Gaetano Donizetti, Saverio Mercadante, and theEvolution and Development of the Verdi Baritone

Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation

Authors Krueger, Nathan Elliott

Publisher The University of Arizona.

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GAETANO DONIZETTI , SAVERIO MERCADANTE, AND THE EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE VERDI BARITONE

by

Nathan Elliott Krueger

________________Copyright © Nathan Elliott Krueger 2011

A Document Submitted to the Faculty of the

SCHOOL OF MUSIC

In Partial Fulfillment of the RequirementsFor the Degree of

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

In the Graduate College

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

2011

2

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONAGRADUATE COLLEGE

As members of the Document Committee, we certify that we have read the document prepared by Nathan Elliott Krueger entitled Gaetano Donizetti, Saverio Mercadante, and the Evolution and Development of the Verdi Baritone and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts

_________________________________________________________Date: 10/31/2011Charles Roe

_________________________________________________________Date: 10/312011Grayson Hirst

_________________________________________________________Date: 10/31/2011Kristin Dauphinais

Final approval and acceptance of this document is contingent upon the candidate's submissions of the final copies of the document to the Graduate College.

I hereby certify that I have read this document prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement.

_________________________________________________________Date: 10/31/2011Document Director: Charles Roe

3

STATEMENT BY AUTHOR

This document has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library.

Brief quotations from this document are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is make. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder.

SIGNED: Nathan Elliott Krueger

4

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank the following people without whose help this document would

not have been possible. Professor Charles Roe has been a inspiration both in the studio

and during the discovery and development of this topic. His patience, persistence and

guidance have been invaluable. Dr. Kristin Dauphinais patiently advised me throughout

my work, especially assisting me with writing style. Professor Grayson Hirst was always

available to discuss the direction of my research and offer support during the process. The

University of Arizona Fine Arts Library and the University of Arizona Interlibrary Loan

department assisted me in acquiring all of the necessary materials and sources. George

Durnell’s careful attention to detail was greatly appreciated during the final editing.

Finally, I am deeply grateful to my friends and family, who supported me along the way.

5

DEDICATION

This document is dedicated in loving memory to my mother, Linda Jean Krueger.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................9

ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................12

CHAPTER I: HISTORY OF THE BARITONE VOICE TYPE........................................15

CHAPTER II: DEFINITIONS OF THE LOW-MALE VOICE TYPES...........................19

CHAPTER III: TERMINOLOGY.....................................................................................23

Tessitura........................................................................................................................23

The Verdi Baritone........................................................................................................26

CHAPTER IV: HISTORICAL CONTEXT.......................................................................29

Origins...........................................................................................................................29

Pre-Verdi Baritones.......................................................................................................32

Transitional Baritones...................................................................................................37

Established Verdi Baritones..........................................................................................45

Roles Performed and Comparison................................................................................47

CHAPTER V: CIRCUMSTANCES..................................................................................54

Pitch Level....................................................................................................................54

Historical Singing Style................................................................................................57

Orchestra Size...............................................................................................................58

CHAPTER VI: THE VERDI BARITONE - EVIDENCE OF ITS DEVELOPMENTS...60

Nabucco........................................................................................................................60

Vocal and Characterization Demands: Act I............................................................60

7

TABLE OF CONTENTS – Continued

Vocal and Characterization Demands: Act II...........................................................62

Vocal and Characterization Demands: Act III.........................................................64

Vocal and Characterization Demands: Act IV.........................................................66

Overall Tessitura Summary......................................................................................70

Evidence of Changes in Demands on the Baritone Voice.............................................72

Torquato Tasso.........................................................................................................72

Vocal and Characterization Demands: Act I.......................................................73

Vocal and Characterization Demands: Act II......................................................77

Vocal and Characterization Demands: Act III....................................................78

Overall Tessitura Summary.................................................................................83

Donizetti's Writing as an Antecedent to the Verdi Baritone...............................84

Il giuramento: Menfredo..........................................................................................86

Vocal and Characterization Demands: Act I.......................................................87

Vocal and Characterization Demands: Act II......................................................92

Overall Tessitura Summary.................................................................................96

Mercadante's Writing as an Antecedent to the Verdi Baritone...........................97

Role Comparisons.........................................................................................................98

CONCLUSION................................................................................................................101

APPENDIX A: ORAZIO CARTAGENOVA PERFORMANCE HISTORY..................102

APPENDIX B: ANTONIO TAMBURINI PERFORMANCE HISTORY......................104

APPENDIX C: DOMENICO COSSELLI PERFORMANCE HISTORY......................107

8

TABLE OF CONTENTS – Continued

APPENDIX D: PAULO BARROILHET PERFORMANCE HISTORY........................109

APPENDIX E: GIORGIO RONCONI PERFORMANCE HISTORY............................111

APPENDIX F: CESARE BADIALI PERFORMANCE HISTORY...............................120

APPENDIX G: FILIPPO COLETTI PERFORMANCE HISTORY...............................122

APPENDIX H: FILIPPO COLINI PERFORMANCE HISTORY..................................126

APPENDIX I: FELICE VERESI PERFORMANCE HISTORY....................................127

APPENDIX J: ACHILLE DEBASSINI PERFORMANCE HISTORY.........................129

APPENDIX K: NABUCCO MUSIC EXAMPLES.........................................................131

APPENDIX L: TORQUATO TASSO MUSICAL EXAMPLES......................................139

APPENDIX M: IL GIURAMENTO MUSICAL EXAMPLES........................................145

REFERENCES................................................................................................................149

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Rodolfo Celletti's Types of Verdi Baritones.........................................................21

Table 2: Baritone Fächer....................................................................................................22

Table 3: La Favorite by Gaetano Donizetti, “Léonore, viens” Aria excerpt.....................26

Table 4: Baritones identified as integral to the development of the Verdi baritone...........30

Table 5: Baritone Groups...................................................................................................31

Table 6: Occurrences of each role for baritones included in this study.............................47

Table 7: Operas of similar popularity, performances from 1833 to 1846..........................48

Table 8: Nabucco, Act I, Finale andante...........................................................................61

Table 9: Nabucco, Act II, Finale.......................................................................................63

Table 10: Nabucco, Act III, Duet.......................................................................................66

Table 11: Nabucco, Act IV, Scena and aria, recitative section...........................................67

Table 12: Nabucco, Act IV, Cavatina................................................................................68

Table 13: Nabucco, Act IV, Cabaletta...............................................................................69

Table 14: Nabucco, Role Tessitura Table...........................................................................71 Table 15: Torquato Tasso, Act I, Duet (with Roberto), first and second sections.............73

Table 16: Torquato Tasso, Act I, Duet, tempo di mezzo and cabaletta..............................74

Table 17: Torquato Tasso, Act I, Duet with Eleonora, first and second sections..............75

Table 18: Torquato Tasso, Act I, Duet with Eleonora, tempo di mezzo and cabaletta.......76

Table 19: Torquato Tasso, Act I, Finale, allegro to end.....................................................76

Table 20: Torquato Tasso, Act II, Duet..............................................................................77

Table 21: Torquato Tasso, Act II Finale, from meno allegro to the end............................78

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LIST OF TABLES - Continued

Table 22: Torquato Tasso, Act III, Cavatina......................................................................80

Table 23: Torquato Tasso, Act III, Cavatina “cantabile”...................................................81

Table 24: Torquato Tasso, Act III, Aria, moderato............................................................81

Table 25: Torquato Tasso, Act III, Cabaletta.....................................................................82

Table 26: Torquato Tasso, Role Tessitura Table................................................................84

Table 27: Il giuramento,Act I, Coro e cavatina nell'Introduzione.....................................88

Table 28: Il giuramento, Act I, Quartet..............................................................................89

Table 29: Il giuramento, Act I, Quartet, stretta..................................................................90

Table 30: Il giuramento,Act I, Quintet, solo section..........................................................90

Table 31: Il giuramento, Act I, Quintet..............................................................................91

Table 32: Il giuramento,Act I, Finale, duet section...........................................................91

Table 33: Il giuramento, Act II Scena, recitative and preghiera.......................................93

Table 34: Il giuramento, Act II Scena, recitative continued..............................................94

Table 35: Il giuramento, Act II, Aria.................................................................................94

Table 36: Il giuramento, Act II, Cabaletta.......................................................................95

Table 37: Il giuramento, Act II, Trio..................................................................................96

Table 38: Il giuramento, Role Tessitura Table...................................................................97

Table 39: Frequency of musical events in the role of Nabucco.........................................99

Table 40: Frequency of musical events in the role of Torquato Tasso...............................99

Table 41: Frequency of musical events in the role of Manfredo.....................................100

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ABSTRACT

The leading baritone roles in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi, known as Verdi baritone

roles, presented new challenges for the singers who first interpreted these roles. Their

demanding tessitura and complex characterizations tested the skill of a generation of

singers who began their careers singing the roles of Gioacchino Rossini, Gaetano

Donizetti, Saverio Mercadante, Vincenzo Bellini and Giovanni Pacini in the lighter, bel

canto style. The purpose of this study is to examine the careers of singers active in Italy

between 1830 and 1845 and to provide insight as to which roles written before the

premiere of Verdi's Nabucco contained similar vocal and characterization demands.

Through examination of available Italian opera house annals, ten singers were

identified by the author as precursors to the Verdi baritone, and are categorized into three

groups: the pre-Verdi baritones, the transitional baritones and the established Verdi

baritones. A brief biography of each singer is included, as well as an appendix for each

singer that includes roles performed, dates and locations of the performances.

The title role in Donizetti's Torquato Tasso and the role of Manfredo in Mercadante's Il

giuramento were determined to be the roles most similar to Verdi's Nabucco. Each role is

analyzed in terms of characterization and tessitura demands, and is compared using

tessitura charts that account for the frequency and duration of individual pitches. The

roles are divided into sections, and each section is designated by its overall range,

primary tessitura, secondary tessitura, and weighted pitches. These designations provide

quantifiable evidence that each role presents similar challenges for the baritone.

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INTRODUCTION

The leading baritone roles in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi presented new challenges

for the singers who first interpreted these roles; so much so, that the term for the type of

singer that performs these roles today is the “Verdi baritone.” Although these roles still

confront singers with their demanding tessitura and complex characterizations, for the

singers of Verdi's time, the difficulties were even greater. Prior to the premier of Verdi's

Nabucco at La Scala in 1842, bass or baritone roles in the operas of Gioacchino Rossini

(1792-1868) and the composers that succeeded him in Italy–Gaetano Donizetti (1797-

1848), Saverio Mercadante (1795-1870), Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) and Giovanni

Pacini (1796-1867)–were sung in the lighter, bel canto style. However, by the 1830s,

many composers began to demand more from their basses, and a number of singers rose

to meet the demands. By examining the singers active in Italy between 1830 and 1845,

insight can be gained through the study of their careers and the roles they performed.

The natural progression of the dramatic baritone is not usually recognized. In fact,

modern literature on the Verdi baritone fails to investigate how this style of singing came

into practice. In his introduction to The Verdi Baritone, Ryan Edwards notes that Gaetano

Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, and Saverio Mercadante shifted toward more romantic

characterization in their adaptation of plays by Victor Hugo; however, he states that,

“such psychological dramaturgy was rarely applied to opera's baritone characters.”1 He

states that most of the baritone roles do not occupy the position of love interest and

usually are “older men weighted with an implacable authority drawn from family

1Ryan Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards, The Verdi Baritone: Studies in the Development of Dramatic Character (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994), 3.

