Shall We Dance?

“Se vuol ballare” (Track 1), Figaro’s Act I aria, arguably sets the whole opera in motion. In the preceding scene, he and Susanna are happily planning their wedding when she reveals that the Count may have ulterior motives for putting the newlywed couple’s bedroom so close to his own—namely, easy access to Susanna, whom he hopes to seduce. Figaro is understandably perturbed by this revelation and sets out to seek vengeance against the Count.   

One of the few true soliloquy arias in Le Nozze di Figaro, “Se vuol ballare” takes the form of a cavatina in 3/4 meter, or waltz time—fitting for an aria whose title challenges the Count to a dance. The opening of the song is melodically simple, consisting largely of stepwise motion, and the orchestral accompaniment almost uniformly follows a quarter-note rhythm to solidify its dancelike quality. Immediately after the first statement of the primary theme, however, the violins enter with trilled sixteenth notes that lend an air of mischief. These gestures return as Figaro considers how precisely he should get back at the Count, repeating aloud to himself, “I know … I know … I know.” Here Mozart inserts a not-so-subtle musical joke. As Figaro cautions himself to act “carefully,” or “piano” in Italian, the strings suddenly soften from forte (loud) to piano (soft). 

The second section of the aria quickens and changes to 2/4 meter, introducing a sense of frenzy as Figaro announces his intention to “make defense an art, and upset [the Count’s] schemes.” Just as the servant aims to throw a wrench in his lord’s plan, so, too, does Mozart disrupt the stately waltz with a frantic metrical change. This passage, marked presto (very quickly), also features rapid dynamic shifts and exceedingly wordy lines with consecutive multisyllabic words (“L’arte schermendo, l’arte adoprando, di qua pungendo, di là scherzando”)—all of which suggest the havoc Figaro hopes to wreak upon his foe.

This switch from 3/4 to 2/4 meter also bears social implications. The stately minuet or waltz is the dance of the Count, and Figaro’s usurpation of the form is inherently ironic. This reversal is further exacerbated by Figaro’s use of the phrase, “Signor contino,” using the diminutive form to mean “little count,” a rebuttal of the Count’s superiority and Figaro’s sense of his own powerlessness. The middle section is, conversely, a contredanse, a form associated with lower classes. Mozart’s juxtaposition of meter thus encapsulates the class conflict at the heart of the opera (and Figaro’s schemes).

The aria concludes with a return to the delicate waltz of the first section, but this time it takes on a different aspect. Whereas the opening of the aria has a playful sense of daring, the recapitulation of the waltz sounds more defiant. When Figaro remarks again, “I’ll call the tune,” he says it not as a threat but as a guarantee.