The Creation of Tosca Toward a Clearer View
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The Creation of Tosca Toward a Clearer View DEBORAH BURTON Parts of this article were published as program notes for the English National Opera's production of Tosca (1994-95). INDSIGHT is said to be flawless, yet ninety-six years after the premiere H of Tosca, our collective vision of the opera's genesis is still blurred. Dis- tortions and oversights continue to becloud accounts of how the opera was cre- ated and, although old rumors often make entertaining reading, they obscure historical truth. This article will focus on three aspects of the opera's birth which have needed some clarification: how the composing rights for Tosca passed from Puccini to Alberto Franchetti1 in 1894; how Puccini reclaimed them the next year; and how the publisher Giulio Ricordi felt about the final act.2 By examining the actual correspondence, some of which is not well known, light can perhaps be shed on a few obfuscated episodes of this story. The idea to fashion an opera from Sardou's play La Tosca3 came from either Puccini or the librettist Ferdinando Fontana4 as early as the winter of 1889, after they had seen two performances of the play, starring Sarah Bernhardt, its ded- icatee.,5 Puccini's publisher Ricordi began to deal directly with Sardou in the autumn of 1890,6 but no agreement came about until January 1891, when the publisher, at Puccini's suggestion, gave the hesitant Luigi Illica7 a contract to fashion a libretto from the play.8 At this time, Puccini was just beginning a career while Sardou was at the height of one. This posed somewhat of a problem for the French dramatist, who wanted to insure the financial success of any adaptation of his work. Ricordi believed in the young Puccini and was ready to risk the large sum Sar- dou asked for the rights. In this letter of 10 October 1891 to Sardou's agent, Theodore De Glaser, Ricordi goes to great lengths to allay the doubts of the dramatist and to inspire confidence in his protege: The works of the composer whom I would like to propose are not numerous for the simple reason (a very pleasant one for the composer 28 DEBORAH BURTON himself) that he is young!! Therefore it is a question of personal confidence; those who know him judge him to have talent of the first order. Our house has already bought two operas from M. Puccini, and it has engaged him for three others ... M. Puccini is so endiusiastic about M. Sardou's drama that he attended performances in Milan and Turin. I do not believe it necessary to observe mat the composer's conviction is ... a good guarantee, if mat conviction is accompanied by talent, and of that I am absolutely persuaded.9 Sardou responded quickly through De Glaser, requesting a "small sum" in advance and a percentage of the box-office receipts. In a letter dated 23 Octo- ber 1891 Ricordi rejected the idea of the advance ("une petite somme pour M. Sardou peut tres bien etre une grosse somme pour notre maison") but agreed to give Sardou five percent of the receipts, making an exception to the pub- lishing house's normal policies. A draft of the contract was drawn up and sent to Sardou on 26 November;10 Puccini signed it two days later.11 On 13 Decem- ber, the following announcement appeared on the front page of the Gazzetta musicale, Ricordi's in-house publication: G. Ricordi & C. announce that they have acquired from Victorien Sardou the rights to adapt LA TOSCA as an opera. The Maestro Giacomo Puccini, having fulfilled his obligations for this company, now has the new task of writing two other operas,12 one of which will be LA TOSCA, on a libretto by Luigi Illica. The following year, Puccini was involved in composing Manon Lescaut and traveling to Spain for a production of Edgar when, on 12 December 1892, a bombshell fell on the Tosca project in the form of a telegram from De Glaser: "Sardou is ill and after having heard Puccini's music, he is distressed that it is he who will compose Tosca — he is completely dissatisfied with it, finding the music wretched."13 This may or may not have been true: there is considerable evidence that Sar- dou was principally concerned by the financial failures Puccini had suffered widi his two earlier works. Ricordi later claimed diat the composer had known noth- ing of Sardou's opinion. But there must have been some reason for Puccini to have lost his excitement for the project.14 On 29 July 1893, more than seven months later, Ricordi wrote again to De Glaser: "I must take the opportunity to remind you of the 7o#»-Sardou business, so well guided by you from the start; it has stopped. Puccini, who still knows nothing of M. Sardou's judg- ment, is offended by the long silence, and has