[MOZART]. Beaumarchais, Pierre-Augustin Caron de 1732-1799

La Folle Journée ou Le Mariage de Figaro, Comédie en cinq Actes, en Prose ... Représentée pour la première fois, par les Comédiens Français ordinaires du Roi, le Mardi 27 Avril 1784. [Libretto]

[Paris]: Au Palais-Royal: Ruault, 1785.

Octavo. Full mottled tan paper boards, spine with title label gilt. 1f. (title), [i] (half-title), [i] (publication and editor's notes), lvi (preface), [i] (part-title), [i] (named cast list), [3]-236, 237 (approbation and printer's note), [i] (blank) pp.

Publisher's decorative woodcut device to title. With the names of cast members, presumably for the play's premiere at the Théâtre Françis on April 27, 1784.

Binding slightly worn; upper joint split. Light foxing and some staining; occasional minor wear. A very good copy overall.

First Edition, early issue. Scarce. Cordier: Bibliographie des oeuvres de Beaumarchais, no. 128, stating that the earliest issues of this edition do not contain engraved plates.

Without the printed note to the foot of p. 152 found in later issues.

With a printed note to the final page of the play stating that the music was by Antoine Laurent Baudron (1742-1834), who also collaborated with Beaumarchais in providing music for his "Le Barbier de Séville," including the famous tune "Je suis Lindor," the theme of which has been used by Mozart for his 12 Variations K354/299a.

Beaumarchais was harp teacher to the daughters of Louis XV. "[He] successfully included Baudron's storm music as a prelude to Act 4 of Le barbier, and, alongside continued use of vaudeville tunes in Le mariage de Figaro ... stretched Comédie Française conventions by introducing a whole scene of dance, song and mime for the 'coronation' of Suzanne with the bride's head-dress ... As if to vindicate Beaumarchais's musical instinct, Le barbier de Séville attracted settings by Benda, Paisiello, Isouard and Rossini, while the Mozart-Da Ponte collaboration in Le nozze di Figaro proved just how much of the original play was translatable into music." Rudolph Angermüller in Grove Music Online.

Item #28690

Price: $675.00  other currencies