The Complete Opera Book Part 30

The "Good Friday Spell," one of Wagner's most beautiful mood paintings in tone color, is the most prominent episode in these scenes.

[Music]

Once more _Gurnemanz_, _Kundry_ now following, leads the way toward the castle of the Grail. _Amfortas's_ aged father, _t.i.turel_, uncomforted by the vision of the Grail, which _Amfortas_, in his pa.s.sionate contrition, deems himself too sullied to unveil, has died, and the knights having gathered in the great hall, _t.i.turel's_ bier is borne in solemn procession and placed upon a catafalque before _Amfortas's_ couch.

"Uncover the shrine!" shout the knights, pressing upon _Amfortas_. For answer, and in a paroxysm of despair, he springs up, tears his garments asunder and shows his open wound. "Slay me!" he cries. "Take up your weapons! Bury your sword-blades deep--deep in me, to the hilts! Kill me, and so kill the pain that tortures me!"

As _Amfortas_ stands there in an ecstasy of pain, _Parsifal_ enters, and, quietly advancing, touches the wound with the point of the Spear.

"One weapon only serves to staunch your wounded side--the one that struck it."

_Amfortas's_ torture changes to highest rapture. The shrine is opened and _Parsifal_, taking the Grail, which again radiates with light, waves it gently to and fro, as _Amfortas_ and all the knights kneel in homage to him, while _Kundry_, gazing up to him in grat.i.tude, sinks gently into the sleep of death and forgiveness for which she has longed.

The music of this entire scene floats upon ethereal _arpeggios_. The Motive of Faith especially is exquisitely accompanied, its spiritual harmonies finally appearing in this form.

[Music]

There are also heard the Motives of Prophecy and of the Sacrament, as the knights on the stage and the youths and boys in the dome chant.

The Grail Motive, which is prominent throughout the scene, rises as if in a spirit of gentle religious triumph and brings, with the Sacrament Motive, the work to a close.

Gioachino Antonio Rossini

(1792-1868)

It would be difficult to persuade any one today that Rossini was a reformer of opera. But his instrumentation, excessively simple as it seems to us, was regarded, by his contemporaries, as distracting too much attention from the voices. This was one of the reasons his _Semiramide_ was coolly received at its production in Venice, 1823.

But however simple, not to say primitive, the instrumentation of his Italian operas now strikes us, he made one great innovation in opera for which we readily can grant him recognition as a reformer. He dispensed with _secco_ recitative, the so-called "dry" recitative, which I have mentioned as a drawback to the operatic scores of Mozart.

For this Rossini subst.i.tuted a more dramatic recital of the text leading up to the vocal numbers, and accompanied it with such instruments, or combinations of instruments even to full orchestra, as he considered necessary. We accept a well accompanied recitative in opera as a matter of course. But in its day it was a bold step forward, and Rossini should receive full credit for it. Indeed it will be found that nearly all composers, whose works survive in the repertoire, instead of tamely accepting the routine of workmanship in opera, as inherited from their predecessors, had ideas of their own, which they put into effect, sometimes at the temporary sacrifice of popularity. Gluck and Wagner, especially the latter, were extreme types of the musical reformer. Compared with them Rossini was mild.

But his merits should be conceded, and gratefully.

Rossini often is spoken of as the "Swan of Pesaro," where he was born.

His mother sang _buffa_ roles in a travelling opera troupe, in the orchestra of which his father was a horn player. After previous musical instruction in Bologna, he was turned over to Angelo Tesei, sang in church and afterwards travelled with his parents both as singer and accompanist, thus gaining at first hand valuable experience in matters operatic. In 1807 he entered the Liceo (conservatory) at Bologna, studying 'cello under Cavedagni and composition with Padre Mattei. By 1810 already he was able to bring out in Venice, and with applause, a one act comedy opera, "La Cambiale di Matrimonio." During 1812 he received commissions for no less than five light operas, scoring, in 1813, with his "Tancredi" his first success in the grand manner. There was scarcely a year now that did not see a work from his pen, sometimes two, until his "Guillaume Tell" was produced in Paris, 1829. This was an entire change of style from his earlier works, possibly, however, foreshadowed by his "Comte Ory," a revision of a previous score, and produced, as was his "Tell," at the Grand Opera.

"Guillaume Tell" not only is written to a French libretto; it is in the French style of grand opera, in which the vocal melody is less ornate and the instrumental portion of the score more carefully considered than in the Italian.

During the remaining thirty-nine years of his life not another opera did Rossini compose. He appears deliberately to have formed this resolution in 1836, after hearing "Les Huguenots" by Meyerbeer, as if he considered it useless for him to attempt to rival that composer. He resided in Bologna and Florence until 1855, then in Paris, or near there, dying at Ruelle.

He presents the strange spectacle of a successful composer of opera, who lived to be seventy-six, abruptly closing his dramatic career at thirty-seven.

IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE

Opera in two acts, by Rossini; text by Cesare Sterbini, founded on Beaumarchais. Produced, Argentina Theatre, Rome, February 5, 1816; London, King's Theatre, March 10, 1818.

Paris, in Italian, 1819; in French, 1824. New York, in English, at the Park Theatre, May 3, 1819, with Thomas Phillipps and Miss Leesugg, as _Almaviva_ and _Rosina_; in Italian, at the Park Theatre, November 29, 1825, with Manuel Garcia, the elder, as _Almaviva_; Manuel Garcia, the younger, _Figaro_; Signorina Garcia (afterwards the famous Malibran), _Rosina_; Signor Rosick, _Dr. Bartolo_; Signor Angrisani, _Don Basilio_; Signor Crivelli, the younger, _Fiorello_, and Signora Garcia, _mere_, _Berta_. (See concluding paragraphs of this article.) Adelina Patti, Melba, Sembrich, Tetrazzini are among the prima donnas who have been familiar to opera lovers in this country as _Rosina_. Galli-Curci appeared in this role in Chicago, January 1, 1917.