13

tradition, political power, social status, or religious prerogative.”2 Edwards does not

examine what came before Verdi and states that because there was only the classification

of basso throughout the bel canto period, the vocal range sat “comfortably in the middle

of his voice, with the visceral top register reserved for brilliant interpolations in the final

moments of set pieces.”3 The Verdi scholar Charles Osborne suggests that, “Nabucco is,

after all, an appropriate starting point, for it is with the eponymous hero of that opera that

the composer takes his first steps towards inventing the Verdian baritone, who is not only

a type of voice, but a type of character in whose utterances we usually find somewhere a

trace of the personality and the voice of Verdi himself.”4

In order to trace the development of the Verdi baritone, the singers of the era, as well

as the music written for these singers, must be examined. Gaetano Donizetti and Saverio

Mercadante, two to the most prominent composers working in Italy prior to Giuseppe

Verdi, began to require skills from their baritones similar to those that would appear in

the operas of Verdi. The title role in Donizetti's Torquato Tasso (1833) and the role of

Manfredo in Mercadante's Il giuramento (1837) place greater vocal and dramatic

demands on the baritone, more so than other baritone roles of the time.

However, the individual abilities of the singers performing at the time of both

Torquato Tasso and Il giuramento significantly contributed to the development of the

dramatic baritone, and their influence on the composers cannot be ignored. Examining

the baritones singing in Italy between 1830 and 1845 provides insight into the types of

2 Ryan Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards, The Verdi Baritone: Studies in the Development of Dramatic Character (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994), 3.3 Ibid.4 As quoted in: Vincent Godefroy, The Dramatic Genius of Verdi. (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1975), p.18.

14

voices one may have heard in that time period. A basso, contracted for a season at an

opera house in Italy, may have been assigned several roles that today we consider to be

different voice types. For example, it was not uncommon for a singer classified as a

basso to sing all three of the bass roles in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia throughout the

duration of his career. Today, each role is considered a separate voice-type: Figaro, high

lyric baritone; Bartolo, buffo bass-baritone; and Basilio, bass.

With the help of annals from opera houses throughout Italy, combined with accounts

of performances throughout Europe, it is possible to glean an idea of how singers

performing at that time might have sounded. More importantly, we are able to see the

development of the dramatic or Verdi baritone through singers and the roles they sang.

Statement of Primary Thesis

I will attempt to demonstrate that increased vocal and dramatic demands exhibited in

the baritone roles found in selected operatic works of Saverio Mercadante and Gaetano

Donizetti anticipate the developments made by Giuseppe Verdi.

15

CHAPTER I: HISTORY OF THE BARITONE VOICE TYPE

Musicologists, pedagogues, critics and singers all have varying definitions of what

range, tessitura, and timbre should be used to classify the different types of baritone.

Historically, the term baritone did not come into common use until the 1840s. Many of

the roles written in the eighteenth century that we now call baritone roles, including the

basso buffo roles and such Mozart roles as Count Almaviva, Don Giovanni, and

Papageno, were not called baritone roles at the time of their conception. During the 1830s

and 1840s, a bass who sang higher and in a more lyric manner was referred to as a basso

cantante, literally “singing bass.” However, during the first half of the nineteenth century,

the term basso was still used to describe most of the roles written for low-voiced males.

In fact, the term baritone did not appear in the annals for the Teatro La Fenice in Venice

until the 1845-1846 carnival season, three years after the premiere of Verdi's Nabucco.

By the turn of the nineteenth century, the decline in the number of castrati singers

increased the opportunities for mezzo sopranos and baritones.5 Antony Frisell, in his

book The Baritone Voice, notes that in many cases, the baritone had taken some of the

roles that would have gone to the castrati, and sang in a similar style.

There have been many stories passed down through the years describing the extreme range of baritones of the early bel canto era and their feats of vocal agility and flexibility. The earlier works of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, which they sang, abound in high notes for the baritone with a great deal of fioritura singing; however, the style of singing upper tones then was much different than what we hear in our concert hall and opera houses today. Present-day singers are expected to sing their upper tones with a great amount of resonance from the lower register, which limits both their upper extension and flexibility. If our present-day baritones were to sing their upper tones in a falsetto manner, as was done in the past, their production would

5 By 1830 the castrati had vanished from the operatic stage, Giovanni Battista Velluti being the last of the line of great singers.

16

be criticized as being false and unrelated to the real voice.6

The style of singing that Frisell describes was used even prior to the decline of the

castrati. Two bassi, Giuseppe Boschi and Antonio Montagnana, who were brought by

George Fredric Handel to London, where he utilized them in his opera seria, exhibited

the ability to sing in the florid lyric style. The music written for Boschi in Buononcini's

Etearco (1711) is similar to music written for the castrato Nicolino in the same opera.7

Most of the roles vacated by the castrati went to the female contralto, or to any male

voice type. However, by the 1830s, tenors started to take the majority of these roles,

leaving the basso cantante to play the villain or the rumbling roles of older men. The

tenors took the lead in the heroic roles because they learned “to use a light head voice and

falsetto in such a way that the best of them could approximate the embellishments,

cadences, portamenti, roulades, trills and turns established by the castrati as basic devices

of good singing.”8

Beginning in the 1830s, the development of the baritone paralleled the development of

the dramatic or full-voiced tenor. Several circumstances encouraged the development of a

new kind of tenor, one that sang louder and higher: “the size of the opera house, the

growing assertiveness and the rising decibel count of the opera orchestra, and the appetite

of the new bourgeois public for gaudy and gory melodrama.”9 Up until and into the

nineteenth century, tenors mostly sang in their head voice and used falsetto. The change

in style of libretti used also was a key factor. The heroes drawn from romantic literature

6 Antony Frisell, The Baritone Voice (Boston: Crescendo Publishing Company, 1964), p. 11.7 Ibid., 121.8 Henry Pleasants, The Great Singers; From the Dawn of Opera to Our Own Time (New York: Simon and

Schuster, 1966), 120.9 Ibid., 158.

17

were closer to real life than the mythological classical heroes and heroines of the

Metastasian libretti. These new libretti challenged the singers to become more believable

actors.

Along with an emphasis on acting, a new style of singing was developed to deal with

all the obstacles these issues presented. Tenors such as Domenico Donzelli (1790-1873)

and Gilbert-Louis Duprez (1808-1896) were the first to sing in this new style, and were

the predecessors to the great line of tenors from Enrico Tamberlik all the way up to

Enrico Caruso. The significant change was the manner in which the upper register was

approached. Donzelli was the first tenor credited with carrying the the strength of his

middle voice up to use in his upper register and Duprez is credited as the first tenor to

sing carrying the weight of his chest voice up to a high C, what became known as the ut

de poitrine (high C in chest voice). Tenor Adolphe Nourrit (1802-1839) raised the stakes

in terms of acting and text delivery, bringing the characters from romantic literature to

life.

As the tenors developed, many specific voice types were evolving, including the

lyric, the spinto and the robusto. Although the tenors were the the first to take the

majority of the hero roles after the decline of the castrati, the development of the baritone

afforded some of them with the same opportunities. In his book, The Singing Voice,

Robert Rushmore calls the baritone a “comparatively modern invention having evolved

from the time of Rossini.”10 It was not until his later operas (Linda di Chamounix (1842),

Maria di Rohan (1843), and Dom Sebastien (1843)) that even Donizetti began to

10 Robert Rushmore, The Singing Voice (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1971), 81.

18

distinguish between the baritone and the bass.11 Prior to this time, roles such as Mozart's

baritone roles rarely required the singer to sing as high as F412, what Rushmore calls a

“lower, less demanding tessitura.”13 The new repertoire written by a new group of

composers created a distinction between the baritone and the bass for the first time.

Historically, the two singers most significant in the distinction between a bass and a

baritone are Antonio Tamburini and Luigi Lablache. Along with soprano Giulia Grisi and

tenor Giovanni Matteo Mario, they reigned “for roughly twenty-five years, from 1835 to

1860, and the symbol of their identity and supremacy was Don Pasquale, written for

them by Donizetti in 1843.”14 Their importance as a way to define the difference between

the bass and the baritone dates back to their collaboration with the tenor Rubini, and the

operas composed by Bellini (I puritani (1835)) and Donizetti (Marino Faliero (1835)).

From here on the distinction between a baritone and bass was solidified.

11 Rodolfo Celledtti, “On Verdi's Vocal Writing,” In The Verdi Companion, William Weaver and Martin Chusid, ed. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1979), 226.

12 Throughout this document, all pitches are notated where middle C=C4

13 Robert Rushmore, The Singing Voice (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1971), 81.14 Henry Pleasants, The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to Our Own Time (New York: Simon

and Schuster, 1966), 177.

19

CHAPTER II: DEFINITIONS OF LOW-MALE VOICE TYPES

In his book, Singing: the Mechanism and the Technic, William Vennard defines the

term baritone as the “average male voice, higher than bass and lower than tenor.”15 This

definition, as basic as it is, is an accurate description of the fundamental voice that makes

a baritone. However, the professional singing voice that is a baritone can be broken down

into several more specific categories. Vennard calls the baritone used in operatic singing

the “operatic baritone,” and defines it as a “high baritone voice, of sufficient power for

opera. Can sing at least as high as G4.”16 (middle C = C4) This definition is similar to the

generic definition found in the New Grove Dictionary of Opera:

A male voice in compass and depth between the tenor and the bass, with a normal compass of about A to f′ [A2 to F4] which may be extended at either end.

These simple definitions are sufficient to describe the singers who currently sing the roles

written by Giuseppe Verdi and Gaetano Donizetti, as well as those who sang the roles by

these composers and their contemporaries during the nineteenth century. However, more

specific terminology has been developed to categorize these singers.

In his book, Securing Baritone, Bass-Baritone, and Bass Voices17, Richard Miller lists

five low-male voice types used in opera: the lyric baritone, the dramatic or Verdi

baritone, the bass-baritone, the lyric bass and the basso profondo. Miller states that most

operatic literature is written for the lyric baritone and that the “bel canto poles of agility

and sostenuto are united”18 in this literature. Miller also states that the roles in operas by

15 William Vennard, Singing: the Mechanism and the Technic (New York: Carl Fischer, 1967), 263.16 Ibid., 163.17 Richard Miller, Securing Baritone, Bass-Baritone, and Bass Voices (New York: Oxford University

Press, 2008), 9.18 Ibid.

20

Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti fall into this category, and calls the lyric baritone the

“backbone of the opera theater.”19

Miller calls the Verdi baritone the “most coveted low-voice male instrument” in the

today's opera world. Miller describes qualities that a Verdi baritone must possess:

. . . the power that competes with full orchestral sound, authority in complex ensembles and duets, the ability to present a low range that is capable of “projection,” the ability to keep up a sustained voce media tessitura, and an upper range capable of brilliance and power.20

Miller also describes the Verdi baritone as having a primo passaggio of B flat3 and a

secondo passaggio of E flat4, a half-step higher in both cases than the lyric baritone. The

repertoire of the Verdi baritone, according to Miller, encompasses the roles in Verdi's

operas, as well as in the operas of composers who came after him, including the late-

nineteenth-century Italian and French operatic repertoires.

The range of the Verdi baritone occupies the general area of A2 to G4, and requires the

ability to extend the range by a whole step in either direction. Vocally, the Verdi baritone

must have power and brilliance in the top of the range. Although the Verdi baritone is

often associated with evil, it is “impossible to give an unequivocal definition of the

psychological position of the Verdi baritone, because his incarnations are extremely

varied.”21 Rodolfo Celletti divides the Verdi baritones into categories: antagonist to the

tenor (as a rival in love or politics), the role of the father, the protagonist as father, and

other protagonists. (Table 1)

19 Richard Miller, Securing Baritone, Bass-Baritone, and Bass Voices (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 9.

20 Ibid., 9-10.21 Rodolfo Celletti, On Verdi's Vocal Writing. In The Verdi Companion, William Weaver and Martin

Chusid, ed. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1979), 225.

