.gif)
Arlecchino (opera)
Encyclopedia
Arlecchino, oder Die Fenster (Harlequin, or The Windows, BV 270) is a one-act opera
with spoken dialog by Ferruccio Busoni
, with a libretto
in German
written by the composer in 1913. He completed the music for the opera while living in Zurich
in 1916. It is a number opera written in neo-classical style
and includes ironic allusions to operatic conventions and situations typical of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It even includes a parody
of a duel
.
. Busoni's two-act opera, Turandot
, was also performed on the program as part of a double-bill. The first British performance of Arlecchino was in 1954 at Glyndebourne
.
The roles in Arlecchino are derived from the Italian commedia dell'arte
. It is unusual in that the title role of Arlecchino is primarily a speaking role. The composer has said that Arlecchino "has a tendency to ambiguity and hyperbole in order to place the listener momentarily in a position of slight doubt." Ronald Stevenson
has described it as an "anti-opera," and an "anti-war satire."
Guido Gatti
has commented that the opera itself illustrates Busoni's own particular ideas about opera as not depicting "realistic events," and also making use of music not continuously, but instead when it is needed and words are insufficient alone to convey the ideas of the text. Larry Sitsky
describes the music as "tightly integrated" and "largely based on the 'row' [of tones] which appears as a fanfare at the commencement of the opera." And Henry Cowell
has characterised this composition as "the only opera to betray knowledge of Schoenberg
's early style before Wozzeck
."
Because Arlecchino was too short in duration for a full evening's entertainment, Busoni composed his two-act opera Turandot
to serve as an accompanying work.
s (both doubling
piccolo
), 2 oboes (2nd doubling English horn), 2 clarinet
s (2nd doubling bass clarinet
in C), 2 bassoon
s (2nd doubling contrabassoon
); 3 horn
s, 2 trumpet
s, 3 trombone
s; timpani
, 3 percussion (glockenspiel
, triangle
, tambourine
, military drum, bass drum
, cymbals, tam-tam, celesta
); strings
(8 violin
s I, 8 violins II, 6 viola
s, 6 cello
s, 6 double bass
es). Stage music: 2 trumpets, timpani.
Prologue:
Arlecchino, in mask and motley costume, appears in front of the curtain to the sound of a fanfare and delivers a brief speech about the ensuing action.
The curtain rises to reveal a meandering and hilly street in the upper city. It is just before evening. The door to Matteo's house is front left; the entrance and sign of a wine pub are further along the street, upper right.
First movement: Arlecchino as Rogue
1. Introduction, Scene, and Arietta. Ser Matteo, the tailor, sits in front of his house sewing and silently reading. He becomes more animated and begins to read aloud in Italian
the story of the illicit love of Paolo
and Francesca
from the Fifth Canto of Dante's Inferno
. Ironically, through a window above, Arlecchino can be seen making love to Matteo's beautiful young wife, Annunziata. Matteo thinks of Don Juan
as he contemplates the prospect of the two lovers being condemned to hell, and the orchestra softly quotes the "Champagne Aria" from Mozart's Don Giovanni
. Finishing with Annunziata, Arlecchino leaps from the window, landing in front of Matteo, and recites the next line from Dante: Quel giorno più non vi leggemmo avanti ("We read no more that day"). He quickly tells the confused tailor, that war has broken out, and the barbarians are at the gate. Grabbing the tailor's scissors to hoist his coat as a banner, Arlecchino filches the house key from a pocket, and hustling Matteo inside, locks the door. Soon after he departs, from off-stage, we hear him singing an extended and defiant "la-la-le-ra!"
2. Duet. The abbot
and doctor come strolling down the road in front of the house. They are deep in conversation on "professional" matters. To a series of outrageous pronouncements, the orchestra provides an accompaniment consisting of a set of variations on a pleasing Mozartian theme. Abbate Conspicuo, noticing they are in front of the lovely Annunziata's house, which is however all locked up, calls out several times to Matteo but receives no response. Finally Matteo cautiously opens the window partway to ascertain their identity.
3. Trio. Feeling reassured, Matteo reveals the sinister news of war and the imminent arrival of the barbarians. Panic ensues. The abbot recites the names of his ten daughters, fearful of their fate. Das gibt zu denken ("Something to consider"), says the doctor. Pausing for a moment's reflection, the doctor and the abbot offer to inform the mayor. Leaving on their errand, they soon stray into the neighboring inn to cogitate over a glass of Chianti
.
