Donna Anna's elevation of mind raises the man of her choice, and her
maidenly bashfulness gives her confidence a lover-like character.
Ottavio, who has not been inspired with the same instinctive certainty
of Don Giovanni's guilt, finds it hard to convince himself that a
nobleman, and his friend, can be capable of such a crime; but he is
quite ready to acknowledge the necessity for closely observing him. It
was at this point that the air composed in Vienna was inserted (Anh. 3)
to express Ottavio's devoted love for Donna Anna. It depicts exclusively
the tender lover, and the heroic impulses which might be supposed to
belong to the situation will be sought for in vain; the contrast with
Donna Anna's high-spirited air is very striking. No doubt the insertion
of the song was, in some measure at least, a concession to the
individual singer and to the preference of the public for sentimental
lovers. Granting this, however, it is simple and true in sentiment,
tender without sickliness, and of purest melody. Besides the clear and
lovely chief melodies, parts here and there, such as the transition to B
minor and the return to D major at the words, "E non ho bene s' ella non
l' ha," have a very striking effect. But the song
{DON GIOVANNI.}
(202)
is below the level of the situation, and, for want of a counterbalancing
force, it injures the conception of Don Ottavio's character. The masque
terzet expresses in a very pure and noble manner the contrast between an
affection based on moral constancy, such as that of Donna Anna and Don
Ottavio, and the unwholesome passions of the other characters. Donna
Anna, entering masked to play the spy on Don Giovanni, is seized
with alarm at the danger which threatens them all, especially her
lover--"Temo pel caro sposo" she sings with her own melting, plaintive
tones--and she calms her fears with difficulty. In the ball-room, where
noisy merriment is at its height, their dignified appearance gives the
assembly a certain air of solemnity. Leporello and Don Giovanni greet
them respectfully; they answer somewhat ceremoniously, and join in
the cry: "Viva la libertà!" but with a sort of dignified reserve which
stamps them as of superior rank to the crowd of country people round
them. This is a faithful reflection of the manners of the time; so also
is the subordination of the chorus in this scene: it was customary for
country people to keep at a respectful distance before persons of
rank. When the dance recommences, it is Donna Anna again who finds her
feelings so hard to master that she almost betrays herself. Zerlina's
cry for help is the signal for an outbreak of general excitement;
and henceforth they are all avowedly ranged against Don Giovanni. Don
Ottavio acts as the mouthpiece and champion of the women, and calls Don
Giovanni to account for the murder of the Commendatore. But he makes no
attempt to take the punishment of the crime into his own hands, and Don
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