21

Table 1: Rodolfo Celletti's Types of Verdi Baritones22

Antagonist Father Father as Protagonist Other Protagonists

Don Carlo (Ernani)

Giacomo(Giovanna d'Arco)

Nabucco(Nabucco)

Ezio(Attila)

Francesco (I masnadieri)

Miller(Luisa Miller)

Pietro Foscari(I due Foscari)

Macbeth(Macbeth)

Pasha Seid(Il corsaro)

Germont(La traviata)

Rigoletto(Rigoletto)

Rodrigue(Don Carlos)

Rolando(La battaglia de

Legnano)

Guy de Montfort(Les vêpres siciliennes)

Simon Boccanegra(Simon Boccanegra)

Falstaff23

(Falstaff)

Conte di Luna(Il trovatore)

Amonasro(Aïda)

Renato (Un ballo in maschera)

Don Carlo di Vargas(La forza del destino)

Iago(Otello)

With the creation of the Verdi baritone, and its use in prominent roles throughout his

compositional career, Verdi shows a predilection for the voice-type. Celletti supposes the

reason is the more realistic, human-sounding tone of the voice, versus the more stylized

sound of the tenor voice. Verdi also differentiated his baritones from his predecessors

Donizetti and Bellini, whereas Verdi's requirements for the tenor and the soprano

remained similar. Celletti elaborates:

Verdi assigns to the baritone a more extended gamut of sentiments and passions than that of the basso cantante of Bellini and Donizetti and utilizes him to portray on the stage aspects of human life that had previously either been ignored or received only superficial treatment in the the musical theater.24

A more specific and useful classification of voice-types is the German Fach system.

22 Rodolfo Celletti, On Verdi's Vocal Writing. In The Verdi Companion, William Weaver and Martin Chusid, ed. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1979), 225-226.23 It is curious that Celletti doesn't mention Ford from Falstaff, considering it is more in the mold of the Verdi baritone then the title role, but it would fall into the category of the antagonist. 24 Rodolfo Celletti, On Verdi's Vocal Writing. In The Verdi Companion, William Weaver and Martin

Chusid, ed. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1979), 227.

22

The Fach system was developed to help define which roles would be suitable for each

vocal and acting type. It also defines the requirements, both vocally and dramatically, of

the wide spectrum of operatic roles. As defined by Rudolf Kloiber in his book Handbuch

der oper, the Fächer (shelves) are grouped by their basic nomenclature of voice types

(soprano, tenor, bass, mezzo soprano and baritone) to indicate range, and are further split

into categories, which indicate the vocal quality, volume, and theatrical demands. These

fall under two main categories: the serious and the Spiel (buffo or character) Fach. Based

on the definitions Kloiber gives the baritone Fächer (Table 2), the Verdi baritone would

fall under the heading of the Kavalier bariton. The range of both the Charakter Bariton

and the Kavalier bariton is A2 to G4, identical to the range that Richard Miller assigns the

Verdi baritone.25

Table 2: Baritone FächerFach Type and Range Definition

Serious Fach: Lyrischer Bariton [B2 to A flat4] Velvety, agile voice with beautiful line and

great high range Kavalier bariton [A2 to G4] Metallic voice, able to sustain lyrical as

well as dramatic climaxes; virile, noble, baritone color

Helden bariton [G2 to F sharp4] Heavy, voluminous instrument with glowing high range as well as even, carrying mid and low ranges

Spiel and Character Fach: Spiel Bariton [B2 to A flat4] Slender, agile voice with good high range Charakter Bariton (Spinto)[A2 to G4] Strong, versatile instrument Spiel Bass (buffo bass) [E2 to F4] Slender, agile and versatile voice Bassbariton (basso cantante)[E2 to F4] Large in size and range, versatile

25 Kloiber, Rudolf Handuch der oper (München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 2002), 867-869.

23

CHAPTER III: TERMINOLOGY

Tessitura

The term tessitura is often used when describing the nature of a piece of music, but the

term can mean different things to different people. The term originally comes from the

Latin word textura, which translates as, “a web or texture, putting together, construction.”

In Italian, tessitura literally means “weaving.” Throughout its use in the history of

singing, it can mean both a moving or weaving of notes that make up a range, or web or

framework notes.26 The Merriam-Webster definition of the word is probably the most

practical: “the general range of a melody or voice part; specifically: the part of the

register in which most of the tones of a melody or voice part lie.” The definition found in

Grove Music Online elaborates on the Merriam-Webster definition, adding that, “The

tessitura of a piece is not decided by the extremes of its range, but rather by which part of

the range is most used.”

Voice pedagogues have also taken their turn at defining tessitura. Cornelius Reid adds

that the term should mean a group of pitches that a singer is able to sing with comfort and

ease. William Vennard defines tessitura as, “the part of the range in which the voice

performs best, both as to sound and as to ease.”27 Richard Miller implies in his writing

that tessitura can be an area of pitch, either high or low. Speech scientist Ingo R. Titze

defines tessitura as “a distribution of pitches, measured in frequency of occurrence and

duration of each occurrence.”28 Titze goes on to describe tessitura of a singer as the

26 JanClaire Elliott, “Amneris and Aida: Their Vocal and Rhetorical Portraits Configured by Tessitura” (Ph.d. diss., University of California Los Angeles, 2000), 49.

27 William Vennard, Singing: the Mechanism and the Technic (New York: Carl Fischer, 1967), 79.28 Ingo R. Titze, “Quantifying Tessitura in a Song,” Journal of Singing, Volume 65, No 1. 59.

24

relationship between the singer's voice and “the comfort level with a given distribution of

pitches in a song.”29

In her dissertation, “Amneris and Aida: Their Vocal and Rhetorical Portraits

Configured by Tessitura,” JanClaire Elliott develops a method for her analysis of the

roles of Amneris and Aida. She begins her definition of tessitura as the “main body of

tones, most passages, and the majority of notes, vis-a-vis infrequent high or low tones,

occasional and exceptional high and low tones, a few isolated notes of extraordinary high

or low pitches, and the few highest and lowest tones.”30 She goes on to give three points

that make up her working definition:

-tessitura is formed by pitches, which, because of their congregation, reflect a dominant range of sound, or a particular area of vocal activity, within the vocal line or a music composition

-it can be a single note or be contained within a range of a melodic interval

-there is a dramaturgical aspect to it; based on how the tessitura weaves in and out of the melody and how it relates to the text being sung31

In addition to these definitions that Elliott provides, the Italian use of the term tessitura

often divides tessitura into three groups, low, middle and high.

For the purposes of this study, tessitura will be defined as a note or group of notes

where a majority of the singing is done in a section of music. Rather then use the general

Italian terms for tessitura, this study will focus on four different areas of pitch. Each area

helps determine the requirements of each section of music that is evaluated. Each section

of a musical piece will be determined by an area of similar tempo, key area, and/or the

29 Ingo R. Titze, “Quantifying Tessitura in a Song,” Journal of Singing, Volume 65, No 1. pg. 59.30 JanClaire Elliott, “Amneris and Aida: Their Vocal and Rhetorical Portraits Configured by Tessitura.”

(Ph.d. diss., University of California Los Angeles, 2000), 70.31 Ibid.

25

intention of the text.

The first area, exterior tessitura, is defined as the total range of a section. Occasionally

a low note will be excluded if it functions as a dominant pitch to the tonic note. Example:

a B2 when it is only sung once, followed the tonic E3.

The second area, primary tessitura, is defined as the part of the range where the

majority of pitches of a section are sung. Usually encompassing the range of a perfect

fourth or fifth, this area will be determined by two factors: the frequency of pitches sung

in a section, and the duration of the notes. A sequence of held notes in a certain area of

pitch can be a major factor in naming an area of primary tessitura, as well as a high

frequency of shorter notes. The primary tessitura can occur anywhere within the

parameters of the exterior tessitura, but for baritones, the primary tessitura is usually

found in the upper half of vocal range.

The third area, secondary tessitura, is defined as an area of pitch, either higher or

lower than the primary tessitura, that is important to the section of music. For a baritone,

the secondary tessitura is often higher than the primary tessitura and contains the

baritone's high notes. Like the area of primary tessitura, secondary tessitura is defined by

the frequency of notes, either in number or duration, found in a particular section.

The final area, weighted pitches, identifies notes within the primary and secondary

tessitura that are sung with longer duration. In his analysis of tessitura of a song, Titze

uses what he calls “time dose,” which measures the importance of a pitch in relationship

to tessitura, measuring its duration. This distinction is important because in each tessitura

chart, the occurrence of each note will be counted. The only way to distinguish how

26

many of the notes were held longer then the tonic beat of each section is to count the

number of held pitches. For instance, in a section marked moderato, any note that is held

longer than a quarter note will be counted as a held pitch, and a whole note will be

counted as three held pitches.

The table below is an example of a tessitura chart used in this study. (Table 3) The first

Table 3: La favorite by Gaetano Donizetti, “Léonore, viens” Aria excerptheld 1 2 2 1 13 1 9 2pitch C3 E3 F3 F#3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 1 1 4 3 7 2 19 13 12 50 6 34 5 4 3Exterior tessitura: C3-F4 Primary tessitura: A3-D4

Secondary tessitura: Eb4-F4 Weighted pitches: C4, D4

column shows the labels for each row. From top to bottom, these are: the number of

times the pitch was held for more then a single unit of beat, the pitch designation, and the

total number of times that the pitch was sung. Below the chart, the tessitura parameters

are listed. The table above represents the second half of Alphonse's aria “Léonore, viens,

j'abondonne” from Donizetti's La favorite. From tables like this, conclusions will be

drawn about the difficulty of the tessitura and demands of the music. Dramatic demands

will be judged by an examination of the text and its role in the score. How the composer

set the text will be key, so the intent of the text and how it is set to music will be

inseparable.

The Verdi Baritone

The Verdi baritone places higher expectations of characterization and greater demands

on the voice. The roles of Verdi and his librettists explore deep into the psyche, what

Ryan Edwards, author of the book The Verdi Baritone, calls the baritone character's

27

“inner self.”32 During the first decades of the nineteenth century, Ryan Edwards notes that

“composers and librettists started to move away from the Metastasian formula of libretti,

and characterization became more organic and less psychologically static.”33 This broad

statement describes many of the characters in operas being performed in the bel canto

style opera at the beginning of the nineteenth century, but exceptions can be found in the

reform operas of Gluck and many of Mozart's characters. Most often, the low-male

voiced characters did not play a central role in the development of the drama. As a result

of these developments, the singer portraying a Verdi baritone role was no longer able to

rely on the stock gestures of the elderly father, the politician, or the military officer. Verdi

now required him to portray aspects of human nature that previously were either ignored

or had received only superficial treatment in the form of the basso buffo role. Rodolfo

Celletti concludes that because of this, Verdi “required a vocal instrument different from

that of the basso cantante.”34 The Verdi baritone must portray vastly differing sentiments

with his voice: the pathetic timbre of the head voice, the dark timbre of the lower voice,

and the intense, ringing timbre of his upper register. This new category of low male voice

singing enabled the baritones of the period to play a larger role in the development of the

drama.

In terms of tessitura, a Verdi baritone must have easy access to the top fifth of his

vocal range and the ability to show dynamic and dramatic flexibility with a wide range of

vocal colors. More specifically, this baritone should be comfortable singing on E4 and F4

32 Ryan Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards, The Verdi Baritone: Studies in the Development of Dramatic Character (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994), 2.

33 Ibid.34 Rodolfo Celletti, “On Verdi's vocal Writing.” in The Verdi Companion, William Weaver and Martin

Chusid, ed. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1979), 227.

28

and have access to pitches as high as A flat4. According to Gilles DeVan, author of Verdi's

Theater: Creating Drama Through Music, Verdi seemed to have a preference for this

register and a “tendency to stretch it to high pitch.”35 Rodolfo Celletti suggests that Verdi

uses the baritone to represent “a more extended gamut of sentiments and passions than

that of the basso cantante of Bellini and Donizetti.”36 Using a baritone for these characters

instead of a tenor, he achieves a more realistic and virile sounding tone, rather then the

stylized sound of the tenor.

