the soprano and alto parts being sung by boy choristers. Osborne, p. 32
26. 1964 revised to K. 46b. "Kochel Catalog of Mozart's works". ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Date= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)
27. The text was derived from a French parody, Les amours de Bastien et Bastienne, a work by Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Le Devin du Village, 1752. Kenyon, p. 291
28. Dr Franz Anton Mesmer was the founder of the form of hypnotherapy known as "mesmerism". Batta, p. 343
29. 1964 revised to K. 46a. "Kochel Catalog of Mozart's works". ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Date= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)
30. The contralto or mezzo role was created by Maria Anna Braunhofer, who had sung a soprano role in the first performance of Die Schuldigkeit. Osborne, pp. 13 & 35
31. 1964 revised to K. 74a. "Kochel Catalog of Mozart's works". ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Date= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)
32. The soprano roles of Sifare and Arbate, and the alto role of Farnace, were written for castrati. Osborne, p. 59
33. In Italian this translates to festa teatrale (Kenyon, p. 294). Osborne, p. 63, calls it a "pastoral opera".
34. The soprano roles of Ascanio and Fauno were written for castrati. Osborne, p. 69
35. Details of first performance are obscure. Osborne gives dates "29 April or 1 May", Kenyon, p. 296 says: "There is no record it was actually performed in 1772"
36. The soprano role of Cecilio was written for castrato. Osborne, p. 86
37. Mozart prepared a Singspiel version, Die verstellte Gärtnerin, produced in Augsburg on 1 May 1780. The German version, now known as Die Gärtnerin aus Liebe, has remained popular. Kenyon, pp. 300–01, Osborne, p. 97
38. The libretto was formerly credited to Raniero de'Calzabigi, revised by Marco Coltellini, but is now credited to Petrosellini. Kenyon, p. 300
39. Kenyon, p. 303
40. The soprano role of Aminta was written for castrato. Osborne, p. 105
41. 1964 revised to K. 336a. "Kochel Catalog of Mozart's works". ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Date= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)
42. 1964 revised to K. 336b. "Kochel Catalog of Mozart's works". ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Date= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)
43. The role of Idamante, originally written for castrato, was rewritten by Mozart as a tenor role in 1786. (Osborne, p. 155) Also, the role of Arbace is sometimes sung by a tenor
44. One speaking role, that of a sailor, is absent from most modern productions
45. 1964 revised to K. 424a. "Kochel Catalog of Mozart's works". ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Date= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)
46. Osborne, pp. 208–09
47. Sadie, p. 415
48. According to Osborne, p. 207
49. The soprano mezzo singers include the two servant-girls, either two sopranos or one soprano and one mezzo, who sing the duet "Amanti, costanti" in the Act III Finale. Osborne, p. 251
50. The full name of the opera is Il dissoluto punito, ossia Il Don Giovanni, but as Kenyon (p. 326) states: "It is fruitless to argue against the habits of opera houses around the world".
51. For the Vienna premiere, six months later, certain changes were introduced, mainly to accommodate the ranges of a different group of singers. Modern performances generally conflate the Prague and Vienna productions. Osborne, p. 268
52. This is an approximate translation from the Italian. Cairns (p. 177) gives: "That is what all women do". The subtitle, La scola degli amanti, is more easily translatable as The School for lovers. Cairns, p. 176, Osborne, p. 281
53. One mezzo-soprano roles, depicting the male character Annio, was originally a castrato and is now done by mezzos.

Sources

• Batta, Andreas (editor) (2000). Opera: Composers, Works, Performers (English edition ed.). Cologne: Könemann. ISBN 3 8290 3571 3. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help); |edition= has extra text (help)
• Cairns, David (2006). Mozart and his Operas. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0 140 29674 3.
• Dell' Antonio, Andrew (1996). "Il Compositore Deluso: The Fragments of Mozart's Comic Opera Lo Sposo Deluso (K424a/430)". In Stanley Sadie (ed.) (ed.). Wolfgang Amadé Mozart: Essays on His Life and Work. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0 198 164 432. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)
• Glover, Jane (2005). Mozart's Women. London: MacMillan. ISBN 1 4050 2121 7.
• Holden, Anthony (2007). The Man Who Wrote Mozart: The extraordinary life of Lorenzo Da Ponte. London: Phoenix. ISBN 978 0 7538 2180 0.
• Kenyon, Nicholas (2006). The Pegasus Pocket Guide to Mozart. New York: Pegasus Books. ISBN 1 933648 23 6.
• Osborne, Charles (1992). The Complete Operas of Mozart. London: Victor Gollancz. ISBN 0 575 03823 3.
• Rosen, Charles (1997). The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. New York: Norton. ISBN 0 393 00653 0.
• "Kochel Catalog of Mozart's works". ClassicalNet. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-16. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Date= ignored (|date= suggested) (help)
• "Neue Mozart-Ausgabe (New Mozart Edition)". Barenreiter-Verlag. Retrieved 2008-07-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |(empty string)= (help)

Selected bibliography

• Dent, Edward J. (1973). Mozart's Operas: A Critical Study. Oxford: OUP. ISBN 0 192 84001 0.
• Gutman, Robert W. (2000). Mozart: A Cultural Biography. London: Secker and Warburg. ISBN 0 304 31135 9.
• Heartz, Daniel (ed.) (1990). Mozart's Operas. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0 520 07872 1. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
• Mann, William (1986). The Operas of Mozart. London: Cassell. ISBN 0 304 311359.
• Newman, Ernest (1954). More Opera Nights. London: Putnam.
• Robbins, Landon, H. C. (1990). 1791: Mozart's Last Year. London: Fontana. ISBN 0 00 654324 3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Steptoe, Andrew (1988). The Mozart-de Ponte Operas. Oxford: OUP. ISBN 0 198 16221 9.
• Till, Nicholas (1993). Mozart and the Enlightenment. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0 571 17042 0.

• Operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Lists of operas by composer