CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
PRELUDE
It consists of music from the opera except for the serenade, which Turiddu sings behind the closed curtains. It is to Lola, Alfio’s wife, and heralds the tragedy.
Synopsis
The action takes place in a Sicilian village on Easter morning about 1880.
The village square. On one side is the church, on the other Mamma Lucia’s wineshop and home. The day is just beginning.
The villagers sing of spring, the season of love.
Santuzza asks Mamma Lucia: “Dov’ Turiddu” (where is Turiddu)? Mamma Lucia nervously claims that she doesn’t know. I don‘t want any trouble, she insists. Finally she states that Turiddu has gone to a neighboring town to buy wine. Santuzza denies it. He has been seen in the village. Lucia is startled. She asks Santuzza into her house, but Santuzza refuses: “Sono scomunicata” (I am excommunicated [and she must not enter by local moral law]). Mamma Lucia suspects the reason.
At this moment Alfio drives in. Alfio is a carter. His aria describes his life, the horse, the harness bells and home after hard work. The villagers envy him his freedom and travel.
Alfio asks Mamma Lucia for a special wine. She says that Turiddu has gone to buy more at the neighboring town.
Not so, says Alfio, for he just saw Turiddu by his own house. Alfio goes off leaving Mamma Lucia upset.
The villagers sing an Easter hymn, the refrain of which is “Il Signor non morto” (the Lord is not dead). “Alleluia.”
Mamma Lucia questions Santuzza about Turiddu, and Santuzza reminds her, “Voi lo sapete” (you know it).
Turiddu and Lola were once engaged, but when he returned from the army, Lola was married and he turned to Santuzza.
Passionately she bursts out, “L’amai” (I love him). Then Lola lured him back, leaving Santuzza without love or honor; “Io piango” (I weep). Mamma Lucia is horrified and would rather not listen. In despair Santuzza wails, “Io son dannata” (I am damned). She begs Mamma to pray for her at the service.
Turiddu asks Santuzza if she isn’t going to church. She ignores the question and says that she has something to tell him. She tries to warn him that Alfio will get suspicious, but her warning strikes him as a jealous tirade, and he accuses her of spying on him. “Lasciami” (leave me), he spurns her. She insists that he loves Lola: “L’ami” (you love her). He denies it.
Coldly he tells her to pull herself together. With anguish she pleads that she can’t help herself: she loves him. They stop abruptly as they hear Lola in the distance.
Lola sings a light, suggestive aria. She stops when she sees them. She asks after Alfio and, when she discovers that he’s not around, she asks Turiddu to go to church with her. Turiddu is confused and nervous. Santuzza begs him to stay. Lola enters the church alone with an amused shrug.
Angrily Turiddu turns on Santuzza: “Va” (go). She begs him to stay: “Rimani, rimani ancora” (stay, stay yet). He accuses her again of spying on him – even at the church door. Furious now, she threatens him: “Bada” (enough). He throws her to the ground, and she curses him. He runs into the church after Lola.
Alfio enters looking for Lola to go to church. Violently Santuzza tells him that Lola has gone in with Turriddu and that the two have been deceiving him. Alfio at first is incredulous but then believes her and swears vengeance on the lovers.
INTERMEZZO
The service is over and the villagers sing of going home – “A casa” (to home).
Turiddu starts a drinking song – Brindisi – and the villagers join him. It is Easter, a holiday.
Turiddu offers Alfio a glass. Alfio refuses because, as he says loudly, it might be poisoned. The women hurry Lola away. The challenge is implicit. Alfio merely asks if Turiddu is ready – “or ora” (now)? – and Turiddu replies instantly, “or ora,” and as Sicilian custom requires, bites Alfio on the right ear – confirming his readiness for a fight.
Regretfully he wonders for a moment what will happen to Santuzza. Then he forgets her and snarls at Alfio, who goes off coldly remarking that he is waiting.
Filled with dark premonitions, Turiddu calls Mamma Lucia. The wine, he says is a little strong. He is going out for a walk. But if he doesn‘t return, she must be a mother to Santuzza, whom he promised to marry.
Lucia can’t understand why he speaks so strangely. Again he blames the wine. He asks for a kiss – “un bacio, un altro bacio” (a kiss, another kiss). She must look after Santuzza, he insists. He runs off calling “addio” (farewell).
Lucia begins to suspect the truth. Santuzza rushes in. Offstage a woman screams that Turiddu has been killed.
Alfio has taken his revenge for his honor.
