"Madamina"
Aria for Baritone from Mozart's Don Giovanni
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto: Lorenzo da Ponte
First performance: Estates Theater, Prague, October 29, 1787
Key: D Major; Meter: 4/4; Tempo: Allegro
Vocal Range: A-e’ (A2-E4)
Act II: After Donna Elvira confronts Don Giovanni, who had betrayed her, Leporello tells her that she should forget him and then produces a book of the Don's feminine conquests: 640 in Italy, 231 in Germany, 100 in France, 91 in Turkey, and 1003 in Spain…
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Madamina, | My dear Madam, |
| il catalogo è questo | here is the catalog |
| delle belle che amò il padron mio | of my master's pretty loves, |
| Un catalogo egli è che ho fatt io | a list that I made myself – |
| osservate | have a look |
| leggete con me | and read with me. |
| In Italia seicento e quaranta; | In Italy six hundred and forty; |
| In Almagna duecento e trentuna; | then in Germany two hundred and thirty; |
| Cento in Francia in Turchia novantuna; | France one hundred; ninety in Turkey; |
| Ma, in Ispagna | But in Spain – |
| Ma in Ispagna son già mille e trè | but in Spain one thousand and three, |
| mille e trè | thousand and three, |
| mille e trè! | thousand and three! |
| V'han fra queste contadine | There are country girls among these, |
| cameriere cittadine | chambermaids and city girls, |
| v'han contesse baronesse | Baronesses and countesses, |
| Marchesine principesse | Marchionesses and princesses. |
| e v'han donne | There are women of every rank, |
| d'ogni grado d'ogni forma d'ogni età. | shape and every age. |
| Nella bionda | If she's blonde |
| Egli ha l'usanza di lo dar la gentilezza. | he'll extol her kindness; |
| Nella bruna | to the brunette |
| la costanza | her constancy; |
| Nella bianca | to the fair one |
| La dolcezza. | her sweetness. |
| Vuol d'inverno la grassotto | In winter he prefers them plump, |
| vuol d'estate la magrotta: | in the summer slender, |
| è la grande maestosa. | tall and majestic |
| La piccina, | The tiny ones, |
| la piccina è ognor vezzosa | the tiny ones are charming, |
| è ognor vezzosa | are charming. |
| Delle vecchie fa conquista | The old ones he conquers |
| pel pia cer diporle in lista; | for the joy of adding them to the list. |
| sua passion predominante | But his predominant passion |
| è la giovin principiante. | is for the beginner. |
| Non si picca se sia ricca | Neither rich nor poor |
| se sia brutta se sia bella | nor ugly or beautiful |
| se sia ricca brutta se sia belle. | makes any difference to him. |
| Purch è porti La gonnella, | As long as she wears a skirt |
| voi, sapete quel, che fà | you know what he will do. |
| Purche porti la gonnella | As long as she wears a skirt |
| voi sapete quel che fà. | you know what he will do. |