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L'Italiana in Algeri (Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series)

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L’Italiana in Algeri Page 1 L’Italiana in Algeri “The Italian Girl in Algiers” Dramma giocoso, “humorous drama” in Italian in two acts Music by Gioacchino Rossini Libretto: substantially adapted from Angelo Anelli’s libretto for Luigi Mosca’s earlier opera, L’Italiana in Algeri (1808). Premiere: Venice, Teatro San Benedetto, 1813. Adapted from the Opera Journeys Lecture Series by Burton D. Fisher Story Synopsis Page 2 Principal Characters in the Opera Page 2 Story Narrative with Music Highlights Page 3 Rossini and L’Italiana in Algeri Page 15 Opera Journeys™ Mini Guide Series Published © Copywritten by Opera Journeys www.operajourneys.com
Transcript
Page 1: L'Italiana in Algeri (Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series)

L’Italiana in Algeri Page 1

L’Italiana in Algeri“The Italian Girl in Algiers”

Dramma giocoso, “humorous drama”in Italian in two acts

Musicby

Gioacchino Rossini

Libretto: substantially adapted fromAngelo Anelli’s libretto for Luigi Mosca’searlier opera, L’Italiana in Algeri (1808).

Premiere: Venice, Teatro San Benedetto, 1813.

Adapted from theOpera Journeys Lecture Series

byBurton D. Fisher

Story Synopsis Page 2Principal Characters in the Opera Page 2Story Narrative with Music Highlights Page 3

Rossini and L’Italiana in Algeri Page 15

Opera Journeys™ Mini Guide Series

Published © Copywritten by Opera Journeys

www.operajourneys.com

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Story Synopsis

Mustafà, the Bey of Algiers, has tired of his wife,Elvira: he commands his captain, Ali, to find animmediate replacement for her. Simultaneously, heorders Lindoro, an Italian recently captured andenslaved, to marry Elvira and leave Algiers.

A storm causes a shipwreck, and among theprisoners is Isabella, accompanied by a suitor,Taddeo. Isabella is in search of her long lost lover,Lindoro.

Isabella is brought to Mustafà: he immediately fallsin love with her, envisioning her as the beautifulreplacement of Elvira. Isabella is determined to escapefrom Algiers and rescue her beloved Lindoro. Sheinitiates Mustafà into a secret society: the Pappatacci,its most important ritual that its members, in order tobe model husbands, must “Eat and be silent.” WhileMustafà dutifully abides by his Pappatacci oath,Isabella and Lindoro escape.

Mustafà realizes that he has been deceived, butthe experience awakens him: he renounces theresourcefulness of Italian women, and takes Elviraback as his wife, begging her forgiveness.

The story concludes with a moral: A good womanis always going to have her way, so men must acceptit.

Principal Characters in the Opera

Mustafà, Bey of Algiers BassElvira, wife of Mustafà SopranoLindoro, an Italian slave of Mustafà TenorIsabella, a young Italian lady SopranoZulma, slave, confidante, and lady-in-waiting to Elvira Mezzo-SopranoAli, (or Haly) Captain of the Algerian pirates BassTaddeo, companion of Isabella Bass

Eunuchs, Algerian pirates, Italian slaves,and women of the harem.

TIME AND PLACE: Early 19th century.Algiers, in Algeria,

the Barbary coast of North Africa.

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Story Narrative with Music Highlights

Act 1 – Scene 1: The palace of Mustafà, the Beyof Algiers.

Elvira, the Bey’s Italian wife, tells a group ofeunuchs that her husband has become bored with her:he has denounced her and has commanded her toleave Algiers. Zulma, her lady-in-waiting, togetherwith the court eunuchs, express sympathy for heranguish and try to console her, urging her to havecourage and not yield to despair. Elvira swears thatshe would do anything to have her honor and dignityrestored, but most of all, return to Mustafà’s goodgraces.

Mustafà and his entourage arrive: he is heedlessto Elvira’s pleas and arrogantly confirms his might andpower; nothing can dissuade him from his decision toabandon Elvira.

Delle donne l’arroganza,

Mustafà dismisses all except Ali, the Captain ofhis pirates, reiterating to him that Elvira bores him todeath. He has decided to free the handsome youngItalian slave, Lindoro: he shall become Elvira’s newhusband, and he will ship both to Italy.

Mustafà, finding all the women in his haremcapricious and unsatisfying, seeks another woman –an Italian woman - to satisfy his lust and fancy. Heorders Ali to find him a replacement for Elvira, allowinghim six days to find a suitable substitute; if he fails, hewill be impaled.

Meanwhile, the enslaved Lindoro despairs, longingfor home as well as his beloved Isabella.

Languir per una bella,

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Mustafà briskly interrupts the lamentingLindoro to inform him that he has arranged hismarriage and his freedom, assuring him that hisnew wife is the soul-mate he has yearned for; adazzling and astounding woman. Mustafàproceeds to describe the attributes of this rare,perfect woman: she has money, grace, charm,beauty, and is a tender woman with lovingpassion; she possesses beautiful eyes, amagnificent complexion, and has a slender figure.

Lindoro, who has just lamented his lost love,becomes perplexed and confounded, telling Mustafàthat this new wife could never possess his heart. In arollicking interchange, both men trade opinions on thedesirability of the proposed match.

Duet: Se inclinassi a prender moglie,

Act I – Scene 2: The seashore.

During a storm, a ship is stranded off the coast.Ali and his pirates capture the survivors and bringthem to land. They praise their booty: hearty Italianslaves, and beautiful women. Among them is theexceptionally beautiful Isabella whom Ali immediatelyenvisions as a perfect gift for his lecherous master;the replacement he seeks for Elvira..

Isabella is accompanied by Taddeo, her travelingcompanion and infatuated admirer. She has come toAlgiers to find and rescue her beloved Lindoro,abducted by the Algerian pirates: she mourns hermisfortune in becoming shipwrecked.

