In a cemetery on the outskirts of New York City, a Jewish city
council member, Italian-American dignitaries and history buffs
honored a contemporary of Mozart. The gathering of such a
diverse group of people and the twist of the story that ended in
this old New York City cemetery on October 20, 1987 mirrored the
various turns in the life of the honoree – Lorenzo Da Ponte. Da
Ponte And Mozart Da Ponte (1749-1838), who was born Emanuele
Conegliano, wrote the text, or libretto, for Mozart’s Marriage
of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte. He was not mentioned
in the play or movie Amadeus, but his librettos and connections
were keys to Mozart’s success. After all, Da Ponte had the
confidence of Emperor Joseph II of Austria, which Mozart did not
enjoy. A Venetian Jew who converted to Catholicism and took the
name of the monsignor who baptized him, Da Ponte later became a
priest and then a libertine and a married man. A court poet in
Europe, he wandered throughout the continent after the emperor’s
death. Contri