The Complete Opera Book Part 55

_Place_--Heaven; Frankfurt, Germany; Vale of Tempe, Ancient Greece.

"Mefistofele" is in a prologue, four acts, and epilogue. In Gounod's "Faust," the librettists were circ.u.mspect, and limited the book of the opera to the first part of Goethe's _Faust_, the story of _Faust_ and _Marguerite_--succinct, dramatic, and absorbing. Only for the ballet did they reach into the second part of Goethe's play and appropriate the scene on the Brocken, which, however, is frequently omitted.

Boto, himself a poet, based his libretto on both parts of Goethe's work, and endeavoured to give it the substratum of philosophy upon which the German master reared his dramatic structure. This, however, resulted in making "Mefistofele" two operas in one. Wherever the work touches on the familiar story of _Faust_ and _Marguerite_, it is absorbingly interesting, and this in spite of the similarity between some of its scenes and those of Gounod's "Faust." When it strays into Part II of Goethe's drama, the main thread of the action suddenly seems broken. The skein ravels. That is why one of the most profound works for the lyric stage, one of the most beautiful scores that has come out of Italy, is heard so rarely.

Theodore T. Barker prefaces his translation of the libretto, published by Oliver Ditson Company, with a recital of the story.

The Prologue opens in the nebulous regions of s.p.a.ce, in which float the invisible legions of angels, cherubs, and seraphs. These lift their voices in a hymn of praise to the Supreme Ruler of the universe.

_Mefistofele_ enters on the scene at the close of the anthem, and, standing erect amid the clouds, with his feet upon the border of his cloak, mockingly addresses the Deity. In answer to the question from the mystic choir, "Knowest thou Faust?" he answers contemptuously, and offers to wager that he will be able to entice _Faust_ to evil, and thus gain a victory over the powers of good. The wager is accepted, and the spirits resume their chorus of praise.

Musically the Prologue is full of interest. There are five distinct periods of music, varied in character, so that it gives necessary movement to a scene in which there is but little stage action. There are the prelude with mystic choir; the sardonic scherzo foreshadowing the entry of _Mefistofele_; his scornful address, in which finally he engages to bring about the destruction of _Faust's_ soul; a vivacious chorus of cherubs (impersonated by twenty-four boys); a psalmody of penitents and spirits.

Act I. The drama opens on Easter Sunday, at Frankfort-on-the-Main.

Crowds of people of all conditions move in and out of the city gates.

Among them appears a grey friar, an object of both reverence and dread to those near him. The aged _Dr. Faust_ and his pupil _Wagner_ descend from a height and enter upon the scene, shadowed by the friar, whose actions they discuss. _Faust_ returns to his laboratory, still at his heels the friar, who, unheeded, enters with him, and conceals himself in an alcove. _Faust_ gives himself to meditation, and upon opening the sacred volume, is startled by a shriek from the friar as he rushes from his place of concealment. _Faust_ makes the all-potent "sign of Solomon," which compels _Mefistofele_ to throw off his friar's disguise and to appear in his own person in the garb of a cavalier, with a black cloak upon his arm. In reply to _Faust's_ questionings, he declares himself the spirit that denieth all things, desiring only the complete ruin of the world, and a return to chaos and night. He offers to make _Faust_ the companion of his wanderings, upon certain conditions, to which the latter agrees, saying: "If thou wilt bring me one hour of peace, in which my soul may rest--if thou wilt unveil the world and myself before me--if I may find cause to say to some flying moment, 'Stay, for thou art blissful,' then let me die, and let h.e.l.l's depths engulf me." The contract completed, _Mefistofele_ spreads his cloak, and both disappear through the air.

The first scene of this act gains its interest from the reflection in the music of the bustle and animation of the Easter festival. The score plastically follows the many changing incidents of the scene upon the stage. Conspicuous in the episodes in _Faust's_ laboratory are _Faust's_ beautiful air, "Dai campi, dai prati" (From the fields and from the meadows); and _Mefistofele's_ proclamation of his ident.i.ty, "Son lo spirito che nega" (I am the spirit that denieth).