Cruda sorte!

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Isabella is a woman possessing courage andresourcefulness: she expresses herdetermination to overcome her dilemma; now shehas become the victim of men, but she will useher wiles to tame and vanquish them.

While Isabella affirms to Taddeo that she isfearless and resolved to escape from their captivity,they are confronted by Ali and his pirates who plan toseize and enslave Taddeo. Isabella intervenes, tellingthem that Taddeo cannot leave her side because he isher uncle and protector. Ali decides to bring themboth to the Bey, confident that he will be providing hismaster with the brightest new star in his harem.

Isabella, now alone with Taddeo, expresses herconfidence and resolve: if she is forced to becomethe Bey’s mistress, she will find a way to surmounther dilemma. At the same time, she rebukes the lustfulTaddeo, rejecting him and ordering him to stop hisamorous advances toward her: he indeed knows thatshe has but one passion; her beloved Lindoro.

Taddeo laments his bad fortune: in the end, hehas become merely Isabella’s protective “uncle,” andnow a captive slave fated to end his life inside a harem.

Duet: Ai capricci della sorte

Nevertheless, Isabella and Taddeo decide to unite:they will become allies rather than fight amongst eachother, Isabella assuring the worrying Taddeo that withhis trust and faith in her, she will find a way out of theirpredicament.

Act I – Scene 3: A hall in Mustafà’s palace

Zulma, acting as an intermediary between Elviraand Lindoro, is confused and bewildered becauseLindoro refuses to marry the charming Elvira, andlikewise, Elvira refuses to marry this handsome youngman. Elvira expresses her resolve: although Mustafà

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has spurned her, she is determined to remain hiswife.

Mustafà arrives and announces thewonderful news that an Italian ship haspropitiously arrived in the harbor, and Lindorocan board the ship in freedom, as long as Elviraaccompanies him. Despondently, Lindorocontemplates his misfortune: he must marryElvira to achieve freedom, and at the same time, hewill no longer be free to marry his real beloved,Isabella.

Ali arouses Mustafà’s excitement by informing himthat they have captured a beautiful Italian girl,describing her as the woman he has longed for, andthe perfect replacement for his wife. With arrogantpride, Mustafà gloats as he anticipates meeting thesignorina, a new conquest that will contribute to hisfame. He commands Ali to immediately bring him therare Italian beauty.

Già d’insolito ardore

Zulma is perplexed and bewildered, unable tounderstand how Elvira can still love Mustafà after heheartlessly decreed her banishment: Elvira confirmsthat she loves him in spite of his cruelty and unkindness.

Lindoro announces that their ship is ready to sail.Elvira sighs in sorrow, but Lindoro advises her not tofret, assuring her that in Italy she will find a host ofyoung admirers, men who will adore her beyond herwildest dreams.

Act I – Scene 4: A magnificent hall in Mustafà’spalace

Mustafà is seated royally as he awaits thepresentation of the Italian girl: he is surrounded byeunuchs and the women of his harem. The eunuchswait impatiently and with expectation, relishing the

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opportunity to witness Mustafà revealing hisgreat secrets: he will prove to them that he isindeed the great tamer of women.

Ali presents Isabella: la bella Italiana, “Thebeautiful Italian girl.”

Trio: O che muso,

Isabella observes this lecherous, hilarious dolt, andrecoils in horror. Mustafà is immediately mesmerized,seduced, and enchanted by the beautiful Isabella, buteven though crazed with lust, he decides to behavewith dignity: he will be calm, reserved, self-possessed,and indifferent.

Isabella, with craft and cunning, launches her planto defeat the vulnerable Mustafà. She tells him thatshe is poor, unhappy, weak, helpless, and desperatelyin need of his protection: he alone can console herbleeding heart. Mustafà yields to Isabella’senchantment, becoming ensnared by her wiles, andlosing all of his will power.

Taddeo intrudes to announce that as Isabella’suncle, he must remain with her. Irritated and annoyed,Mustafà orders Taddeo impaled at once. However,Isabella intervenes, and seductively charms the Beyinto revoking his order to execute Taddeo.

Elvira, Lindoro, and Zulma, arrive to say theirfarewells, flattering Mustafà and telling him that theirparting fills them with emotion and devotion: they willalways remember his kindness.

Isabella is stunned to see Lindoro. Likewise,Mustafà is mystified as he watches the long-lost lovers,who, with suppressed ardor, express delight, yet theirconfusion and frustration.

Isabella is told that Elvira is Mustafà’s former wife,the woman he no longer wants and has abandoned,and that Mustafà has freed the slave, Lindoro, so hecan marry Elvira. Isabella becomes appalled by thebarbarity of their customs, telling Mustafà that he mustchange them, cunningly advising him that she could

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never love a man who treated his wife the wayhe has treated Elvira. Mustafà, seeking to pleasethe woman whose love he now craves, concedesto Isabella: Elvira and Lindoro will remain, butacceding to Isabella’s wishes, he will assignLindoro to become Isabella’s slave.

The entire company erupts into agitatedexcitement: the omnipotent Mustafà has been tamed,but all suspect duplicity. In their confusion andbewilderment, they envision themselves sinking in aship that is being tossed about in a stormy ocean.

Act II – Scene 1: A hall in the palace.

The eunuchs muse about Mustafà’s defeat: he wasonce the great tamer of woman, but he has nowtransformed into a besotted lover, a victim of the cleverItalian girl: Elvira is in disbelief; Ali is anxious but movedto laughter; and Zulma concludes that the Italian girlmay yet reform Mustafà and ultimately teach himvirtue.

Mustafà arrives and commands the ladies to tellthe signorina that he wishes to have coffee with herin her room. Mustafà is resigned to a new strategy: hewill cater to Isabella’s womanly pride and then shewill no longer resist him. All leave.

Isabella arrives and rues her misfortune;imprisoned in a harem, and Lindoro, the man she loves,unfaithful and about to marry another.

