"La partenza" is a 1749 canzonetta by Pietro Metastasio (1698-1782). It is among his most famous canzonettas and after being set by the poet himself was set again by many composers including Farinelli, Caffarelli, Giovanni Paisiello, Mozart, Beethoven himself and Beethoven's pupil Archduke Rudolph.
The first stanza goes:
Ecco quel fiero istante:Nice, mia Nice, addio.Come vivrò ben mio,Così lontan da te?Settings
References
La Partenza Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA