La fanciulla del West

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La fanciulla del West

La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West) is an opera

Opera

Opera is an Performing arts in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work which combines a text and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition....
in three acts by Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Puccini

Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italians composer whose operas, including La boh?me, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the List of important operas....
to an Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini, based on the play The Girl of the Golden West by David Belasco

David Belasco

David Belasco was an United States of America playwright, impresario, theatre director and theatrical producer....
.

After the success of his opera Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly

Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa....
, Puccini returned to the source of its inspiration, David Belasco. Belasco, playwright for Madame Butterfly had also written The Girl of the Golden West, and Puccini selected that drama for his next opera.

Performance history
It was first performed on 10 December 1910 in New York City at the Metropolitan Opera House

Metropolitan Opera

Emmy Destinn

Emmy Destinn was a renowned Czech Republic operatic soprano....
as Minnie, Enrico Caruso

Enrico Caruso

Enrico Caruso was an italians tenor. Caruso was also one of the most significant and renowned singers in any genre in both the 19th and 20th Centuries, and one of the most important pioneers of recorded music....
as Dick Johnson and Pasquale Amato

Pasquale Amato

File:Pasquale Amato 1f157cef8c o.jpgPasquale Amato was an Italian people operatic baritone of the first rank. Amato enjoyed an international reputation but attained the peak of his fame in New York City, where he sang with the Metropolitan Opera in 1908-1921....
as Jack Rance; Arturo Toscanini

Arturo Toscanini

Arturo Toscanini was an Italian people conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th Centuries, he was renowned for his brilliant intensity, his restless perfectionism, his phenomenal ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory....
conducted the premiere.

This opera was the first world premiere for the Metropolitan Opera House

Metropolitan Opera

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Encyclopedia

La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West) is an opera

Opera

Giacomo Puccini

Italian language

David Belasco

Performance history

It was first performed on 10 December 1910 in New York City at the Metropolitan Opera House

Metropolitan Opera

Emmy Destinn

Emmy Destinn was a renowned Czech Republic operatic soprano....
as Minnie, Enrico Caruso

Enrico Caruso

Pasquale Amato

Arturo Toscanini

Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880, is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Peter Gelb is the company's general manager and James Levine is music director....
, and was a huge success in the United States. Despite that, it was never as popular in Europe, except, perhaps, in Germany where it enjoyed a triumphant premiere in March 1913 at the Deutsche Opernhaus in Berlin (now known as the Deutsche Oper), under the musical direction of Ignatz Waghalter

Ignatz Waghalter

Ignatz Waghalter was a Poland-Germany composer and conducting.Born into an impoverished Jewish family in Warsaw, Waghalter made his way to Berlin at the age of 17 where he first studied with Philipp Scharwenka....
. It has fewer of the "showstopping" highlights that are characteristic of other Puccini operas, but is admired for being far better integrated than his earlier work. It shows the obvious influence of (but by no means any imitation of) Debussy. It is still sometimes performed, but not as often as Puccini's other mature operas.

Other premieres include:

London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, 29 May 1911, Covent Garden Theatre: first performance in England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
, 12 June 1911, Teatro Costanzi: first performance in Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
Melbourne
Melbourne