Second movement: Arlecchino as Warrior.
4. March
and Scene. In the company of two constables Arlecchino returns in military attire and informs Matteo he has been called up and has three minutes in which to get his house in order. While away Arlecchino has made a copy of the key, and surreptitiously returns the original. The dumbfounded tailor appears in a ridiculous improvised uniform, requests and receives permission to carry along his beloved Dante, and sadly goes off, accompanied by the two constables. [This bit evokes a sad event in Italian history. In 1499 the French captured Milan
and imprisoned the leader of the city, Ludovico Sforza
(who was also a close friend of Leonardo da Vinci
). He was allowed one book: Dante's La divina Commedia.]
Third movement: Arlecchino as Husband.
5a. Scene and Aria
. To Arlecchino's consternation, his wife Colombina appears just as he is trying to use his new key to open up Matteo's house. Not recognizing him initially, she asks the presumed Captain to protect her as an abandoned wife. As he turns round to face her, she suddenly realizes that the "Captain" is actually Arlecchino and begins reproaching him for his faithlessness, only pausing to powder her face. In response Arlecchino delivers a short speech concerning his views on marriage and fidelity: Die Treue, Madame, ist ein Laster, das meiner Ehrsamkeit nicht ansteht. – "Fealty, madame, is a vice which does not apply to my respectability."
5b. Arietta. Arlecchino concludes by asking Colombina how she sleeps. Colombina changes her tune. Singing in alternating 3/4
and 2/4, she attempts to flatter Arlecchino, describing how other women envy her position as his wife. She then sings of her own virtues as a wife: she can dance and sing, and play the tambourine. As Colombina nestles up to him, Arlecchino, not taken in by her ploy, says: O Colombina, siehst du jenen Stern? - "Oh Colombina, dost thou see yonder star?" As Colombina gazes up at the night sky, he quickly makes his escape.
6. Scene for two, then three characters. The sweet tenor
voice of the cavalier
Leandro is heard singing a romanza
: Mit dem Schwerte, mit der Laute, zieht des Wegs der Trovador ("With sword and lute the troubadour
roams"). He soon appears, with his lute and sword and wearing a feather cap. Neither slim nor young, he is a typical Italian operatic tenor. Colombina resumes her role as the abandoned woman, and Leandro launches into a classic Italian vengeance aria (Contro l'empio traditore la vendetta compierò - "Against the impious traitor shall I exact revenge"). At its conclusion he turns and bows smiling to the audience.
Colombina, however, is skeptical and poses as Elsa of Brabant
(Könnt' ich jemals einem Manne noch trauen! – "Could I ever again trust a man!") and Leandro assumes the role of Lohengrin
. The orchestra accompanies with a Wagnerian parody: string tremolandi, dense woodwind
chords
, and pointless fanfare
rhythms. A bel canto
parody follows (Venus sieht auf uns hernieder – "Venus looks down upon us") complete with portamento
and a stretta
. According to Beaumont, the stretta's "prototype lies somewhere between Cimarosa, Mozart, or Rossini but its harmonic
language, with abrupt changes of key
and symmetrical chromaticism
s, is pure Busoni."
Arlecchino, back in his motley costume, has been watching Colombina and Leandro through his lorgnette
. He now springs forward, congratulating Colombina for educating herself in his school, and escorts her to the inn. Returning to Leandro, he challenges him to a duel
, fells him, and disappears into Matteo's house.
Fourth movement: Arlecchino as Victor.
7. Scene, Quartet
and Melodrama
. Colombina, Abbate and Dottore emerge from the inn. The two men are stumbling about and bump into Leandro lying in the road. Dottore pronounces the body dead. Colombina wails and throws herself on the prostrate Leandro, but soon realizes he is alive. Dottore disputes her diagnosis, but Abbate declares a resurrection. Many faces had appeared in the windows of the neighboring houses after all the commotion, but when Abbate calls for aid, they disappear, and the windows close. A donkey cart and carter appear from around the corner, so they decide to put Leandro on the cart. As Abbate calls for prayer, Leandro revives and joins in making a quartet and a parody suggestive of Rigoletto
.