Lindoro appears, and the lovers are alone forthe first time. Lindoro convinces Isabella that Mustafàforced this unfortunate fate upon him, however, heonly promised to be Elvira’s escort, not her husband.Their love and faith is restored, and they plot theirescape. Isabella convinces Lindoro to place hisabsolute trust in her ingenuity to devise a clever ruseto guarantee their freedom.

Left alone, Lindoro expresses his joy andhappiness: at last he and Isabella have become united;his suffering was not in vain, and now, fortune smilesupon him.

Ah come il cor di giubilo

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Mustafà returns, followed by Taddeo, Ali,the eunuchs, and two moors who carry a turban,an enormous Turkish garment, and a saber.

Taddeo begs Mustafà to be merciful and savehim from the barbarians who are chasing him and wantto impale him. Mustafà decides to use Isabella’s“uncle” to help him become ingratiated with his niece.He bestows upon Taddeo the title of Kaimakan, aluogotenènte, or lieutenant; Taddeo has become oneof Mustafà’s bodyguards. Taddeo, fearful of his newduties, reluctantly accepts the honor and iscongratulated by the eunuchs who bless him as theirfriend and protector.

The Moors dress Taddeo in lavish Turkish clothesthat include a large turban and saber. Taddeo findsthe Turkish garments quite unbearable, but rather thancomplain, he decides to be prudent and avoidMustafà’s anger, concluding that it is better to be aKaimakan than be dead and buried.

Ho un gran peso sulla testa

Taddeo goes off to perform his first duty, hissurvival dependent on convincing Isabella to begracious to Mustafà.

Act II – Scene 2:Another part of the palace. Isabella stands beforea large mirror as she dresses in Turkish attire.

Elvira and Zulma advise Isabella that Mustafàwishes to join her for coffee. Isabella orders her slave,Lindoro, to bring 3 coffees, but Elvira cautions herthat Mustafà will become enraged if Lindoro ispresent. Isabella tells them not to worry because shefears him not, and she will take full charge of thesituation. Zulma and Elvira depart.

As Isabella resumes dressing before the mirror.

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Mustafà, Taddeo, and Lindoro, secretly observeher, however, she is well aware of their presenceand sings a love song, a song directed to herbeloved Lindoro, that deceives Mustafà intobelieving that she sings about her love for him.Aside, Isabella vows revenge against Mustafà:in this battle of the sexes she will force him tosurrender, and she will repay him for his cruelty.Ultimately, she is determined and resolved torescue her beloved Lindoro.

Per lui che adoro

Mustafà, after overhearing Isabella’s words oflove, erupts into eager expectation. He ordersLindoro, and his new Kaimakan, Taddeo, to bringIsabella to him.

Lindoro returns with Isabella, whispering toMustafà confidentially that Isabella adores him, butthat he should court her gently and graciously.Mustafà, anticipating a private moment with Isabella,orders Taddeo that when he sneezes, he is to leaveimmediately.

Mustafà, Isabella, Taddeo, Lindoro, and Elvira,sing in a quintet, Ti presento di mia man: Mustafàpresents Taddeo to Isabella as his Kaikaman; Lindoropoints out to Mustafà that Isabella is beautifully attired,an obvious invitation for him to court her; and Isabellaaddresses Mustafà as mio caro, “my darling.”Immediately, Mustafà sneezes, his signal to Taddeoto leave, however, Taddeo misses his cue and remains,provoking Mustafà to seethe with anger and threatenhim.

Mustafà tries vainly to be alone with Isabella buttwo Moors arrive with coffee. Isabella invites Elvirato join them for coffee, her attempt to reconcile Elvirawith her husband: coffee à deux has now becomecoffee à quatre. Frustrated, Mustafà explodes intoanger, condemning all as traitors and swearing revengebecause his plan to be intimate with Isabella has endedin chaos and confusion.

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Ali muses about the wiles of Italian women,predicting that in spite of Mustafà’s bravado, he willfail, unable to cope with the wily Isabella. Ali hastraveled the world, concluding that Italian women arestrikingly superior to all other women, farsurpassing all the rest with their intelligence andcharm.

Le femmine d’Italia son disinvolte e scaltre,

Mustafà has become aggravated and annoyed atIsabella who has frustrated his initiatives, but Lindororeassures him that Isabella indeed loves him very much.He advises Mustafà that Isabella has planned asplendid banquet to honor him and bequeath him intothe order of Pappatacci, “Papa dummy,” literally, onewho eats greedily and keeps silent.

Lindoro explains that Pappatacci is a rare andvery exalted title that cannot be inherited, and isbestowed as a unique tribute to a man who is soattractive to women, that they cannot cease theirswooning and sighing.

Lindoro explains the duties of a Pappatacci: itsmembers lead a life devoted exclusively to eating,drinking, and sleeping, and they must vow to keepsilent during whatever dramas play around them.Mustafà becomes delighted, flattered, and honored.

The ‘Pappataci’ trio:Mustafà, Taddeo, and Lindoro

Isabella exhorts the Italian slaves, urging them tobe brave and courageous, and not despair or befrightened: they must place their trust and faith in her,and in the end, they will be rescued and see theirhomeland.

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Rondo: Pensa alla patria

Isabella, alone with Lindoro, affirms her loveIsabella, alone with Lindoro, affirms her lovefor him: their love will give them courage, andthey will succeed in escaping from Algiers.

Mustafà anxiously awaits his initiation into thePappatacci.

The Pappatacci band arrives, the horn playersresounding the call to begin the ceremony. Mustafàsincerely hopes that he will be worthy and be acceptedinto the order: if he succeeds, they will receive hisgratitude.

Isabella ceremoniously addresses Mustafà,assuring him that if he achieves the honored rank ofPappatacci, all the ladies will faint at his feet.

Taddeo reads from a scroll, and Mustafà repeatshis oath:

Di veder e non veder.“What I see I shall not see.”

