The Operas of Giuseppe Verdi

by Abramo Basevi, translated by Edward Schneider and Stefano Castelvecchi, edited by Stefano Castelvecchi, introduction by Stefano Castelvecchi

University of Chicago Press, 2014
Cloth: 978-0-226-09491-5 | Electronic: 978-0-226-09507-3
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.001.0001

AVAILABLE FROM

University of Chicago Press (cloth, ebook)
Chegg Inc
DeGruyter Multi-User Ebook Program
ebrary
EBSCO eBooks (formerly NetLibrary)
Kno
University Press Scholarship Online (UPSO)

ABOUT THIS BOOKAUTHOR BIOGRAPHYREVIEWSTABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Abramo Basevi published his study of Verdi’s operas in Florence in 1859, in the middle of the composer’s career. The first thorough, systematic examination of Verdi’s operas, it covered the twenty works produced between 1842 and 1857—from Nabucco and Macbeth to Il trovatore, La traviata, and Aroldo. But while Basevi’s work is still widely cited and discussed—and nowhere more so than in the English-speaking world—no translation of the entire volume has previously been available. The Operas of Giuseppe Verdi fills this gap, at the same time providing an invaluable critical apparatus and commentary on Basevi’s work.

As a contemporary of Verdi and a trained musician, erudite scholar, and critic conversant with current and past operatic repertories, Basevi presented pointed discussion of the operas and their historical context, offering today’s readers a unique window into many aspects of operatic culture, and culture in general, in Verdi’s Italy. He wrote with precision on formal aspects, use of melody and orchestration, and other compositional features, which made his study an acknowledged model for the growing field of music criticism. Carefully annotated and with an engaging introduction and detailed glossary by editor Stefano Castelvecchi, this translation illuminates Basevi’s musical and historical references as well as aspects of his language that remain difficult to grasp even for Italian readers.

Making Basevi’s important contribution to our understanding of Verdi and his operas available to a broad audience for the first time, The Operas of Giuseppe Verdi will delight scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Abramo Basevi (1818–85) was a composer, music promoter, scholar and critic who played a major role in the cultural life of nineteenth-century Florence. He published extensively on music and philosophy and founded the periodical L’armonia, where his study of Verdi’s operas first appeared. Stefano Castelvecchi is a lecturer in music at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge. He is the editor of critical editions of works by Rossini and Verdi and the author of Sentimental Opera: Questions of Genre in the Age of Bourgeois Drama. Edward Schneider studied music at Oxford and has translated several books on music and cooking. He was an editor at United Nations Headquarters.

REVIEWS

“Basevi’s Studio sulle opere di Giuseppe Verdi represents an extraordinary testimony to a new and important way of writing music criticism in mid-nineteenth-century Italy, and Basevi’s terminology and expressions have served as the foundations for influential analytical methods. This translation is polished, elegant, and eminently accessible to a modern reader. Castelvecchi provides a strong introduction, a wealth of explanatory notes, and a glossary that together make The Operas of Giuseppe Verdi a thoroughly engaging and vastly informative book, granting access to a fundamental nineteenth-century source for opera students and lovers.”

— Francesco Izzo, University of Southampton

“Basevi had much to say that was novel about how Verdi dealt with issues of melodic construction, orchestration, and form. Schneider and Castelvecchi have done an excellent job in making the text correspond well to the sense of the original, using intelligent and very readable English, and the critical apparatus is superb. The glossary is particularly helpful—readers can better understand what these terms meant to Basevi and how those meanings can differ from today’s usage. This book will be important for scholars in any field of music.”

— Philip Gossett, author of Divas and Scholars

“Basevi’s animated, highly opinionated writing makes for lively reading, and in documenting the views of one of the finest Italian critics of his day the book is invaluable. . . . Stefano Castelvecchi, the editor, has included an extensive glossary. . . . He has also done a superb job of tracking down Basevi’s extensive, often arcane references.”

