With God`s help, Wolfg. will have finished the serenata - which is really more of an azione teatrale in two parts - within the next twelve days. The recitatives with and without instruments are all finished, as are the choruses, of which there are eight, five of which are also danced. We saw the dances being rehearsed today and greatly admired the hard work of the two ballet masters, Pick and Fabier. The first scene is Venus emerging from the clouds accompanied by genii and Graces. The symphony`s Andante is danced by eleven women, namely, eight genii and the Graces, or eight Graces and three goddesses. The symphony`s final Allegro is a chorus for 32 singers, namely, eight sopranos, eight contraltos, eight tenors and eight basses, and is also danced by 16 persons, eight women and eight men. Another chorus is for shepherds and shepherdesses, who are different people. Then there are choruses for the shepherds alone, in other words, tenors and basses; and other choruses for shepherdesses, in other words, sopranos and contraltos. They all appear in the final scene: genii, Graces, shepherds, shepherdesses, choristers and dancers of both sexes, all of whom dance the final chorus. This doesn`t include the solo dancers, namely, Mr Pick, Mad Binetti, Mr Fabier and Mamsell Blache. The brief solos that are part of the choruses and that are sung now by two sopranos, now by alto and soprano etc. also include solos for the male and female dancers. The characters in the cantata are: la Venere, Signa Falchini, seconda donna. Ascanio, Sign Manzoli, primo uomo. Silvia, Signa Girelli, prima donna. Aceste, Sacerdote, Sign Tibaldi, tenore. Fauno Pastore, Sign Solzi, secondo uomo.
NB. As for Venice in 1773, I already have everything in hand. ¹¹ On 17 August 1771, Mozart was sent a contract for the composition of an opera for the 1773 Venice Carnival:

The 17th day of the month of August 1771.
Venice.
With this present private agreement, which the parties wish to have the same force and effect as though it were drawn up by a public notary of this or any other city, Sig. Michele dall’Agata, entrepreneur of the heroic opera that is to be produced in the coming Carnival of the year 1773, the performances to begin on St Stephen’s Day in the magnificent and noble theatre of San Benedetto, hereby confirms and establishes that Sig. Wolfgang Amadeo Mozart, maestro di capella, is to write the second opera, to be given in the said Carnival, with the obligation not to write for any other theatre in the capital without first carried out the present commission. With the further obligation to present himself in Venice by 30 November 1772 in order to be present at all the rehearsals and performances to be held at that time. And in recompense for his artistic services he is to be paid by Sig. dall’Agata seventy sequins in cash or their just equivalent, which the undersigned promises to discharge punctually without reservation of any other kind than the usual conditions governing matters theatrical, in witness whereof sequins 70 in cash.

Michele dall’Agata.

See Deutsch, Mozart. A Documentary Biography, 135.
Apparently plans for this opera were shelved, and it was never written, although Leopold refers to the commission several times in subsequent letters[Close]

MOZART`S POSTSCRIPT (to his SISTER)

D. S. ²² D(earest) S(ister)[Close] I`m writing only for the sake of … writing, though it`s really rather inconvenient as I have a bad cold and a cough. Tell Fräulein W von Mölk that I`m really looking forward to being back in Salzburg, if only to receive another present for the minuets like the one I received at her concert: she knows what I mean.