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 Mozarts 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 Mozarts 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 Mozarts 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 Mozarts operatic practice at the forefront of analytical study.