— Opera

“Brings a most important source on Verdi’s operas to English-speaking readers—scholars and aficionados alike. . . . Readers will discover a wealth of musical and cultural contextualization that is delivered with . . . an intent to integrate music with other fields (what today we call multidisciplinary studies). Basevi’s contextualization provides students of Verdi a firsthand report of the multifaceted world of the Risorgimento and his criticism is an impartial voice in an impassioned era.”

— Notes

“Castelvecchi’s succinct yet broadly pitched Introduction to the new edition contributes invaluable background for engaging with Basevi’s remarks. . . . As compiled by Castelvecchi, the Basevi lexicon is a treasure trove for researchers. . . . Schneider and Castelvecchi’s exemplary translation . . . will no doubt send researchers off in new directions, continue to broaden our understanding of Verdi’s craft, and deepen our appreciation of the composer’s accomplishments.”

— Scott L. Balthazar, Verdi Forum

“A valuable resource not only for scholars working in the fields of Verdi studies in particular, but also for opera historians in other areas. . . . The English translation and editing have been deftly handled by Schneider and Castelvecchi. . . . The translators have sought to balance clarity of prose with a desire to retain the character of the original writing. . . . However, it is in the footnotes that this edition makes its greatest contribution. Castelvecchi has taken great pains to address the huge number of lexical quirks, references, sources, examples, and allusions Basevi introduces in his text. . . . The glossary of musical terms used by Basevi is equally illuminating.”

— Music and Letters

Nabucodonosor - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0002
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Solera, libretto, Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Nabucodonosor, first performed in March 1842 at Milan's Teatro alla Scala. It presents a summary of the libretto by Solera and examines in order the pieces that make up Nabucodonosor. The opera shows that Verdi was keeping very close to Rossini: indeed, in its majesty the music appears to be a reaction against the style of Donizetti. Verdi's attempt to approach Bellinian pathos was foiled by the very nature of his melodies. Like those of Rossini, Verdi's melodies are basically consonant, whereas Bellini's are rather dissonant, dominated by passing notes, suspensions, appoggiaturas, sevenths, tritones, and so forth. Verdi's melodies flow from a rich stream, and provide good testimony to the luminous talents of this composer. (pages 11 - 25)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

I Lombardi Alla Prima Crociata - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0003
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Christianity, Solera, libretto, Grossi]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's I Lombardi alla prima crociata, first performed in February 1843. The libretto by Solera was taken from Grossi's poem of the same title. Verdi's music in I Lombardi was inspired by the same enthusiasm for Christianity that Gioberti exhibited in his Primato morale e civile degl'Italiani. For that reason, while retaining in I Lombardi the sacred colorito of Nabucodonosor, Verdi used it here with the added fire and vivacity that made it better suited to a subject that was more recent and that affected people more directly. Verdi also sought to avoid the vices of negligence and carelessness in order to steer a course between two dangerous obstacles in the composer's path: boredom and impatience in the audience. (pages 26 - 41)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Ernani - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0004
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, German music, melody, Piave, libretto, Hugo, Hernani]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Ernani, first performed in Venice in March 1844. The libretto by Piave was taken from play by Hugo, Hernani. At certain major points in this opera, Verdi deliberately used rhythms whose musical accent is not in its natural place within the measure. To some degree, this makes a melody resemble German music. The melodies of the opera are also composed for the most part of ascending patterns of notes, signaling a vigor that Verdi certainly possessed. (pages 42 - 56)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

