Rossini and beyond: INTERPOLATED arias in "Lesson Scene" (dall'A alla Z)

Speranza

There is  this fascinating chapter (I only read the available
excerpts) -- ""Che vuol cantare?" The Lesson Scene of "Il barbiere di Siviglia"
-- from a fascinating book -- "Changing the Score: Arias, Prima Donnas, and
the Authority of Performance" -- by a fascinating scholar (a student of
Gossett).

H. Poriss has indeed considered exactly what I was interested in, and
provided some wonderful commentary to it too. Oxford Scholarship online promotes
her book as intended for the 'educated opera audience' -- (and I would add
the uneducated spectator) -- and not just the music historian.

I have added then, below,with the help of H. Poriss's research, a few other
items to the catalogue, then, and I would share a few comments:

DIVO? -- I have seen the "Bat" (the Viennese operetta) and there is this
'party' sequence where not just a soprano, but a tenor and a baritone,
contribute to the 'aria insertion' sequence. So I wonder if there are other
instances of TENOR aria insertion. I doubt it. There is something about an opera
soprano diva that a tenor cannot achieve! Poriss's book is all about that
-- about authority and performance, and I was pleased to see that she
quotes from the very PhD dissertation of Gossett on Rossini _on that_.

IN MEMORIAM PATTI.

Poriss ably divides the 'history' of the "Lesson Scene" in three:
pre-history (or "pre-Patti"), "The Patti years" and "post-history" or "post-Patti".

PRE-PATTI:

Indeed, the first interpolator was the role creator herself. But Poriss
makes a few interesting points. The Italian edition of the Score only contains
orchestral parts for the original Rossini piece so, while interpolations
were common, leaving the thing as it was was also a standard practice.
Poriss, quoting from Gossett and a critical edition of "Barbiere", provides an
extensive analysis of how the original piece plays at various levels: of
realistic song versus performance, in its three segments of cantabile, middle
bridge, and cabaletta.

The first interpolation, by the role creator herself, maintained this
subtle play between 'realistic song' and performance (or opera and meta-opera,
as we may say) -- but after that, there was no need to maintain a level of
relevance between the opera at large and the individual piece or pieces sung
by Rosina.

Poriss quotes from the libretto attending lines. In a few instances, there
is a meta-operatic commentary. The intended piece is made to originate in
"L'inutile precauzione" (the original title of "Barbiere"), which creates a
sophisticated self-referential meta-operatic context (as it were). But in
later interpolations, there is a qualification of this or that aria ("not
that! that's too boring", "that's too tender", "I won't sing anything but
this"), which was very elaborate too. I suppose that when Patti made it a
practice to bring in "Home Sweet Home" this libretto references were somehow
lost (as if anyone cared).

The 'pre-Patti' years were marked by VIRTUOSITY, or as Poriss has it,
'empty virtuosity' (she quotes from the "musical reminiscences of an old
(English) amateur" who wrote on Italian opera in London). There was an
extra-"Barbiere" reference here, to the practice of a famous soprano of the day, who
would specialise in 'theme-and-variation'. This sort of interpolation was
popular in England and the continent.

HERE COMES PATTI.

The Patti years seem to me to be my favourite. Poriss quotes from a
possibly apocryphal ("but who cares?" she adds) testimonial by Patti, to the
effect that "Barbiere" was her favourite opera precisely because of that ("it
amused me bunches to sing totally anachronic songs in the lesson scene").
Apparently, her forte -- and MINE, too -- was the 'sentimental' ballad, as it
were. When Galli-Curci challenged all that (in the post-Patti years, by
stressing on the comical), a point was made that, if Patti allowed NOT "one
year to be dry" after her 'mini-concert' in the Lesson scene, Galli Curci
kept not one eye "wet".

The Language factor. I seem to be especially interested (for some reason),
in English-language interpolations. We have the Patti choices of "Home
Sweet Home", and "Last Rose of Summer", and a few others. Apparently, it was N.
Melba who proceeded with this tradition, adding "Old Folks at Home".
Poriss quotes from a sarcastic review which refers to interpolations by Irving
Berlin, and Carrie Jacobs Bond, into the bargain. While the French lyrics of
one interpolation cannot count here, Poriss says it's "aka Twinkle Twinkle
Little Star". I would think that this 'language choice' was an important
aspect for the success and special rapport between performer (performing her
own self) and the spectator.