Finally, as they load Leandro on the cart and the sad little group leaves the stage heading for the hospital, Arlecchino appears at the attic window of Matteo's house and bids them adieu. Climbing onto the roof he ecstatically declares:
He slides down a drain pipe, opens the door, embraces the waiting Annunziata, and the two of them leave the stage.
8. Monologue
. Matteo returns and enters the house. He appears at a window with a lamp in one hand and a piece of paper in the other, which he reads aloud. It is a note from Annunziata claiming she has gone off to Vespers
and will soon return. Matteo emerges from the house with the lamp and his Dante, and resumes sewing at his workplace, while waiting for her return. A drop-curtain is slowly lowered, and two trumpeters in traditional theater uniforms take positions left and right.
9. Procession and Dance. (Finale.) In procession the other characters, Leandro and Colombina, Dottore and Abbate, the donkey and the cart, the two constables, and finally Arlecchino and Annunziata, cross the stage and bow to the audience. Arlecchino removes his mask and addresses the audience, explaining the new disposition of the couples, which shall last "until something new happens?" He and Annunziata join in a dance as they leave the stage. The drop-curtain rises and Matteo can be seen, still reading and waiting.
Busoni: Arlecchino & Turandot - Chorus & Orchestra of the Opéra de Lyon
Busoni: Arlecchino - Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
with spoken dialog by Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
, with a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
written by the composer in 1913. He completed the music for the opera while living in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
in 1916. It is a number opera written in neo-classical style
Neoclassicism (music)
Neoclassicism in music was a twentieth-century trend, particularly current in the period between the two World Wars, in which composers sought to return to aesthetic precepts associated with the broadly defined concept of "classicism", namely order, balance, clarity, economy, and emotional restraint...
and includes ironic allusions to operatic conventions and situations typical of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It even includes a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
.
Performance history
The premiere performance was on 11 May 1917 at the Stadttheater, ZürichZurich Opera House
Opernhaus Zürich is an opera house in the Swiss city of Zurich. It has been the home of the Zurich Opera since 1891.- History :...
. Busoni's two-act opera, Turandot
Turandot (Busoni)
Turandot is a 1917 opera with spoken dialogue and in two acts by Ferruccio Busoni. Busoni prepared his own libretto, in German, based on the play by Count Carlo Gozzi. The music for Busoni's opera is based on incidental music, and the associated Turandot Suite , which Busoni had written in 1905...
, was also performed on the program as part of a double-bill. The first British performance of Arlecchino was in 1954 at Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne is a country house, thought to be about six hundred years old, located near Lewes in East Sussex, England. It is also the site of an opera house which, with the exception of its closing during the Second World War, for a few immediate post-war years, and in 1993 during the...
.
Background
The opera is in four movements with a corresponding representation of Arlecchino in each of them:- I. ARLECCHINO als Schalk [Arlecchino as Rogue] (Allegro molto)
- II. ARLECCHINO als Kriegsmann [Arlecchino as Warrior] (Allegro assai, ma marziale)
- III. ARLECCHINO als Ehemann [Arlecchino as Husband] (Tempo di minuetto sostenuto)
- IV. ARLECCHINO als Sieger [Arlecchino as Conqueror] (Allegretto sostenuto)
The roles in Arlecchino are derived from the Italian commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
. It is unusual in that the title role of Arlecchino is primarily a speaking role. The composer has said that Arlecchino "has a tendency to ambiguity and hyperbole in order to place the listener momentarily in a position of slight doubt." Ronald Stevenson
Ronald Stevenson
Ronald Stevenson is a British composer, pianist, and writer about music.-Biography:The son of a Scottish father and English mother, Stevenson studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music , studying composition with Richard Hall and piano with Iso Elinson, graduating with distinction...
has described it as an "anti-opera," and an "anti-war satire."