Melbourne is the more common name for the geographic region and Census in Australia of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It is the second List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million and serves as the List of Australian capital cities of Victoria ....
, 11 June 1912, Her Majesty's Theatre: first performance in Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 10 December 1910 (Conductor: Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini was an Italian people conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th Centuries, he was renowned for his brilliant intensity, his restless perfectionism, his phenomenal ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory.... )
Minnie	soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four part chorale style harmony the soprano takes the highest part which usually encompasses the melody....	Emmy Destinn Emmy Destinn Emmy Destinn was a renowned Czech Republic operatic soprano....
Jack Rance, sheriff Sheriff A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....	baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of European classical music male voice type that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice....	Pasquale Amato Pasquale Amato File:Pasquale Amato 1f157cef8c o.jpgPasquale Amato was an Italian people operatic baritone of the first rank. Amato enjoyed an international reputation but attained the peak of his fame in New York City, where he sang with the Metropolitan Opera in 1908-1921....
Dick Johnson/Ramirez, bandit	tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male voice type and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between the C one octave below middle C to the A above in choral music, and up to high C in solo work....	Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso was an italians tenor. Caruso was also one of the most significant and renowned singers in any genre in both the 19th and 20th Centuries, and one of the most important pioneers of recorded music....
Nick, bartender Bartender A bartender serves beverages behind a Bar in a Bar , Public house, tavern, or similar establishment. This usually includes alcoholic beverages of some kind, such as beer , wine, and/or cocktails, as well as soft drinks or other non-alcoholic beverages.... at the Polka saloon	tenor	Albert Reiss Albert Reiss Albert Reiss was a Germany opera tenor who had a prolific career in Europe and the United States during the first third of the twentieth century....
Ashby, Wells Fargo Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Co. is a diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the 4th largest bank in the US by assets and the second largest bank by market cap.... agent	bass	Adamo Didur Adamo Didur Adamo Didur was a top-class Poland bass . He sang extensively in opera in Europe and appeared at New York's Metropolitan Opera from 1908 to 1932....
Sonora, miner Miner A miner is a person whose work or business it is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. It is considered one of the most dangerous trades in the world....	baritone	Dinh Gilly Dinh Gilly Dinh Gilly was a French-Algerian baritone. He studied in Toulouse, Rome and at the Paris Conservatoire where he won a premier prix in 1902. He made his debut at the Paris Opera as Silvio in Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci in 1902....
Trin, miner	tenor	Angelo Badà
Sid, miner	baritone	Giulio Rossi
Handsome, miner	baritone	Vincenzo Reschiglian
Harry, miner	tenor	Pietro Audisio
Joe, miner	tenor	Glenn Hall
Happy, miner	baritone	Antonio Pini-Corsi Antonio Pini-Corsi Antonio Pini-Corsi was an Italy opera baritone of international renown. He possessed a ripe-toned voice of great flexibility that displayed tremendous skill at patter singing....
Jim Larkens, miner	bass	Bernard Bégué
Billy Jackrabbit, a Red Indian	bass	Georges Bourgeois
Wowkle, his squaw Squaw Squaw is the phonetic spelling of an eastern Algonquian languages Indian morpheme, meaning "woman," that appears in numerous Algonquian dialects variously spelled as squa, skwa, esqua, sqeh, skwe, que, kwa, ikwe, etc....	mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of European classical music female voice type 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 ....	Marie Mattfeld
Jake Wallace, a traveling camp minstrel	baritone	Andrés de Segurola
José Castro, a "greaser Greaser (derogatory) Greaser was a pejorative for a Demographics of Mexico in what is now the Southwestern United States in the 19th century. The term of disparagement likely derived from what was considered one of the lowliest occupations typically held by Mexicans, the greasing of the axles of mule carts.... ", from Ramirez' band	bass	Edoardo Missiano
The Pony Express Pony Express The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the North American continent from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 1860 to October 1861.... rider	tenor	Lamberto Belleri
Men of the camp and boys of the ridge

Synopsis

Time:1849 to 1850.

Place: A mining camp in the high Sierra Madre Mountains

Sierra Madre Mountains (California)

The Sierra Madre Mountains are a mountain range in northern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. They are a portion of the Transverse Ranges, which are themselves part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America....
in California

California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
.

Act 1

Inside the Polka Saloon

At the saloon, Sheriff Rance is playing solitaire, while the barman is lighting the lamps. The group of miners enter the saloon, taking a break after a day working at the mine. Sid proposes that the miners play cards, while Nick suggests the men dance. However, Sonora refuses; he prefers to sit at the bar to be close to Minnie. One of the miners, Jim Larkens, is homesick and the miners collect enough money for his fare home. A group of miners are playing cards when Bello discovers that Sid is cheating. Sheriff Rance quiets the fight and pins the two spades to Sid's jacket. Then the miners chase him out of the saloon. A Wells Fargo agent, Ashby, enters and announces that he is chasing the bandit Ramirez and his gang of Mexicans; he shows Rance the warrant for the arrest of Ramirez.

Nick announces a round of drinks for Minnie. Sheriff Rance toasts Minnie as his future wife, which makes Sonora angry. He tells Rance that Minnie is only toying with him. The two men begin to fight. Rance draws his revolver but at that moment, shots blast out and Minie stands next to the bar with a rifle in her hands. The Pony Express rider arrives and delivers a telegram from Nina Micheltorena, offering to reveal Ramirez's hideout.

The sheriff tells Minnie that he loves her and will give her $1,000 for a kiss. He also says he wants to marry her after giving up his wife. Minnie laughs at him (Rance, Minnie: Ti voglio bene, Minnie).

Rance tells Minnie that he has never loved anyone because he is a gambler; only gold fascinates him. But he is now offering Minnie a fortune if she kisses him (Rance, Minnie: Minnie, dalla mia casa son partito). But Minnie is waiting for a man she can love unconditionally although Rance suggests that the man is him (Rance, Minnie: Laggiù nel Soledad).