completely renounced the poem."15 But on 2 October 1893 De Glaser wrote to Ricordi with the startling news that Sardou had changed his mind: Puccini would do. Had Puccini's music improved, or had his recent professional and financial success with Manon Lescaut made his participation more appealing? The response of Casa Ricordi THE CREATION OF TOSCA 2 9 azzetta fflusicale di fflilano •*<. -Si* -Si* ANNO XX VL DIRETTORE FOGLIO DI 16 PAG1NE N. 50. — 13 Dlcembre 1891 GIULIO RICORDI Si pubblica ognl Domenica Editori in r quel trio smagliante d'nna italianita spiccatissima, 6ni per infondere in tatta la sala un elettrizzante rapirnento; forono G, RICORDI & C.MILANO vis(e pirecchie centinaia di teste accompagnare quel v«- ROMA - NAPOLI - PALERMO - PARIGI - LONDRA xosissimo rilmo di notine legate a due a doe, mi non sippiimo davvero quale specie di critico oserebbe ancora annunciano di avere acquistato da fare un addebito di ci6 che rappresenta il pio bel snecesso Fittoriano Sardou il diritto di ridurre della bell'arte dei suonil Dopo il Mozart avemmo la fornraa di odirc il nnovo in dramma lirico: LA TOSCA. lavoro del Bttzini, un Ptfro di concerto per violoncello con Il maestro Giacomo Puccini, avendo accompagnamento d'orchestra, pagina di molto valore, meravigliosa per vigore, per coloriti orchestral!, per ispi- terminato gli impegni assunti colla razione; divvero che adeado tanta freschezza e tanta po- Ditta stessa, ebbe da questa nuovo in- tenu c' era da farsi 1' illusione di una roente creitrice e d'nna raano fanrice povanissima, e per poco non sorprese carico di scriverc altre due opere, una il veder comparire, dopu gli applaosi interminabili, il ve- della quali sari LA TOSCA, su libretto nerando Bazzini, piu giovane nella soa tarda eta di tanti di I MI ft Mica. giovani intisichiti a vent'anni I II pezzo, egregiamente esegnito dal violoncellisu Becker e dall'orchestra guidata magistralmente dal prof. Guglielmo Andreoli, fu bissato dalla seconda pane, Iasciondo in tutto il pubblico una impressione di meraviglia e il desiderio che C O N C E R T I il Batzini tragga profitto di questo sno bel momento pro* duttivo per dare aU'arte nnove gemme. Mozart tom6 col sno Adagio a inebbriarci, a conquiderci; MILA.NO. — Socitlii ill Quailillt. — Sccondo Cm- 1 quelle note squisitamente sublimi parve spargers'! per la certo del Qttatlttlo di Frattcjforte. — Qnale successo do- sala on profumo di fioriu primavera; in quel momento menica e quanto godimento vero, intenso per il pubblico! come erano in ribasso i sermonisti delle uebulosithl £ II secondo concerto del Quartetto di Francofone ha manco male che la colpa era di un tedescot avuto sopratutto una feiissima fisonomia di sercnita. II prof. Heermann suon6 VAdagio da pari sno, ciofc stu- Un programma simile, diciamolo francamente, non ca- pendamente. pita tutti i giorni; il piii delle volte pare che i concertisti II Beethoven, quello della prima maniera, il Beethoven vadjno a bella posta a cercare tutto quanto vi ha di piu nelU ptenezta del suo sterminato genio, nella preponde- astruto nel loro repertorio e sembrano lieii, appagati che ranza della sua turbinosa giovenro, col Qninletto, op. 29, alia noia del pubblico si contrapponga l'entusiasmo dei mantenne caldo l'ambiente e coron6 un concerto che avra critici, i qiuli irovano sempre il modo di farsi credere su- il pregio di non esser dimenticato, come ebbe quello di pcriori d' inteUigcnza e capaci solo essi di comprendere aver fatto veramente divertire, d'esser sembrato breve, d'a- cid che la gente grossa non comprende! verci fatto provare tutte qtielle emozioni che solo la rnu- Questa voltt, mantcnenJo an programma elettissimo, e sica pu6 e deve far provare alia gente. avvraiito proprio die il pubblico s'e divertito, s'e com- II Q_aarteuo Heermann-Becber esegul tutto con una mnsso, s'e entusiasmato. 6nezza, uno slancio, un entrain special)*; pareva che qoegli II Qiwrlillo in re m'mort Ji Mozart, e unj di quclle opere esimt professori avessero capito chc era un concerto indo- geniali, fresche della piu bella gioventu del fecondo com- vinato, e furono in compenso applauditi con emusiasmo. positore, tedejeo di origine, ma italiano, iialianisjimo nel- II prof. Andreoli prese pane nel Qiiinlello di Beethoven, Pindolc della sua musi«, pari nello stile, nella fisonomia colla viola. >l Paisiello, al Cimarosa, allo Zingarelli e al Rossini chc Nel pubblico, ammiratissimi, tre principt dell'arte: Ru- ne raccolse I'credit! prodigiosa! Noi, provando emozioni binstein , Piatti e Doito, e nelle prime sedie la Stolz in dolcissime allo svolgersi incessant* di quelle schiette e compignij di nna signora che fece per qualche tempo spe- serene melodie, e vedendo mal celato il godimento intenso t rare la presenza del re..