Giacomo Puccini: A Musical Genius

1454 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Giacomo Puccini

As mentioned before, La bohéme is ‘a four-act opera by Giacomo Puccini with a libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica based upon Henry Murger’s novel, Scènes de la vie de bohème (Julian Budden). Puccini wanted to begin composing this opera during the winter of 1892 but due to an argument with another composer, Ruggero Leoncavallo over the rights to the story, production of the libretto was slow (Budden). After almost two years of perfecting the libretto and a few disagreements between Giacosa, Illica, and Puccini, Giacomo began to compose the opera in the summer of 1894 (Budden). On December 10, 1895, the score was finished and La bohéme premiered on February 1, 1896 with Toscanini conducting at the Teatro Regio in Turin – the same theater Manon Lescaut premiered in three years prior (Budden). The original cast consisted of Cesira Ferrani as Mimì, Camilla Pasini as Musetta, Evan Gorga as Rodolfo, Michele Mazzini as Colline, and Antonio Pini-Corsi as Schaunard (Budden). The opera may not have been an instant hit with critics but according to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, “nothing could stop its rapid circulation” (Budden).
La bohéme tells the story of star-crossed lovers, Rodolfo and Mimì, who witness the triumphs and tribulations of true love. Set in the Latin Quartet of Paris in 1830, the story begins on Christmas Eve with Rodolfo, a poet, and Marcello, a painter, shivering in the cold and trying to find something to burn in order to keep warm (Julian Budden). Rodolfo decides to use his five-act play that he has painstakingly written to keep the flames ablaze instead of burning furniture or something that might be of use later on (Budden). Colline enters to a “brisk orchestral theme” and the fire is b...

... middle of paper ...

...Arizona Opera, 1999. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
"Musical Characteristics." Twentieth Century Style. ClassicalScore.com, 14 Feb. 2009. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.
Nasou, Peter J. "Che Gelida Manina Translation." Aria Database.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
"Plot Summary of Rent." IMDb. IMDb.com, 2005. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
Puccini, Giacomo. "La Boheme Madrid 2006." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Aug. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
"Rent - Synopsis." Musicals On Line. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
"Rent." IBDB. The Broadway League, 2001. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
"Synopsis of La Bohème." The Metropolitan Opera. The Metropolitan Opera, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
Tommasini, Anthony. "The Seven-Year Odyssey That Led to 'Rent'" The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Mar. 1996. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
Wright, Craig M., and Bryan R. Simms. Music in Western Civilization. Boston: Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Show More
Related

  • A History of the Overture and its Use in the Wind Band: An Annotated Guide to Selected Overtures Scored Originally for Wind Band

    3248 Words  | 7 Pages

    Stolba, M. K. (1998) The Development of Western Music, A History, Third Edition. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill

    Read More

  • The Role Of the Castrati in the Baroque Era

    1222 Words  | 3 Pages

    "History of Castrati in the Opera." By Irini Kotroni. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014

    Read More

  • Claudio Monteverdi

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was an early age when Monteverdi’s career began, he then published his first pieces, and this was based on as a collection of three-voice motets, at the age of fifteen. It was by 1591, when he went to Mantua as a musician for the Gonzaga court, by then he had already published books of “spiritual madrigals” in 1583, then another canzonettas in 1584, by 1587 and 1590 he published his first two books of “madrigals.” It was in Mantua he continued writing madrigals, and then in 1607 he produced his first work in the new genre of opera, the setting was of Orfeo. 1613, he was then appointed maestro di cappella at ST. Mark’s Cathedral which was held in Venice. Monteverdi had remained in Venice for the rest of his life, writing music in all different kinds of genres, including his final opera, “incoronaszione di Poppea in 1642.

    Read More

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    Willoughby, David. "Chapter 11." The World of Music. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 249-53. Print.

    Read More

  • Tosca Puccini Analysis

    167 Words  | 1 Pages

    Puccini spent more time producing the music for Tosca than he did the music for La bohème (1895) and the result was greater success. The harmony range is richer than La bohème. In Tosca there are three main characters; Floria Tosca, Mario Cavaradossi, Baron Scarplia. According to Budden, Tosca is most Wagnerian in style of his operas. In Tosca Puccini, like Wagner uses motifs. However, unlike Wagner, he does not develop these in the same way. Nevertheless, Tosca’s personality and Tosca’s feelings towards Cavaradossi are also significantly shown by motifs.

