The Autograph of Aida and the New Verdi Edition David Lawton SUNY Stony Brook
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Verdi Forum Number 14 Article 1 1986 The Autograph of Aida and the New Verdi Edition David Lawton SUNY Stony Brook Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.richmond.edu/vf Part of the Musicology Commons, and the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Lawton, David (1986) "The Autograph of Aida and the New Verdi Edition," Verdi Forum: No. 14, Article 1. Available at: http://scholarship.richmond.edu/vf/vol1/iss14/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Verdi Forum by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Autograph of Aida and the New Verdi Edition Keywords Giuseppe Verdi; Aida; The orkW s of Giuseppe Verdi; opera This article is available in Verdi Forum: http://scholarship.richmond.edu/vf/vol1/iss14/1 The Autograph of AIDA and the New Verdi Edition David Lawton The editorial guidelines for The Works number 42602.8 It contains a number of of Giuseppe Verdi establish the final authority corrections in the composer's hand, which of the composer's autograph as a fundamental correspond to those mentioned in his letters premise of the new critical edition: to Ricordi of 23 and 26 November 1871.9 The score presumably represents the version It was normally Verdi's habit of the piece performed in Cairo, and thus through most of his career to leave compensates to some extent for the Joss of his autograph manuscripts in a form the full score. It contains the earliest he considered definitive for the versions of several passages to be discussed work in question.1 in this essay, as well as the original version of the stretta for the Aida-Amneris duet in This principle is undeniably valid for the two Act II. operas that have been published to date In addition to supervising the printing (Rigoletto, edited by Mlrtin Chusid, and of early editions of the libretto and the Ernani, edited by Claudio Gallico) and for two piano-vocal score, Verdi also staged the first currently in preparation (Nabucco, edited by performances of the opera in Milan and Roger Parker, and !I trovatore, edited by the Parma (1872) and in Naples (1873), and present writer).2 Aida poses special problems, conducted the work in Vienna (1875) and in however, because Verdi played a more active Paris (Theatre Italien, 1876; Opera, 1880).10 role in the early publication and performance The manuscript score from which he history of the work than ever before. conducted the Opera production is housed in The composer reviewed and corrected the Bibliotheque de !'Opera, and contains two of the earliest manuscript copies of the many annotations in his hand. Finally Verdi full score. 3 One of these was used for the assisted Nuitter in the preparation of the world premiere of the opera in Cairo. French translation published in Escudier's Unfortunately, this precious manuscript was piano-vocal score, pl. no. 3603.11 destroyed by a fire that consumed the Cairo To be sure, there are cases where the opera house in 1971. 4 The other score was principle of the final authority of the presumably intended for the composer's use; autograph holds good also for Aida; we shall its whereabouts are not c11rrently known. 5 In look at three of the most interesting ones. addition, Verdi read the proofs of both the The first is from Aida's Scena in Act I (P. libretto and the piano-vocal score.6 The R. 153, p. 69/ 1/ 2-5).12 Instead of the duet piano-vocal score he corrected has been for Violins I and II that foreshadows the preserved in the archives of the Villa Verdi dominant preparation for "Numi pieta" at St. Agata, and is of great importance. (70/ 2/ 1-4 ), Verdi originally wrote a single E Verdi acknowledged the receipt of it in a flat for two flutes in unison (autograph, f. letter to Giulio Ricordi dated 17 November 75v; see example 1). 13 Next to the sign 1871 : on f. 75v is a note, not in Verdi's hand: "da qui al foglio staccato per l'aggiunta di I received Radames' part, but why quattro battute."14 Folio 76, to which the did you send the entire score? note refers, contains the revision (example I Let's avoid the useless then, and b); it is an insert, in Verdi's hand, but on send me a part in which there are paper of a different size and tint. The only the numbers for Radames. verso is blank, and the original paper The score you sent can be used to resumes with f. 77. The only other source I correct the remaining errors. 