Act II opens with the garden scene. _Faust_, rejuvenated, and under the name of _Henry_; _Margaret_, _Mefistofele_, and _Martha_ stroll here and there in couples, chatting and love-making. Thence _Mefistofele_ takes _Faust_ to the heights of the Brocken, where he witnesses the orgies of the Witches' Sabbath. The fiend is welcomed and saluted as their king. _Faust_, benumbed and stupefied, gazes into the murky sky, and experiences there a vision of _Margaret_, pale, sad, and fettered with chains.

In this act the garden scene is of entrancing grace. It contains _Faust's_ "Colma il tuo cor d'un palpito" (Flood thou thy heart with all the bliss), and the quartet of farewell, with which the scene ends, _Margaret_, with the gay and reckless laugh of ineffable bliss, exclaiming to _Faust_ that she loves him. The scene in the Brocken, besides the whirl of the witches' orgy, has a solo for _Mefistofele_, when the weird sisters present to him a gla.s.s globe, reflected in which he sees the earth. "Ecco il mondo" (Behold the earth).

Act III. The scene is a prison. _Margaret_ lies extended upon a heap of straw, mentally wandering, and singing to herself. _Mefistofele_ and _Faust_ appear outside the grating. They converse hurriedly, and _Faust_ begs for the life of _Margaret_. _Mefistofele_ promises to do what he can, and bids him haste, for the infernal steeds are ready for flight. He opens the cell, and _Faust_ enters it. _Margaret_ thinks the jailors have come to release her, but at length recognizes her lover. She describes what followed his desertion of her, and begs him to lay her in death beside her loved ones;--her babe, whom she drowned, her mother whom she is accused of having poisoned. _Faust_ entreats her to fly with him, and she finally consents, saying that in some far distant isle they may yet be happy. But the voice of _Mefistofele_ in the background recalls her to the reality of the situation. She shrinks away from _Faust_, prays to Heaven for mercy, and dies. Voices of the celestial choir are singing softly "She's saved!" _Faust_ and _Mefistofele_ escape, as the executioner and his escort appear in the background.

The act opens with _Margaret's_ lament, "L'altra notte in fonda al mare" (To the sea, one night in sadness), in which she tells of the drowning of her babe. There is an exquisite duet, for _Margaret_ and _Faust_, "Lontano, sui flutti d'un ampio oceano" (Far away, o'er the waves of a far-spreading ocean).

Act IV. _Mefistofele_ takes _Faust_ to the sh.o.r.es of the Vale of Tempe. _Faust_ is ravished with the beauty of the scene while _Mefistofele_ finds that the orgies of the _Brocken_ were more to his taste.

'Tis the night of the cla.s.sic Sabbath. A band of young maidens appear, singing and dancing. _Mefistofele_, annoyed and confused, retires.

_Helen_ enters with chorus, and, absorbed by a terrible vision, rehea.r.s.es the story of Troy's destruction. _Faust_ enters, richly clad in the costume of a knight of the fifteenth century, followed by _Mefistofele_, _Nereno_, _Pantalis_, and others, with little fauns and sirens. Kneeling before _Helen_, he addresses her as his ideal of beauty and purity. Thus pledging to each other their love and devotion, they wander through the bowers and are lost to sight.

_Helen's_ ode, "La luna immobile innonda l'etere" (Motionless floating, the moon floods the dome of night); her dream of the destruction of Troy; the love duet for _Helen_ and _Faust_, "Ah!

Amore! mistero celeste" ('Tis love, a mystery celestial); and the dexterous weaving of a musical background by orchestra and chorus, are the chief features in the score to this act.

