<Li> Strings: first violins, second violins, violas, violoncellos, double basses . </Li> <Li> Basso continuo in secco recitatives of harpsichord and violoncello (period performance practice often uses a fortepiano only). </Li> <P> Mozart and Da Ponte use the theme of "fiancée swapping", which dates back to the 13th century; notable earlier versions are found in Boccaccio's Decameron and Shakespeare's play Cymbeline . Elements from Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew are also present . Furthermore, it incorporates elements of the myth of Procris as found in Ovid's Metamorphoses, vii . </P> <Dl> <Dd> Place: Naples </Dd> <Dd> Time: the 18th century </Dd> </Dl>

The magic flute cosi fan tutti and the marriage of figaro