7 have found that contains the first version of _ this transition is the St. Agata piano-vocal The St. Agata score, marked "Per Radames," score.16 The remaining sources I've is a complete copy of th1 earliest edition of consulted, including a copy with the same the piano-vocal score in octavo format, plate plate numbers, have the revision.16 4 The Autograph of Aida and the New Verdi Edition 5 Example I a) autograph, r. 75u Fl. ,t b) autograph, r. 76 3 Vii/· ~&t~c ~&'l~: ~~ ~'i~aLi~~1~,J~i ~'@~gtom~1'i~~¥~~~,'~f1 ~,J~,~~ ~~\'~c ~j~m~:;c . p morendo p Probably at the composer's request, for Given the complexity of the opera's the La Scala production of 1872 (the first in publication and performance history, and the Italy), Antonio Ghislanzoni revised Aida's composer's role in it, it is perhaps not lines in the final duet of Act IV from: surprising that the discrepancies between the autograph and the current Ricordi score (P. Presago ii core della tua condanna, R. 153) are more numerous, more extensive Qui da tre di ti attendo, and more problematic than those for any E qui lontana da: ogni umano sguardo Verdi opera that this writer has studied. 22 Nelle tue braccia desiai morire. Although space does not permit an account of all these variants, the present article to: examines a few of the most significant ones together with their implications for the Presago ii core della tua condanna critical edition. They can be classified into In questa tomba che per te si apriva three groups: a) readings in the autograph Io penetrai furtiva ... that are definitive, but have not been E qui, lontana da ogni umano sguardo, carried into the printed score; b) passages Nelle tue braccia desiai morire.17 for which the autograph does not represent Verdi's final intentions; and c) discrepancies ·Only the St. Agata piano-vocal score has for which there is no satisfactory preserved Verdi's setting of the first version explanation at this time. of these lines. Example 2 a) is copied from The end of "Numi pieta" and the page 2 77 of that score. Verdi erased this beginning of the following consecration version and wrote the revision, example 2 b), scene (marked "Finale 1.o" in the autograph) directly into the autograph, ff. 371-371 v; the will serve as representative of category a). new version appears in subsequent printings The last page of Aida's scena "Ritornar of the libretto and the score.18 vincitor" falls on f. 84r in Verdi's Andrew Porter and Julian Budden have manuscript. The notation of this page, pointed out that Verdi added the ballet music which contains only the final measure of the between rehearsal letters H and HF in the piece, is remarkably suggestive: after the second-act finale (P. R. 153, pp. 172- 189) for last notes of the clarinet and the the Paris production of 1880:19 Although he violoncellos (P. R. 153, 72/3/5) Verdi wrote a had first resisted Vaucorbeil's request to series of dots, followed by the instruction lengthen the ballet, 20 in the end he "segue." There is no bar line at the end of considered the revision definitive, for he had f. 84r, and f. 84v is blank. I have not seen the new music bound into the autograph, 21 a single printed source that respects this and it appears in editions published after unusual notation. The indication "segue" is 1880. found only in manuscript full scores.23 Yet 6 David Lawton Example 2 a) St. Agata p.v., p. 277. Andante ( J = 63) _.f'J.. A eJ ....,. Pre-sa goil co re del - la tua con dan - na qui da tre di t'at- _.f'J.. l e! ""'A A A A A A l 1 1 1 1 1 1 {etc., as in final version/ b) autorraph, ff. 371-371 v Andante( J = 63) rriste _/l_ ~da ~ ,..- ,..- Ii' T . -..- Pre-sa-goil co re del la tua con · dan - na, in quest- a A A A A A Ve. { : " ..:r ..:r --u ..:r ~ -:a:- _.f'J.. A. ~ eJ r . • T ....,. tom - ba che per-te s'a pn - va io pe - ne - trai fur ti va ... e qui Ion- {etc.{ A A A A A Ve. ~ : " ..:r ..:r "iF t7 -:a:- -:a:- The Autograph of Aida and the New Verdi Edition 7 it is clear that this instruction represents other Verdi operas. In Aida, though, there Verdi's final intentions, not only from its are passages for which there is strong retention in the manuscript sources, but evidence that the autograph has been above all from the language in Giulio superseded by revisions that appear only in Ricordi's Disposizione Scenica: later, non-autograph sources.