35 Gilles De Van, Verdi's Theater: Creating Drama Through Music (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998), 99.

36 Rodolfo Celletti, “On Verdi's Vocal Writing,” in The Verdi Companion, William Weaver and Martin Chusid, ed. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1979), 227.

29

CHAPTER IV: HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Origins

The Verdi baritone can be defined simply as a baritone singing roles in the operas by

Giuseppe Verdi. However, the more specific definition described in the preceding section

warrants an investigation into the circumstances under which baritones developed the

abilities to sing these roles. The baritones who first performed Verdi's early baritone roles

also sang many roles by Verdi's predecessors and contemporaries which contain elements

that prepared them for the more dramatic baritone roles that they went on to perform.

These roles also reveal other performers important to the development of the Verdi

baritone. All of these baritones, together with the repertoire they performed, create the

lineage which is the basis for this study.

To learn which operas were being performed in Italy and in the major opera houses

throughout Europe, and which baritones were the most prolific, a survey of available

annals of Italian opera houses was compiled.37 The focus was on the years between 1822

and 1856.38 This compilation identified which baritones were the most prolific, and which

roles were most often performed. Each role was then investigated for the tessitura and

dramatic requirements to determine which roles contained demands similar to those of

the Verdi baritone roles. Two widely-performed roles were identified: Donizetti's

Torquato Tasso and the role of Manfredo in Mercadante's Il giuramento.

37 Excerpts from this data collection appear in Appendix A, and represent the ten singers who were focused on in this study.

38 The compiling of opera house annals is by no means a comprehensive compilation of all opera house annals from the time period. The three major theaters are included (Teatro La fenice in Venice, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, and Teatro La Scala in Milan), as well as several regional theaters. Many of the annals that do exist do not have complete data, and in some cases, specific compilations do not exist at all.

30

The baritones who sang the early roles of Verdi were Giorgio Ronconi, Filippo Colini,

Filippo Coletti, Felice Varesi, and Achille De Bassini. Rodolfo Celletti, in his article on

the baritone Felice Varesi in the Enciclopedia dello spettacolo, confirmed that Varesi,

along with De Bassini, Ronconi, Coletti, and Colini were the first nucleus of great Verdi

baritones.39 Their careers were examined to find who performed the lead baritone roles in

Torquato Tasso and Il giuramento. This process brought to light five additional baritones

who preceded Celletti's five baritones, and were active in performing the roles of

Donizetti and Mercadante, and in some case, even the early roles of Verdi. These ten

baritones (Table 4) all made unique contributions to the development of the dramatic

baritone voice-type, whether by conscious decision, or to meet the rising demands of

composers and opera houses.

Table 4: Baritones identified as integral to the development of the Verdi baritoneSinger Dates

Orazio Cartagenova 1800 - 1841Antonio Tamburini 1800 - 1876Domenico Cosselli 1801 - 1855

Paulo Barroilhet 1810 - 1871Giorgio Ronconi 1810 - 1890Cesare Badiali 1810 - 1865Filippo Coletti 1811 - 1894Filippo Colini 1811 - 1863Felice Varesi 1813 - 1889

Achille De Bassini 1819 - 1881

Each of the the ten baritones' careers spanned Donizetti's mature years (1830-1845),

39 Rodolfo Celletti, “Felice Varasi,” in Enciclopedia dello spettacolo, 1975 ed.

31

Mercadante's reform operas (1837-1840)40, and the early operas of Verdi (1839-1837)41.

All the performers sang the bel canto roles of Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and Mercadante

during their lifetime. Not all of the singers listed went on to sing Verdi baritone roles, but

they played an important role in the development of the dramatic baritone. They met the

new demands presented to them by composers and in turn allowed composers to increase

these demands by the sheer force of their talents. These baritones can be divided into

three groups: pre-Verdian, transitional, and established Verdi baritones. (Table 5)

Table 5: Baritone GroupsPre-Verdi Baritone Transitional Baritones Established Verdi BaritonesOrazio CartagenovaAntonio TamburiniDomenico Cosselli

Paulo Barroilhet

Giorgio RonconiCesare BadialiFilippo ColettiFilippo Colini

Felice VaresiAchille De Bassini

The members of the pre-Verdi group spent the majority of their careers as the

established masters of bel canto, performing roles in the standard repertoire by Rossini,

Bellini, Donizetti, and the early operas of Mercadante. They helped establish the baritone

as a voice type separate from that of the bass and paved the way for the singers who

would follow. The second group, the transitional singers, mostly began their careers as

specialists in the roles of Verdi's predecessors, but made the transition to the Verdi

baritone roles, often being the creator of these roles. The third and final group, the

established Verdi baritones, spent the majority of their career singing the Verdi roles,

although the baritones in this group also performed the roles of his predecessors. The

study of these three groups leads to an investigation into baritone roles that are not in the

40 Mercadante's reform operas: Il giuramento (1837), Le due illustri rivali (1838), Elena da Feltre (1839), Il bravo (1839) and La vestale (1840)41 Verdi's operas from Oberto (1839) through Macbeth (1837)

32

standard repertoire, giving insight into the development of the dramatic baritone.

Pre-Verdi Baritones

Orazio Cartagenova (1800-1841) had a brilliant but short career.42 Because of his

untimely death, he never performed any Verdi roles, but his repertoire indicated that he

was one of the first true baritones. He sang many of the lyric baritone roles in the bel

canto repertoire: Bellini's Filippo (Beatrice di Tenda), Rodolfo (La sonnambula), Barone

di Valdeburgo (La straniera), and Donizetti's Conte di Vergy (Gemma di Vergy); several

Mercadante reform opera roles, Manfredo (Il giuramento), Guido (Elena da Feltra),

Foscari (Il bravo) and Publio (La vestale); as well as other roles with dramatic leanings

like Donizetti's Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor) and Pacini's Alcandro (Saffo).

Mercadante knew his voice well, as he was part of a group of singers that Mercadante

directed while he was in Portugal and Spain, and then later in Italy. Cartagenova

originated roles for Rossini, Pacini, Mercadante, Donizetti and Bellini43 and most

importantly, the role of Manfredo in Il giuramento. He appeared at the major theaters in

Naples, Venice, and Milan, as well as in Vienna, Lisbon, and Madrid. It was said that he

was blessed with a high level of interpretive intelligence and he touched audiences with

his interpretations and sometimes brought them to tears (specifically in a performance of

Il furioso by Donizetti) and it was said that “the spark of musical and dramatic genius

burns within him.”44

42 Cladio Sartori, “Cartagenova, Orazio,” in Enciclopedi dello spettacolo, 1975 ed. 43 Rossini: The Caliph in Adina; Pacini: Alcandoro in Saffo; Mercadante: Manfredo in Il giuramento;

Osroas, Adriano in Siria; Fayel, Gabriella di Vergy; Ordamante, I normanni a Parigi; Corrado di Monferrato, Emma d'Antiochia; Enrico V, La gioventù di Enrico V; Donizetti: Conte di Vergy in Gemma di Vergy; Bellini: Filippo in Beatrice di Tenda

44 Cladio Sartori, “Cartagenova, Orazio” in Enciclopedi dello spettacolo, 1975 ed.

33

One piece of evidence that indicates Cartagenova was a baritone by today's definition

is that it was said that the role of Mosè (from Rossini's Mosè in Egitto), which is now

classified as a bass role, was too low for him. Due to his untimely death in 1841, we

don't know if he would have gone on to sing some of the early roles composed by Verdi,

but his repertoire prior to his passing is akin to the baritones who are classified as

transitional baritones. No evidence was found that he performed the title role in Torquato

Tasso, and only one performance of Il giuramento was identified. However, he

undoubtedly had a great influence on Mercadante's writing for the baritone, and Donizetti

must have also known his voice well. (The one role that Donizetti specifically wrote for

Cartagenova, Il Conte di Vergy in Gemma di Vergy, displays some extension in tessitura,

but not the extent that title role in Torquato Tasso displays.) This, combined with his

activity in Italy in the 1830s, makes him one of the great pre-Verdi baritones.

Known as a basso for the entire first half of the 19th century, Antonio Tamburini

(1800-1876) possessed the registration of a baritone and is often called the first baritone.

He regularly appeared on stage with Giovanni Battista Rubini, Luigi Lablache, Fanny

Tacchinardi and Giulia Grisi; together they were the most famous singers of the period.45

Minus Tacchinardi, they were known as the “Puritani” quartet, for Bellini composed I

puritani specifically for their voices. Because of his close association with Luigi

Lablache, who by today's classification would be considered a bass or bass-baritone, the

distinction between bass and baritone was made. Despite all of this evidence for

Tamburini as a baritone, it has been stated that he would be a bass-baritone by today's

45 In London, from 1820 to 1830, the were known simply as, “the five.”

34

classification when the music created for him is examined.46

His extensive career took him all over Europe, where he performed in the major opera

houses in Italy, France, Russia, and England. Early in his career, he sang mostly Rossini

roles, as well as many Donizetti, Bellini and Mercadante roles. He created roles in

thirteen Donizetti operas, three Bellini operas and four in operas by Mercadante.47 For

about a decade, commencing in 1832, he split his time between London and Paris; in the

latter city he performed the Parisian premiere of Linda di Chamounix (1842) and created

the role of Malatesta in Don Pasquale (1843).

It is thought that his range extended up to a G4, and that his voice may have had some

of the characteristics of today's high baritones, although there were not many roles

written for that type early in his career.48 He possessed an extension similar to that of a

tenor and was able to deliver the type of dramatic phrasing that would later be demanded

by Verdi. However, in the twilight of his career, Tamburini refused to sing the role of Don

Carlo in Ernani because he thought the role was too high for him.49 Despite the

beginnings of distinction between baritones and basses, Labalche and Tamburini often

sang the same repertoire.

Tamburini's technique was considered virtuosic. It was light, agile, flexible and had a

46 Elizabeth Forbes makes this claim in the entry for Antonio Tamburini in the The Grove Book of Opera Singers.

47 Donizetti: Chiara e Serafina (1822), L'ajo nill'imbarazzo (1824), Alahor in Granata (1826), Alina (1828), Gianni di Calais (1828), Imelda de' Lambertazzi (1830), Fracesca di Foix (1831), La romanziera (1831), Fausta (1832), Marino Faliero (1835), Lucrezia Borgia (1840), Linda di Chamounix (1842) and Malatesta in Don Pasquale (1843); Bellini: Il pirata (1827), La straniera (1829), and Riccardo in I puritani (1835); Mercadante: Violenza e costanza (1820), Adele ed Emerico (1822), Zaira (1831), and I briganti (1836)

48 Henry Pleasants, The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to Our Own Time (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1966), 185.

49 He was forty-seven years old at the time.

35

pure clarity of sound. His ability to ornament made him the most famous interpreter of

Rossini of his time. It was said that his Figaro (Rossini) paled in comparison to that of

Lablache, but his Don Giovanni was legendary, and the model for Antoni Cotogni (1831-

1918), and therefore for Mattia Battistini (1856-1928).50

Domenico Cosselli (1801-1855) was also one of the pioneers of the new dramatic

baritones. It was said that he did not have as extensive a voice as Cartagenova, but

exceeded the latter in his artistic capabilities, and possessed a voice with such expressive

force, combined with his high level of dramatic interpretive intelligence, that it allowed

him to take on whatever role came his way.51 Cosselli was best known for creating the

role of Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor (Teatro San Carlo, Naples, 1835).

Like Cartagenova, he never sang a Verdi opera role, but he was very active between the

years of 1823 and 1841 singing at the major houses throughout Italy. He sang many roles

by Rossini (eight), Mercadante (ten), Bellini (four), and Donizetti (twelve, three of

which Donizetti composed for him).

