This charming serenade is taken from Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni. Although originally a type of madrigal by the 18th century the term Canzonetta came to mean a song for voice and accompaniment, usually in a light secular style. The Canzonetta appears at the beginning of Act 2 of Don Giovanni. Wanting to seduce Donna Elvira's maid, and believing that she will trust him better if he appears in lower-class clothes, Don Giovanni orders Leporello to exchange cloak and hat with him. Leporello, posing as Don Giovanni, leads Donna Elvira away to keep her occupied while Don Giovanni serenades her maid with his mandolin - "Deh, vieni alla finestra" – "Ah, come to the window".

The original instrumentation was for mandolin and pizzicato strings and so transfers to two guitars very well. I have dropped the key from D to C as otherwise the baritone part is rather high and the key change makes it more comfortable. The guitar parts are not difficult but do need a really good sense of ensemble. I have altered the chord voicings occasionally to better suit the guitar and sometimes changed octave for guitar 1 which is essentially the mandolin part.