© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 24 Romantic Opera in France and Italy Nothing primes inspiration more than necessity, whether it be the presence of a copyist waiting for your work, or the prodding of an impresario tearing his hair. In my time, all the impresarios of Italy were bald at 30. Composer Gioacchino Rossini ( )

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. French Opera  Paris was operatic capital of Europe during first half of nineteenth century  Grand opera Developed around 1820 Spectacular elements, special effects Giacomo Meyerbeer, Les Huguenots (1836), Le Prophète (1849)  Opéra Opéra comique Used some spoken dialogue Simpler plot and music than grand opera Could have serious plot Bizet, Carmen

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. French Opera (cont.)  Lyric opera Developed from more serious opéra opéra comique Compromise between overwhelming spectacle of grand opera and lightness of opéra opéra comique Plots taken from romantic drama or fantasy Relied primarily on beauty of melody Gounod, Faust Naturalism developed in latter part of century, an attempt to depict life truthfully Bizet’s Carmen (though an opéra comique) typical of this movement; main character is Gypsy girl of fiery temperament, dramatized realistically

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Italian Opera  By nineteenth century, opera only important form being cultivated in Italy  Opera buffa and opera seria maintained from classical era  Influenced by French grand opera  Gioacchino Rossini ( ) important composer of early period 1816, Il Barbiere Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) 1820, La Cenerentola (Cinderella)

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Giuseppi Verdi (1813 – 1901)  Born in Bussetto, Italy; small village; family was poor  Early training as apprentice to local church organist  Town raised stipend to send him to Milan Conservatory  Rejected by the examiners, but had private lessons had private lessons through financial help of friend  First opera, Oberto (1839), was success  Third opera, Nabucco (1842), brought him international fame

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Verdi (cont.)  Nabucco (1842) based on book of Daniel  Story dealt with plight of Jews in Babylon  Also paralleled Milanese crusade for independence from Austria  Verdi hailed as patriot and champion  1849, settled into a country estate  Series of operas produced during next 23 years  Between 1872 and 1893 composed composed no operas  Composed Otello in 1893  Falstaff, final opera, also 1893  Died at age 87

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Later Italian Opera  Late in nineteenth century, a movement toward naturalism and realism developed developed in Italian literature  Soon penetrated opera  Movement called verismo (realism)  Bizet’s Carmen was Carmen was model  Three important composers: Ruggiero Leoncavallo ( ) Pietro Mascagni ( ) Giacomo Puccini ( ) ( )

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Giacomo Puccini (1858 – 1924)  Puccini descended from five generations of musicians  1880, scholarship to Milan Conservatory  1893, Manon Lescaut, third opera, immense triumph  , La Bohème (Bohemian Life) brought world- wide fame  Favorite opera was Madame Butterfly (1904), but was public failure  La Faniculla del West (The Girl of the Golden West) produced in New York, Metropolitan Opera, 1910  Turandot, final opera, incomplete at death, finished by a young composer, Franco Alfano

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Listening Guide: “Che gelida manina” (“What a frozen little hand”) from La Bohème, Act I Giacomo Puccini  Italian Text: Che gelida manina, se la lasci riscaldar. Cercar che giova? Al buio non si trova. Ma per fortuna, è una notta di luna.... e qui lá luna, l’abbiamo vicina. Aspetti, signorina, le dirò con due parole chi son, chi son, e che faccio, come vivo. Vuole? Chi son? Chi son? Sono una poeta. Che cosa faccio?

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Listening Guide: “Che gelida manina” (“What a frozen little hand”) from La Bohème, Act I (cont.) Giacomo Puccini  Italian text: Scrivo. E come vivo? Vivo. In povertà mia lieta scialo da gran signore rime ed inni d’amore. Per sogni e per chimere e per castelli in aria l’anima ho millonaria. Talor dal mio forziere ruban tutti i gioielli due ladri: gli occhi belli. V’entrar con vio pur ora, ed i miei tosto si dileguar! Ma il furto non m’accora poichè v’ha preso stanza la dolce speranza! Or che mi conoscete, parlate voi, deh! Parlate! Che siete? Vi piaccia dir!

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Listening Guide: “Che gelida manina” (“What a frozen little hand”) from La Bohème, Act I (cont.) Giacomo Puccini  Italian text: Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì, ma mio-- il mio nome è Lucia. La storia mia è breve. A tela o a seta ricamo in casa e fuori. Son tranquilla e lieta ed è mio svago fa giglie e rose--Mi piaccion quelle cose che han si dolce malia, i che parlano d’amor, di primavera, i che parlano di sogni e di chimere--quelle cose che han nome posia-- Lei m’intende? Mi chiamano Mimì, il perchè non so. Sola, mi fo il pranzo da me la la stessa. Non vado sempre a.messa ma prego assai il Signor. Vivo sola, solette, là in una

© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Listening Guide: “Che gelida manina” (“What a frozen little hand”) from La Bohème, Act I (cont.) Giacomo Puccini  Italian text: bianca cameretta: guardo sui tetti e in cielo, ma quando vien lo sgelo il primo sole è mio-- il primo bacio dell’aprile è mio! Il primo sole è mio! Germoglia in un vaso una rosa. Foglia a foglia la spiro! Cosi gentil il profumo d’un fior! Ma i fior ch’io faccio, ahimè, i fior ch’io ahimè, non hanno odore! Altro di me non le saprei narrare: sono la sua vicina che la vien fuori d’ora a importunare.