A stranger enters the saloon and asks for a whisky and water. He introduces himself as Dick Johnson from Sacramento. Minnie and Johnson sing about their first meeting, while Rance jealously watches them (Johnson, Rance, Minnie: Chi c’e per farmi I ricci?). Rance deliberately knocks over Johnson's saddle to provoke him, but Minnie defuses the situation. Johnson invites Minnie to dance with him and she accepts. Angrily, Rance watches them.

Ashby returns with the captured Ramirez gang member, Castro. Upon seeing his leader, Johnson, in the saloon, Castro agrees to lead Rance, Ashby and the miners in a search for Ramirez, and the group then follows him on a false trail and in what turns out to be a wild goose chase. But before Castro leaves, he whispers a plan to Johnson: somebody will whistle and Johnson must reply to confirm that the place is clear.

While Minnie is busy on the upper floor, Johnson looks around the saloon for the gold and finds it under the counter. Minnie returns and asks him if he can help her to keep watch. She is confident that the gold is safe in her care. Nicks enters and warns that a Mexican has been seen around. A whistle is heard, but Johnson fails to reply. Minnie shows Johnson the keg of gold which she and the miners take turns to guard at night and Johnson reassures her that the gold will be safe there. Before he leaves the saloon, he promises to visit her at her cabin. They confess their love for each other (Minnie, Johnson, Nick: Mister Johnson, siete rimasto indietro). Minnie begins to cry, Johnson comforts her before he leaves.

Act 2

Minnie's log cabin, later that evening

Johnson enters Minnie's cabin and she tells him all about her life. She gives him a kiss and asks him to stay till morning. Then she asks Johnson if he came to the dance looking for Nina Micheltorena. He changes the subject. Overwhelmed with guilt over his secret identity, Johnson tries to leave, but is prevented from doing so by heavy snow outside. Suddenly, they hear three gun shots. Johnson says he loves Minnie and will stay with her forever, swearing that he has never known Nina Micheltorena (Minnie, Johnson: Ugh! Neve! – Va’! Riposati sul fieno).

They hear shouting outside: the bandit trails lead to Minnie's cabin, but before the sheriff and his men enter, Minnie hides Johnson knowing of Sheriff Rance's jealousy. She is shocked to learn that Johnson is Ramerrez, Nina Micheltorena having revealed this to the Sherrif. At first, Minnie does not believe them until they show her Ramerrez's photo given to them by Nina (Nick, Johnson, Minnie, Sonora, Ashby, Rance: Hello! - Chiamano).

After the men leave, she confronts Johnson saying that he came to the Polka saloon to steal the gold. Johnson tries to defend himself (Minnie, Johnson: Vieni fouri!). He swears that he would not want to steal anything from Minnie or from the miners and that he has fallen in love with Minnie ever since their first meeting; all he wants is to make a new start with Minnie but admits that he lied to her about Nina. Minnie asks him to leave her cabin (Johnson, Minnie: Lo so, lo so! Ma non vi avrei rubato!).

After leaving, Minnie hears a gunshot and she knows Johnson has been shot. She refrains from helping him, but when Johnson staggers in and collapses, Minnie helps him by hiding him in the loft. She tells him that she loves him and will save him (Minnie, Johnson: L’han ferito .. Che importa?).

Sheriff Rance enters Minnie's cabin looking for the bandit. He is about to give up searching for Johnson when he discovers a drop of blood on the floor. Rance pulls down the ladder and forces Johnson to climb down. Minnie tries to stop Rance, but Rance gives Johnson two options: be hanged or be shot. Minnie cries "Wait!" (Minnie, Rance: Che c’e di nuovo, Jack?).

Minnie desperately makes Rance an offer. If she beats him at poker, he must let Johnson go free. If he wins, she will be his. Hiding some cards in her stockings, Minnie cheats and she wins. Rance honors the deal and Minnie throws herself on the unconscious Johnson on the floor (Minnie, Rance: Una partita a poker!).

Act 3

Near the Californian forest at dawn, sometime later

Time has passed, and Johnson has recovered from his wounds. But he is still on the run from Ashby and the miners. Nick and Rance are discussing Johnson and wonder what Minnie sees in him when Ashby arrives in the town in triumph: Johnson has been captured. Rance is delighted to see this and he wants revenge; the miners all want Johnson to be hanged. (Chorus, Ashby, Rance, Nick, Miners: Ah! Ah! Hurray, ragazzi!). While Billy Jackrabbit prepares the rope to hang Johnson, Nick bribes him with some gold and tells him to delay the execution. He rushes off to find Minnie.

