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RIGOLETTO NOTES:

General:Librettist: Francesco Maria Piave

Date: 1851 (March)Theatre and City: Teatro La Fenice, Venice

Source Material: Le Roi s’amuseSource Material Author: Victor HugoSource Material Date: 1832

Issues of Innoation: 

O!ERATIC "ORM

o C#ANGING T#E T$!E O" M%SIC T#AT CREATES

CON&ENTIONo Less use of double'arias, only one or the !u"e, the

other is inverte#$o EG( )Corti*iani+ il ra,,a dannata-

  Feeling o a #ou%le&aria %ut the 1st 'ove'ent isast an# secon# is sloer (reverse o conventions)$

 

 TH* * +-./* TH !0.M. 0/0! T

 

*tarts ith 0igoletto #e'an#ing inor'ationan# then en#ing u sa# an# %egging the-ourtiers

o More .o/in* in than before

 

!avi# 4i'%ell$ )Caro no0e- aria u6taose# intothe entrance o the -ourtiers Their sinister 'usicun#elays 7il#as %eautiul vocal line on to

 

)Act III 1uartet- 2 +rea"s all te'lates o hatnu'%ers shoul# %e

 

*lit stage, al'ost li"e to u6taose##uets, to #i9erent #ra'atic strings

 

 The conrontation o Ma#onna an#Mag#alene

 

!avi# 4i'%ell$ .ct *tor' *cene$

  *tor' %uil#s through the :La #onna e'o%ile rerise to 'a#alennas arietta an#then the trio

o t connects the holse scene togetheras one an# 'irrors the %uil# o the#ra'a to catastrohe

o Only a 0ale chorus 3no fe0ale chorus at all4:

 

/se# in innovative ays, or e6a'le, the stor'chorus in act ith the' %eing the in#

o Daid 5i0bell: NO arie di sortita:

  ;one o the three 'ain characters #o

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ven the !u"es one&'ove'ent %alla# is or"e#into the a%ric o the intro#uction so #oesnt servethe urose o an aria di sortita

 

DE&ELO!MENT O" M%SICAL !ERSONAE "ORC#ARACTERS

o .-H -H.0.-T0 H.* . !FF0;T *

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0oger Par"er$ one o the 'ost co'le6 an# richestoening scenes atte'te# u till then

 

!avi# 4i'%ell$ /se o the Banda 'usic to lic" allthe #i9erent erio#ic sections together Econtinuity is 'atche# an# enhances the #ra'atic

continuity o the start  !avi# 4i'%ell$ *ense o "ic"ing o9 straight aay

ith the #ra'a, e are oining the sho in the'i##le o the story

 

"ie Arias:o

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Source MaterialHugos lay as very contentious an# seen as an attac" onthe "ing an# so %anne# %y all the censors

 

Ver#i ha# reviously set Hernani as Ernani (183) an# so hasor"e# ith Hugo as a source 'aterial %eore

 

V0! L4! H/7< F

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/n#er'ine# throughout %y #ra'atic irony,the au#ience "nos hat is haening to7il#a

 

*tarts ith greatest energy an# authority%ut en#s e6hauste# an# rustrate#

  6a'le o parlante singing style 

Vocal line oten sitting on one note (a -) ora long erio# o ti'e in the 'i##le o thearia

 

!/4 nal :La #onna 'o%ile is the ulti'ate "nie through0igolettos heart ts #ra'atic e9ect or"s %ecause o

his unchange# 'usical an# e'otional nature 

7L!.o +-

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o F;.L !/T :Vho inganatto  !avi# 4i'%ell$ 7il#a #ictates the ace, 'oo# an#

'usic o the >nal #uet or the >rst ti'e in theoera

 

!avi# 4i'%ell$ 7il#a F.!* rather than going out

ith a %ang

CRITICAL RECE!TION

• -ritics generally aalle# %y the :ugly storyline

• *a 7il#a as a arning against e6tre'e e'ininity, lea#s toacts to suici#e or unrighteous eole