Di sentir e non sentir.“What I hear I shall not hear.”

Per mangiar e per goder.“While I eat and drink with glee.”

Di lasciare fare e dir.“Letting nothing interfere.”

Io qui giuro e poi scongiuro.“So I swear upon my honor.”

Pappatacci Mustafa

The chorus congratulates him that he hasprogressed well. Mustafà is ready for his final test.

Giuro inoltre all’occasion.“While I drink and while I eat.”

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Di portar torcia e lampion.“I shall never leave my seat.”

E se manco al giuramento.“I will do what I have sworn.”

Più non abbia un pel sul mento.“Or my whiskers shall be shorn.”

All celebrate Mustafà’s induction into thePappatacci. Lindoro announces that it is time fordinner. Mustafà is ordered to start eating dinner andabide by the first rule of the exclusive order: just eat,drink, and ignore what is happening around him.

Isabella tests Mustafà’s capacity for silence andflirts with Lindoro. Mustafà turns to anger but isreprimanded by Taddeo: he must keep hisPappatacci vows and eat, keep his eyes shut, andbe silent.

In the background, a ship appears at the port.While the Pappatacci ceremony proceeds,

Isabella and Lindoro begin to leave. Taddeo betraysthem and advises Mustafà that he has been tricked,however, Mustafà diligently abides by the Pappataccirules and continues to eat and drink: What I see Ishall not see. What I hear I shall not hear. So Iswear upon my honor. Pappatacci Mustafà!

Suddenly Mustafà realizes that the Italians haveescaped and calls for his soldiers and eunuchs, butthey are drunk and asleep. Mustafà concedes thatItalian girls are too clever for him. He has learned hislesson and begs Elvira’s forgiveness, and promises toreinstate her as his wife.

All the Algerians bid farewell and wish goodfortune to Isabella, Lindoro, and the Italians. Isabellahas been victorious. She rescued her lover, and taughtMustafà and the Algerians a profound lesson: a strongminded woman can never be defeated, and will alwayswin and conquer.

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Rossini…………..........and L’Italiana in Algeri

Gioacchino Antonio Rossini, 1792 –1868, wasthe most important Italian opera composer during

the first half of the nineteenth century: the primoottocento.

Rossini’s entire generation proclaimed him theundisputed king of opera composers, living or dead,and in the eyes of the Italian opera world, he wasidolized and adored, towering significantly overMozart, Gluck, or even Beethoven.

Though Rossini is best known for his operabuffas, his comic and satiric operas, he also composedopera serias, operas with serious themes. Whateverthe particular genre, all of his music contains a uniquemelodic inventiveness and rhythmic vitality, specialfeatures that became the inspiration to his illustriouscontemporaries, Bellini and Donizetti, as well as theyoung Verdi.

Rossini was born in Pesaro, Italy. As a child, hedisplayed exceptional musical talent, which earned himentry into the Bologna Conservatory at the age oftwelve. In 1810, at the age of eighteen, he wrote hisfirst opera, La Cambiale di Matrimonio, “TheMarriage Contract,” but his first substantial successoccurred two years later with his opera, La Pietradel Paragone, “The Touchstone,” introduced at LaScala and given fifty performances in its first season.Tancredi, “Tancrède,” based on Voltaire, andL’Italiana in Algieri, “The Italian Girl in Algiers,”were even more successful triumphs. By the age oftwenty-one, Rossini’s early successes established himas the indisputable idol of the Italian opera public.

In 1815, he was engaged to write new works aswell as direct two opera companies in Naples. Hisfirst opera under that arrangement was Elisabetta,written expressly for the popular Spanish prima donna,Isabella Colbran, the former mistress of the King ofNaples, and later the woman who would become hiswife and for whom he would write several operas.

In 1816, Rossini wrote his celebrated operabuffa masterpiece, The Barber of Seville. Eventhough a combination of circumstances spelled disasterfor the opera at its premiere, on its second eveningthe opera was acclaimed, and with each successive

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performance, it gained new admirers. Today, it isgenerally considered the greatest comicmasterpiece in the entire operatic canon.

In 1822, after marrying Isabella Colbran, Rossinileft Italy for Vienna, where he and his operas becamethe rage, and two years later, he went to Paris to directthe Théâtre des Italiens. Rossini’s popularity in Pariswas so great that Charles X gave him a contract towrite five new operas a year, and at the expiration ofthe contract, he was to receive a generous pensionfor life.

During his Paris years, between 1824 and 1829,Rossini composed the comic opera Le Comte d’Ory,“Count Ory,” and the opera many consider his mostserious masterpiece, Guillaume Tell, “William Tell”(1829), the latter a political epic adapted fromSchiller’s play (1804) about the thirteenth centurySwiss patriot who rallied his country against theAustrians. The stylistic innovations Rossini introducedin both these works were momentous and wouldeventually influence composers as different as Adam,Meyerbeer, Offenbach, Verdi, and Wagner.

Rossini’s contemporary audience considered hismusic like vintage wine, always improving with age,and never growing sour or flat. His music was alwaysfresh, gay, simple, and saturated with sparklingmelodies and an inexhaustible joie de vivre; his musicwas easily understood at first hearing, and neverrequired the discovery of an underlying significance.

Though Rossini was only thirty-eight years oldwhen he completed William Tell, he had alreadycomposed thirty-eight operas. Rossini would put downhis operatic pen, retire, and live for thirty-eight yearsmore, never again writing another note for an opera.He was at the height of his creative powers and aworld-renowned figure, yet in the subsequent fourdecades of his life, he produced only some sacredmusic, a few songs, and some instrumental and pianopieces.

Rossini did not fit into the conventional picture ofthe starving composer: few composers in their lifetimesever enjoyed such phenomenal success, and heliterally sat on top of the music world, becomingpleasantly intoxicated with his well-deserved success.

