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Opera A resource for teachers Bringing into the classroom KS2 Opera Glasses is supported by The Gibbs Charitable Trust The Marriage of Figaro A resource for teachers 2

Contents

Opera Glasses: Bringing opera into the classroom aims to bring opera into the classroom through free Chapter One dress rehearsal tickets, workshops for pupils and The Marriage of Figaro this teachers’ resource. This resource contains some preparatory information to explore The Marriage of 1 Introduction to opera Figaro with your pupils before you come to see the 2 Key characters dress rehearsal. You will find creative activities to get your pupils listening and appraising, links to Music 3 A quick overview and English, and handy lesson plans that you can use 4 Detailed synopsis to work through the opera with your pupils. All activities reflect the key objectives of the Key Stage 2 National 5 The Curriculum for Music. You can find the extracts of 6 The music music suggested on internet based free to play sites such as spotify, grooveshark, last fm etc. Chapter Two The Marriage of Figaro will be performed in Italian with in English and Welsh. Making an opera 1 How to make an opera (photocopiable sheet) The running time is approximately 3 hours 25 minutes including one interval. 2 Tips to help follow an opera

Chapter Three KS2 Lesson Plan 1 Introduction to opera 2 The characters, story and music of The Marriage of Figaro 3 and

Teachers’ Pack written by Sarah ap Ian-Evans The Marriage of Figaro A resource for teachers Welsh National Opera 3

Chapter One The Marriage of Figaro

What is opera? Voices (highest to lowest): Opera is a dramatic stage performance set to music. The voice of Countess Almaviva, the highest An opera is a theatre piece, like a play but instead of female voice. speaking the lines the characters sing them. In most Mezzo soprano The voice of Cherubino, the Count’s there are no spoken words, everything is sung page, a lower female voice. from beginning to end. An opera can take you on a rollercoaster of action, adventure, love, death, deceit The highest male voice. and conflict. In many ways, operas are very similar to The voice of Count Almaviva, lower than a the soap operas that you see on TV. tenor but higher than a . An orchestra accompanies an opera and they introduce Bass The voice of Dr Bartolo, the lowest male voice. the main themes of the opera during the , which is played at the beginning of the opera.

Main characters

Count Almaviva Countess Almaviva Susanna Figaro Baritone Soprano Soprano / the Countess’maid Baritone / Count Almaviva’s valet

Cherubino Dr Bartolo Marcellina Mezzo soprano / the Count’s Bass / a doctor from Soprano / housekeeper to Bartolo page The Marriage of Figaro A resource for teachers Welsh National Opera 4

A quick overview

The opera takes place in Seville, Spain. Susanna wants Figaro At a country house, Figaro and Susanna are about to be married, but they are caught in the middle of a domestic between their employers, the Almaviva’s. Count Almaviva is not a well-behaved man; he neglects his wife and has attempted to start an affair with Susanna. Figaro is The Count wants Susanna determined to stop such behaviour and together they inform the Countess of the attempted affair – who agrees that the Count should be taught a lesson.

There are further complications, Figaro is in debt, having The Countess wants the Count borrowed money, and if the debt is not settled, he must marry Marcellina, Dr Bartolo’s old housekeeper, who is old enough to be his mother. Figaro manages to escape marriage to Marcellina by explaining that he cannot get his parent’s consent to marry because he was kidnapped and Cherubino wants? as a baby. When questioned about his parents it is uncovered that he is actually the son of Marcellina and Dr Bartolo.

In a ploy to catch the Count out, Susanna and the and what is Bartolo up to?. . . Countess have switched clothes and impersonate each other – all causing almighty confusion. Only the Countess, Susanna and eventually Figaro actually know what is going on. When all identities are revealed, the Count is so humbled he asks for his wife’s forgiveness, and why does Marcellina which is granted, and peace and love are restored to the want Figaro? household. The Marriage of Figaro A resource for teachers Welsh National Opera 5

Detailed synopsis

Set in the Almaviva’s country house, Figaro, the valet to Count Almaviva is to be married to Susanna, the Countess’ maid. Count Almaviva believes he can use his status to pursue Susanna.