Ashby turns Johnson over to Rance and his hands are tied. The men want to hang Johnson as a thief and a murderer and, although he denies ever having killed anyone, he does admit to stealing although not from Minnie. The men do not believe him (Ashby, miners, chorus, Rance, Johnson: Scerriffo Rance! Consegno a voi quest’uomo). Johnson accepts the sentence and only asks the miners not to tell Minnie about his capture and his fate (Johnson, Rance, miners, chorus: Risparmiate lo scherno ).

Johnson wishes Minnie to be told that he has gone far away to a new life of redemption and never to return (Johnson, Rance, chorus: Ch'ella mì creda libero
Ch'ella mì creda libero

Ch'ella m? creda libero is a tenor aria from Act III of the opera La fanciulla del West by Giacomo Puccini. It is the final tenor aria sung by Dick Johnson before his death sentence....
). The miners get ready to hang Johnson.

Minnie arrives just before the execution and throws herself in front of Johnson to protect him. As she prepares to shoot, the miners try to take her gun by force. Sonora calms the situation (Minnie, miners, chorus, Rance: Ah! Ah! – E Minnie).

While Rance tries to proceed, she convinces the miners that they owe her too much to kill the man she loves. She asks them to forgive him. One by one, the miners yield to her plea. Rance is not happy but finally he too gives in. Sonora unties Johnson and set him free (Minnie, Sonora, chorus, miners: Non vi fu mai chi disse ‘Basta!’).

The miners bid Minnie farewell. Minnie and Johnson leave California to start a new life together (Sonora, Johnson, Minnie, chorus, miners: Le tue parole sono di Dio).

Selected recordings

Year	Cast (Minnie, Dick Johnson, Jack Rance)	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label
1958	Birgit Nilsson Birgit Nilsson Birgit Nilsson was a Sweden dramatic soprano who specialized in operatic and symphonic works. Her voice was noted for its overwhelming force, bountiful reserves of power and the gleaming brilliance and clarity in the upper register.... , João Gibin, Andrea Mongelli	Lovro von Matacic Lovro von Matacic Lovro von Matacic , also Lovro pl. Matacic, was a Croatian Conducting. He was a member of the Vienna Boys Choir and studied in Vienna before holding a variety of conducting positions in Germany and Yugoslavia.... , Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and chorus	Audio CD: EMI Classics EMI Classics EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed european classical music releases.... Cat: 81862
1982	Carol Neblett Carol Neblett Carol Neblett is an American operatic soprano. She studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, and in 1969, made her stage debut with the New York City Opera, playing the part of Musetta in Puccini's La boh?me.... , Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo Jos? Pl?cido Domingo Embil Order of the British Empire , better known as Pl?cido Domingo, is a Spanish tenor, known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range.... , Silvano Carroli	Nello Santi Nello Santi Nello Santi is an Italian Conductor . He is often called "Papa Santi" by his fellow musicians to show their high respect for his work.... , Royal Opera House Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in the London district of Covent Garden. The large building, often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", is the home of Royal Opera, London , Royal Ballet, London and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.... Orchestra and Chorus	DVD: Kultur Video Cat: 032031203891
1991	Mara Zampieri, Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo Jos? Pl?cido Domingo Embil Order of the British Empire , better known as Pl?cido Domingo, is a Spanish tenor, known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range.... , Juan Pons Juan Pons Joan Pons ?lvarez , is a Spanish dramatic baritone, known internationally as Juan Pons....	Lorin Maazel Lorin Maazel Lorin Varencove Maazel is a conducting, viola and composer.... , Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and chorus	DVD: BBC / Opus Arte Cat: OA LS3004 D
1992	Barbara Daniels Barbara Daniels Barbara Daniels is an England cricketer and former member of the English women's cricket team . She was born in 1964 and played 9 test matches and 55 one day internationals. She helped England win the World Cup in 1993.... , Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo Jos? Pl?cido Domingo Embil Order of the British Empire , better known as Pl?cido Domingo, is a Spanish tenor, known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range.... , Sherrill Milnes Sherrill Milnes Sherrill Milnes is an United States operatic baritone most famous for his Giuseppe Verdi roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera....	Leonard Slatkin Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin is an United States conducting. Long associated with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, he is now music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.... , The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus	DVD: Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon is a Germany classical record label, now part of the Universal Music Group. The company has long been known for its high standards of high fidelity.... Cat: 00440 073 4023

Note: "Cat:" is short for catalogue number by the label company

Film adaptations

The Girl of the Golden West
The Girl of the Golden West (1915 film)

The Girl of the Golden West is a 1915 in film Western directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It's based on the opera of the La fanciulla del West....
(1915), directed by Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille

Cecil Blount DeMille was an Academy Award-winning United States film director. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies....
, featuring Mabel Van Buren
Mabel Van Buren