Nevertheless, his sudden withdrawal from the

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world of opera has inspired much conjecture. Somescholars have concluded that Rossini’s indolence andlaziness had gotten the better of him after he hadachieved such immense wealth: others claim that theinitial failure of William Tell to achieve success hadembittered him; that he was disappointed that his famehad become overshadowed by the popularity of thosegrand opera spectacles of Meyerbeer and Halévywhich replaced his opera buffas; and still otherssuggest that Rossini’s neurasthenia, a mental disordercharacterized by fatigue and anxiety, as well as hisdebilitating bout with gonorrhea, had become tooserious after 1830 and prohibited him from work.

While in his retirement, Rossini became a majorfigure in the social and cultural life of Paris. He hadbecome esteemed as Europe’s leading composer, andhis overtures were even compared to those ofBeethoven. He relished the title, “the music emperorof Europe,” and he certainly lived like one, maintaininghomes in Italy, Paris, and a summer villa in rural France.Rossini had become rich, famous, and gourmand-stomached.

After finally marrying Olympe Pélissier, a womanwhom he had loved for years but could not marryuntil his first wife died, he reigned like a nineteenth-century prince in his luxurious Paris apartment, wherehe entertained friends in the grand manner, grantedaudiences, held court, and offered commentaries.Legends report that the young classical composerCamille Saint-Saëns would be anxiously sitting in onecorner of Rossini’s home waiting his turn at the piano,and in another, a famous singer would likewise bepreparing to entertain the bejeweled ladies.

Rossini’s death was brought about bycomplications following a heart attack. He was buriedin Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, but at the requestof the Italian government, his body was removed toFlorence where he is buried in the cemetery of theSanta Croce Church.

Thirty-eight years was a long retirement, and along time to be devoted to Rossini’s legacy ofgourmand eating, attractive women, and sharpwitticisms. Nevertheless, the most famous operacomposer of his generation preferred to remain silentmusically, and in spite of his personal problems andillnesses, one could easily conjecture that perhaps he

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was satisfied that he had said all he ever wanted tosay in the last dramatic scene of William Tell: it wasa passionate cry for liberty during an historical time ofsevere tension between reform and revolution.

Rossini was a remarkably productive composer,completing an average of two operas per year

for nineteen years, and in some years writing as manyas four operas. His operatic muse worked quickly,and it is reputed that he composed The Barber ofSeville in three weeks, and at a later time, boasted toWagner that he had written the opera in thirteen days.

Rossini was constantly balancing the tensionsbetween mediocrity and genius. His prolific rate ofopera production was made possible by his amazingcreative facilities, his fluent technical resources andcapabilities, his nimble craftsmanship, and his fertilemelodic inventiveness. What helped increase hisvoluminous output was his capacity for makingcompromises. It could be conjectured that Rossinihad the temperament of a hack, often using poormaterial to overcome a lack of inspiration or“composer’s block.” It is rumored that he evenpermitted other composers to interpolate numbers oftheir own into his works, and he often convenientlyborrowed ideas from his older operas, although thatpractice is universal for all composers: The Barberof Seville Overture is derived from a medley ofthemes from his previous opera, Aureliano inPalmira, which also furnished the melodic frameworkfor Rosina’s aria in The Barber; Una voce poca fa.

Nevertheless, Rossini was a true genius who couldbring the most sublime melodic inspiration into hiswriting, what Verdi would call, “an abundance of truemusical ideas.” His bold experiments broughtsignificant innovations to the opera genre: he perfectedwhat is today called the Rossini crescendo, earninghim the pseudonyms Signor crescendo and Signoraccelerando. Those techniques repeated a phraseover and over in rapid tempo with no variation savethat of volume: the technique facilitated an explosionof patter and genuine excitement in his scores, and tothis day, represent his unique, identifying musicalsignature.

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Rossini was one of the first composers to writeout cadenzas instead of allowing the singer to improvisethem: he was a pioneer in accompanying recitativeswith strings instead of piano or harpsichord; and hedeveloped his ensembles to almost symphonicproportions. His more profound use of orchestra,together with his inventive creation of orchestral effectsand coloration, provided a unique expressiveness. Inparticular, his overtures, which are performed inconcert with extreme frequency, remain examples ofhis outstanding orchestral achievements: La GazzaLaddra, Semiramide, and, of course, the WilliamTell Overture, the latter familiar to millions as theLone Ranger Theme.

Rossini’s greatness lies in the fact that he not onlycomposed great comic operas, but serious operas aswell. The best pages of his serious operas have powerand passion, and his best comic operas are markedwith a dashing spontaneity, verve, and gaiety; hemastered the art of mixing humor with pathos. Amonghis most important operas are: La Scale di Seta(1812); La Pietra del Paragone (1812); Il SignorBruschino (1813); Tancredi (1813); L’Italiana inAlgieri (1813); Elisabetta (1815); II Barbiere diSiviglia (1815); Otello (1816); La Cenerentola(1817); La Gazza Ladra (1817); Armida (1817);Mosè in Egitto (1818); La Donna del Lago (1819);Zelmira (1822); Semiramide (1823); Le Siège deCorinthe (1826), Le Comte d’Ory (1828); andGuillaume Tell.

Rossini, together with his contemporaries, Belliniand Donizetti, were the Italian triumvirate of the

bel canto opera tradition that dominated earlynineteenth century opera: bel canto literally means“beautiful singing.”

The bel canto style is voice concentrated, anddemands singing with beauty, elegance, flexibility, anassured technique, bravura, vocal acrobatics, andvirtuosity. At the beginning of the nineteenth centuryin Italy, music meant opera, and opera to the Italiansmeant singing: opera became an art form with scientificfoundations that displayed the technical versatility ofthe voice as well as the Italian propensity for beautifulmelody.

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Rossini composed exclusively in the bel cantotradition: all of his music contains beautiful melodiclines which require singing virtuosity. Often bel canto,coloratura, and even fioritura, are synonymousterms used interchangeably, but primarily, they allstress an elaborate and brilliant ornamentation of thevocal line in which the concentration is on the voiceand melody.