(George Martin, The Opera Companion)
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I PAGLIACCI
Opera in prologue and two acts
Music and libretto by R. Leoncavallo
First performed at the Teatro dal Venue in Milan on May 21, 1892.
PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
Tonio, the speaker of the Prologue, deformed clown and Taddeo in the play, baritone
Canio, head of the traveling troupe, Pagliaccio in the play, and considerably older than Nedda, tenor
Nedda, Canio’s wife and Colombina in the play, soprano
Beppe, another clown and Arlecchino in the play, tenor
Silvio, a villager in love with Nedda, baritone
The action takes place in Calabria, near Montalvo, on the day of the Feast of Assumption, about 1870.
The title means “The Clowns” — plural. Hence, when sobbing to himself, Canio sings, “Ridi Pagliaccio” — singular. Often the title is given as Pagliacci without the article. There seems to be no right or wrong, only custom.
The story, in one form or another, is very old and constantly used for discussion of what is real. Even so, Leoncavallo was sued for plagiarism. The suit was almost immediately dropped, but Leoncavallo’s defense is interesting. He stated that as a child he had attended the trial of a jealous player who had killed his wife after a performance. In fact, his father had been the judge. The player was convicted, imprisoned and later released.
The “real” world in the opera is represented by the great throbbing tunes, the “play” world by arch minuettes and gavottes. Leoncavallo’s switching from one to the other and even melding them is brilliantly done. For example, in the first act the “real” Nedda repulses the “real” Tonio by sarcastically singing music from the play. And the more serious Tonio becomes in the following duet, the more Nedda refuses to treat his proposal seriously until he forces her to a “real” response.
The play itself, entitled “A Comedy,” is not particularly clear, and the staging of it is often so cramped that it becomes almost impossible to follow what goes on. In it Colombina (Nedda) sits at home alone. She looks out the window for her lover, Arlecchino (Beppe). Pagliaccio (Canio), her husband, will not return till late that night. Taddeo (Tonio), her goofy servant, has not yet returned with the groceries for the tryst dinner.
Arlecchino sings a serenade. Excitedly, Colombina goes to the window, makes sure it’s he, and then waits a moment before signaling, in order to compose herself. Taddeo comes with the food. He is madly in love with his mistress and thinks that when he delivers the chicken would be a good time to tell her. She pays no attention but signals Arlecchino, who jumps through the window. He drives out Taddeo, who apologizes for intruding on lovers.
The lovers sit down to talk of love but decide to eat first. Arlecchino gives her a vial with sleeping potion for Pagliaccio. Taddeo pops his head in to warn them that Pagliaccio is returning, very angry and looking for weapons. Arlecchino hastily jumps out the window, telling Colombina to put the drug in Pagliaccio’s coffee. Pagliaccio enters in a jealous rage. Columbina explains the table set for two by saying that it was for Taddeo. He backs up her story. At this point in the opera, the play dissolves into reality. The play should end with Colombina, the clever wife, making a fool of her noisy, jealous husband and enjoying her tryst with Arlecchino.
The opera starts with a prologue, which is unusual. It also has a short intermezzo. This latter is usually played after an intermission as the prelude to Act II.
PROLOGUE (8 min.)
There is a short orchestral introduction (3 min.), and then Tonio puts his head round the curtain: “Si pud” (may I)? (At once controversy arises on how to do it: should he be fully costumed, “in character” as the hunchback Tonio? Half costumed? Or is he just a cheeky, poised actor chatting before the curtain goes up?)
He’s there, he explains, because the author, liking prologues, put him there. But not to say the actors’ tears aren’t real; oh no, tonight the story is true, and the audience must know that actors rage and weep like other men. “Andiam” (let’s go), he calls into the wings. “Incomminciate” (begin).
ACT I (41 min.)
On the edge of town. (Although the curtain never falls, structurally the act divides into four scenes of almost equal length: the parade through the town and the announcement of the show; Nedda’s rejection of Tonio; Nedda’s agreement to flee with Silvio; and Canio’s discovery of the lovers and his breakdown.)
SCENE 1 (12 min.)
chorus Townspeople: They push each other, cheer the players and for a while refuse to let Canio speak.
aria Canio: “Un grande spettacolo,” he announces (a great performance). You’ll see the ragings of the jealous Pagliaccio and the foiling of Taddeo’s plot. It begins: “A ventitre ore” (at twenty-three hours — i.e. eleven p.m.).