    Read More

  • Beethoven, Bach And Bartok: Comparisons

    3266 Words  | 7 Pages

    TitleAuthor/ EditorPublisherDate James Galways’ Music in TimeWilliam MannMichael Beazley Publishers1982 The Concise Oxford History of MusicGerald AbrahamOxford University Press1979 Music in Western CivilizationPaul Henry LangW. W. Norton and Company1941 The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Classical MusicRobert AinsleyCarlton Books Limited1995 The Cambridge Music GuideStanley SadieCambridge University Press1985 School text: Western European Orchestral MusicMary AllenHamilton Girls’ High School1999 History of MusicRoy BennettCambridge University Press1982 Classical Music for DummiesDavid PogueIDG Books Worldwide,Inc1997

    Read More

  • Hawaiian Culture and Music

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    Miller, Terry, and Andrew Shahriari. World Music: A Global Journey. New York, London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2006.

    Read More

  • The History and Future of Opera

    955 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before discussing the future of opera, it is imperative to examine traditional opera and some modern trends. The primary focus of traditional is on the actors’ and actresses’ singing and acting. Apart from vocal performance, opera also puts emphasis on movement and expression. Movement and expressions are exaggerated so that audiences sitting far away can see. The movements are theatrical. Opera is performed on live stage with sets and costumes designed especially for the performance. For example in Tosca, The actors and actresses all dressed in the costume of the Napoleon era. Males have waxed hair, and they wear breeches and long coats with tall standing collars. Females wear dresses that ar...

    Read More

  • How Musical Is Man By John Blacking

    636 Words  | 2 Pages

    “How Musical is Man?” was published in 1974. This book was written by John Blacking, a musician turned social anthropologist. His goal in writing this ethnography, and several other papers during this same time period, was to compare the experience of music-making that takes place within different cultures and societies throughout the world. In this book, he discusses and describes the musicology of the Venda people in South Africa. Though he does go to Africa to research and learn about the Venda people and their music, he specifically states that his book is “not a scholarly study of human musicality” (ix), but rather it is a summary (written from his point of view), which is both expressive and entertaining, of several different issues and ideas that he has seemingly been contemplating for some time.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

    1261 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra performed Overture to La Scala di Seta by Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868), which represents the Classical Period. Rossini

    Read More

  • Music as a Tool of Protest and Social Change

    1915 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Music is a common experience and a large part of societies. In fact, anthropologists note that all human communities at all times and in all places, have engaged in musical behaviours. Music as a mode of human activity is a cultural phenomenon constituting a fundamental social entity as humans create music and create their relationship to music. As cultural phenomeno...

    Read More

  • Romantic Vs Classical Music Essay

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    What would the world be like without music? The world would be a very silent place. Music is in many ways the material of our lives and the meaning of society. It is a reminder of how things were in the old days, a suggestion of how things are, and a view of where society is leading to. Music is the direct reflection of the picture of art, music, and literature. Music can be a way to deliver messages, being poetic, a fine art, or it can just be for entertainment. No matter what it is used for, music is the perfect art there is and there are various types of music; such as classical and romantic. This paper will discuss how classical music and romantic music had a turning point in humanity’s social or cultural development, and how they have

    Read More

  • Musicians and Composers of the Renaissance

    1760 Words  | 4 Pages

    John Warrack, author of 6 Great Composers, stated, “Any study of a composer, however brief, must have as its only purpose encouragement of the reader to greater enjoyment of the music” (Warrack, p.2). The composers and musicians of the Renaissance period need to be discussed and studied so that listeners, performers, and readers can appreciate and understand the beginnings of music theory and form. The reader can also understand the driving force of the composer, whether sacred or secular, popularity or religious growth. To begin understanding music composition one must begin at the birth, or rebirth of music and the composers who created the great change.

    Read More

  • Comparison of African, Indonesian, and Indian Music

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the semester, various styles of music and the aspects of culture associated with these styles have been analyzed. Musical elements such as dynamics, texture, form, timbre, melody, instruments, etc., have been used to thoroughly explore each kind of music from different areas of the world, with an emphasis in music from Africa, India and Indonesia. These aspects of music go far beyond just music itself. Culture also plays a huge role in music and the accompanying musical elements. Each country and culture has a different style and distinctiveness that add to what makes the music of that certain culture unique. Music in Africa may differ dramatically from music in Indonesia or India not only due to those certain elements but also due to how it is interpreted by people and what it represents for those people. In addition to this, what one may consider music in one culture may not be music to another. These differences have been made apparent in the several demonstrations that we have been exposed to in class.

    Read More

  • Italian Music

    1477 Words  | 3 Pages

    Harr, James. Essays on Italian Poetry and Music in the Renassisance: 1350-1600. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986.

    Read More

More about Giacomo Puccini: A Musical Genius

Open Document