La donna è mobile, from Rigoletto (string quartet)

Title: La donna è mobile, from the opera Rigoletto

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi, arr. David Gable

Instrumentation: Violin1, Violin 2, Viola; Cello

Printout: 3 pages

Note: Rigoletto was a smash hit, and La donna è mobile was its showstopper aria. It is said that within days of its premier, every organ grinder in Milan was cranking out the new operatic sensation. In this setting, the tenor solo is given to the viola to take advantage of the instrument’s bright high register.