The cutest love duet in all of opera

It's hard not to like the infectiously charming character of Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute with his funny wit, wacky bird costume and all-too-human simpleness. He seeks love throughout the opera and he finally receives it in the form of a...an elderly woman. He nonetheless promises to love her faithfully (muttering that he will only do this until something better comes along) and she magically transforms into the young and pretty Papagena, the perfect fit for Papageno. They separate but reunite at the end, breaking into possibly the cutest love duet in all of opera, the 'Pa-, pa-, pa-, Papageno' duet. (Aptly named)
Simple harmonies (most of the piece uses just V-I) and repetitive rhythms evoke the simple and humble nature of Papageno, who is after all the archetype of the Everyman. Nonetheless, the earworm melodies, exciting rhythmic developments and rapid-fire imitative exchanges make for a lovely operatic duet. Mozart took advantage of the explosive consonant "p" in Papageno to articulate his repeated notes, in a way that's comic and references opera buffa. No surprise, considering that this duet was inspired by the “Cucuzze cavatina” from Salieri’s opera, ‘Prima la musica e poi le parole,’ and plays around with humorous bird-like utterances of pseudo-Italian words.
Recording (Roth, Le Roi): • Roth and Le Roi perfor...

[@skylarlimex]

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a good piano score with the translation in English so I settled for this one instead. Here's a translation I found if anyone needs it: Papageno: Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Papagena! Papagena: Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Papageno! Papageno: Are you mine now? Papagena: Yes, i am yours now! Papageno: So be my dear wife! Papagena: Well, so be the pair of my heart! Papageno & Papagena: What joy will that be when the gods consider us give our love children so dear little children! Papageno: First, a little Papageno Papagena: Then, a little Papageno Papageno: Then another Papageno! Papagena: Then another Papagena! Papageno: Papageno! Papagena: Papagena! Papageno & Papagena: It is the highest of emotions, if many, many Papagena/Papageno the parents' blessings will be!

[@felixparlasca6342]

It‘s funny in the piano score is a big mistake though: it says „der Eltern Sorgen“ at the end, which means the parents‘ sorrows. Correct (and sung) is „der Eltern Segen“, which is the parent’s blessings (As you translated it correctly). Fantastic Video and explanations by the way! :-)

[@cgwilliamsjazzpiano3000]

I'm not deeply into classical, but as a child would watch the Ingmar Bergman production of this on VHS tape over and over. It is a delightful opera that even a little kid can appreciate and in some way understand.

[@skylarlimex]

Funny you mention that, I'm writing a few piano pieces based on Bergman's trilogy

[@cgwilliamsjazzpiano3000]

@@skylarlimex A most worthy subject!

[@hardyblues2194]

You‘re missing out. But you can‘t force anyone to his luck…

[@theKobus]

It took a moment for the thumbnail to load, and I only saw the video title. Immediate thought: “well the cutest duet in opera is ‘pa, pa pa’ right?” Right.

[@skylarlimex]

Right.

[@ari4nova]

I didn't knew that Mozart included applauses in the cadence even before the piece ended.

[@danielmatthew715]

Awesome! More Mozart pls :)

[@jack.williamson.composer]

I love this song, it’s so cute

[@darkaralatriz2661]

The best duet ever and this is, certainly, my favorite version of this opera

[@rossini9mozart10]

The slow part of the love duet from Guillaume Tell is actually very cute as hell

[@thesnakej-hopewassoscaredo3137]

your channel is where i come when I'm looking for new pieces! Keep up the good work! Could you do a video on Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto 1 or any of the Rachmaninoff Moment Musicauxes?

[@skylarlimex]

Thanks! I have indeed considered the Tchaikovsky...

[@mustuploadtoo7543]

mozart

[@moritzliska4629]

Good comment!

[@2milk162]

Great video as always. Could you do a video on any of scriabins works Thanks.

[@skylarlimex]

Working on it!

[@Mazurking]

This makes me want to start listening to opera. Any suggestions?

[@skylarlimex]

I'm not a big opera buff myself but the classics like Puccini's La Bohème and Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro are great places to start.

[@Mazurking]

@@skylarlimex Thanks!

[@JawadHamadani]

Bizet's Carmen

[@rossanopinelli5150]

Mozart's Don Giovanni.

[@limepour3004]

And Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortilèges

[@twanswagten]

PApapa

[@paulosergiopessoademoura2818]

Genial!!!!

[@KeenBulldozer]

why are the crotchets not beamed on the vocal lines?

[@skylarlimex]

You mean the quavers? Beaming used to be a visual indication of melismatic treatment - which is to say different notes on the same syllable. In today's practice I'm not sure if they still beam only for melismas.

[@KeenBulldozer]

@@skylarlimex Yes that's what I meant! Thanks!

[@Nooticus]

Really nice analysis but this specific recording/performance is pretty inaccurate, things aren’t exactly in time with each other

[@peter5.056]

UwU

[@jasonmp85]

Wow Messiaen was such a ripoff artist

[@Ziad3195]

?

[@d.o.7784]

Opera, as great as it is, is a dead art.

[@replyhere590]

Dead, kind of like vinyl LPs, huh?

[@octopuszombie8744]

Then why has it still survived after several hundred years.