Der Schauspieldirektor K. 486, is a comic Singspiel composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie. It is regarded as a parody on the vanity of singers who argue over status and pay. Mozart wrote it as his entry in a musical competition hosted by Joseph II in Vienna, competing against Salieri's Prima la musica, poi le parole (First the Music, then the Words). In addition to the overture, there are only four vocal numbers in the score, and the musical content is surrounded by much spoken dialogue, topical in its day. Although it has been described as a "silly farce", Mozart appears to have taken the opportunity to write seriously and thus the work includes, for example, the aria ''Da schlägt die Abschiedsstunde" (There tolls the hour of departure).