I Due Foscari - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0005
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Piave, libretto, Byron]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's I due Foscari. The libretto by Piave was taken from the concept and plot of a tragedy by Byron. This opera leaves one with a feeling of melancholy that accords well with the plot. The effect is bolstered by the frequent use of the minor mode, which is in much greater evidence here than in the other operas examined in the preceding chapters. (pages 57 - 68)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Giovanna D’Arco - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0006
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Solera, libretto, fantastic, supernatural]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco, first performed in February 1845 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. It presents a summary of the libretto by Solera, which was taken from the miraculous tale of the shepherdess of Domrémy. The significant difference between the fantastic and the supernatural is also explained, for the benefit of writers interested in these genres. Both careful study of the score and the public's reception of the opera show that it was inferior to the four that preceded it. (pages 69 - 74)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Alzira - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0007
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Cammarano, libretto, Voltaire]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Alzira, first performed in August 1845 at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. The libretto by poet Cammarano was taken from Voltaire's tragedy Alzire—a subject that was no better suited to the operatic stage than was that of Giovanna d'Arco. It argues that while this unfortunate opera made some effort to stand on its feet, its congenital paralysis was incurable, such that it soon fell “as a dead body falls”. (pages 75 - 79)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Attila - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0008
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, libretto, Solera, Attila]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Attila, first performed in March 1846 at Venice, with most gratifying success. The libretto by Solera was based on the celebrated deeds of Attila, flagellum Dei. While the music of Attila seems to be of much greater value than that of Alzira and, in several places, even than that of Giovanna d'Arco, it is nonetheless greatly inferior to that of Nabucodonosor, I Lombardi, and Ernani. (pages 80 - 89)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Macbeth - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0009
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Piave, Shakespeare]
This chapter analyzes Verdi'sMacbeth, first performed in March 1847 at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence. The libretto by Piave was taken from Shakespeare's Macbeth. While the opera was given a good reception, it was more out of regard for the presence of the composer than because of the music, which never more than half pleased. The opera had the same fortune in other principal theaters. This shows not only that the judgment of the Florentines was sound, but also that the performance of this opera—one of a genre that was less than common for Italians—had left nothing to be desired. (pages 90 - 99)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

I Masnadieri - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0010
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, libretto, Andrea Maffei, Schiller]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's I masnadieri, performed in London in July 1847. The libretto by celebrated poet Andrea Maffei took the subject from Schiller's well-known tragedy. The opera's reception in London was not up to expectations; in Italy it has survived with neither condemnation nor praise. (pages 100 - 109)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Jérusalem - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0011
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, libretto, Royer, Vaëz, I Lombardi]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Jérusalem, performed in Paris in November 1847. Messieurs Royer and Vaëz wrote the libretto in such a way that enabled Verdi to insert some pieces from I Lombardi as well as to add new ones. I Lombardi was barely recognizable through the disguise of Jérusalem, owing to the loss of its freshness and appeal. This was inevitable given that the best ideas and scenes were altered in the transformation, that the action was moved under a new sky, and that many good pieces disappeared or were mutilated and many more deprived of the life and energy found in the others. (pages 110 - 118)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Il Corsaro - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0012
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Piave, libretto, Byron]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Il corsaro, performed in Trieste in October 1848. The libretto by Piave was taken from a short poem by Byron of the same title. The opera's reception failed to live up to expectations; according to some, Verdi himself acknowledged that the opera was lacking in inspiration. (pages 119 - 125)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