Bel canto and its vocal fireworks, whenperformed intelligently, inherently providedramatic poignancy and eloquence: in this style,it is the voice and vocal line, together with vocalfireworks, virtuosity, and bravura that becomethe preeminent features of the art-form. As aconsequence, lyricism dominates, and bynecessity, the orchestra becomes a secondaryingredient, generally an accompanist that issubdued when the singer is singing, regardlessof what is transpiring dramatically.

The dramatic intensity of many bel canto librettosreceives minor praise from our modern music-dramacentered audiences: in the bel canto tradition, dramaand dramatic continuity were generally secondaryconsiderations to the art of singing. In retrospect, manyof those bel canto librettos could be consideredhumdrum and hackneyed, even though an abundantnumber of them were written by extremely talentedand original craftsmen.

Nevertheless, it has been the freshness of theunderlying music of bel canto operas that hascompelled many opera-goers to overlook the librettos,and contemporary champions of the tradition haveproven that there can be real drama in these works.In this style, dramatic effects and pathos are expressedprimarily through the inflection of the vocal line:therefore, coloratura passages achieve their dramaticeffects through dynamics, becoming bent and flexed,stretched, speeded up, or slowed down.

The opera seria, or serious operatic style whichhad reached its peak during the mid-eighteenthcentury, provided an exquisite means to display andglorify the voice: drama would be expressed throughvocal bravura in operas such as Handel’s JuliusCaesar (1723), and Mozart’s Idomeneo (1781). Inlater melodramas composed in the Romantic era, orthe bel canto era, the voice became the instrument to

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convey drama: the sleepwalking heroine in Bellini’sLa Sonnambula (1831), the Mad Scene inDonizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), andlater, Lady Macbeth’s Sleepwalking scene inVerdi’s Macbeth (1847).

Those three great masters, Rossini, Bellini,and Donizetti, have left a legacy of bel cantooperas for posterity: the preeminence of theirworks on our contemporary stage remains proofthat the art form is not only captivating, but aclassic art form capable of continuousrejuvenation. Certainly, the art form is very muchalive in the contemporary opera theater, asproven by the success of recent superstars ofthe genre: Maria Callas, Alfredo Kraus, MarilynHorne, Joan Sutherland, and currently, CeciliaBartoli, and Jeniffer Larmore.

In the bel canto period, it was the singer’s day:opera existed for the express purpose of showing offthe voice, and in each of Rossini’s thirty-eight operas,he proved that he was one of the greatest and foremostpractitioners, as well as innovators, of the bel cantoart form. Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri is asuperb comic opera that conveys its humor, gaiety,and sentimentalism, in the tradition of bel canto,“beautiful singing.”

The Commedia dell’Arte genre - literally translatedas “artistic-play”- originated and is defined as

satirical entertainment. The tradition existed forcenturies, most prominently performed by troupes ofstrolling players throughout Italy during theRennaissance. At that time, its underlying satire andirony were important and popular theatrical forces,and ultimately, they would shape the development ofcomedy for future generations.

The art form originated in market places andstreets where performers traditionally wore masks inorder to conceal their identities: their protection wasnecessitated by the fact that they were satirizing andridiculing their contemporary world; performersclowned, insulted, and ridiculed every aspect of societyand its institutions by characterizing humorous orhypocritical situations involving cunning servants,scheming doctors, and duped masters.

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In order to draw attention to themselves, theygenerally wore exaggerated and comical costumes.Plots would contain very few lines of setdialogue, and much of their performancecontained spontaneous improvisation. Thestandard characters were the Harlequin,Columbine, and Pulchinello, and in Italy, thecharacters became affectionately known aszanni, no doubt the root of our English word“zany,” meaning funny in a crazy or silly way, ora silly person, clown, or buffoon.

During the eighteenth century, the Intermezzodeveloped in the Italian theater: it was a short playwith music that was presented between the acts of aserious drama. The Commedia dell’Arte and theIntermezzo genres were the theatrical predecessorsthat would develop into the opera buffa: Pergolesi’sLa Serva Padrona, “The Maid Mistress” (1733),was one of the earliest opera buffas, and almost acentury later, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (1816)would serve as the model for all future works in thegenre, followed by Donizetti L’Elisir d’Amore, “TheElixir of Love” (1832) and Don Pasquale (1843) ;Verdi’s Falstaff (1893), and Puccini’s GianniSchicchi (1918).The Commedia dell’Arte and operabuffa comic traditions and satires became theprototype for modern vaudeville, exemplified byChaplin, the Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton, HaroldLloyd, and today, Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder.

Opera buffa, the comic or satiric genre, must bedistinguished from its more serious predecessor, operaseria. The opera seria generally dealt with historical,legendary, or mythological themes, and usuallycontained a happy ending with due reward forrectitude and good deed. Quintessential examples ofopera seria are Handel’s Julius Caesar (1724),Gluck’s Orfeo et Euridice (1762), and Mozart’sIdomeneo (1781).

During the pre-French Revolution and pre-Romantic eras, aristocrats identified with the extremelypopular opera seria genre: these operas portrayedlofty personalities whom they perceived as flatteringportraits of themselves. Opera serias utilized massivescenes of pageantry that were married to highlycomplex, ornamented arias that would exploit thevirtuosity of individual singers.

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As the end of the eighteenth century approached,the opera buffa developed: it was a more realisticgenre that portrayed more human characters ineveryday situations rather than in idealizedrepresentations. The lower classes, in an almostuncanny extension of the classical Commediadell’Arte and Intermezzo genres, preferred the satireof the opera buffa genre, which, like its predecessors,was usually concerned with love intrigues involvingcuckolds, deceiving wives, and scheming servants. Incertain respects, opera buffa’s themes and subjectsprovided a democratization in the performing arts, thatenabled the lower classes, mostly through comedy,to satirize their masters and vent their frustrations andchagrin: in effect, opera buffa was a form of populisttheater.