The one role missing from his repertoire was Torquato Tasso.52 In 1833, the year that

Torquato Tasso was premiered in Rome, Cosselli was in Florence, where he originated

the role of Azzo in Donizetti's opera Parisina. During the 1835-36 season at the Teatro

San Carlo in Naples, Torquato Tasso was staged, but the role was sung by its originator,

Giorgio Ronconi, not by Cosselli, who was also employed in Naples that season.

However, Cosselli was not idle. He was engaged for the premiere of Lucia di

50 Rodolfo Celletti, “Tamburini, Antonio,” in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, 1975 ed.51 Rodolfo Celletti, “Cosselli, Domenico,” in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, 1975 ed.52 No evidence was found in the research done for this study that indicated that he performed the role of

Torquato Tasso.

36

Lammermoor (twenty-two performances), as well as Filippo in Bellini's Beatrice di

Tenda (four), Azzo in Donizetti's Parisina (sixteen), Persiani's Danao re d'Argo (twenty-

one), Rossini's Semiramide (five), and Stabile's Palmira (two). Considering Cosselli sang

many of the other baritone roles popular at the time, it is surprising that he did not sing

the title role in Torquato Tasso during his career. In 1843, he retired from singing and

moved to Vienna to become a voice teacher.

French-born baritone Paulo Barroilhet (1810-1871) was encouraged by Rossini to

pursue singing and at age eighteen entered the Paris Conservatory. After two years, he

left for Italy with letters of recommendation from Rossini. He ended up in Milan, where

he studied and perfected his craft. He sang in theaters in Milan, Genoa, Verona, Brescia,

Bergamo, Trieste, Turin, Palermo and Rome before receiving a contract in 1836 from the

Teatro San Carlo in Naples, where he stayed until the 1839-40 carnival season.53 There he

sang with and became good friends with the French tenor Adolphe Nourrit, who had

come to Italy after Duprez had taken his spot as the leading tenor at the Paris Opéra.

During his time in Italy, he sang many of Mercadante's baritone roles. Three of these

roles were in Mercadante's reform operas, Manfredo in Il giuramento, Publio in La

vestale, and Guido in Elena da Feltre. He originated the later two roles.

In 1840, Barroilhet returned to Paris, where he was immediately employed by the

Opéra as the first basse chantante (baritone), a post he held for ten years.54 While in

Paris, he sang in the premiere of two Donizetti operas, La favorite (1840) and Don

Sebastian (1843). After an exhausting ten years at the Opéra, Barroilhet left Paris and

53 Bronislaw Horowicz, “Barroilhet, Paulo,” in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, 1975 ed.54 Jean-Louis Tamvaco, “Paul-Bernard Barroilhet,” trans. by John Standen in The Donizetti Society

Journal, no. 2 (1975): 133.

37

spent two years singing in Madrid, where he performed the role of Don Carlo in Verdi's

Ernani and Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. The performance in Ernani is the

only record of him singing a Verdi baritone role. In 1851 he retired from the stage, and

later became at teacher at the Paris Conservatory of Music, where he taught until his

death.

According to testimonies of his contemporaries, his voice was beautiful, flexible,

nuanced and expressive. He sang with gusto and possessed exceptional agility. It was said

that he had a two octave range that was more like a tenor than a bass. The French score of

La favorite contains the evidence of his vocal range and capabilities. Although evidence

shows that the only Verdi baritone role he performed was Don Carlo in Ernani, Barroihlet

did take on the role of Manfredo in Il giuramento twice, both times at Teatro San Carlo.55

This indicates that he might have been able to take on some of the early Verdi roles, had

he continued his career in Italy.

These four singers, the pre-Verdi baritones, were important in the designation of the

baritone as a voice-type separate from the bass. The roles they performed, and in many

cases originated, represent the foundation of the lyric baritone repertoire. In most cases,

their careers did not extend long enough to sing the Verdi baritone roles. We will never

know if their voices were suited to sing the more dramatic repertoire.

Transitional Baritones

The importance of the transitional baritones in the development of the dramatic

baritone is evident by their participation in all three of the roles examined in this study:

the title characters in Nabucco and Torquato Tasso, and Manfredo in Il giuramento. In 55 Twenty-seven performances in 1838 and seventeen performance in 1839.

38

addition to these three roles, they also performed many other bel canto roles, as well as

Verdi baritone roles beyond Nabucco. More importantly their careers present evidence

that each made the transition to a full-fledged Verdi baritone, all the while continuing to

sing the repertoire that was in existence before the the emergence of Verdi.

The most important singer in the study of the history of the dramatic baritone is

Giorgio Ronconi (1810-1890). One of the most famous basso cantantes of his time,

Ronconi began as a Donizetti specialist. Ronconi was a pupil of his father and made his

debut at Pavia in Bellini's La staniera during the carnival season of 1830-1831. He

quickly gained fame and the attention of composers. In 1833, only two years after he

began his career, Donizetti penned two roles for him, roles that he would perform

throughout his early career: the title role in Torquato Tasso and Cardenio in Il furioso.

Donizetti was writing for the troupe at the Teatro della Valle in Rome, and at the time,

Ronconi was a newcomer. The first opera Donizetti wrote that season in Rome was Il

furioso, and Roconi created, “a perfect furore in this opera, and was the main cause of its

success.”56 Donizetti wrote his next opera, Torquato Tasso, especially for Ronconi. It was

also an enormous success at the Teatro della Valle, where it ran for fifty-two consecutive

nights.

In 1834, Ronconi performed the role in Milan, at the Teatro Carcano, and in 1835 he

performed the role at the Teatro del Fondo in Naples. Six months later, in the same city,

Ronconi sang the role at the Teatro San Carlo, the center of opera in Naples. It was

reported to have had the “same sensation as at Rome.”57

56 Thomas G. Kaufman, “Giorgio Ronconi,” The Donizetti Society Journal, no. 5 (1984): 171.57 Ibid.

39

During his career, he performed most of the Donizetti baritone roles and was noted

for his interpretation of roles in Lucia di Lammermoor, Parisina, and Lucrezia Borgia. In

his career, he sang both Dulcamara and Belcore in L'elisir d'amore in the same year (at

La Fenice in Senigallia and at La Scala in Milan in 1839).

His vigore and his slancio (vigor and momentum) made him a particularly good

interpreter of Verdi.58 He created the role of Nabucco, and sang the baritone roles in

Ernani and I due Foscari. He specialized in Rigoletto, and was the first Rigoletto in St.

Petersburg during the 1852-53 season. His career took him all over Europe, and he spent

many seasons singing in Paris at the Théâtre Italien, making his last appearance there in

1862. Aside from a brief hiatus from 1855 to 1859, he sang at Covent Garden in the new

Royal Italian Opera from its founding in 1847 until he made his last appearance there in

1866. In the second part of his career, he returned to his earlier repertoire, especially the

lead baritone roles in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Otello, Lucrezia Borgia, Maria di Rohan,

and both roles (Belcore and Dulcamara) in L'elisir d'amore.

Ronconi was classified as a basso cantante, but in reality, he was the founder of the

baritone classification (along with Tamburini).59 His upper register was said to be acute

(probably pointed, cutting) and the color and texture of the voice was rich. It was said

that his voice was so sharp and loud that it made the chandeliers swing, and the volume

was the equivalent of three normal baritones singing together. However, he was not

always praised. Often he was criticized for singing out of tune, and it was said that his

voice was sometimes strident. His fame was great in France, Germany and Italy, but not

58 Rodolfo Celletti, “Ronconi, Giorgio,” in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, 1975 ed.59 Ibid..

40

as much in England. An article from Musical World (September 11, 1847)60 described his

voice as “not particularly melodious, nor is his intonation always strictly true.” The same

article described his acting as a “perfect masterdom of the feeling, not only of the scene,

but of the moment,” and called him “one of the greatest dramatic singers of all time.”

He was known for his exceptional phrasing and he sometimes incorporated falsetto. He

was also famous for his facial expression and his repertoire included over 140 roles.

Cesare Badiali (1810-1865) had a powerful voice with a beautiful timbre, and

possessed the technique and versatility to do both comic and dramatic roles. He was one

of the most sought after singers of his time. Rossini said of his voice, “It's like the wine

of Cyprus, more and more aging strengthens and improves it.” Throughout his career he

specialized in roles that spanned from the lyric to the dramatic. He began his career

singing Rossini roles such as Dandini in La cenerentola, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia,

and Assur in Semiramide. He performed the title role in Torquato Tasso in 1837 at the

Teatro Regio in Parma and in 1838 at La Scala in Milan. The same season at La Scala, he

took on the role of Manfredo in Il giuramento.

In 1839, Badiali began what was to be an extensive run of performances in Vienna at

the Kärntnerthortheater. His first performance was the title role in Torquato Tasso on

April 3, 1839, the Italian premiere of the work in Vienna61 (previous performances were

sung in German). It was a great success for Badiali, the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung

called Badiali, a “sonorous, persuasive and flexible baritone,” who provided a “fiery and

60 This article was republished in Thomas Kaufmann's article, “Giorgio Ronconi,” The Donizetti Society Journal, no. 5 (1984).

61 The role was first performed at the Kärnthnerthortheater, in German, by the prominent Viennese baritone Johann Schober on January 10, 1837.

41

throughly developed presentation.”62 It was the first of fifteen performances of the role in

Vienna between 1839 and 1841. During that same season, Badiali sang alongside

Domenico Cosselli in Donizetti's Marin Faliero, Cosselli in the title role and Badiali in

the role of Israele. The Viennese public preferred Badiali to Cosselli63 and during the

1840 season Badiali was the baritone used to sing Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di

Lammermoor, a role Cosselli originated.

In 1842, Badiali sang Nabucco at La Fenice in Venice, and repeated the role the next

year at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, where he also sang the Duke of Nottingham in

Donizetti's Roberto Devereaux, a role originally written for Barroilhet. Two years later,

Badiali returned to Bologna, where he performed two more Verdi roles, Francesco in I

due Foscari and Pagano in I Lombardi. In 1848, he sang fifteen performances of the title

role in Macbeth at Teatro San Carlo in Naples. That same season, he sang two Donizetti

roles, Enrico in Maria di Rohan and Severo in Poliuto, demonstrating that he had the

ability to sing the lyric bel canto roles of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini alongside the

roles of Verdi.

In the 1850s, he spent some time touring the United States, where he shared the stage

with other Italian singers like the tenor Giovanni Matteo De Candia, known as Mario, and

soprano Giulia Grisi.64 On these tours, the company would have as many as six operas in

their repertoire, rotating the performances. Walt Whitman called him one of the finest

62 Jahn, Michael, “Echte Glut des Südens: Cesare Badiali – Ein italienischer Bariton in Wien,” from Primadonnen, Premieren, Parodien. Schriften zur Wiener Operngeschichte, 2. Translated by Nathan Krueger. (Wien: Verlag Der Apfel, 2006), 59.

63 Ibid, 60.64 Thomas J. Scharf and Thompson Westcott, History of Philadelphia 1609-1884 (Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co, 1884), http://books.google.com/ebooks/reader? id=8EsOAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader (accessed March 9, 2009)

42

singers in the world.65

Baritone Filippo Coletti (1811-1894) was a singer with great vocal agility, with which

he achieved great success in Rossini roles during the early part of his career. As his career

progressed, he also became a great interpreter of Donizetti. His voice was smooth,

flexible, supple and soft, but also had volume and made impressive sounds. It was

reported that on an F4, and even G4, the vibrations and quantity of squillo (trumpet like or

pointed tone) was phenomenal.66

Soon after he finished his training at the Real Collegio di Musica in Naples, he was in

demand sooner than either Badiali or Colini, and reached the larger houses earlier,

making his debut at Teatro San Carlo in Naples in 1834. He performed the role of

Riccardo in Bellini's I puritani in consecutive years, in 1835 at Teatro Carlo Felice in

Genoa and in 1836 at Teatro Nuovo in Padua. His first experience in the title role in

Donizetti's Torquato Tasso came in 1837 at the Real Theatro de São Carlos in Lisbon. He

spent four seasons in Lisbon, singing mostly roles penned by Donizetti and Bellini.67 In

the 1840s he returned to Italy, and performed the title role in Torquato Tasso at Teatro La

Scala during the 1841-1842 season.