CHARACTERS

COUNT ALMAVIVA _Tenor_ DOCTOR BARTOLO _Ba.s.s_ BASILIO, a Singing Teacher _Ba.s.s_ FIGARO, a Barber _Baritone_ FIORELLO, servant to the Count _Ba.s.s_ AMBROSIO, servant to the Doctor _Ba.s.s_ ROSINA, the Doctor's ward _Soprano_ BERTA (or MARCELLINA), Rosina's Governess _Soprano_

Notary, Constable, Musicians and Soldiers.

_Time_--Seventeenth Century.

_Place_--Seville, Spain.

Upon episodes in Beaumarchais's trilogy of "Figaro" comedies two composers, Mozart and Rossini, based operas that have long maintained their hold upon the repertoire. The three Beaumarchais comedies are "Le Barbier de Seville," "Le Mariage de Figaro," and "La Mere Coupable." Mozart selected the second of these, Rossini the first; so that although in point of composition Mozart's "Figaro" (May, 1786) antedates Rossini's "Barbiere" (February, 1816) by nearly thirty years, "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" precedes "Le Nozze di Figaro" in point of action. In both operas _Figaro_ is a prominent character, and, while the composers were of wholly different nationality and race, their music is genuinely and equally sparkling and witty. To attempt to decide between them by the flip of a coin would be "heads I win, tails you lose."

There is much to say about the first performance of "Il Barbiere di Siviglia"; also about the overture, the origin of _Almaviva's_ graceful solo, "Ecco ridente in cielo," and the music selected by prima donnas to sing in the "lesson scene" in the second act. But these details are better preceded by some information regarding the story and the music.

Act I, Scene 1. A street by _Dr. Bartolo's_ house. _Count Almaviva_, a Grandee of Spain, is desperately in love with _Rosina_, the ward of _Doctor Bartolo_. Accompanied by his servant Fiorello and a band of lutists, he serenades her with the smooth, flowing measures of "Ecco ridente in cielo," (Lo, smiling in the Eastern sky).

[Music: Ecco ridente in cielo,]

Just then _Figaro_, the barber, the general factotum and busybody of the town, dances in, singing the famous patter air, "Largo al factotum della citta" (Room for the city's factotum).

[Music: Largo al factotum della citta largo,]

He is _Dr. Bartolo's_ barber, and, learning from the _Count_ of his heart's desire, immediately plots with him to bring about his introduction to _Rosina_. There are two clever duets between _Figaro_ and the _Count_--one in which _Almaviva_ promises money to the _Barber_; the other in praise of love and pleasure.

_Rosina_ is strictly watched by her guardian, _Doctor Bartolo_, who himself plans to marry his ward, since she has both beauty and money.

In this he is a.s.sisted by _Basilio_, a music-master. _Rosina_, however, returns the affection of the _Count_, and, in spite of the watchfulness of her guardian, she contrives to drop a letter from the balcony to _Almaviva_, who is still with _Figaro_ below, declaring her pa.s.sion, and at the same time requesting to know her lover's name.

Scene 2. Room in _Dr. Bartolo's_ house. _Rosina_ enters. She sings the brilliant "Una voce poco fa" (A little voice I heard just now),

[Music: Una voce poco fa qui nel cor mi risuon]

followed by "Io sono docile" (With mild and docile air).

[Music: Io sono docile, son rispettosa,]

_Figaro_, who has left _Almaviva_ and come in from the street, tells her that the _Count_ is Signor Lindor, claims him as a cousin, and adds that the young man is deeply in love with her. _Rosina_ is delighted. She gives him a note to convey to the supposed Signor Lindor. (Duet, _Rosina_ and _Figaro_: "Dunque io son, tu non m'inganni?"--Am I his love, or dost thou mock me?)

Meanwhile _Bartolo_ has made known to _Basilio_ his suspicions that _Count Almaviva_ is in love with _Rosina_. _Basilio_ advises to start a scandal about the _Count_ and, in an aria ("La calunnia") remarkable for its descriptive crescendo, depicts how calumny may spread from the first breath to a tempest of scandal.

[Music: La calunnia e un venticello]

To obtain an interview with _Rosina_, the _Count_ disguises himself as a drunken soldier, and forces his way into _Bartolo's_ house. The disguise of _Almaviva_ is penetrated by the guardian, and the pretended soldier is placed under arrest, but is at once released upon secretly showing the officer his order as a Grandee of Spain. Chorus, preceded by the trio, for _Rosina_, _Almaviva_ and _Bartolo_--"Fredda ed immobile" (Awestruck and immovable).

Act II. The _Count_ again enters _Bartolo's_ house. He is now disguised as a music teacher, and pretends that he has been sent by _Basilio_ to give a lesson in music, on account of the illness of the latter. He obtains the confidence of _Bartolo_ by producing _Rosina's_ letter to himself, and offering to persuade _Rosina_ that the letter has been given him by a mistress of the _Count_. In this manner he obtains the desired opportunity, under the guise of a music lesson--the "music lesson" scene, which is discussed below--to hold a whispered conversation with _Rosina_. _Figaro_ also manages to obtain the keys of the balcony, an escape is determined on at midnight, and a private marriage arranged. Now, however, _Basilio_ makes his appearance. The lovers are disconcerted, but manage, by persuading the music-master that he really is ill--an illness accelerated by a full purse slipped into his hand by _Almaviva_--to get rid of him. Duet for _Rosina_ and _Almaviva_, "Buona sera, mio Signore" (Fare you well then, good Signore).