APRES PATTI.

In the post-Patti years, it's Sembrich (a virtuosa) and Galli-Curci who led
the proceedings -- and Poriss reviews the 'fading' of a tradition,
although she quotes interpolations from the 1990s -- as listers here have, too.

Indeed, it was "Rossini and beyond".

--

Dall'A alla Z: towards THE (alphabetic) CATALOGUE RAISONNE ITSELF.

ACH ICH LIEBTE (Mozart, Ratto del Seraglio). Interpolated by Pons

AH NON GIUNGE (Bellini, Sonnambula) -- Interpolated by SEMBRICH.

AH NON SAI QUAL PENA (Mozart) -- Interpolated by Barrientos

AH, SI DI NUOVA SPEME -- (Pacini) -- C. Gualdi. An early interpolation,
discussed by Poriss.

AH VOUS DIRAI-JE MAMAN (From "Le Toreador" (Adam)) -- Interpolated by Pons.
Aka "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star").

AL PENSAR EN EL DUENO (from Las Hijas del Zewbedeo -- Chapi) -- Elvira de
Hidalgo.

AN DER SCHOEN BLAUEN DONAU (Strauss) -- Hempel

ARIA -- Vaccaj -- "Pietro il Grande" (Royal Italian Opera) -- cited by
Poriss -- We use "aria" in lieu of the unavailable first line.

BACIO, Il (Arditi) -- Hempel

BEL RAGGIO (Rossini, SEMIRAMIDE) -- Sayao. (G. M. possesses a pirate
version of this from a 1940s performance -- and it may do to provide, say,
youtube links, for this or that item in the list.

BIONDINA IN GONDOLETTA, La. -- cited by Poriss.

CALESSERA, La -- Patti. -- cited by Poriss.

CHARMANT OISEAU (from La Perle du Bresil (David)) -- Antoine.

CONTRO UN COR CHE ACCENDE AMORE -- NOT an interpolation: Rossini's
original
idea for the thing. It consists of three parts: cantabile, tempo di mezzo,
e cabaletta. Analysed in terms of cross-references, operatic and
meta-operatic aspects, by Porris and Gossett.

DEH TORNA MIO BENE (Prosch)

DEH VIENI NON TARDAR (Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro) SAYAO.

DI GIOIA INSOLITA (waltz) -- Patti -- cited by Poriss.

DI TANTI PALPITI -- interpolated by FODOR -- with attending lines in
libretto to justify the choice ('tender, but I won't sing anything else and at
least not as boring as the other choice')

DOLENTI E CARE IMMAGINI -- (Bonfichi) rondo -- an early interpolation,
cited by Poriss.

FAUVETTE, LA -- from "Zemire et Azor" (Gretry, La Forge) -- Pons

FIANCEE DU BANDIT, La -- (Malibran). Interpolated by P. Garcia. Cited by
Poriss.

FIOR DI MARGHERITA (Arditi) -- cited by Poriss.

GRANDE VALSE (Venzano) -- De Pasquali

HOME SWEET HOME. I hope it was Patti who first interpolated this. We won't
expect that she sang the five verses (but what a lesson for expressive
singing they provide, as they change the sentiment of the thing), but here they
are for easy reference: "Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,/Be
it ever so humble there's no place like home!/A charm from the skies seems
to hallow us there,/Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with
elsewhere. Chorus: Home! Home! sweet, sweet Home! There's no place like Home! 2.
I gaze on the moon as I tread the drear wild/And feel that my mother now
thinks of her child/As she looks on the moon from our own cottage doorThrough
the woodbine whose fragrance shall cheer me no more. 3. An exile from home
splendor dazzles in vain/Oh, give me my low, thatched cottage again,/The
birds singing gaily that come at my call,/Give me them with that peace of
mind, dearer than all. 4. How sweet 'tis to sit neath a fond father's
smile,/And the cares of a mother to soothe and beguile./Let others delight 'mid
new pleasures to roam,/But give me, oh give me the pleasures of home./5. To
thee I'll return overburdened with care,/The hearts dearest solace will
smile on me there/No more from that cottage again will I roam,/Be it ever so
humble, there's no place like home."