In the Epilogue, we find _Faust_ in his laboratory once more--an old man, with death fast approaching, mourning over his past life, with the holy volume open before him. Fearing that _Faust_ may yet escape him, _Mefistofele_ spreads his cloak, and urges _Faust_ to fly with him through the air. Appealing to Heaven, _Faust_ is strengthened by the sound of angelic songs, and resists. Foiled in his efforts, _Mefistofele_ conjures up a vision of beautiful sirens. _Faust_ hesitates a moment, flies to the sacred volume, and cries, "Here at last I find salvation"; then falling on his knees in prayer, effectually overcomes the temptations of the evil one. He then dies amid a shower of rosy petals, and to the triumphant song of a celestial choir. _Mefistofele_ has lost his wager, and holy influences have prevailed.

We have here _Faust's_ lament, "Giunto sul pa.s.so estremo" (Nearing the utmost limit); his prayer, and the choiring of salvation.

Arrigo Boto was, it will be recalled, the author of the books to Ponchielli's opera "La Gioconda," and Verdi's "Otello" and "Falstaff."

He was born in Padua, February 24, 1842. From 1853 to 1862 he was a pupil of the Milan Conservatory. During a long sojourn in Germany and Poland he became an ardent admirer of Wagner's music. Since "Mefistofele" Boto has written and composed another opera, "Nerone"

(Nero), but has withheld it from production.

Amilcare Ponchielli

(1834-1886)

Amilcare Ponchielli, the composer of "La Gioconda," was born at Paderno Fasolaro, Cremona, August 31, 1834. He studied music, 1843-54, at the Milan Conservatory. In 1856 he brought out at Cremona an opera, "I Promessi Sposi" (The Betrothed), which, in a revised version, Milan, 1872, was his first striking success. The same care Ponchielli bestowed upon his studies, which lasted nearly ten years, he gave to his works. Like "I Promessi Sposi," his opera, "I Lituani" (The Lithuanians), brought out in 1874, was revived ten years later, as "Alguna"; and, while "La Gioconda" (1876) did not wait so long for success, it too was revised and brought out in a new version before it received popular acclaim. Among his other operas are, 1880, "Il Figliuol Prodigo" (The Prodigal Son), and, 1885, "Marion Delorme." "La Gioconda," however, is the only one of his operas that has made its way abroad.

Ponchielli died at Milan, January 16, 1886. He was among the very first Italian composers to yield to modern influences and enrich his score with instrumental effects intended to enhance its beauty and give the support of an eloquent and expressive accompaniment to the voice without, however, challenging its supremacy. His influence upon his Italian contemporaries was considerable. He, rather than Verdi, is regarded by students of music as the founder of the modern school of Italian opera. What really happened is that there was going on in Italy, influenced by a growing appreciation of Wagner's works among musicians, a movement for a more advanced style of lyric drama.

Ponchielli and Boto were leaders in this movement. Verdi, a far greater genius than either of these, was caught up in it, and, because of his genius, accomplished more in it than the actual leaders.

Ponchielli's influence still is potent. For he was the teacher of the most famous living Italian composer of opera, Giacomo Puccini.

LA GIOCONDA

THE BALLAD SINGER

Opera in four acts by Ponchielli, libretto by Arrigo Boto, after Victor Hugo's play, "Angelo, Tyrant of Padua." Boto signed the book with his anagram, "Tobia Gorrio." Produced in its original version, La Scala, Milan, April 8, 1876; and with a new version of the libretto in Genoa, December, 1876.

London, Covent Garden, May 31, 1883. New York, December 20, 1883 (for details, see below); revived, Metropolitan Opera House, November 28, 1904, with Nordica, Homer, Edyth Walker, Caruso, Giraldoni, and Plancon; later with Destinn, Ober, and Amato.

CHARACTERS

LA GIOCONDA, a ballad singer _Soprano_ LA CIECA, her blind mother _Contralto_ ALVISE, one of the heads of the State Inquisition _Ba.s.s_ LAURA, his wife _Mezzo-Soprano_ ENZO GRIMALDO, a Genoese n.o.ble _Tenor_ BARNABA, a spy of the Inquisition _Baritone_ ZUaNE, a boatman _Ba.s.s_ ISePO, a public letter-writer _Tenor_ A PILOT _Ba.s.s_

Monks, senators, sailors, s.h.i.+pwrights, ladies, gentlemen, populace, maskers, guards, etc.

