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Se vuol ballare - No. 3, Cavatina
from Act I of the Italian opera Le Nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto: Lorenzo da Ponte

Role: Figaro, valet to the Count of Almaviva, betrothed to Susanna
Voice Part: bass-baritone       Fach: bass-baritone
Setting: Seville, a room in Count Almaviva's castle
Synopsis: Angry at the Count for reclaiming the right to sleep with his servant on the night of her marriage in order to sleep with Susanna, Figaro decides that he will pretend that he is obedient to the Count's wishes while, in reality, he is planning to work against the Count.
Range: Tessitura:
C3 - F4C3 - E4
Translations/Aria Texts:
Translation into English by Jane Bishop (added 1997-04-21)
Se vuol ballare, Figaro's aria from Le Nozze di Figaro

Bravo, signor padrone!               	Bravo, my lord and master!
Ora incomincio a capir il mistero,     	Now I begin to understand the mystery,
e a veder schietto                   	And to see plain
tutto il vostro progetto!            	Your whole plan!
A Londra, è vero?                    	We're going to London, right?
Voi ministro, io corriero,           	You as minister, I as courier,
e la Susanna... segreta ambasciatrice!	and Susanna...as a secret envoy!
Non sara, non sarà-- Figaro il dice!  	It won't be so, it won't be so--Figaro says it!

Se vuol ballare, signor Contino,     	If you want to dance, Sir Count,
Il chitarrino le suonerò.           	I'll play the guitar for you.
Se vuol venire nella mia scuola,    	If you want to come to my school,
La capriola le insegnerò.           	I'll teach you the moves.
Sapro, ma piano, meglio ogni arcano 	I'll find out, but quietly; or better,
						 by pretending,
Dissimulando scoprir potrò.          	I'll discover every mystery.
L'arte schermendo, l'arte adoprando, 	The art of fencing, the art of adapting,
Di quà pungendo, di là scherzando, 	Here fighting, there fooling,
Tutte le macchine rovescierò.      	I'll overturn all the machinery.

Word-by-word translation by Jane Bishop, bishopj@citadel.edu
Sheet Music/Scores:
none
Recordings:
none
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