Townspeople: They repeat the time and help the players get down from the cart. They invite the men to the tavern for a drink and then laugh at Canio for pushing Tonio away from Nedda. They joke that maybe Tonio would like to make love to Nedda.
aria Canio: He takes it too seriously: “Un tal gioco, credetemi” (such a joke, believe me). He warns them not to think that because he laughs in the play about Colombina’s infidelity, he’d laugh in real life,
chorus Townspeople: They josh him back into a good humor. The vesper bell rings and everyone goes back to town imitating the bells. Nedda stays behind. Tonio, who is feeding the donkey, also stays.
SCENE 2 (9 min.)
Nedda: She wonders why Canio was upset over the joke. Does he suspect her?
aria Some geese fly overhead. She envies their freedom — “liberamente” (freely). Nothing hinders them, traps them; they just fly on and on: “E van” (and they fly).
Nedda and Tonio: He admires her song. She laughs scornfully. “Non rider, Nedda,” he begs (don’t laugh). Then he tells her how much he loves her, how everyone jokes about his ugliness, but still he loves her.
duet
Sarcastically she suggests that he save his speech for the play — “stasera” (this evening). He begs her not to laugh.
He gets more forceful and tries to kiss her. She hits him with a whip, and he swears revenge.
SCENE 3 (12 min.)
Silvio and Nedda: He drops over a wall to the back. First he soothes her agitation over Tonio; then he urges her to stay in the village with him:
duet “rimani” (remain) or, better, they’ll flee together — “fuggi con me” (flee with me). She hesitates and he urges her. (Sometimes a small bit here is cut.) Finally, he accuses her of not loving him. But she insists that she does. (Tonio, meanwhile, has been watching and gleefully goes to get Canio.)
Silvio starts again to win her over and an extended duet develops. “Tutto scordiam,” he urges (let’s forget everything). She repeats it and agrees to flee with him that night.
SCENE 4 (9 min.)
Canio, Tonio and Nedda: Canio has heard the end of it and pursues Silvio over the wall. “Bravo,” Nedda sneers at Tonio. Canio returns, having lost Silvio in the woods. He demands to know his name: “II nome” (his name). Nedda refuses. Canio threatens her with a knife, but Beppe holds him back and persuades Nedda to go dress for the play. Tonio insinuatingly whispers to Canio that he’ll continue to keep watch. Then he leaves to beat the drum for the show,
aria
Left alone, Canio despairs. “Recitar” (to recite ... my part). He reminds himself: “Tu sei Pagliaccio” (you are Pagliaccio). “Vest! la giubba” (put on your costume) and “Ridi Pagliaccio” (laugh, Pagliaccio)—even though your heart is breaking.
ACT II (26 min.)
The scene is the same, later that evening. The intermezzo (3 min.) introduces the act. (Again, although the curtain does not fall, the act divides structurally into scenes.)
SCENE 1 (6 min.)
Townspeople: They gather for the show. Tonio drums them to their places. Beppe settles arguments about seats and Nedda collects the money. When she gets to Silvio he whispers that he’ll be waiting, and she warns him to be careful. (Sometimes this exchange is cut and Beppe collects the money.) The crowd demands “silenzio” (silence) and the show begins.
SCENE 2 (17 min.)
The comedy unfolds as described before. Carefully Leoncavallo has made Taddeo’s confession to Colombina reminiscent of Tonio’s to Nedda, and as Canio enters, he hears Colombina’s farewell to Arlecchino set to the same words and music as Nedda’s farewell to Silvio that afternoon.
Canio forces himself on with the play. Taddeo confirms that the dinner was for him: Colombina cannot lie. The audience’s laughter unsettles Canio, who demands the lover’s name. Nedda jokes him, “Pagliaccio.”
aria Furiously he breaks out: “No, Pagliaccio non son” (I am not Pagliaccio). I am Canio. I am the fool who cared for you, gave you my name and whose love for you has become a burning passion. He collapses into a chair.
More lyrically and sadly he describes how he believed in her but she turned out to be a serpent.
She tries to continue with the play. He insists on “il nome” (his name). Defiantly she refuses to tell him. He stabs her. She calls for Silvio, who comes up from the crowd. Canio stabs him. Then, stunned, he turns to the audience: “La commedia e finita” (the comedy is finished).
(In the original orchestral score Leoncavallo gave this famous last line to Tonio, the baritone, from whose lips it sounds as a ghastly, cynical comment on his night’s work and balances with his prologue. Tenors always covet the line, and Caruso is said to have started the tradition of the tenor speaking it in a heart-broken voice. The score, however, indicates it should be sung — on eight B naturals, divided by a pause: “La commedia... e finita.”)
