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Music by Giacomo Puccini Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa Based on La Tosca by Victorien Sardou

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Music by Giacomo Puccini Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa Based on La Tosca by Victorien Sardou TOSCA Music by Giacomo Puccini Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa Based on La Tosca by Victorien Sardou TABLE OF CONTENTS ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS Thank you to our generous sponsors..2 Preface & Objectives…………………….... 18 Cast of characters…………………... 3 What is Opera Anyway?..................... 19 Brief Overview…………………….. 3 Opera in Not Alone……………………….. 19 Detailed synopsis with musical ex…. 4 Opera Terms………………………………. 20 About the composer………………… 12 Where Did Opera Come From?.................... 21 Historical context………………….. 14 Why Do Opera Singers Sound Like That?.... 22 The creation of the opera………….. 15 How Can I Become an Opera Singer?........... 22 Opera Singer Must-Haves…………………. 23 How to Make an Opera……………………. 24 Jobs in Opera………………………………. 25 Opera Etiquette…………………………….. 26 Discussion Questions………………………. 27 Educational Activities Sponsors…………….. 28 1 PLEASE JOIN US IN THANKING OUR GENEROUS SEASON SPONSORS ! 2 TOSCA First performance on January 14, 1900 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome, Italy Cast of characters Floria Tosca , a celebrated singer Soprano Mario Cavaradossi, an artist; Tosca’s lover Tenor Baron Scarpia , Chief of Roman police Baritone Cesare Angelotti , former Consul to the Roman Republic Bass A Sacristan Bass Spoletta, a police agent Tenor Sciarrone , a gendarme Bass A Jailer Bass A Shepherd boy Treble Soldiers, police agents, altar boys, noblemen and women, townsfolk, artisans Brief Overview In 1800, the city of Rome was a virtual police state. The ruling Bourbon monarchy was threatened by agitators advocating political and social reform. These included the Republicans, inspired to freedom and democracy by the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and Napoleon. These forces opposed the Royalists who advocated the continuation of the existing monarchy in league with the Roman Catholic Church. Cavaradossi, a pro-Republican painter and lover of the singer Tosca, encounters his friend Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner. Hastily sending away his lover Tosca, whose jealous nature leads her to mis-interpret his mood, Cavaradossi escorts Angelotti to his villa to hide. Chief of Police Scarpia, who lusts after Tosca, preys on her jealousy to arouse suspicion of her lover. Confident that Cavaradossi is complicit in Angelotti’s escape, he counts on Tosca to leave a trail for his henchmen to follow. Having arrested Cavaradossi, Scarpia tortures the artist to no avail. Tosca, however, unable to bear her lover’s anguished cries, blurts out Angelotti’s hiding place. Cavaradossi, cursing Tosca, is led away to prison. Scarpia bargains with Tosca to save her lover’s life: in exchange for submitting to him sexually, Scarpia promises a mock execution as well as granting the lovers safe passage. Once the deal is made, Tosca murders Scarpia and makes her escape. At dawn, Cavaradossi awaits execution at the Castel Sant’Angelo when Tosca arrives. Telling him of the safe passage and Scarpia’s death, she instructs him on how to feign death when the unloaded guns are fired. When Cavaradossi is shot and killed, however, Tosca understands that Scarpia betrayed her. As men come to arrest her, she leaps from the parapet to her death. 3 Detailed synopsis with musical examples Act 1: the cathedral of Sant’Andrea delle Valle; June 17, 1800 There is no overture or prelude, although the orchestra opens the opera with a thunderous statement of the powerful chord progression that will serve as Scarpia’s motive (Ex. 1): Ex. 1 The curtain rises on the interior of the cathedral. A large painting is covered with cloth; various painting tools are around it. A disheveled man hurriedly enters in a state of nervous panic. Searching about as he recalls instructions given by his sister, he finds a key hidden at the base of a statue of the Madonna, using it to enter the Attavanti chapel. As soon as he has hidden within the chapel, a sacristan enters, carrying artist’s brushes and muttering complaints about having to wash them. Surprised not to find the painter Mario Cavaradossi present, he kneels in prayer at the sound of the Angelus bell. Cavaradossi enters to resume work on his painting in progress, a portrait of Mary Magdalene. His entrance is marked by the first orchestral statement of a musical theme associated with Cavaradossi throughout the opera (Ex. 2): Ex. 2 As he paints, he pauses to open a locket containing a portrait of his lover, the singer Floria Tosca. He compares the contrasting beauties of his blond Magdalene with the dark-haired Tosca in an impassioned aria (Ex. 3 - “Recondita armonia”), concluding with a proclamation of devotion to his lover. 