Act I sympathy for the young page the Count lists examples Figaro and Susanna are in their bedroom that they of his past bad behaviour and in his rage, lifts the cloth will share once they are married. Figaro is sizing to find Cherubino. He is further enraged but they are the room up for a bed, while Susanna is trying on her interrupted by Figaro who returns with peasants to wedding hat. She is unhappy with their new bedroom, praise the Count on his reform of an ancient right of the but Figaro is pleased with the room. He doesn’t lord of the manor to take a manservant’s place on his understand Susanna’s unhappiness, especially when it is wedding night. so conveniently located for them to each serve the Count and Countess. Susanna warns Figaro that it is perhaps Act II located too conveniently for the Count, who she fears is In her bedroom, the Countess her husband’s planning to woo her. Figaro responds by telling his wife infidelity but plots to catch him out and starts to not to worry, as he will outwit the Count. hatch a plan encouraged by Figaro and Susanna. They plot to send the Count an anonymous note about Dr Bartolo enters with his housekeeper, Marcellina. the Countess’ ‘lover’ – which Figaro is sure will drive Figaro once had a loan from Marcellina, with the him to distraction. Meanwhile, they will send Cherubino, agreement that if he did not settle his debt he would disguised as Susanna, to meet the Count in the garden. marry her. Bartolo, who has his own reasons for The Countess will then surprise him. wanting revenge on Figaro has promised to find a way to make him fulfil his promise. Figaro goes to fetch Cherubino and on his return the two women begin to dress up the page. Susanna goes Susanna returns and trades insults with Marcellina, who into another room to get a ribbon and Cherubino takes leaves upset, and Cherubino, the teenage page, enters. advantage of her absence to declare his love for the He tells Susanna he is in love with the Countess, but also Countess. At that moment, the Count bangs on the door tells how he has just been caught by the Count flirting and is furious to find it locked. Cherubino hides quickly with the gardener’s daughter. Confused, he reveals how in a dressing room. Suspicious of the odd goings on and he cannot contain his romantic desires and on the arrival noises, the Countess tells her husband it is Susanna in of the Count, goes to hide behind a chair. the dressing room. He takes his wife to find tools to open the door. Meanwhile Susanna, who has been observing The Count has come to pursue Susanna but he is quietly from behind a screen, helps Cherubino escape interrupted by the arrival of Don Basilio, the music out of a window and takes his place in the dressing master, and it is now his turn to hide. He heads for the room. All seems well until Antonio, the gardener, storms same chair as the young Cherubino causing Cherubino in unhappy with the crushed flowers from below the to hide under a cloth. However, on hearing Don Basilio window. To conceal the affair, Figaro pretends that it was gossiping about Cherubino’s crush on the Countess, he who jumped from the window and feigns a sprained the jealous Count reveals himself, and Basilio concludes ankle. Marcellina, Bartolo and Basilio burst into the room that the Count and Susanna are an item. The Count vows waving a court summons for Figaro, and calling for the to make Cherubino leave but when Susanna expresses delay of the wedding. The Marriage of Figaro A resource for teachers Welsh National Opera 6

Detailed synopsis (cont.)

Act III Act IV Alone, the Count ponders the confusing events of Figaro finds Barbarina in the garden, upset that the day and vows that Figaro will marry Marcellina. she has lost a pin that the Count had given her to Unseen by the Count, the Countess encourages a return to Susanna. He suspects Susanna of planning reluctant Susanna to go ahead with their plan to meet a meeting with the Count and is distraught that she is the Count in the garden later, but as Cherubino has now being unfaithful to him. He cries to his mother, Marcellina gone, she herself will impersonate Susanna. The Count who tells him to be patient and plans to warn Susanna. overhears Susanna tell Figaro that he is sure to win his case against Marcellina, as she will repay the loan with In the garden, Cherubino arrives, looking for Barbarina the dowry the Count has promised her. The Count is whom he has arranged to meet in secret. An angry enraged at the thought that Figaro will get what he wants. Figaro brings Bartolo and Basilio to witness Susanna’s rendezvous with the Count. Meanwhile Susanna and the A lawyer, Don Curzio, announces that Figaro must marry Countess dress as one another. The Count meets the Marcellina or pay her. Figaro says he cannot marry Countess, thinking she is Susanna and leads her away. without his parents’ consent and that he has no idea Figaro interferes and they go their separate ways to hide. who his parents are. Marcellina recognises an old birth By now Figaro understands the joke and, joining the fun, mark on Figaro which identifies him as her son, who was makes exaggerated love to Susanna in her Countess kidnapped as a child, the father being Bartolo. Marcellina disguise. The Count returns, seeing he thinks, Figaro and Figaro embrace, confusing Susanna for a moment, with his wife. Outraged he calls everyone together to but she soon learns the good news. The couples plan to witness his judgment, but the real Countess appears celebrate in a double wedding. and the Count must forgive her. All are reunited and everyone rejoices! Barbarina, the gardener’s daughter, has disguised Cherubino as a girl, and they plan to join the other girls in bringing flowers to the Countess. The Countess is struck with grief at the Count’s lost love for her and wonders if the plan to catch the Count out will work.