Guido Gatti
Guido Gatti
Guido Maggiorino Gatti. . Italian music critic and founder of the journal Rassegna musicale in 1928. Previously he had edited another music journal, called Il Pianoforte. He was director of the Turin Theater from 1925-31 and general director of the first Maggio Musicale Fiorentino...
has commented that the opera itself illustrates Busoni's own particular ideas about opera as not depicting "realistic events," and also making use of music not continuously, but instead when it is needed and words are insufficient alone to convey the ideas of the text. Larry Sitsky
Larry Sitsky
Lazar Sitsky AM, usually referred to as Larry Sitsky, born 10 September 1934, is an Australian composer, pianist, and music educator and scholar...
describes the music as "tightly integrated" and "largely based on the 'row' [of tones] which appears as a fanfare at the commencement of the opera." And Henry Cowell
Henry Cowell
Henry Cowell was an American composer, music theorist, pianist, teacher, publisher, and impresario. His contribution to the world of music was summed up by Virgil Thomson, writing in the early 1950s:...
has characterised this composition as "the only opera to betray knowledge of Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
's early style before Wozzeck
Wozzeck
Wozzeck is the first opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg. It was composed between 1914 and 1922 and first performed in 1925. The opera is based on the drama Woyzeck left incomplete by the German playwright Georg Büchner at his death. Berg attended the first production in Vienna of Büchner's...
."
Because Arlecchino was too short in duration for a full evening's entertainment, Busoni composed his two-act opera Turandot
Turandot (Busoni)
Turandot is a 1917 opera with spoken dialogue and in two acts by Ferruccio Busoni. Busoni prepared his own libretto, in German, based on the play by Count Carlo Gozzi. The music for Busoni's opera is based on incidental music, and the associated Turandot Suite , which Busoni had written in 1905...
to serve as an accompanying work.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 11 May 1917 (Conductor: Ferruccio Busoni) |
|---|---|---|
| Ser Matteo del Sarto, master tailor | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Wilhelm Bockholt |
| Abbate Cospicuo | baritone | Augustus Milner |
| Doctor Bombasto | bass | Henrich Kuhn |
| Arlecchino | spoken | Alexander Moissi |
| Leandro, cavalier | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Eduard Grunert |
| Annunziata, Matteo's wife | silent | Ilse Ewaldt |
| Colombina, Arlecchino's wife | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Käthe Wenck |
| Two constables | silent | Alfons Gorski, Karl Hermann |
| Silent: carter, people in the windows, donkey | ||
Instrumentation
Orchestra: 2 fluteFlute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s (both doubling
Doubling
Doubling may refer to:*in math:**multiplication by 2**doubling the cube, a geometric problem**doubling time, the period of time required for a quantity to double in size or value**doubling map**period-doubling bifurcation***in music:...
piccolo
Piccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
), 2 oboes (2nd doubling English horn), 2 clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s (2nd doubling bass clarinet
Bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
in C), 2 bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s (2nd doubling contrabassoon
Contrabassoon
The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon or double-bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower...
); 3 horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
s, 2 trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, 3 trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s; timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, 3 percussion (glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
, triangle
Triangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
, tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, military drum, bass drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
, cymbals, tam-tam, celesta
Celesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
); strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
(8 violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s I, 8 violins II, 6 viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s, 6 cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s, 6 double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
es). Stage music: 2 trumpets, timpani.
Synopsis
The opera, which is in one act, consists of a prologue and four movements.- Place: BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
, Italy - Time: "around about the XVIIIth"
Prologue:
Arlecchino, in mask and motley costume, appears in front of the curtain to the sound of a fanfare and delivers a brief speech about the ensuing action.
The curtain rises to reveal a meandering and hilly street in the upper city. It is just before evening. The door to Matteo's house is front left; the entrance and sign of a wine pub are further along the street, upper right.
First movement: Arlecchino as Rogue
1. Introduction, Scene, and Arietta. Ser Matteo, the tailor, sits in front of his house sewing and silently reading. He becomes more animated and begins to read aloud in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
the story of the illicit love of Paolo
Paolo Malatesta
Paolo Malatesta was the third son of Malatesta da Verucchio, lord of Rimini. He is best known for the story of his affair with Francesca da Polenta, portrayed by Dante in a famous episode of his Inferno...
and Francesca
Francesca da Rimini
Francesca da Rimini or Francesca da Polenta was the daughter of Guido da Polenta, lord of Ravenna. She was a historical contemporary of Dante Alighieri, who portrayed her as a character in the Divine Comedy.-Arranged marriage:...
from the Fifth Canto of Dante's Inferno
Inferno (Dante)
Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. It is an allegory telling of the journey of Dante through what is largely the medieval concept of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as...
