Largo al factotum (Figaro's Song)

The Barber of Seville is a comic opera composed by Gioachino Rossini, based on the play of the same name by Pierre Beaumarchais. It premiered on 20 February 1816 in Rome and remains popular to the present day. It is considered to be the most successful opera buffa of all time with more than 100 performances per year worldwide.

The aria "Largo al factotum" is sung by Figaro as he enters the scene for the first time, introducing himself as the Jack-of-all-trades of the city. He is not just a barber, but a general servant to anybody who requires his services, including match-making. Figaro's cavatina is without a doubt the most popular piece of the opera and ranks among the most popular opera tunes in general, its melody even known to many without an interest in opera.

Due to its popularity and long performance tradition audiences have become used to expect certain features that are not in the original score. In addition, many famous baritones (and a few tenors) have introduced their personal ornaments and embellishments. This makes it a challenge to produce a backing track that pleases singers and audiences, and at the same time does not take too many liberties in deviating from the score. I have therefore included some of the features that have become standard practice, but I have refrained from using abrupt tempo changes or long fermatas for cadenzas.

The lyrics also pose a challenge because there are differences between the many published scores and libretti. I have chosen to use the lyrics that I believe are most frequently used in modern performances, although I did not do an exhaustive research in this area, and opinions may differ in this respect. The most notable choice I made was to replace "la ran la" by "lalala" throughout. The syllables are grouped together in units of 3 eighths as a visual aid to the performer.

Specific annotations:

• Bars 131-133: The lyrics are an exact repeat of bars 127-129 although it is often sung reversed "lancette e forbici, rasori e pettini".
• Bars 148-152: The original score reads only 3 ascending notes of a G major arpeggio whereas an additional sustained G has become standard practice. The video assumes that this G4 is tied over into "Ah, che bel vivere".
• Bar 157: Many singers perform a cadenza including a descending scale from A4 to C3. I decided to keep the fermata short, not allowing for this cadenza.
• Bars 179-183: I have chosen to alternate "chiedono" and "vogliono" although different combinations can be found in scores and performances.
• Bar 186: Some performers insert "Ehi!" just before the repeated "Figaro!". I have not included this in the video, but the performer is of course free to do so.
• Bars 192-196: The video reads "Ahimè" although it is often sung as "Ohimè".
• Bars 248-249: The score ends the series of "lalala" in bar 248 to continue with "a te fortuna" but I have chosen to delay this to bar 249 as has become standard practice. The video also ends with a single "la" in bar 249, although some performers end with a full "lalala".

• Figaro