He attracted the attention of Pierre Laporte, the impresario of Her Majesty's Theatre

in London, who engaged Coletti in 1840 to replace Antonio Tamburini. However, this

famously unpopular move caused a riot, a testimony to Tamburini's stardom in England.

Coletti returned to Naples where he continued his impressive career. In 1846, Tamburini

65 Whitman, Walt. Prose Works. Philadelphia: David McKay, 1892; Bartleby.com, 2000. www.bartleby.com/229/. [9/11/2009].

66 Rodolfo Celletti, “Coletti, Fillipo,” in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, 1975 ed.67 From 1837-1840 he was in Lisbon, where he sang the role of Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor all four

seasons, and the role of Conte di Vergy in Donizetti's Gemma di Vergy the final three.

43

defected to Covent Garden, and Coletti was re-engaged to sing at Her Majesty's Theatre,

where he sang in the premiere of Verdi's I masnadieri in 1847 with the soprano Jenny

Lind. He remained the leading baritone in London for four seasons and also sang

regularly in St. Petersburg from 1848 to 1851.

As he aged, his voice became more dramatic than it was virtuosic, which made him an

excellent candidate for the Verdi baritone roles. He performed the baritone roles in ten

Verdi operas throughout his career, from Nabucco to Simon Boccanegra. Coletti sang

Germont in the re-worked version of La traviata, and Verdi considered him for the role of

Lear in the opera Re Lear, an opera Verdi never wrote.

Filippo Colini (1811-1863) made his theater debut in January of 1835 in Rossini's

Aureliano in Palmirai and as Cardenio in Donizetti's Il furioso, a role that was written for

Ronconi. He brought his passionate and dramatic voice to a broader audience in another

role written for Ronconi, the title role in Donizetti's Torquato Tasso, performed in 1840 at

the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. Although he only sang four performances of the pivotal

Torquato Tasso, the performance put him in the spotlight.68 Colini was also very busy that

season in Naples. He sang a total of one-hundred and twenty-six performances of ten

different roles, most notably his debut (sixteen performances) as Manfredo in

Il giuramento and three performances of the title role in Verdi's Oberto.

Colini finally made the transition to the dramatic roles of Verdi in the first half of the

1840s. He was a great success in the title role of Nabucco in Vienna, the Teatro Carlo

Felice in Genoa (1842-1843 season) and finally at the Teatro Nuovo in Padua and the

Teatro Duca in Parma. In Parma he sang with soprano Giuseppina Strepponi, Verdi's 68 Rodolfo Celletti, “Colini, Filippo,” in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, 1975 ed.

44

second wife and creator of Abigaille in Nabucco. Verdi himself was also present.

At La Scala in 1844, he sang Pagano in Verdi's I Lombardi (now considered to be

more of a bass role than a Verdi baritone role). Following that performance, Verdi wrote

the first of three roles for Colini, Giacomo in Giovanna d'Arco which was first performed

at La Scala in 1845.69 Colini worked in St. Petersburg for the 1846-47 season, and then

returned to Italy. In 1850 he sang the title role in Macbeth at Teatro La Fenice in

Senigallia, and by that time, he had become one of Verdi's favorite singers, having also

performed the lead baritone roles in Verdi's Luisa Miller and Ernani.70

Colini was known for his large voice, both broad and deep.71 He had an elegant and

polished approach to singing, but was lacking somewhat in his acting skills. To the

public, who was used to the powerful singing of Ronconi, Varesi and De Bassini, Colini

seemed to be “un po'manierato e di vecchia scuola” (a little bit mannered and old

school).72 This was probably most evident in his unmatched ability in phrasing and use of

tasteful portamenti, skills more useful to a lyric baritone singing the bel canto repertoire.

None of the transitional baritones sang the role of Torquato Tasso after 1844, but this

was most likely due to the declining popularity of the opera itself. Coletti is the only

transitional baritone who sang the role of Torquato Tasso after Verdi wrote Nabucco.

Mercadante's Il giuramento was performed more often than Torquato Tasso, and as a

result had a larger number of singers and performances. The key point is that Manfredo in

Il giuramento was written for Barroilhet, a pre-Verdi baritone, and Toquarto Tasso was

69 The other two roles Verdi wrote for Colini are Rolando in La battaglia di Legnano (1849), and Stankar in Stiffelio (1850).

70 Rodolfo Celletti, “Colini, Filippo,” in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, 1975 ed.71 Ibid.72 Ibid.

45

written for Ronconi, a transitional baritone. The differences between the two roles,

mainly in their vocal demands, can be seen in the analysis section.

Established Verdi Baritones

The established Verdi baritones, Felice Varesi and Achille De Bassini, were not much

younger (Varesi two to three years younger and De Bassini eight to nine years) than the

transitional baritones, yet their careers followed very different paths. Felice Varesi (1813-

1889) started his career with two Donizetti roles that Ronconi specialized in, Cardenio in

Il furioso and the title role in Torquato Tasso, in Varese in 1834. He then performed the

same two roles that autumn at Teatro Nuovo in Novara. By 1842, he was famous in Italy

and appeared at La Scala as Publio in Mercadante's La vestale and Alcandoro in Pacini's

Saffo. He was often in demand at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna, where he created the

role of Antonio in Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix. In June of 1844, he sang Don Carlo in

Ernani to great acclaim. This began his specialization in the Verdi baritone repertoire.

Varesi was the first Macbeth, Rigoletto and Germont, making his debut at Her Majesty's

Theatre in London as Rigoletto in 1863.

Not known for an exceptional voice, Varesi possessed “momentum and intensity of

expression” that lead to great phrasing and made him a powerful dramatic presence.

When compared with Ronconi, Coletti, Colini and De Bassini, he was considered to be

the best interpreter of Verdi. His Rigoletto was unmatched by any baritone of his

generation.73

Achille De Bassini (1819-1881) was known for his “colossal” voice, passion, and

intelligence. In his time, he was known as one of the leading baritones. He developed in 73 Rodolfo Celletti, “Varesi, Felice,” in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, 1975 ed.

46

Donizetti roles before becoming a perfect match for the Verdi baritone roles. He sang the

title role in Nabucco at the Teatro Argentina in Rome 1844, Ernani at La Scala in 1845

and 1846, Attila at La Scala in 1846, Alzira at La Scala in 1847, the premiere of Il

corsaro in Trieste in 1848, and Luisa Miller at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples in 1849.

Overall, he sang baritone roles in ten of sixteen operas that Verdi composed between

Nabucco (1842) and La traviata (1853). The only Verdi baritone role written during this

period that he did not perform was the title role in Macbeth.

De Bassini was compared to Giorgio Ronconi, but it was said that vocally he was less

gifted. This combination was met with much criticism from the public; in The Omnibus

(November 1850), it was written that even if De Bassini did have much talent as an actor,

he was not at all a singer. He was incapable of grace, agility, or a blossoming tone. He

sounded as if he was pushing or shouting and the voice was always “choked, labored, and

hoarse.”74

However, this criticism did not prevent De Bassini from having a long and varied

career. After the remarks were published in The Omnibus, De Bassini continued singing

at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, performing in Donizetti's Maria di Rohan (1850),

Mercadante's Medea and La vestale (1851), and Verdi's Luisa Miller (1851). He achieved

international success in I due Foscari, first at the Kärtnerthortheater in Vienna in 1851

and then at the Italian Theatre in St. Petersburg during the 1852-53 season, where he

replaced Tamburini. He stayed in St. Petersburg and performed there until the 1862-63

season. Verdi enjoyed his voice and his acting skills, and wrote for him the comedic role

of Fra Melitone in La forza del destino, which had its premiere in St. Petersburg in 1862. 74 Rodolfo Celletti, “De Bassini, Achille,” in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, 1975 ed.

47

De Bassini largely left the scene after 1865, but still continued to sing sporadically. In an

1871 performance of Beatrice di Tenda at La Fenice in Venice it was said he still

possessed “good vocal resources.”75

Roles Performed and Comparison

All the singers profiled for this study were important to the development of the

dramatic baritone, and some had direct ties to the three operas being examined. Through

these singers, we can see the importance of each of the three roles in the development of

Table 6: Occurrences of each role for baritones included in this studyTorquato Tasso Il giuramento Nabucco

Barroilhet (1 production) Cartagenova (1) Badiali (2)Badiali (2) Barroilhet (2) Ronconi (16)Ronconi (9) Ronconi (6) Coletti (1)Coletti (3) Badiali (1) Colini (2)Colini (1) Coletti (1) De Bassini (2)Varesi (2) Colini (1)

(one other singer found in annals research)

(thirteen other singers found in annals research)

(six other singers found in annals research)

the dramatic baritone. Only Badiali, Coletti, Colini and Ronconi sang all three roles; for

this reason they make up the group of transitional baritones. All of the singers listed were

extremely active in Europe during their prime, and their performance of these three roles

supports the strong connections between the roles. It is not surprising that a young Felice

Varesi began has career with a role like Torquato Tasso. He sang the role twice at two

different theaters in 1834.

The opera house annals indicate that Torquato Tasso was performed nineteen times

between the years or 1833 to 1844. Sixteen of the performances were sung by baritones 75 Rodolfo Celletti, “De Bassini, Achille,” in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, 1975 ed.

48

classified as transitional baritones, with one performance by the pre-Verdi baritone Paulo

Barroillhet and two performances by the young Felice Varesi, an established Verdi

Table 7: Operas of similar popularity, performances from 1833 to 1846Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso Donizetti(1833-1844)

ManfredoIl giuramentoMercadante (1837-1846)

EnricoLucia di LammermoorDonizetti(1835-1846)

Conte di VergyGemma di VergyDonizetti(1835-1846)

Don AlfonsoLucrezia BorgiaDonizetti(1834-1845)

RiccardoI puritaniBellini(1835-1846)

Total Singers 7 17 22 16 12 8

Performances 21 25 42 21 22 25

Pre-VerdiBaritones

Baroillhet (1)76

Cartagenova (1)Baroillhet (2)

Cosselli (1)Cartagenova (1)Baroillhet (2)

Cartagenova (2)Baroillhet (2)

Cosselli (1) Tamburini (2)

TransitionalBaritones

Ronconi (9)Coletti (3)Colini (2)Badiali (2)

Ronconi (6)Coletti (1)Colini (1)Badiali (2)

Ronconi (12)Coletti (4)Colini (1)Badiali (1)

Ronconi (2)Coletti (4)

Ronconi (8) Ronconi (13)Coletti (6)Colini (1)

EstablishedBaritones

Varesi (2) none Varesi (1)De Bassini (3)

Varesi (1) None None

Other Baritones

1 11 13 11 10 4

baritone. The fact that only seven singers performed the title role in Torquato Tasso

during this time period demonstrates the specialization needed to perform the role. The

pre-Verdi baritone most likely found the tessitura of the role too high, and the length of

the role too long.

The singing demands for Manfredo in Mercadante's Il giuramento are slightly less

than that of title character in Torquato Tasso, therefore a larger number of singers were

able to perform it. From the sample of performances found in the operatic annals of Italy,

the numbers for Il giuramento are strikingly similar to those of Donizetti's Lucrezia

76 Number in parenthesis indicates the total number of productions the singer participated, as discovered in the scope of this research.

