Learning from Mozart
Here you can see a copy by Beethoven from the Finale of the first act of Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni". Beethoven had already become acquainted with Mozart's operas in his early years at the court of the Bonn Elector and greatly admired him. Although he is claimed to have said he would never have chosen to set a subject like Don Giovanni to music as there was not enough depth and it was too easy-going, he was most interested in Mozart's setting of text to music and his ensemble writing. As with works by other composers Beethoven copied the parts of the composition for study which most interested him. He often made copies like these for a concrete reason, as a possible solution to a specific problem. Beethoven completed the copies from "Don Giovanni" around 1803/04. At the same time he began work on his opera Leonore (Fidelio). It can therefore be safely assumed that there was a direct connection between his interest in Mozart's settings and his own operatic writings and preparations for Leonore. (J.R.)