Antonio tells the Count that Cherubino is still in the house as he has found the woman’s clothes that Cherubino has been wearing and they both leave to find him. The Countess returns with Susanna and the two write a note from Susanna to the Count asking to meet in the garden. They seal the note with a pin which the Count must return if he agrees.

The girls present the flowers and Antonio and the Count catch Cherubino and are about to punish him when Barbarina interrupts them. During the marriage ceremony of Figaro and Susanna, the bride manages to slip the note, sealed with the pin, to the Count, who pricks his finger, dropping the pin, which Figaro retrieves. The Marriage of Figaro A resource for teachers Welsh National Opera 7

The libretto and music

The libretto The libretto of the opera is written by but is based on a story by . It is part of a trilogy of literary works, ‘Le Barbier de Séville, ou La Précaution Inutile (1775) (, or The Useless Precaution); Le Marriage de Figaro, ou La folle Journée (1784) (The Marriage of Figaro, or the Day of Craziness); and La Mère Coupable (1784) ().

The trilogy of plays reflected the 18th century growing dissatisfaction with the ruling class and nobility in the years preceding the . However, when da Ponte collaborated with Mozart, he wisely toned down the political passages of the play and instead focused on the human elements of the story with the main theme of the opera becoming love and forgiveness.

The music The music is composed by Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791), possibly one of the greatest geniuses of western music and acclaimed composer of opera. Among others he is noted for (1787), Così fan tutte (1789) and The Magic (1791).

In 1786 he composed The Marriage of Figaro, beginning a long-lasting collaboration with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. Today, the Overture is so popular it is often performed as a concert piece.

The Marriage of Figaro is a – light and humourous with a happy ending. The Marriage of Figaro A resource for teachers Welsh National Opera 8

Chapter Two How to make an opera

Which opera would you like to perform?

Have a listen

Who is going to Read the libretto & music score come and see my wonderful opera?

I need a creative team to What do I want it to look like? create an original production

Find a director Find a designer Find a conductor

Who will perform the opera? Share a vision

Auditions Create a model box of the set design Cast of singers 20 female 20 male Orchestra choristers choristers drawings & buy fabric How will they learn the music?

Make the costumes Make the props Build the set Rehearsals for cast, chorus and orchestra

Sitzprobe - a ‘sitting rehearsal’of singers, chorus & orchestra

How will they know how to act? Better do some marketing Set built in a rehearsal room Set carpenter Director runs production rehearsals Set painter Design posters & leaflets Set moved to stage Distribute posters Tell the press, & leaflets Opera company rehearse on the stage Sell tickets newspapers, tv, radio & web Dress rehearsals

Opening night Tour – lets show the rest of the country what we’ve done! The Marriage of Figaro A resource for teachers Welsh National Opera 9

