Duet for Soprano and Bass, “Per queste tue manine” (K. 540b)
ヴォルフガング・アマデウス・モーツァルト作
Mozart’s duet “Per queste tue manine” (K. 540b) is a brief, theatrically pointed insertion for Don Giovanni, composed in Vienna on 28 April 1788—when the composer was 32. Scored for soprano and bass with orchestra, it belongs to the small group of late addenda Mozart wrote for Viennese performances of his stage works.
Background and Context
In Vienna in spring 1788, Mozart (then 32) prepared revisions and additions connected with Don Giovanni for the Burgtheater; “Per queste tue manine” is documented as a completed, extant duet for Zerlina (soprano) and Leporello (bass), dated 28 April 1788, with an early performance on 7 May 1788.[1] Rather than a freestanding “concert duet,” it is typically treated as a Viennese insertion number (often labeled No. 21a) within Don Giovanni’s second-act sequence.[1][2]
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Musical Character
Although sometimes loosely cataloged under B♭ major in older listings, the work’s key is given as C major in the Mozarteum’s Köchel database and other modern reference lists.[1] The scoring is that of a modest classical pit ensemble—pairs of flutes, oboes, bassoons and horns with strings—supporting a tightly drawn comic dialogue for two contrasting voices.[1]
Within the dramaturgy, the duet exploits role-character types Mozart knew intimately by 1788: Zerlina’s bright, worldly soprano and Leporello’s quick-reacting bass trade gestures that feel closer to ensemble repartee than to the self-contained lyricism of a full aria. Heard against Mozart’s late-Viennese style, its craft lies less in grand melodic span than in timing—clean phrase structures, clear orchestral punctuation, and a vocal interplay engineered for the stage.[2]
[1] Köchel-Verzeichnis (Mozarteum): work entry for KV 540b with dating, first performance, key, and instrumentation.
[2] Digital Mozart Edition (Mozarteum), Neue Mozart-Ausgabe critical commentary PDF referencing the 1788 Viennese additions including the duet “Per queste tue manine”.