4 Ex. 3 Cavaradossi dismisses the sacristan. A noise from the chapel startles him; he soon recognizes the man emerging as his friend Angelotti, the former Consul to the defunct Roman Republic, lately held prisoner by the Royalist regime controlling the region. Angelotti, greatly relieved, reports that he has escaped. Cavaradossi pledges to help him just as a voice is heard calling his name. Cavaradossio whispers it is a “jealous woman” as he hands Angelotti his own uneaten lunch; the escapee retreats into the chapel. Tosca sweeps in, angrily demanding to know to whom her Mario was talking. Her entrance is accompanied by her motivic theme in the orchestra, a melody in ironic contrast to her angry mood in its suave lyricism (Ex. 4). Ex. 4 Cavaradossi claims it was only the sacristan, but Tosca is convinced he is seeing another woman. Appeased by Cavaradossi’s laughing denial, Tosca spurns his embrace as inappropriate in front of the Madonna. She kneels in prayer, then tells him her plans for the day: following her performance that evening, the two of them can be together at Cavaradossi’s villa. When Cavaradossi, distracted by Angelotti’s situation, responds in a perfunctory tone, Tosca expresses her passionate desire for him in a short solo (Ex. 5 – “Non la sospiri, la nostra casetta”). The phrase marked “X”, an apparently innocuous cadential phrase, appears frequently throughout the opera, including Tosca’s entrance music mentioned above. It is always associated with Tosca’s varying emotional states. Ex. 5 5 The “X” motive may have been inspired by the “fate” motive in Bizet’s Carmen (Ex. 6). Ex. 6 The two themes share certain characteristics: • They are both short (seven and five notes respectively) and easily recognizable with distinctive curling contours; • They both are used in widely contrasting manners; in chromatic sequence, slowly, rapidly etc., to fit the dramatic situation onstage. Cavaradossi, aroused by Tosca’s passion, responds with an ardent declaration of love. Satisfied once again, Tosca prepares to leave when she catches sight of the painting in progress. She recognizes the model as the Marchesa Attavanti. Turning on Cavaradossi in renewed jealous fury, she accuses him of having an affair with the Marchesa. Patiently, Cavaradossi swears an oath that he has been faithful, claiming that he merely observed her when she came to the church to pray. In a soaring solo he asks how he could ever love any other woman (Ex. 7 – “Qual occhio al mondo”): Ex. 7 A playful, teasing duet restores Tosca’s good humor. When Tosca begs him to speak words of love to her, Cavaradossi passionately declares he will always tell her that he adores her. These words are set to another motivic theme, one that will represent sensual love (Ex. 8). Gently prodded by her lover, Tosca leaves. Ex. 8 Angelotti emerges from the chapel. He explains that his sister, the Marchesa, left the chapel key for him as well as women’s clothing to use as a disguise, all to help him evade Baron Scarpia. Cavaradossi, expressing his disgust for the Roman police chief’s licentiousness and religious hypocrisy, vows to help Angelotti no matter the cost. Giving his friend the key to his 6 villa, the painter invites him to hide out there, adding that, should the police approach, there is a hidden chamber in the garden well where he cannot be found. The sound of a cannon interrupts them; it is the signal that Angelotti’s escape has been discovered. The two men both flee, heading to the villa. The sacristan enters with great excitement, surprised to find the artist gone again. The church suddenly fills with an animated crowd of priests, pupils, and the Chapel choir. The sacristan joyfully announces breaking news: Napoleon has been defeated in battle. This Royalist victory will be celebrated, he continues, with a new cantata that evening featuring Floria Tosca. The cathedral erupts with noisy cheering and general bedlam as an imposing figure enters with two subordinates in tow: it is Baron Scarpia, striding into Sant’Andrea as the orchestra announces his presence with a reiteration of his musical motive (see Ex. 1 above). Silencing the crowd with a rebuke for their lack of respect, Scarpia orders that preparations be made for the Te Deum. After barking orders to his agents, Scarpia informs the sacristan that an escaped prisoner has been tracked to the cathedral. Quickly searching the area, Scarpia discovers the unlocked Attevanti chapel as well as a fan (part of the women’s disguise) Angelotti left behind. Glancing at the painting, he too recognizes the Marchesa and demands to know the name of the artist; Cavaradossi’s name provokes a sneer of distaste. When the basket of food is found empty in the chapel, Scarpia quickly deduces that it was given to Angelotti. Tosca’s voice is heard entering the cathedral. Scarpia, now convinced that Cavaradossi is Angelotti’s ally, quickly plans to manipulate her into revealing her lover’s location, slyly noting that he’ll use the Marchesa’s fan as Iago used a handkerchief as a ruse against Othello. Tosca arrives as bells are heard summoning the faithful to the church for the Te Deum.
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