La Battaglia Di Legnano - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0013
[Verdi, political opera, Italian composers, Cammarano, libretto]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's political opera La battaglia di Legnano, performed in Rome in January 1849. Cammarano, who wrote the libretto, made clever use of the Italians' most splendid military feat. Yet this subject did not engage him enough to stop him from abandoning it frequently in favor of an episode of love and jealousy that was remote from the central plot. The opera was well received in Rome, but was less successful elsewhere. (pages 126 - 135)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Luisa Miller - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0014
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Cammarano, libretto]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Luisa Miller, first performed at Naples in December 1849, with the greatest success. The libretto by Cammarano was taken from Schiller's drama Kabale und Liebe. The opera marks the beginning of Verdi's second manner, where the majestic diminishes or disappears altogether, and each character represents no one other than himself. Passion, now individualized, no longer requires exaggeration, and so the singing, though impassioned, proceeds with greater tranquility. The melodies are lighter and less broad; the rhythms are more varied and open; the themes are in general more catchy and trite. (pages 136 - 148)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Stiffelio - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0015
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Piave, libretto, Stifellius, Émile Souvestre, Eugène Bourgeois]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Stiffelio, first performed in November 1850 in Trieste, where it did not have the best of receptions. The libretto by Piave was taken from the drama Stifellius by Émile Souvestre and Eugène Bourgeois. (pages 149 - 159)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Rigoletto - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0016
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Piave, libretto, Victor Hugo, Le roi s'amuse]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Rigoletto, first performed in Venice in March 1851. The libretto by Piave was taken from Victor Hugo's play Le roi s'amuse. The opera was greatly celebrated from its first appearance. Verdi was truly inspired in setting this drama, which completely accorded with his vigorous way of feeling, always in search of contrasts. (pages 160 - 174)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Il Trovatore - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0017
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Cammarano, libretto, El trovador, García Gutiérrez]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Il trovatore, first performed in Rome in January 1853, with great success. The libretto by Cammarano was taken from the play El trovador by García Gutiérrez. While Il trovatore belongs to Verdi's second manner, the opera has a certain exaggerated quality in common with the first. This opera has more than a few praiseworthy pieces, making it one of the most popular on the stages of Italy and the world. (pages 175 - 190)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

La Traviata - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0018
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Piave, libretto, Alexandre Dumas fils, La dame aux camélias, comedy]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's La traviata, first performed in Venice in March 1853. The libretto by Piave was taken from Alexandre Dumas fils' novel and play La dame aux camélias. While the reception at the first performance was not very gratifying, La traviata would go on to become one of the most popular operas in Italy's history. La traviata is a work of a kind that, in the nature of its characters, in its domestic sentiments, and in its lack of spectacle, approaches comedy. Here Verdi began a third manner that in many ways approaches the French genre of opéra comique. (pages 191 - 203)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Giovanna De Guzman (Les Vêpres Siciliennes) - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0019
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, libretto, Sicilian Vespers, Scribe, Duveyrier]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Les vêpres siciliennes, first performed in the theater of the Académie Impériale de Musique in Paris on June 13, 1855. The libretto by Messieurs Scribe and Duveyrier was based on the “Sicilian Vespers”, which refers to the uprising of 1282 in which the Sicilians killed thousands of their French occupiers. Setting a French libretto in the Italian style meant filling out the music and overburdening it with redundancies. Verdi found himself precisely in that position—he became verbose and grandiloquent in Les vêpres siciliennes for those very reasons. The result is that this is the least dramatic of Verdi's operas. (pages 204 - 218)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Simon Boccanegra - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0020
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, libretto, Piave, German music, dramatic expression]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, first performed on March 12, 1857 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. It presents a summary of the libretto by Piave. The opera's reception was not good. It suggests that Verdi attempted in this opera a fourth manner somewhat approaching German music by seeking new forms suited to dramatic expression, by giving greater importance to recitative, and by being less concerned with melody. (pages 219 - 235)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Aroldo - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0021
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, Stiffelio]
This chapter analyzes Verdi's Aroldo, first performed in August 1857 at Rimini. The opera is nothing more than a reshuffled Stiffelio. Verdi made changes in the plot and the music due to the difficulties created by censorship and by the bad public reception of Stiffelio. The main alteration in the plot was that the priest Stiffelio became the warrior Aroldo. With regard to the music, some things from Stiffelio were preserved in Aroldo and others were changed or added. (pages 236 - 239)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...

Conclusion - Abramo Basevi
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226095073.003.0022
[Verdi, opera, Italian composers, operatic music]
This chapter presents some final thoughts about Verdi's work. It argues that in the sixteen years during which Verdi's operas have reigned, no notable transformation of operatic music has taken place. While Verdi had several manners, these cannot be considered as new steps forward, only as detours in the direction of various schools and various composers. Italy looks to Verdi for the greatest possible improvement in theatrical music, but it also demands from him a school that may protect it from the otherwise inevitable decadence of that art in which it has for so long retained primacy. (pages 240 - 258)
This chapter is available at:
https://academic.oup.com/chica...