Verdi and the French Aesthetic: Verse, Stanza, and Melody in Nineteenth-Century Opera

by Andreas Giger

Overview

Focusing on Verdi's French operas, Giger shows how the composer acquired an ever better understanding of the various approaches to French versification while gradually bringing his works in line with French melodic aesthetic. In his first French opera, Jérusalem, Verdi treated the text in an overly cautious manner, trying to avoid prosodic mistakes; in Les Vêpres siciliennes he began to apply more freedom, scanning the verses against some prosodic accents to convey the lightheartedness of a melody; and in Don Carlos he finally drew on the entire palette of prosodic interpretations. Most of Verdi's melodic accomplishments in the French operas carried over into the subsequent Italian ones, setting the stage for what later would be called operatic verismo. Drawing attention to the significance of the libretto for the development of nineteenth-century French and Italian opera, this text illustrates Verdi's gradual mastery of the challenges he faced, and their historical significance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521878432
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/09/2008
Pages:	306
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Andreas Giger is Associate Professor of Music at Louisiana State University.

Table of Contents

Part I. Versification and Melodic Aesthetics: 1. Rhythm and stanza in French and Italian librettos; 2. French and Italian melodic aesthetics and practice c. 1830–70; Episode: design, middleground rhythm, and phrase; Part II. French Melody in Verdi's Operas: 3. Jérusalem and its influence on the subsequent Italian operas; 4. Les Vêpres siciliennes and its influence on the subsequent Italian operas; 5. Don Carlos and after; Appendix: Significant theoretic and aesthetic texts.

Editorial Reviews

"Giger's challenging book with its dense analysis of accent, rhythm, stanza and melody makes a fine study for anyone dedicated to Verdi's French operas. Recommended for the brave who will persevere."
—The Opera Journal

From the Publisher