AN ANALYSIS OF THE REPRESENTATION OF QUEEN ELIZABETH I OF ENGLAND IN THE OPERAS BY ROSSINI, DONIZETTI, AND THOMAS IN THE CONTEXT OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY VOCAL STYLE AND HISTORICAL INFLUENCE Han Hsiao, B.M., M.M. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS August 2020 APPROVED: Molly Fillmore, Major Professor and Chair of the Division of Vocal Studies Jennifer Lane, Committee Member Stephen Dubberly, Committee Member Felix Olschofka, Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Music John Richmond, Dean of the College of Music Victor Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Hsiao, Han. An Analysis of the Representation of Queen Elizabeth I of England in the Operas by Rossini, Donizetti, and Thomas in the Context of Nineteenth-Century Vocal Style and Historical Influence. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), August 2020, 46 pp., 3 tables, 1 figure, 25 musical examples, bibliography, 39 titles. The purpose of this research is to analyze representations of Queen Elizabeth I of England in nineteenth-century Franco-Italian opera, and the relationship of these representations to contemporaneous singing style and the historical background. The basis for this analysis is three arias: "Quant'é grato all'alma mia" from Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra (1815) by Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868), "Sì, vuol di Francia il rege...Ah! quando all'ara scorgemi...Ah! dal ciel discenda un raggio" from Maria Stuarda (1835) by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848), and "Malgré l'éclat qui m'environne" from Le songe d'une nuit d'été (1850) by Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896). This research is divided into two main sections: the historical background of Italy and France in the nineteenth century, especially in the contemporaneous vocal style and fashions of literature; and a discussion of the composers' musical and dramatic choices for Queen Elizabeth I in the three selected arias. Chapter 2 is a brief introduction to the early nineteenth-century Franco-Italian historical background, vocal style, and popular literature. Chapter 3 presents an analysis of the three arias. The last chapter summarizes the representations of Elizabeth I in nineteenth-century politics, literature, and vocal style. Copyright 2020 By Han Hsiao ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES.............................................................................................. iv LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES ................................................................................................. v CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2. CONTEMPORANEOUS FRENCH AND ITALIAN VOCAL WRITING AND CULTURE IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY .......................................................................... 3 2.1 Brief Historical Summary ....................................................................................... 3 2.2 Vocal Style .............................................................................................................. 6 2.3 Literature ................................................................................................................. 9 CHAPTER 3. INTERPRETATION OF THE MUSICAL STYLE PORTRAYING QUEEN ELIZABETH I .............................................................................................................................. 13 3.1 Italian Opera.......................................................................................................... 13 3.1.1 Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) ................................................................ 13 3.1.2 Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) ................................................................ 27 3.2 French Opera: Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) .................................................... 36 3.2.1 Historical Background .............................................................................. 36 3.2.2 Scene and Translation ............................................................................... 37 3.2.3 Musical Analysis ....................................................................................... 38 3.2.4 Conclusions ............................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 4. CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................... 43 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 44 iii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Page Tables Table 3.1: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia” Lyrics ........................................................................... 14 Table 3.2: “Si, vuol di Francia il rege… Ah, quando all’ara scorgemi…Ah! Dal Ciel discenda un raggio” Lyrics ............................................................................................................................... 30 Table 3.3: “Malgré l’eclat qui m’environne” ................................................................................ 37 Figures Figure 2.1: Napoléon on his Imperial throne .................................................................................. 4 iv LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Page Example 3.1: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 15-20 .............................................................. 15 Example 3.2: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 15-26 .............................................................. 16 Example 3.3: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 21-23 .............................................................. 17 Example 3.4: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 19 and 21 ....................................................... 18 Example 3.5: Semiramide, “Bel raggio lusinghier,” m. 6 ............................................................. 18 Example 3.6: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 61-63 .............................................................. 19 Example 3.7: “Una voce poco fa,” mm. 55-63 ............................................................................. 19 Example 3.8: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 61-69 .............................................................. 20 Example 3.9: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 64-72 .............................................................. 21 Example 3.10: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 67-75 ............................................................ 21 Example 3.11: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 76-81 ............................................................ 22 Example 3.12: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 88-95 ............................................................ 23 Example 3.13: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 96-99 ............................................................ 24 Example 3.14: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 130-32 .......................................................... 25 Example 3.15: “Quant’é grato all’alma mia,” mm. 117-18 .......................................................... 25 Example 3.16: “Si, vuol di Francia il rege… Ah, quando all’ara scorgemi…Ah! Dal Ciel discenda un raggio,” mm. 9-21 ..................................................................................................... 31 Example 3.17: “Si, vuol di Francia il rege… Ah, quando all’ara scorgemi…Ah! Dal Ciel discenda un raggio,” mm. 25-35 ................................................................................................... 32 Example 3.18:“Si, vuol di Francia il rege… Ah, quando all’ara scorgemi…Ah! Dal Ciel discenda un raggio,” mm. 36-42 .................................................................................................................. 33 Example 3.19: “Si, vuol di Francia il rege… Ah, quando all’ara scorgemi…Ah! Dal Ciel discenda un raggio,” mm. 27-35 ................................................................................................... 34 Example 3.20: “Malgré l’eclat qui m’environne,” mm. 14-20 ..................................................... 38 Example 3.21: “Malgré l’eclat qui m’environne,” m. 28, half-diminished seventh chords ......... 39 v Example 3.22: “Malgré l’eclat qui m’environne,” m. 60, French augmented sixth chord ........... 39 Example 3.23: “Malgré l’eclat qui m’environne,” mm. 61-67 ..................................................... 40 Example 3.24: “Malgré l’eclat qui m’environne,” mm. 72-78 ..................................................... 40 Example 3.25: “Malgré l’eclat qui m’environne,” mm. 92-101 ................................................... 41 vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The European history of the nineteenth century, complex and changeable, also affected the development of literature, vocal style, and musical composition. One of these developments was a surge in interest in Queen Elizabeth I as a primary subject for operas and other artistic endeavors. The subject matter of eighteenth-century operas had been largely confined to either classical and mythological subjects or historical events. In the nineteenth century, however, librettists from the continent of Europe spread opera plots all over Britain. As Winton Dean mentions in his book Essays on Opera, “one of the colorful by-products of the Romantic movement was the sudden popularity of the British Isle as a station for opera, and of English or Scottish history as a foundation—however remote—for the details of the plot.”1 Librettists from continental Europe in the nineteenth century found a wealthy trove of material in British history, literature, and