49

Borgia. However, the tessitura of the baritone roles in Lucrezia Borgia and Il giuramento

are quite different. Only once does the primary tessitura of Don Alfonso (Lucrezia

Borgia) extend up to an E-flat4, where for Manfredo (Il giuramento) the primary tessitura

ascends up to an E-flat4 five times, with two additional sections that are a half-step

higher. Moreover, the role of Don Alfonso is much shorter then that of Manfredo. Even

the characterization of each role is very different. Don Alfonso is a jealous husband, and

only shows a glimmer of depth in a trio with the soprano (Lucrezia) and the tenor

(Gennaro). Meanwhile, as will be discussed later, Manfredo's character carries much

more dramatic weight.

The role of Conte di Vergy in Gemma di Vergy contains some sections where the

tessitura stretches the limits of the baritone singer. However it is inconsistent, and the

baritone still finds himself singing in a low primary tessitura. The role of Enrico in Lucia

di Lammermoor also has moments that foreshadow the dramatic baritone, but

dramatically the role is entirely two dimensional. The style of singing was very much

rooted in the bel canto tradition, and the tessitura did not require the baritone to extend

his range at all.

When looking at the history of casting the role of Riccardo in I puritani, an interesting

anomaly was found, showing that the role of the baritone during the 1830s was not

always as clearly established as it is today. Tamburini originated the baritone role of

Riccardo in Bellini's I puritani, opposite Luigi Lablache in the role of Giorgio (they sang

the roles of Malatesta and Don Pasquale respectively as well). All of the transitional

baritones with the exception of Badiali, and Varesi sang Riccardo as well. Tamburini's

50

close association with the bass Luigi Lablache throughout their careers helped to

establish the the fundamental difference between the baritone and the bass. However, the

difference between the two roles was not always established. Lablache sang the role of

Riccardo to Barroilhet's Giorgio in at Teatro San Carlo in Naples in 1836, and Ronconi

sang the role of Giorgio twice, once in 1838 at Teatro Argentina in Rome,77 and once in

1847 at Covent Garden. The appearance of Ronconi as Giorgio in I puritani is

particularly curious because it appears that Tamburini was actually his Riccardo, and in

fact they switched roles during the spring season, with Tamburini singing the role of

Giorgio, the role originally written for Lablache.78 Despite the obvious Fach confusion,

this example serves to prove that Bellini, even in his mature works, was not writing for

the dramatic baritone, but for the lyric baritone. Also, this shows that these singers were

not always placed in the Fach we would now place them in today.

This investigation of the other popular operas being performed at the time before the

creation of Nabucco reinforces the fact that the singers both contributed to the change in

the style of singing and also had to be versatile enough to sing the extremely popular bel

canto repertoire. A differentiation between the baritone and bass existed at that time, but

not between a lyric and a dramatic baritone. That distinction is very much a twentieth

century designation, for the baritones who sang the Verdi roles throughout the nineteenth

century continued to sing all of the lyric roles.

The originator of each role also had a strong influence on how the composer

77 Antonio Superchi was the Riccardo in Rome in 1838. He was a transitional baritone as well, beginning his career with Donizetti roles, but also created the Verdi baritone role of Don Carlo in Ernani.

78 Thomas G. Kaufman, “A Chronology of Ronconi's Operatic Appearances,” in The Donizetti Society Journal. no. 5. (1984): 190.

51

composed the role. Giorgio Ronconi, one of the most active, versatile, and well known

baritones of the time, had all the credentials to be a Verdi baritone. His abilities,

discovered by Donizetti when he performed the role of Cardenio in Il furioso, most likely

directly influenced the writing. Orazio Cartagenova's voice was well known to

Mercadante, so it can be concluded that the dramatic and vocal demands of Mercadante's

roles were tailored to suit Cartagenova's voice. Cartagenova also sang the primary

baritone roles in three of Mercadante's other reform operas, and also created the role of

Conte di Vergy in Donizetti's Gemma di Vergy, a role that does not have the tessitura

demands of Donizetti's Torquato Tasso, which supports the claim that Cartagenova is a

pre-Verdi baritone, and not a transitional baritone. One can only wonder if Cartagenova,

who met an untimely end, would have performed any of Verdi's baritone roles. The role

of Don Alfonso in Lucrezia Borgia was created by the bass Luciano Mariani, evidence

that it was not a dramatic baritone role at all. The fact that Ronconi performed this bass

role so often is probably due to Ronconi's popularity, combined with the popularity of the

opera itself.

For two of the singers, Tamburini and Cosselli, no evidence was found in the scope of

this study that proves they sang any of the roles in question. However, they were two of

the most sought after singers of their time, defining the role of the baritone in the 1830s.

Varesi, one of the first true Verdi baritones, was not found to have sung a performance in

the title role of Nabucco, but the arc of his career began with roles by Bellini, Donizetti,

Mercadante, and led to the dramatic roles of Verdi.

Cossilli's importance lies mostly in his dramatic interpretations of the roles he sang.

52

Italian musicologist and voice teacher Rodolfo Celletti summed up Cosselli's dramatic

prowess in the article he wrote in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo:

But its [the voice] expressive force, its power and its communication allowed for the emergence in almost all the works that he faced. He developed gradually good humanistic culture, interpreted with historical and psychological accuracy, along with make-up and costumes, and his expertise on the stage was often compared to the actor Luigi Bestri, whom he resembled also physically.79

Cartagenova and Barroilhet both were interpreters of Manfredo in Il giuramento, but

only Barroilhet sang the title role in Torquato Tasso. Neither sang the title role in

Nabucco. Their importance to this study is similar to that of Tamburini and Cosselli. Both

were in great demand throughout Italy and all of Europe during their careers, and they

helped to establish the differentiation between the baritone and the bass Fächer.

Cartagenova sang many of the same roles as Barroilhet throughout his career,

including the same three Mercadante reform opera roles. Like Cosselli, he was also

known for his dramatic interpretations. Cartagenova passed away at the early age of 41,

only one year after he created the role of Alcandoro in Pacini's Sapho. His early passing

prevented him for attempting any Verdi roles.

Cesare Badiali first performed the role of Torquato Tasso 1837. During that same

season, he also performed the role of Belcore in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, confirming

that he was a successful bel canto lyric baritone at the start of his career. This trend can

be found in both Coletti and Colini's career, and to some extant, Ronconi's, indicating a

clear shift from bel canto roles to dramatic roles.

Ronconi's career is clearly the most important to this study. He was popular, prolific,

and originated many roles. However, he can not be classified as an established Verdi 79 Rodolfo Celletti, “Cosselli, Domenico,” in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, 1974 ed.

53

baritone because he focused on only three of Verdi's baritone roles: Nabucco, Rigoletto,

and to a lesser extant, Don Carlo in Ernani. Even after Verdi wrote Nabucco for him and

his success with Rigoletto, he still relied most of his career on the bel canto roles of

Donizetti and Bellini.

As we can see by examining the careers of singers who performed these roles prior to

the Verdi's composition of Nabucco, the ability of the singers determined what roles they

might have sung. Through these conclusions, it is evident that Donizetti's Torquato Tasso

and Mercadante's Il giuramento made demands on the singers that foreshadow the

demands of Verdi's vocal writing for the baritone.

The demands placed on the baritone changed throughout the span of these singers'

careers, and the roles each of these singers performed provide a window to their

individual abilities. Of the countless other baritones singing during the 1830s and 1840s

in Italy and other Italian opera houses throughout Europe, this group was the most active,

and demonstrated the ability to meet the increased demands. Through the careers of these

baritones, the foundation of the Verdi baritone was built, and with their voices, a new

Fach was born.

54

CHAPTER V: CIRCUMSTANCES

Three factors need to be examined when considering the change in style of singing

that occurred with Verdi's baritone roles: pitch level, historical singing style, and the size

of the orchestra.

Pitch Level

Pitch level differences could create an interesting situation. If the pitch level was

different enough between performing locations, it could affect the singer's ability to

perform any given role. In order to determine the pitch level a piece of music was

intended to be performed at, one must look at the place and time it was composed. Pitch

during the nineteenth century was much more stable than it had been prior to that, but a

difference in pitch level would certainly alter the “performing techniques of voices and

instruments.”80 For the singers of the time, a change in pitch level would change the

tessitura of any given piece, in turn changing the general quality of sound. The change

would also alter where the register shifts of each individual voice fell in the music,

causing difficulty or awkwardness for the singers. Most importantly, all of these things

could, in the end, cause vocal fatigue.81 It was realized, going all the way back to Bach's

time, that pitch levels in different cities, as well as with the differences in the tuning of

organs, affect the registration and tessitura of the singers.82

Beginning in the 1830s, European pitch standards became relatively stable.83 Pitch is

generally determined by instruments, and the design and manufacturing of instruments

80 Bruce Haynes, A History of Performing Pitch: The Story of "A" (Lanham, Maryland, and Oxford: 2002), xxxvii.

81 Ibid.82 Ibid., 185.83 Ibid., 343.

55

since that time have remained mostly unchanged.84 However, fluctuations throughout

time and differences between countries, and even cities within those countries, should be

noted. A commission appointed by the French government in 1858 was assigned the task

of setting a standard performing pitch. Eventually, they settled on A3= 435 Hz (diapason

normal or concert pitch), a pitch level that was decidedly lower than the level at which

most orchestras were performing at the time. It took some time for this level to take hold

in France, and it was often ignored.

The trend during the the nineteenth century was a rising pitch. By the 1850s, pitch

was at its highest, and in England, it A3 averaged 455 Hz. By the 1860s, Austria, France

and Germany had settled on an A3 closer to 435 hz, but Italy was slow to change, and

England resisted until the end of the century.

In Paris, at the Théâtre Italien, A3 was at 437 Hz, just slightly lower then the Opéra

Comique, which 441 Hz for A3.85 The earliest pitch measurements from Italy show

differences in pitch in different cities: in 1845, Florence A3 was measured at 437 Hz,

Turin 440 Hz and Milan 447 Hz. Of all the cities in Italy, Milan was consistently the

highest, with A3 measuring as high as 452 Hz in 1857.86 England was consistently higher.

A3 at the London Philharmonic was measured at 453 Hz in 1846, and Covent Garden at

456 Hz in 1857. “Musicians visiting the country from the Continent were appalled and

annoyed.”87 By the late 1870s, singers at Covent Garden protested, and asked that the

pitch [A3 ] be lowered to 435, but measurements of performances indicated that the pitch

84 Bruce Haynes, A History of Performing Pitch: The Story of “A” (Lanham, Maryland, and Oxford: 2002), 344.

85 Ibid., 346.86 Ibid.87 Ibid., 355.

56

level was still higher. At Her Majesty's Theatre, the overall pitch level was generally

lower. In 1878, A3 was measured at 436 Hz. This fact may be attributed to the fact that

singers from abroad often performed at the theater, keeping the pitch level closer to

Continental standards.88

There is evidence that Verdi was aware of the differences in pitch level from city to

city, and in 1884, formally requested that orchestras of Italy lower their pitch, where A3

was higher than 435 Hz; it is not known if this request was granted.89 Also, Verdi was

concerned about the pitch level that Aida was to be performed at, and it frustrated him

that Italy had not yet decided on a diapason normal.

All of this evidence suggests that both composers and performers were aware of the

differences in pitch from city to city. Ronconi and Coletti both performed in London,

where the great disparity in pitch must have been noticeable. Ronconi managed to sing

Rigoletto, Nabucco, and Don Carlo (Ernani) at Covent Garden where A3 was as high as

456 Hz. At this level, everything would be sung approximately a quarter-tone sharp. In

Italy, A3 was recorded to be that high in Florence, Venice and Naples after 1858.

At the time that Donizetti and Mercadante were writing the operas that are featured in

this study, pitch was a little lower than its levels in the 1850s. In the 1840s, when Verdi

was writing his first dramatic baritone roles, A3 in Italy ranged from 437 to 447 Hz.

