Krystal Smith

Dr. Heather Hawk

Music History 3
6 October 2015
Rosina and the Countess; Its Not All About Figaro
The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro, and the Ghost of Versailles are three stage
comedies written by Pierre- Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. Of these three opera buffa, The
Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro are two of Mozarts most popular operas. All three
comedies are considered a sequel but are rarely ever seen together. If the operas were played
consecutively, the direct correlation from The Barber of Seville to the Marriage of Figaro would
be much more apparent, showing the different adventures of Figaro in each work. In each of the
works, two primary women performed lead roles. In this paper, the role of Rosina will be
compared to that of the Countess on their purpose in the story, their characteristics, and how they
connect with the other opera.

A good place to start this comparison is with Rosinas Aria Una voce poco fa. At this
point in the story Rosina has been tricked into falling in love with Lindoro, who is supposedly
someone who works for Count Almaviva. She is convinced that she will get her way with him,
that she is clever, obedient and gentle, and that she will cease the day, and he will eventually be
hers. What she does not know is that Bartolo set this and that Lindoro does not love her.