. Ironically, through a window above, Arlecchino can be seen making love to Matteo's beautiful young wife, Annunziata. Matteo thinks of Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
as he contemplates the prospect of the two lovers being condemned to hell, and the orchestra softly quotes the "Champagne Aria" from Mozart's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
. Finishing with Annunziata, Arlecchino leaps from the window, landing in front of Matteo, and recites the next line from Dante: Quel giorno più non vi leggemmo avanti ("We read no more that day"). He quickly tells the confused tailor, that war has broken out, and the barbarians are at the gate. Grabbing the tailor's scissors to hoist his coat as a banner, Arlecchino filches the house key from a pocket, and hustling Matteo inside, locks the door. Soon after he departs, from off-stage, we hear him singing an extended and defiant "la-la-le-ra!"
2. Duet. The abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
and doctor come strolling down the road in front of the house. They are deep in conversation on "professional" matters. To a series of outrageous pronouncements, the orchestra provides an accompaniment consisting of a set of variations on a pleasing Mozartian theme. Abbate Conspicuo, noticing they are in front of the lovely Annunziata's house, which is however all locked up, calls out several times to Matteo but receives no response. Finally Matteo cautiously opens the window partway to ascertain their identity.
3. Trio. Feeling reassured, Matteo reveals the sinister news of war and the imminent arrival of the barbarians. Panic ensues. The abbot recites the names of his ten daughters, fearful of their fate. Das gibt zu denken ("Something to consider"), says the doctor. Pausing for a moment's reflection, the doctor and the abbot offer to inform the mayor. Leaving on their errand, they soon stray into the neighboring inn to cogitate over a glass of Chianti
Chianti
Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a fiasco ; however, the fiasco is only used by a few makers of the wine now; most Chianti is now bottled in more standard shaped wine bottles...
.
Second movement: Arlecchino as Warrior.
4. March
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
and Scene. In the company of two constables Arlecchino returns in military attire and informs Matteo he has been called up and has three minutes in which to get his house in order. While away Arlecchino has made a copy of the key, and surreptitiously returns the original. The dumbfounded tailor appears in a ridiculous improvised uniform, requests and receives permission to carry along his beloved Dante, and sadly goes off, accompanied by the two constables. [This bit evokes a sad event in Italian history. In 1499 the French captured Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and imprisoned the leader of the city, Ludovico Sforza
Ludovico Sforza
Ludovico Sforza , was Duke of Milan from 1489 until his death. A member of the Sforza family, he was the fourth son of Francesco Sforza. He was famed as a patron of Leonardo da Vinci and other artists, and presided over the final and most productive stage of the Milanese Renaissance...
(who was also a close friend of Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
). He was allowed one book: Dante's La divina Commedia.]
Third movement: Arlecchino as Husband.
5a. Scene and Aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
. To Arlecchino's consternation, his wife Colombina appears just as he is trying to use his new key to open up Matteo's house. Not recognizing him initially, she asks the presumed Captain to protect her as an abandoned wife. As he turns round to face her, she suddenly realizes that the "Captain" is actually Arlecchino and begins reproaching him for his faithlessness, only pausing to powder her face. In response Arlecchino delivers a short speech concerning his views on marriage and fidelity: Die Treue, Madame, ist ein Laster, das meiner Ehrsamkeit nicht ansteht. – "Fealty, madame, is a vice which does not apply to my respectability."
5b. Arietta. Arlecchino concludes by asking Colombina how she sleeps. Colombina changes her tune. Singing in alternating 3/4
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
and 2/4, she attempts to flatter Arlecchino, describing how other women envy her position as his wife. She then sings of her own virtues as a wife: she can dance and sing, and play the tambourine. As Colombina nestles up to him, Arlecchino, not taken in by her ploy, says: O Colombina, siehst du jenen Stern? - "Oh Colombina, dost thou see yonder star?" As Colombina gazes up at the night sky, he quickly makes his escape.
6. Scene for two, then three characters. The sweet tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
voice of the cavalier
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
Leandro is heard singing a romanza
Romance (music)
The term romance has a centuries-long history. Applied to narrative ballads in Spain, it came to be used by the 18th century for simple lyrical pieces not only for voice, but also for instruments alone. During the 18th and 19th centuries Russian composers developed the French variety of the...