_Time_--17th Century.

_Place_--Venice.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Copyright photo by Mishkin

Amato as Barnaba in "La Gioconda"]

Twenty-one years elapsed between the production of "La Gioconda" at the Metropolitan Opera House and its revival. Since its reawakening it has taken a good hold on the repertoire, which makes it difficult to explain why it should have been allowed to sleep so long. It may be that possibilities of casting it did not suggest themselves. Not always does "Cielo e mar" flow as suavely from lips as it does from those of Caruso. Then, too, managers are superst.i.tious, and may have hesitated to make re-trial of anything that had been attempted at that first season of opera at the Metropolitan, one of the most disastrous on record. Even Praxede Marcelline Kochanska (in other words Marcella Sembrich), who was a member of Henry E. Abbey's troupe, was not re-engaged for this country, and did not reappear at the Metropolitan until fourteen years later.

"La Gioconda" was produced at that house December 20, 1883, with Christine Nilsson in the t.i.tle role; Scalchi as _La Cieca_; Fursch-Madi as _Laura_; Stagno as _Enzo_; Del Puente as _Barnaba_; and Novara as _Alvise_. Cavalazzi, one of the leading dancers of her day, appeared in the "Danza delle Ore" (Dance of the Hours). It was a good performance, but Del Puente hardly was sinister enough for _Barnaba_, or Stagno distinguished enough in voice and personality for _Enzo_.

There was in the course of the performance an unusual occurrence and one that is interesting to hark back to. Nilsson had a voice of great beauty--pure, limpid, flexible--but not one conditioned to a severe dramatic strain. Fursch-Madi, on the other hand, had a large, powerful voice and a singularly dramatic temperament. When _La Gioconda_ and _Laura_ appeared in the great duet in the second act, "L'amo come il fulgor del creato" (I love him as the light of creation), Fursch-Madi, without great effort, "took away" this number from Mme. Nilsson, and completely eclipsed her. When the two singers came out in answer to the recalls, Mme. Nilsson, as etiquette demanded, was slightly in advance of the mezzo-soprano, for whom, however, most of the applause was intended. Mme. Fursch-Madi was a fine singer, but lacked the pleasing personality and appealing temperament that we spoiled Americans demand of our singers. She died, in extreme poverty and after a long illness, in a little hut on one of the Orange mountains in New Jersey, where an old chorus singer had given her shelter. She had appeared in many tragedies of the stage, but none more tragic than her own last hours.

Each act of "La Gioconda" has its separate t.i.tle: Act I, "The Lion's Mouth"; Act II, "The Rosary"; Act III, "The House of Gold"; Act IV, "The Orfano Ca.n.a.l." The t.i.tle of the opera can be translated as "The Ballad Singer," but the Italian t.i.tle appears invariably to be used.

Act I. "The Lion's Mouth." Grand courtyard of the Ducal palace, decorated for festivities. At back, the Giant's Stairway, and the Portico della Carta, with doorway leading to the interior of the Church of St. Mark. On the left, the writing-table of a public letter-writer. On one side of the courtyard one of the historic Lion's Mouths, with the following inscription cut in black letters into the wall:

FOR SECRET DENUNCIATIONS TO THE INQUISITION AGAINST ANY PERSON, WITH IMPUNITY, SECRECY, AND BENEFIT TO THE STATE.

It is a splendid afternoon in spring. The stage is filled with holiday-makers, monks, sailors, s.h.i.+pwrights, masquers, etc., and amidst the busy crowd are seen some Dalmatians and Moors.

_Barnaba_, leaning his back against a column, is watching the people.

He has a small guitar, slung around his neck.

The populace gaily sings, "Feste e pane" (Sports and feasting). They dash away to watch the regatta, when _Barnaba_, coming forward, announces that it is about to begin. He watches them disdainfully.

"Above their graves they are dancing!" he exclaims. _Gioconda_ leads in _La Cieca_, her blind mother. There is a duet of much tenderness between them: "Figlia, che reggi il tremulo" (Daughter in thee my faltering steps).