Tips to help follow an opera

Bringing your pupils to see a dress rehearsal Useful vocabulary Let your class know that coming to see the dress Libretto Italian for ‘little book’, the text accompanying rehearsal of an opera is like any other trip to the the music. theatre. Please bear in mind… Surtitle The translated text of the opera. • That they must stay seated throughout the Overture The instrumental beginning to the opera, performance. There will be one interval for eating, that introduces the opera’s main themes. drinking and using the toilets. Aria From the Italian work for ‘air’. This is a song for a • Encourage your pupils to listen carefully to the opera, solo voice and is used to communicate the emotion talking is inappropriate and is off putting for the of a character. performers and other audience members. Light-hearted musical entertainment containing • Applause is encouraged. dance, spoken dialogue and practical jokes. A musical. • It is a dress rehearsal so the conductor may stop Chorus at WNO 20 men, and 20 women, singing at any time for corrections. Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor and Bass, performing ensemble. • Please remember to turn all mobile phones off. Diva A female opera star. Translated as ‘goddess; may imply a demanding or highly-strung star. How to help your pupils follow the opera Bravo! The Italian word of approval that is often How can I tell what’s going on? shouted by the audience at the end of a performance. The dialogue, or as it is know in opera, recitative, moves the action along and lets you know what is happening. The wavering tone added by a singer while The songs, or , don’t advance the action but do sustaining a note. let you know the emotion of the character or situation. A very high-pitched soprano that has Sometimes it can be difficult to follow what the singers extreme vocal agility and can perform highly elaborate are saying, especially if they are singing in a foreign fast and high singing with accompanying trills. language. Don’t worry about not understanding every word as handy surtitles are provided on screens at the side, or above the stage that translate the dialogue. Become and opera critic! By working through the lesson plan at the end of Pupil Task: this pack, we hope that your pupils will have an Encourage your pupils to critique the opera including understanding of the key characters and plot of the the music as performed by the orchestra, the music opera. It is helpful to give your pupils useful signposts as performed by the vocalists (either in groups or to each scene, so that they know where they are in the individually), the sets, the staging and the directing. plot and to encourage them to listen to extracts of the music before they come. Which parts of the opera did they like or not like? Did they like the way the singers portrayed the characters? What do they think would have been stronger/funnier/ better if it had been written differently? The Marriage of Figaro A resource for teachers Welsh National Opera 10

Chapter Three Storytelling

Key Pupil Objectives Additional Task Pupil Objectives • To become familiar with the opera • To understand the difference between recitative and aria • To become familiar with the music • To listen to extracts of the opera and be able to • To become familiar with the plot distinguish between the two • To understand the key characters and their role

Starters Main Task (Chapter One as reference material) • Introduce your class to the Opera Glasses project. Create with your class a key characters chart also discussing the voice they sing. • Discuss with your class what they already know • Who is the character in relation to others? about opera and if they have any questions. • Which characters are married, or to be married? Example • What is their role in the Almaviva household? What do we Key Vocabulary Questions already know Storyboard the plot of The Marriage of Figaro. • What are the relationships between the characters? There is music Music, opera What is special about in an opera the operatic style of • How does each character cause confusion / chaos? singing? • How are the true events revealed? It can be difficult Languages Why is opera often to understand performed in the • It may be useful to bullet point key twists and turns in language in which the plot and for you to put these together in order to it was originally written? help your pupils keep track of the plot.

Discuss with your class the composer Mozart and • Give each pupil a photocopy of the ‘How to make the definition of a comic opera. an opera’ sheet and discuss with them the different stages and people involved in putting together Play to your class some extracts from the opera. an opera. Overture – in just four minutes Mozart gives the audience a taste of the opera’s hectic pace and events they are about to witness. – aria sung by Figaro, Act I, describing how he plans to outwit the Count. Sull’Aria – duet between the Countess and Susanna, Act III. In this duet the Countess dictates to Susanna the note to the Count inviting him to the garden in a ploy to reveal his betrayal. The Marriage of Figaro A resource for teachers Welsh National Opera 11

Additional tasks

How the story is told – recitative and aria. Discuss with your class how the story is told and how the composer uses recitative and aria to move the story along and also to reflect emotion.

Aria Aria examples A very melodic song in which a small amount of text is ‘Non più andrai’ sung by Figaro in Act I describing sung. The idea of an aria is to tell the emotion or affect Cherubino’s new military life where there will be no of the experience on the characters. It is often beautifully gallivanting. melodic with lots of repetition. ‘Dove Sono I Bei Momenti’ sung by the Countess in Recitative Act III describing the loss of her happiness. Lots of text. The idea of recitative is to tell the story and get through a lot of the plot. It imitates speech, is syllabic Recitative examples (one note per syllable) and has no repetition. ‘Bravo, signor Padrone’ sung by Figaro in Act I in which Figaro tells he has learnt of the Count’s desires on his Create a table to show the differences between promised bride, Susanna. He plots to outwit him. recitative and aria and listen to some examples. ‘Giunse Al Fin Il Momento’ sung by Susanna in Act IV. In order to tease Figaro, who thinks Susanna is cheating on him with the Count, Susanna urges the Count to come quickly to her.