The viola part for the Overture from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492 has been edited by Charles Pikler, principal violist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1986. Pikler's bowings, fingerings and other editorial markings have been added throughout the score.

The Marriage of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) is a comic opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1786 and based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais. The opera is now regarded as a cornerstone of the standard repertoire. The Marriage of Figaro continues the plot of The Barber of Seville (another Beaumarchais comedy made popular in operatic form by Gioachino Rossini) several years later, recounting a single "day of madness" which pits the characters against one another in a comical conflict of scheming, manipulation, and wooing.

Although the music of the Overture to the The Marriage of Figaro has no major presence later in the opera, it sets the scene for the hilarity that ensues. It is in the key of D major with a tempo marking of presto and a lean form, featuring neither a repeat of the exposition nor a development section. The frenetic energy and persistent eighth-notes provides a feeling of breathlessness, while rising figures and drawn-out crescendos establish the buoyant tone of the opera. Because of its popularity, the Overture is often played independently as a concert piece and has been featured in other media such as film (for example, the candy room lock in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory.)

Download and print the score today to gain access to expertly edited Mozart The Marriage of Figaro Overture viola fingerings and bowings from Charles Pikler!