In contrast to the opera seria, the opera buffapreferred simplicity in design. Generally, a fewcharacters would be portrayed against anuncomplicated setting, yet musically, there would bemuch stylistic contrast; tuneful melodies, and rhythmic,staccato passages to emphasize moods. Opera buffafeatured extended act finales with sophisticatedensembles (taboo in the opera seria), and many set-pieces involving the participation of many charactersin duets and trios.

Patter songs are a feature of opera buffa: theseare tongue twisters delivered at presto speed thatrepresents an art in itself; it requires an acute sense ofcomic timing in order for the singer to make the wordsintelligible, and a vocal virtuosity equivalent to wordscoming out of a typewriter at breakneck speed. In itspractical sense, patter is nothing more or less thanrapid fire articulation, similar to those popular tongue-twisters: “She sells seashells at the seashore,” or “PeterPiper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” In mostclassic opera buffas, the patter usually portrayed oldbusybodies, and were usually sung by basso buffoswho would be chattering and grumbling incessantly.

Rossini’s opera buffas created the role-modelfor patter songs and made them de rigeur: in TheBarber of Seville, Figaro’s Largo al factotum is anexample of quintessential patter.

Mozart ingeniously used the inherent satirical styleof the opera buffa genre to reflect the changing socialand political currents that had been awakened by the

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Enlightenment: the demise of the ancien régime thatwould vanish at the end of the eighteenth century.Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (1786), isconsidered one of the greatest opera buffas: asatiric portrayal of the political and socialconflicts existing within his contemporarysociety. To achieve his objectives, Mozartcreated incomparable musical characterizations:his heroes became the lower classes such asFigaro and Susanna, and his antiheroes becamethose contemptible aristocrats such as the CountAlmaviva and Dr. Bartolo. Mozart brilliantlyutilized the opera buffa genre, injecting his ingeniousmusical inventions, and breathing life into hischaracterizations.

The essence of good comedy is not that it hasnecessarily happened, but that it could happen.Therefore, comedy must have a link with reality sothat it does not degenerate into farce. In order to beconvincing and believable, real or imagined situationsmust convey a sense of credibility. As such, the essenceof opera buffa is to provide satire and irony, togetherwith moments of seriousness and real humanemotions: a magnificent blend of heartfelt comedyand humor together with sentiment and tenderness sothat the comic action achieves credibility.

Rossini once wrote: “I was born for the operabuffa.” His The Barber of Seville and L’Italian inAlgeri, are pure opera buffas, and an ingenious writingwithin that genre and style. Like Donizetti’s DonPasquale, both are nineteenth century works that arepresented with musical and dramatic tastefulness,elegance, and refinement, and never bear the faintesthint of vulgarity.

The year 1813 was a keystone year in Rossini’scareer. He was 21years-old, barely out of his

teens, and up to that time, had been recognized as apromising young composer: among his half-dozenminor works, the most notable were his one-act farces,La Pietra del Paragone, “The Touchstone,” LaScala di Seta, “The Silken Ladder,” and Il SignorBruschino, or, Il Figlio per Azzardo,“The Son byAccident.”

However, in 1813, Rossini established himself as

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the most successful contemporary composer of operawith two masterpieces that premiered in Venice:Tancredi and L’Italiana in Algeri; both achievedoutstanding acclaim.

Tancredi was Rossini’s first serious opera: itwas based on Tancrède, the Voltaire tragedy thattakes place in Syracuse during the conflictsbetween Christians and Moslems. In the story,the hero and heroine engage in trials andmisunderstandings before they ultimately findtrue love. The opera contains Di tanti palpiti,one of Rossini’s most beautiful love songs,however, it was specifically its orchestration thatawed the public: Stendhal remarked that theorchestration was so advanced that it represented “anart of expressing by means of instruments that portionof their sentiments which the characters could notconvey to us.”

Three months later, Rossini’s first comicmasterwork premiered: L’Italiana in Algeri, “TheItalian Girl in Algiers.” The vitality, vivacity, and sparkleof the work were unprecedented, Rossini excelling inhis musical characterizations, and endowing them witha psychological depth and refinement that were newand innovative in the comic opera genre of the times.

L’Italiana was commissioned by the Teatro SanBenedetto, Venice; it was an emergency

replacement for an opera that had failed. Rossinicomposed operas at a rapid pace, and depending onthe biographical source, L’Italiana was completedin either 18 or 27 days.

Angelo Anelli, 1761-1820, a renowned classicalscholar, wrote more than 40 librettos, one of his mostfamous written for Stefano Pavesi’s Ser Marcantonio,and later adapted by Giovanni Ruffini for Donizetti’sDon Pasquale (1843).

Anelli’s libretto, L’Italiana in Algeri, was derivedfrom a real-life event: in 1805 a young Milanesewoman, Antonietta Frapollo, was kidnapped andtaken to the court of Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim in Algiers.In 1808, Luigi Mosca, 1775–1824, a composer ofsome 17 operas, wrote the music for Anelli’s libretto:his musical style remarkably mirrored that of Rossini;

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much vocal patter, large ensembles, and, those classicRossini trademark techniques, the accelerando andcrescendo.

For Rossini’s Teatro San Benedetto commission,he bowed to expediency and decided to re-workAngelo Anelli’s libretto, even though Mosca’sL’Italiana in Algeri.had premiered only five yearsearlier in 1808. At the premiere of Rossini’sL’Italiana, the audience initially viewed the opera asunsubstantially changed from Mosca’s L’Italiana: theyimmediately condemned Rossini as a plagiarizer.Nevertheless, most Venetian critics were more astuteand genuine, immediately realizing that Rossini hadproduced one of his most original and brilliant scores.They acclaimed the work as freshly written andcontaining a dazzling overture, the overture one of thebest of its genre, and one that has since become apermanent concert staple.