Mabel Van Buren was an American stage and screen actress from Chicago, Illinois. She had dark hair, brown eyes, and was five feet three inches tall....
, Theodore Roberts
Theodore Roberts

Theodore Roberts the actor is not to be confused with author Theodore Goodridge Roberts, 1877-1953, who wrote the "The Harbor Master". Please see Talk:Theodore Roberts....
and House Peters
The Girl of the Golden West (1923), directed by Edwin Carewe
Edwin Carewe

Edwin Carewe was an American motion picture director, actor, producer, and screenwriter....
and starring Sylvia Breamer
Sylvia Breamer

Sylvia Breamer was an Australian actress who performed in American silent motion pictures beginning in 1917. Her father was Sir James De Courcey Breamer, a commander in the Royal Navy....
, J. Warren Kerrigan
J. Warren Kerrigan

George Jack Warren Kerrigan was an United States silent film actor....
and Russell Simpson
Russell Simpson (actor)

Russell McCaskill Simpson was an American character actor.Born in San Francisco, California, Simpson is best known for his work in the films of John Ford and, in particular, for his portrayal of Pa Joad in The Grapes of Wrath in 1940....
The Girl of the Golden West (1930), a lost film
Lost film

A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in either studio archives or private collections. The phrase "lost film" is also used in a literal sense for instances where footage of deleted scenes, unedited and alternate versions of feature films, and recordings of early television programming are known to have...
directed by John Francis Dillon
John Francis Dillon (director)

John Francis Dillon , was an American film director and actor of the silent film. He directed 130 films between 1914 in film and 1934 in film. He also appeared in 74 films between 1914 and 1931 in film....
, with Ann Harding
Ann Harding

Ann Harding was an American theatre, film, radio, and television actress....
, James Rennie
James Rennie

James Rennie was a Scotland naturalist. In 1815 he graduated MA from Glasgow University where he had previously studied natural sciences and became a priest....
and Harry Bannister
Harry Bannister

Harry Bannister , was an American stage, film and television actor, and theater producer and director.Born in Holland, Michigan, Bannister began acting in movies and on Broadway in the 1920....
The Girl of the Golden West
The Girl of the Golden West (1938 film)

The Girl of the Golden West is a 1938 in film musical film western film. It was adapted from the play of the same name by David Belasco, better known for providing the plot of the opera La fanciulla del West by Giacomo Puccini....
(1938), directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Z. Leonard

Robert Zigler Leonard was an United States film director, actor, producer and screenwriter.He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to silent superstar Mae Murray with the two forming Tiffany Pictures to film eight motion pictures that were released by MGM....
, starring Jeanette MacDonald
Jeanette MacDonald

Jeanette MacDonald was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier and Nelson Eddy ....
, Nelson Eddy
Nelson Eddy

Nelson Ackerman Eddy was an American singer and movie star who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs....
and Walter Pidgeon
Walter Pidgeon

Walter Davis Pidgeon was an American actor of Canada birth, who lived most of his life in the United States, and eventually became a U.S. citizen....

Other influences

The melody for Jake Wallace's song near the beginning of the first act is derived from two songs in a collection of Zuni

Zuni

The Zuni or A:shiwi are a Native Americans in the United States tribe, one of the Pueblo peoples, most of whom live in the Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico on the Zuni River, a tributary of the Little Colorado River, in western New Mexico, United States....
melodies "recorded and harmonized" by ethnomusicologist Carlos Troyer, published in 1909. Puccini had obtained this publication in an effort to find authentic Native American music for Wowkle, but he ended up using it for Jake Wallace instead. (Several books about Puccini repeat Mosco Carner's claim that the song it based on Stephen Foster

Stephen Foster

Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music," was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century. His songs, such as "Oh! Susanna", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home" , "My Old Kentucky Home", "Old Black Joe", and "Beautiful Dreamer" remain popular over 150 years after their composition....
's "Old Dog Tray"; it is not.)

The climactic phrase in Johnson's aria, "Quello che tacete", near the end of the first act, bears a strong resemblance to a similar phrase in the Phantom's song, "Music of the Night", in Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an England composer of musical theatre, the elder son of William Lloyd Webber and also the brother of the renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber....
's 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)

The Phantom of the Opera is a Musical theatre by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux....
. Some listeners have cited this as evidence that Webber copied from Puccini. Following the success of Phantom, the Puccini estate filed suit against Webber accusing him of plagiarism, but the suit was settled out of court and details were not released to the public.

External links

(Italian)
, lecture by Professor Roger Parker on the opera, given at Gresham College on 11 June 2007 (with video and audio files available for download).