: Mit dem Schwerte, mit der Laute, zieht des Wegs der Trovador ("With sword and lute the troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
roams"). He soon appears, with his lute and sword and wearing a feather cap. Neither slim nor young, he is a typical Italian operatic tenor. Colombina resumes her role as the abandoned woman, and Leandro launches into a classic Italian vengeance aria (Contro l'empio traditore la vendetta compierò - "Against the impious traitor shall I exact revenge"). At its conclusion he turns and bows smiling to the audience.
Colombina, however, is skeptical and poses as Elsa of Brabant
Lohengrin (opera)
Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
(Könnt' ich jemals einem Manne noch trauen! – "Could I ever again trust a man!") and Leandro assumes the role of Lohengrin
Lohengrin (opera)
Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
. The orchestra accompanies with a Wagnerian parody: string tremolandi, dense woodwind
Woodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
chords
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
, and pointless fanfare
Fanfare
A Fanfare is a relatively short piece of music that is typically played by trumpets and other brass instruments often accompanied by percussion...
rhythms. A bel canto
Bel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
parody follows (Venus sieht auf uns hernieder – "Venus looks down upon us") complete with portamento
Portamento
Portamento is a musical term originated from the Italian expression "portamento della voce" , denoting from the beginning of the 17th century a vocal slide between two pitches and its emulation by members of the violin family and certain wind instruments, and is sometimes used...
and a stretta
Stretto
The term stretto comes from the Italian past participle of stringere, and means "narrow", "tight", or "close".In music the Italian term stretto has two distinct meanings:...
. According to Beaumont, the stretta's "prototype lies somewhere between Cimarosa, Mozart, or Rossini but its harmonic
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
language, with abrupt changes of key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
and symmetrical chromaticism
Chromaticism
Chromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic pitches and chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale. Chromaticism is in contrast or addition to tonality or diatonicism...
s, is pure Busoni."
Arlecchino, back in his motley costume, has been watching Colombina and Leandro through his lorgnette
Lorgnette
A lorgnette is a pair of spectacles with a handle, used to hold them in place, rather than fitting over the ears. It is derived from the French lorgner, to take a sidelong look at, and Middle French, from lorgne, squinting. They were invented by an Englishman named George Adams. The lorgnette was...
. He now springs forward, congratulating Colombina for educating herself in his school, and escorts her to the inn. Returning to Leandro, he challenges him to a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
, fells him, and disappears into Matteo's house.
Fourth movement: Arlecchino as Victor.
7. Scene, Quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
and Melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
. Colombina, Abbate and Dottore emerge from the inn. The two men are stumbling about and bump into Leandro lying in the road. Dottore pronounces the body dead. Colombina wails and throws herself on the prostrate Leandro, but soon realizes he is alive. Dottore disputes her diagnosis, but Abbate declares a resurrection. Many faces had appeared in the windows of the neighboring houses after all the commotion, but when Abbate calls for aid, they disappear, and the windows close. A donkey cart and carter appear from around the corner, so they decide to put Leandro on the cart. As Abbate calls for prayer, Leandro revives and joins in making a quartet and a parody suggestive of Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
.
Finally, as they load Leandro on the cart and the sad little group leaves the stage heading for the hospital, Arlecchino appears at the attic window of Matteo's house and bids them adieu. Climbing onto the roof he ecstatically declares:
Nun glüht mein Stern!
Die Welt ist offen!
Die Erde ist jung!
Die Liebe is frei!
Ihr Halekins!
Now shines my star!
The world is open!
The earth is young!
Love is free!
You Harlequins!
He slides down a drain pipe, opens the door, embraces the waiting Annunziata, and the two of them leave the stage.
8. Monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
. Matteo returns and enters the house. He appears at a window with a lamp in one hand and a piece of paper in the other, which he reads aloud. It is a note from Annunziata claiming she has gone off to Vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
and will soon return. Matteo emerges from the house with the lamp and his Dante, and resumes sewing at his workplace, while waiting for her return. A drop-curtain is slowly lowered, and two trumpeters in traditional theater uniforms take positions left and right.
9. Procession and Dance. (Finale.) In procession the other characters, Leandro and Colombina, Dottore and Abbate, the donkey and the cart, the two constables, and finally Arlecchino and Annunziata, cross the stage and bow to the audience. Arlecchino removes his mask and addresses the audience, explaining the new disposition of the couples, which shall last "until something new happens?" He and Annunziata join in a dance as they leave the stage. The drop-curtain rises and Matteo can be seen, still reading and waiting.