Rossini’s ingenious, remarkable comic musicalinventions illuminated the score of his L’Italiana,certainly transcending Mosca’s earlier version, justas his The Barber transcended Paisello’s earlierversion. The opera caught on quickly and was widelyperformed, immediately becoming a popular stapleon European stages: it became the first Rossini operato be staged in Germany (1816, Munich), and inFrance (1817, Paris). Almost a century later, RichardStrauss was among those reported to have been “madwith enthusiasm” about the opera: consequently, inmodern times, Rossini’s L’Italiana remains a secureand permanent staple in the repertory:

The story of the L’Italiana takes place in Algeriaduring the early nineteenth century. The key figure

in the opera is Mustafà, the Bey of Algiers: thepresence of the Moor in Algiers is explained byhistorical events. When the Moors were expelled fromSpain in the sixteenth century, they sought asylum onthe Barbary Coast, the northern coast of Africa thatextends form the Egyptian border to the Atlantic, andin particular, incorporates the Barbary States ofMorocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. Many becamepirates, or corsairs, earning their livelihood by attackingSpain’s seaborne commerce.

In 1529, the Moor, Barbarossa, (Khayr ad-Din),

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united Algeria and Tunisia, placing it under the authorityof the Ottoman sultanate: for the next 300 years itbecame a major base for Muslim Barbary pirates whoearned their revenues from piracy; captainscommanded cruisers that were outfitted by wealthybackers who then received 10 percent of thevalue of their booty.

Beginning in 1541, Charles V and theEuropean powers made repeated attempts toquell the pirates but were unsuccessful. Duringthe early nineteenth century, the United Stateswas involved in several wars in Tripoli to combatpiracy, making a final peace treaty in 1805 withthe Beys, and with the Regency of Tripoli inBarbary. However, it was not until 1830 whenthe French captured the city of Algiers thatwanton piracy was ended from the Barbary coast.

Nevertheless, the Barbary coast was ruled by theOttoman Empire at the time of the story of L’Italianain Algeri, and Mustafà is the Bey, an Ottomanprovincial governor.

L’Italiana is quintessential opera buffa whosefantastic plot combines sentiment with elements

bordering on absurdity: the metaphorical ship-sinkingfinale of Act I, and the farcical Pappatacci rituals atthe opera’s conclusion are scenes of magnificenthilarity.

Rossini endowed his score with a magnificentblend of sophisticated, sparkling, and craftily structuredinventions: there are catchy tunes, pulse-stirring shiftsin rhythm, breathless accelerandos and crescendos,ensembles that demand vocal virtuosity andacrobatics, roulades (florid vocal embellishment sungto one syllable), rapid-fire patter, and each sequenceleading to that inevitable Rossini climax. Its highlightsare memorable: Lindoro’s sublime love songs,Isabella’s patriotic ballad, the duet between Mustafàand Lindoro, the Pappatacci trio, and the continuousbarking and shouting of the lust-crazed Mustafà.

Rossini strengthened the character of Isabellafrom its Anello-Mosca original: Isabella becomes anarchetypal Rossinian heroine, an insightful female whois independent, bright, strong-willed, as well as cunningand resourceful.

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L’Italiana, composed at the beginning of thenineteenth century, incorporates ideology andsensibilities from the young Romantic era; theirdedication to freedom and feeling. Underneath thesurface of the previous century’s Enlightenment, it wasman, not woman, who possessed the great giftof reason. Inferentially, the Enlightenment andthe Age of Reason suggested an attitude ofcontempt and distaste for women, at timesconsidering them unspiritual, devoid of reason,and fickle. The superficial gallantry of the eracould almost be interpreted as a disguise for adeep-seated hatred and fear of women.

The Romantic period represented a backlashto the Enlightenment: in Romanticism, womanwas liberated and elevated, as in Goethe, to theewige weibliche, la femme eterne, “the eternalwoman”; in effect, the redeemer of man’segotism and narcissism through her unboundedlove and sacrifice. Beethoven’s Leonora, theheroine in his singular operatic masterpiece,Fidelio (1805), became that ennobled redeemingwoman. Later, Richard Wagner becamepreoccupied with redeeming women: Elizabethin Tannhäuser, Senta in The Flying Dutchman,Isolde in Tristan und Isolde, and Brünnhilde inthe Ring operas.

L’Italiana’s heroine, Isabella, certainly reflectsthose new Romantic era sensibilities: in many respects,her character possesses many of the elements ofmodern feminist ideology. Isabella speaks as anindependent woman; a liberated woman with a senseof personal self confidence, conviction, andindividualism. She is a woman with resolve who wantsto control her own life and decide her own destiny.She knows that she wants Lindoro, and is determinedto succeed. She intuitively knows men, and is keenlyaware of the power of her persuasive charm, confidentin her own abilities to stimulate love and make menfall in love with her. Three years after L’Italiana,Rossini would create another determined femalecharacter: Rosina in The Barber of Seville.Nonetheless, Isabella is very much a nineteenth centuryRomantic era archetype, a woman liberated by herconviction that she can control her own life, and awoman far removed from the stigmas of theEnlightenment.

Isabella’s actions drive the story: she accomplishesall of her objectives by uniting with Lindoro, freeing

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the Italian prisoners, reuniting Elvira with Mustafà, andthrough her wiles, cleverness – and sensual charm –reducing Mustafà’s arrogance to virtual subservience.

L’Italiana was Rossini’s first comicmasterpiece, and certainly not his last.

Rossini’s style served as the role model thatstimulated comic masterpieces from Donizetti(L’Elisir d’Amore and Don Pasquale), Verdi(Falstaff), and Puccini (Gianni Schicchi).

L’Italiana is a fun and games opera, a sparklingand witty opera buffa that radiates both musicallyand textually: it captures the essence of Rossini’singenuity to musically convey satire and humor notonly in the opera buffa tradition, but also in the belcanto style..

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