ICH MUSS NUN EINMAL SINGEN (Taubert) -- Sembrich

INCANTATRICE, L' (Arditi) -- Ottein

JE VEUX VIVRE (Romeo e Giulietta) -- Cora Chase.

Là là là air chéri (La stella -- Meyerbeer)-- Sembrich.

LAST ROSE OF SUMMER, The (PATTI). The Last Rose of Summer is a poem by
Irish poet Thomas Moore, who was a friend of Byron and Shelley. Moore wrote
it in 1805 while at Jenkinstown Park
in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Sir John Stevenson set the poem to its
widely-known melody, and this was published in a collection of Moore's work
called Irish Melodies (1807–34). In Ireland, it is claimed that the melody was
composed by George Alexander Osborne, a composer from Limerick City.
Ludwig Van Beethoven composed Theme and Three variations for flute and piano,
Op 105, based on the song late in his life.Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
composed a Fantasia in E major, Op. 15, based on the song (1827?, publ. London,
1830). Friedrich von Flotow uses the song in his opera "Martha," premiered
in
1847 in Vienna. It has been arranged into a set of extremely difficult
variations by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst for the violin. 'Tis the last rose of
summer,/Left blooming alone;/All her lovely companions/Are faded and
gone;/No flower of her kindred,/No rosebud is nigh,/To reflect back her
blushes,/Or give sigh for sigh./I'll not leave thee, thou lone one!/To pine on the
stem;/Since the lovely are sleeping,/Go, sleep thou with them./Thus kindly I
scatter,/Thy leaves o'er the bed,/Where thy mates of the garden/Lie
scentless and dead./So soon may I follow,/When friendships decay,/And from Love's
shining circle/The gems drop away.
When true hearts lie withered,/And fond ones are flown,/Oh! who would
inhabit/This bleak world alone?/'Tis the last rose of summer left blooming
alone/All her lovely companions are faded and gone/No flower of her kindred, no
rosebud is nigh/To reflect back her blushes and give sigh for sigh/I'll
not leave thee, thou lone one, to pine on the stem/Since the lovely are
sleeping, go sleep thou with them/Thus kindly I scatter thy leaves o'er the
bed/Where thy mates of the garden lie scentless and dead/So soon may I follow
when friendships decay/And from love's shining circle the gems drop
away/When true hearts lie withered and fond ones are flown/Oh who would inhabit
this bleak world alone?/This bleak world alone.

L'INUTILE PRECAUZIONE (Pietro Cimara) -- arietta -- using the words from
the opera, written in 1941, at the suggestion of Bidu Sayao.

LO, HEAR THE GENTLE LARK -- Bishop -- PONS. Of note is Bishop's 1819
musical comedy adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, which
included the popular coloratura soprano aria "Lo, Hear the Gentle Lark".

MAIDEN'S WISH, The (Chopin) -- Sembrich -- Poriss provides the vernacular
for this.

MATTINATA (Tosti) -- N. Melba. -- cited by Poriss.

MAZURKA (Chopin) -- Sembrich

MERE La Birding (Chopin) -- SEMBRICH.

NACQUI ALL'AFFANO (Rossini, La Cenerentola) -- Tourel.

NIGHTINGALE, The (Alabiev, Roze) -- Lipkowska

OGGETTO AMABILE

OMBRA MESTA E LAGRIMOSA -- "No, not that one! Too boring". It is NOT sung
-- only mentioned. Cited by Poriss.

OMBRE LEGERE ("Shadow Song"). (Meyerbeer) -- from "Dinorah".

OLD FOLKS AT HOME -- N. Melba -- cited by Poriss.

O LUCE DI QUEST'ANIMA (Donizetti, "Linda") -- Munsel.

OU VA LA JEUNE (Lakme) Pons

PARLA (Arditi) -- Nielsen

PUR DICESTI (Lotti) -- Berger

QUEL BONHEUR JE RESPIRE -- Fra Diavolo, in Italian -- Peters.

QUI LA VOCE

SHADOW SONG -- from Dinorah -- vide "OMBRE LEGERE"

SOME DAY (Wellings) -- "too, too trite". -- I guess my favourite,
precisely because someone found it "too, too trite" (how can HE know?).

SWISS ECHO SONG

TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR

VILLANELLE -- (dell'Acqua) -- Pons

VOCI DI PRIMAVERA (waltz) Strauss -- SEMBRICH.