Lisa Day singing Oiseaux si tous les ans and Dans un bois solitaire by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) at her Senior Vocal Recital. Known for primarily using Italian, German, and Latin in his music, Mozart occasionally used French texts. In Oiseaux, si tous les ans, Antoine Ferrand, the author of the text, finds a relationship between love and the changing of the seasons, expressing that in the colder weather, love is less enjoyable. His use of birds as the character emphasizes the nomadic characteristic of love and moving on. Mozart's second French arietta, Dans un bois solitaire, is similar to Oiseaux si tous les ans, in its natural setting. This piece however, offers perspective from two characters: The Intrusive Wanderer (the narrator) and Cupid (the vengeful, naked, infant). When the Intrusive Wanderer approaches Cupid in the somber forest, his beauty that is similar to a past lover becomes fascinating. He begins to fantasize about the "faithless maiden whom he had ! sworn to forget", and lets out a sigh, waking the infant Cupid into a vengeful state. He sends an arrow into the heart of the Intrusive Wanderer, and tells him to "Go! At Sylvie's feet" and hopelessly love her for the rest of his life.
