Per Queste Tue Manine (For Your Little Hands)

Opera Duet from Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Oct 13, 2009

Analysis and history of the duet "Per queste tue manine," written by Mozart for the Vienna premiere of Don Giovanni, and why it is rarely performed today.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, first premiered in Prague on October 29, 1787, where it was commissioned after Mozart's great success with Le nozze di Figaro. For the premiere in Vienna on May 17, 1788, Mozart composed three additional numbers: "Dalla sua pace," "Mi tradi quell' alma ingrata," and "Per queste tue manine."

History of "Per Queste Tue Manine"

The first addition, "Dalla sua pace," was written to replace the more difficult "Il mio tesoro" for the tenor Francesco Morella, who sang the role of Don Ottavio. The second was the recitative and aria "Mi tradi quell' alma ingrata" for Donna Elvira when the soprano Caterina Cavalieri requested a new piece to better show off her voice.

The third addition was a comic duet for Leporello and Zerlina, "Per queste tue manine." The duet begins with Zerlina dragging Leporello onstage by his hair. He begs her for pity, but she refuses, saying: "I will not give you pity, rogue; I am an angry tiger, an asp, a lion." She ties him to a chair and, after tormenting him for a while, leaves him. With the chair still attached, he manages to jump out a window and escape.

The duet was not included to showcase any singer's voice in particular, merely to add amusement through low-brow comedy. While Don Ottavio and Donna Elvira's additional arias are usually included in modern performances of Don Giovanni, "Per queste tue manine" is rarely performed.

Why "Per Queste Tue Manine" is Usually Omitted

There are many reasons for the omission of "Per queste tue manine" from modern performances even when the other Vienna numbers are included. The first is that the music is not particularly inspired, especially when compared to the rest of Don Giovanni. On the other hand, "Mi tradi quell' alma ingrata" is wonderful for showing off Donna Elvira's vocal abilities, and the simplicity of "Dalla sua pace" compared to "Il mio tesoro" makes it an even more beautiful and appropriate piece for its usual placement in the first act.

In addition, "Per queste tue manine" causes unnecessary complications in the plot. In the plot as it originally stands, Leporello returns to Don Giovanni after the sextet ("Sola, sola in bujo loco"), when Leporello's disguise is discovered, and his escape ("Ah, pietà signori miei"). For "Per queste tue manine" to work, he must be caught again by Zerlina, tied up, and again allowed to escape before returning to his master. This is tiresome, and only serves to lengthen a second act already made overlong by the addition of "Mi tradi quell' alma ingrata" and "Il mio tesoro."

Benefits of Including "Per Queste Tue Manine"

On the other hand, however, there is a good reason to include "Per queste tue manine" in a performance of Don Giovanni: it showcases a different aspect of Zerlina's personality than what we have come to know so far. We have seen her as an innocent peasant girl ("Là ci darem la mano"), a submissive but calculating wife ("Batti, batti, o bel Masetto"), a seductive lover ("Vedrai, carino") - but nowhere else as a violent avenger.

This cut number, for all its slapstick comedy, helps make Zerlina a more multifaceted character. She is placed, in our minds, in the same category as Donna Elvira with her aria "Ah, chi mi dice mai": a strong woman willing to take revenge against the men who have hurt her.

The copyright of the article Per Queste Tue Manine (For Your Little Hands) in Italian Opera is owned by Amelia Hill. Permission to republish Per Queste Tue Manine (For Your Little Hands) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.