Recordings
Note: Select the catalog number link for additional recording details.Busoni: Arlecchino & Turandot - Chorus & Orchestra of the Opéra de Lyon
Opéra National de Lyon
Opéra National de Lyon is an opera company in Lyon, France which performs in the Nouvel Opéra, a modernized version in 1993 of the original 1831 opera house.The inaugural performance of François-Adrien Boïeldieu's La Dame blanche was given on 1 July 1831...
- Conductor: Kent NaganoKent Nagano__FORCETOC__Kent George Nagano is an American conductor and opera administrator. He is currently the music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Bavarian State Opera.-Biography:...
- Principal singers: Ernst Theo Richter (Arlecchino); Suzanne Mentzer (Colombina); Thomas Mohr (Ser Matteo del Sarto); Wolfgang HolzmairWolfgang HolzmairWolfgang Holzmair is an Austrian baritone.Holzmair studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He won 2nd prize in the baritone class of the 's-Hertogenbosch International Vocal Competition in 1981, and a year later 1st prize in the Musikverein International Lieder Competition,...
(Abbate Cospicuo); Philippe Huttenlocher (Dottor Bombasto); Stefan Dahlberg (Leandro) - Label: Virgin Classics VCD7 59313-2 (2 CDsCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
)
Busoni: Arlecchino - Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra can refer to one of two orchestras:* The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, known from 1956 to 1993 as the Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and situated in West Berlin during the Cold War...
- Conductor: Gerd AlbrechtGerd AlbrechtGerd Albrecht is a German conductor. He was a first-prize winner at the International Conductors Competition in Besançon at age 22. His first post was as a repetiteur at the Stuttgart State Opera. Later, he became Senior Kapellmeister at the Mainz Municipal Theatre, and Generalmusikdirektor in...
- Principal singers: Peter Matič (Arlecchino, spoken)/Robert Wörle (Arlecchino, sung); René PapeRené PapeRené Pape is a German opera singer, a bass.-Biography:Rene Pape was born in Dresden, then part of East Germany. His mother is a hairdresser and his father a chef. His parents divorced when he was two years old and he sometimes lived with his grandmother, who opened the way for his interest in music...
(Ser Matteo del Sarto); Siegfried Lorenz (Abbate Cospicuo); Peter Lika (Dottor Bombasto); Robert Wörle (Leandro); Marcia Bellamy (Colombina, sung)/Katharina Koschny (Colombina, spoken) - Label: Capriccio 60 038-1 (1 CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
)
Sources
| Beaumont, Antony Antony Beaumont Antony Beaumont is an English and German musicologist, writer, conductor and violinist. As a conductor, he has specialized in German music from the first half of the 20th century, including works by Zemlinsky, Weill, and Gurlitt... (1985). Busoni the Composer. London: Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music... . ISBN 0571131492. |
| Busoni, Ferruccio (1918). Arlecchino. Ein theatralisches Capriccio. Cat. no. Part. B. 1700 (full score). Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel Breitkopf & Härtel Breitkopf & Härtel is the world's oldest music publishing house. The firm was founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf . The catalogue currently contains over 1000 composers, 8000 works and 15,000 music editions or books on music. The name "Härtel" was added when Gottfried... . See this work page of the International Music Score Library Project International Music Score Library Project The International Music Score Library Project , also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a project for the creation of a virtual library of public domain music scores, based on the wiki principle... . Accessed 19 October 2009. |
| Cooke, Mervyn (2005). The Cambridge Companion to Twentieth-Century Opera. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521780098. See also Google Books partial preview. Accessed 3 October 2009. |
| Ley, Rosamond, translator (1957). The Essence of Music and Other Papers by Ferruccio Busoni. London: Rockliff Publishing. (Reprint edition: New York: Dover Publications, 1965.) |
| Sitsky, Larry Larry Sitsky Lazar Sitsky AM, usually referred to as Larry Sitsky, born 10 September 1934, is an Australian composer, pianist, and music educator and scholar... (2008). Busoni and the Piano. The Works, the Writings, and the Recordings. (2nd ed.) Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press. ISBN 9781576471586. [First edition, Westport: Greenwood Press,1986. ISBN 0313236712.] |