Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1990 A Study of Six Selected Coloratura Soprano "Mad Scenes" in Nineteenth Century Opera. Charlotte Fakier Pipes Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Pipes, Charlotte Fakier, "A Study of Six Selected Coloratura Soprano "Mad Scenes" in Nineteenth Century Opera." (1990). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 5087. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/5087 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. 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Ann Aibor, MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A STUDY OF SIX SELECTED COLORATURA SOPRANO "MAD SCENES" IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY OPERA A Monograph Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in The School of Music by Charlotte Pipes B.M., Louisiana State University, 1976 M.M., Louisiana State University, 1978 December 1990 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express sincere appreciation and thanks to all of the people who have contributed their time, guidance, and support during the completion of this monograph. To Dr. Wallace McKenzie, Dr. Mary Hansard, Prof. Robert Grayson, Prof. Martina Arroyo, and Dr. Corbelita Astraquillo, my thanks are extended for the valuable assistance they have given me as members of my doctoral committee. I am forever indebted to Dr. Corbelita Astraquillo for her wealth of knowledge, vast experience, and constant support and companionship during the preparation of this monograph, and through my many years as a student at L.S.U. Her guidance and pedagogical skills will always serve as a constant source of inspiration. 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ta bl e o f c o nt en ts ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................... ii ABSTRACT .......................................... iv Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ............................... 1 II. ANNA BOLENA ................................ 24 III. LA SONNAMBULA ....... 36 IV. I PURITANI ................................. 48 V. LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR ........................ 65 VI. DINORAH .................................... 82 VII. HAMLET ..................................... 93 VIII. CONCLUSIONS ................................ 104 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................. 120 VITA .............................................. 124 111 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Pipes, Charlotte Fakier, B.M., Louisiana State University, 1976 M.M., Louisiana State University, 1978 Doctor of Musical Arts, Fall Commencement, 1990 Major: Music A Studv of Six Selected Coloratura Soprano "Mad Scenes" in Nineteenth-Centurv Opera Dissertation directed by Professor Corbelita Astraquillo Pages in Dissertation, 124. Words in Abstract, 302. ABSTRACT The coloratura "mad scene" was an outstanding feature found in several nineteenth-century operas. Significant in its display of the performer's talent, it requires the ultimate combination of vocal virtuosity and dramatic expression. Each scene exhibits the numerous individual musical characteristics of its specific composer. This study will seek to define and illustrate some of these characteristics as found in the following six scenes: 1. "A1 dolce guidami," Anna Helena (1830), Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848); 2. "Ah! Non credea mirarti," La Sonnambula (1831), Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835). 3. "Qui la voce," I Puritani (1835), Bellini. 4. "Ardon gi'ineensi," Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), Donizetti. 5. "Ombra leggiera," Dinorah (1859), Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864). s. "Ah VO S yeux, mes amis," Hamlet (1868), Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896). iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The introductory chapter of this monograph surveys the musical, literary, and social influences which affected the development of the Romantic era mad scene. Particular attention is given to the effect of French "grand opera" and the Italian opera composer Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) on the operas of Meyerbeer, Donizetti, Bellini, and Thomas. Chapters two through seven examine each mad scene individually. The libretto, the dramatic action in the scene, and certain elements of musical style are examined for their contribution to the effectiveness of the scene. The final chapter presents a comparative analysis of all six mad scenes to evaluate the relative effectiveness of the scenes. The effectiveness of the scenes is measured in terms of their providing material for a vivid portrayal of insanity. This study concludes that the heroines of Anna Bolena and Lucia di Lammermoor seem the most believable in their madness. In these two operas, plot, libretto, and music contribute the elements needed by the performer to make the insanity of the character plausible. However, these elements are not sufficient in themselves to warrant believability. The final contribution to the success of the scene must be made by the performer relying heavily upon her own acting ability. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The coloratura "mad scene" was an outstanding feature found in several nineteenth-century operas. Significant in its display of the performer's talent, it requires the ultimate combination of vocal virtuosity and dramatic expression. Each scene exhibits the numerous individual musical characteristics of its specific composer. This study will seek to define and illustrate some of these characteristics as found in the following six scenes; 1. "A1 dolce guidami," Anna Bolena (1830), Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848). 2. "Ah! Non credea mirarti," La Sonnambula (1831), Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835). 3. "Qui la voce," I Puritani (1835), Bellini. 4. "Ardon gl'incensi," Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), Donizetti. 5. "Ombra leggiera," Dinorah (1859), Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864). 6. "Ah VOS yeux, mes amis," Hamlet (1868), Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896). The genre of the Romantic era mad scene developed as a result of musical, literary, and social influences of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Earlier opera 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 had been constructed out of separate numbers, musical pieces which were distinct from one another. In the Romantic period, gradual changes took place in the composition of operas. There developed a trend toward more continuity between sections, accomplished by lessening the musical differences between one number and the next. This resulted in the construction of longer scenes and created opportunities for sustained dramatic portrayal. Musical Influences The four