Few composers have enjoyed the depth and breadth of scholarly attention and widespread critical acclaim as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). In music-analytical circles, one could hardly overestimate the influence Mozart’s instrumental music has had on the study of harmony, form, and counterpoint since the nineteenth century, an influence which has continued to exert itself in more recent approaches such as the new Formenlehre , topic theory and musical schemata. And yet, analytical studies of Mozart’s operas have mostly remained at the margins of the discipline. Bringing together nine eminent scholars from the field, this volume seeks to redress our approach to Mozart’s music by placing his operatic practice front and center and by using both traditional and novel methodologies to that music. By combining historical context and text-music relations with aspects of form, topic theory, schemata, and meter, it aims to position Mozart’s operatic practice at the forefront of analytical study.