When Ronconi sang in the premiere of Nabucco in Milan in 1842, the pitch would have

been slightly higher than it is today, a challenge Ronconi met and would continue to meet

throughout Europe in many dramatic roles.

88 Bruce Haynes, A History of Performing Pitch: The Story of “A” (Lanham, Maryland, and Oxford: 2002), 355.

89 Ibid., 353.

57

The rise of pitch certainly had an affect on the singers performing the roles in these

operas, and it is even more impressive that the new dramatic baritones were able to keep

up with the new demands in a climate of rising pitch. There is no indication that the

current pitch of the city in which each role was first performed directly affected how the

composer wrote each role, and in the end, the singer first performing the role was a much

greater factor.

Historical Singing Style

The development of a new style of singing must either be spurred on by the

development of new music, in which case the singers must adjust their technique to the

demands of the music, or by advancements in singing techniques, whereby the composers

can expect more from the singers for new compositions. In the 1830s, probably a

combination of both brought about the development of the dramatic baritone. When tenor

Gilbert-Louis Duprez first sang his high C with chest voice, the ut de poitrine90 (Lucca,

1831 in Rossini's Guglielmo Tell), he altered expectations of audiences, and with that, the

kind of music composers wrote.

According to Henry Pleasants, prior to Duprez' ut de poitrine, “tenors had always sung

in high falsetto, or in a kind of head voice.”91 It can be deduced that baritones would have

approached their upper register in the same manner. Pleasants concluded that Tamburini

probably used a light mechanism in his head register, concluding that “it seem[s] likely

that he [Tamburini] used falsetto.”92

90 James Stark, Bel Canto: A History of Vocal Pedagogy (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999), 41.91 Henry Plesants, The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to Our Own Time (New York: Simon and

Schuster, 1966), 158.92 Ibid., 185.

58

This new technique was not the technique that Paris composer and singing teacher

Alexis de Garaudé (1799 – 1852) would have endorsed, and Rossini, after hearing it, said

it sounded “like the squawk of a capon whose throat is being cut.”93 However, for

audiences of the time, it was all the rage, and even helped contribute to Adolphe Nourrit's

demise.

In conclusion, this change in style of singing affected both composers and other

singers. Composers adjusted their writing style to suit the talents of available singers.

Audiences were excited by this new type of singing heard from the tenors and the

performers able sing in this new style became stars. It is very likely that baritones had to

follow suit in order to compete with the sound coming from their colleagues on stage.

Orchestra Size

During the 19th century, the size of the orchestra expanded and incorporated new

instruments. The advancements in technology in brass instruments, adding instruments to

reinforce the low brass, and the addition of valves, allowed trumpets and horns to play

melodies in all keys and registers. In the woodwinds, instruments were added in the

extreme registers (for example, piccolo and contra bassoon). The use of percussion also

expanded, in both the variety of instruments used, and as a way to show local color

(military marches, gypsy music, and other folk dance influences).

The orchestra competed with the singers in several ways. Woodwind and brass

instruments were used to double the vocal line, and in the larger opera houses, the string

sections were expanded and the woodwinds doubled to give the orchestra more volume.

93 Henry Plesants, The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to Our Own Time (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1966), 167.

59

Also, the recitatives of nineteenth century opera were now being accompanied by full

orchestra, as opposed to the continuo of the classical orchestra. As proof of the growing

numbers in the opera orchestra, the La Scala orchestra grew from sixty players in the

1820s, to over ninety in the 1890s. The size of the orchestra varied from city to city, and

was tailored to fit the size of the theater and to meet the requirements of each individual

piece.

60

CHAPTER VI: THE VERDI BARITONE - EVIDENCE OF ITS DEVELOPMENTS

Nabucco

After the disappointment of his first opera, Un giorno di regno, Verdi was reluctant to

write another opera. However, Bartolomeo Merelli, the impresario of La Scala,

convinced him to take on Tomistocle Solera's libretto, Nabucco. The opera premiered at

La Scala in 1842. Originally titled Nabucodonosor, the libretto's plot comes from biblical

sources, mainly the book of Jeremiah, although Nabucco is the only character derived

from the Bible (Nebuchadnezzar). Solera's main source was a French play, Francis

Cornu’s Nabuchodonosor. The opera opened in March of 1842 to considerable success.

Along with Giorgio Ronconi in the title role were the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi

singing the role of Abigaille, and bass Prosper Dérivis as Zaccaria.

Nabucco contains a directness of both dramatic and musical writing. Verdi kept the

vulgar nature of the story, and as a musical device, lessened the word repetitions and the

excess fioratura that is found in the bel canto operas. Marching rhythms, militaristic

percussion, and resounding brass filled his score.94 By no means had Verdi even begun to

reach the mastery that he would achieve in Rigoletto, but Nabucco was where “the

dramatic potential of the Verdi baritone is first manifested.”95

Vocal And Characterization Demands: Act I

Nabucco's first entrance occurs at the beginning of the first act finale. The depth of his

character is introduced when he casually responds to Zaccaria furious question, “Questa

è di Dio la stanza” with “Di Dio che parli?” (Of which God do you speak?). Nabucco

94 David R. B. Kimbell. Italian Opera. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1991), 495.95 Ryan Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards. The Verdi Baritone: Studies in the Development of the Dramatic

Character. (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994), 8.

61

begins the scene composed, and does not immediately respond to Zaccaria's anger. His

first solo section has a primary tessitura of A-sharp3 to D-sharp4, and only rises above that

for an E4 with a fermata. This short section, only fifteen bars in length, does not yet show

the vocal capabilities of the Verdi baritone, but does begin to show the character's depth.

He calmly tells the Israelites to “Tremin gl'insani del mio furore!” (Tremble at my insane

fury) with music marked andante and soto voce. (Appendix K, Example 1) The character

of Nabucco's singing does not immediately bring to mind “insane fury.” However, it is

the rhythm of this section where Verdi allows Nabucco to display his anger. This

illustrates that Nabucco's fatherly concern for his daughter is at conflict with his

aggressive nature as a tyrant. Verdi uses a combination of triplets and dotted figures to

illustrate Nabucco's “militaristic aggressiveness as well as [his] inner pathos.”96

Table 8: Nabucco, Act I, Finale andanteheld 4 5 1 5 3pitch A#2 E3 F3 F#3 G3 G#3 A3 A#3 B3 C4 C#4 D4 D#4 E4

# 1 1 0 8 2 8 0 11 12 0 10 3 12 2Exterior tessitura: A#2 – E4 Primary tessitura: A#3 – D#4

Secondary tessitura: None Weighted pitches: F#4, B3, D#4

This cantabile section (Table 8) does not reach the Verdi baritone tessitura that we find

later in the opera, adding to Nabucco's display of restraint. Although the primary tessitura

is A-sharp3 to D-sharp4, it sits below this pitch area for much of the section. Only twice

does Nabucco sing an E4, the only pitch above the primary tessitura. These two small

instances are indications of the Verdi baritone characteristics we will find in Act II.

This short section is followed by a dramatically static ensemble section, where

96 William Clifford Goold, “The Verdian Baritone: A Study of Six Representative Operas” (DMA diss, University of Kentucky, 1981), 20.

62

Nabucco repeats the text from the previous section. The next two sections of the finale

build in intensity, increasing the demands placed on the baritone. They have a primary

tessitura of B3 to D4 and A3 to D4 respectively. The second section ends the finale with the

full force of the six principals and chorus, requiring the baritone to spend some time

above the primary tessitura for the first time in the opera, with several held E4s. Only four

times in the last section of the finale does the baritone sing anything below an A3.

Vocal And Characterization Demands: Act II

Act two is divided into four parts. The first part features an aria for Abigaille, the

second a preghiera sung by Zaccaria, and the third a chorus. As in the first act, Nabucco

makes his first appearance in the act during the climatic finale, the fourth part. Nabucco

enters and takes the crown from Abigaille stating, “Dal capo mio la prendi!” (Take it

from my head). He does this not only because of his lust for power, but to protect his

daughter, Fenena, whom Abigaille has imprisoned. The love for his daughter, Ryan

Edwards claims, is the true source of his strength.97 Nabucco sings the word “prendi” on

an F4 for two bars over a fortissimo orchestra. This is the first evidence of the Verdi

baritone's top register.98 (Appendix K, Example 2) This creates “terrore generale”

(general terror) on stage, and gives way to a conventional ensemble where a melody, first

stated by Nabucco, is sung by each of the five principals and chorus. This thickly-

textured canon has a primary tessitura of F3 to D4, but all of the characters ascend to an F4

(F5 for the females) marked tutta forza in the score.

In the section that follows, Nabbuco, having previously masked his anger, gives into

97 Ryan Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards, The Verdi Baritone: Studies in the Development of the Dramatic Character (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994), 12.

98 Ibid., 13.

63

his lust for power, calls his fellow Babylonians traitors and declares himself King of the

Hebrews. This passage of mostly unaccompanied recitative rises chromatically from B-

flat3 to E- flat4. However, Fenena (who is in love with Ismele, a Jew) states that she

wishes to die with the Jews, and that she is now one of them. Nabucco commands all

present to bow to him, and on an E-flat4 over full fortissimo orchestra, declares himself

god. Edwards states this E-flat4 on the word “Dio” is anticlimactic,99 given that it is lower

then the high G sung by Fenena. (Appendix K, Example 3) However, the anticlimactic

sense Edwards describes actually propels the drama. Verdi creates a deceptive cadence

(shifting from G major to E-flat major, using the D4 that Nabucco sings as a leading

tone), which still demonstrates characteristics of the Verdi baritone in both singing

demands and characterization.

At this point, Nabucco is struck by lightning. The following section, divided into two

parts, shows his delirium and his remorse. The first part begins with Nabucco (Table 9)

Table 9: Nabucco, Act II, Finaleheld 1 2 1 1 1 15 7 3 5 10pitch C3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 1 3 1 9 9 0 18 4 35 18 3 11 0 3Exterior tessitura: C3 – F4 Primary tessitura: B flat3 – E flat4 Secondary tessitura: F4 Weighted pitches: C4, D flat4, F4

trying to gain his bearings, and builds to a section marked incalzando (imminent or

pressing) where Nabucco repeatedly states, “Chi m'atterra?” (Who throws me down?).

Verdi briefly veers from the allegro tempo marking to a short adagio section where

Nabucco realizes that he has lost something greater than the crown, his daughter.100 He

99 Ryan Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards, The Verdi Baritone: Studies in the Development of the Dramatic Character (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994), 14.

100 Ryan Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards, The Verdi Baritone: Studies in the Development of the Dramatic

64

pleads with her (Appendix K, Example 4), before the tempo returns to the allegro of the

previous section. Through this part, the tessitura gradually rises and requires the baritone

to sing over the full orchestra, including three held F4s. The majority of the section is

sung in the primary tessitura, B-flat3 to E-flat4, providing the baritone with little respite

below, a challenging section both vocally and dramatically.

In the second part, Nabucco no longer has any strength, and demonstrates his anguish

at losing his daughter. This final portion of Act II requires the baritone to sing this

lament entirely in the range of G3 to F4, although Verdi marks the section as dolce.

Edwards states, “His conscious mind may not yet know what brings on this

uncontrollable emotion, but his heart does.” 101 The melody of this phrase echos the

melody sung in the previous adagio section, where he pleads with Fenena. The act ends

as Abigaille reclaims the crown from Nabucco.

Vocal And Characterization Demands: Act III

Act three is divided into two scenes. The first scene opens with a chorus which

celebrates Abigaille's rise to the throne, then moves on to a three-movement duet between

Abigaille and Nabucco. The second scene contains Verdi's famous chorus Va pensiero,

and an aria for Zaccaria.

In the duet between Abigaille and Nabucco, Verdi creates a portrait of a complex

character, similar to his later Verdi baritones. Dyneley Hussey calls it Nabucco's finest

scene in the opera, saying it “shows Verdi's skill in handling a conflict of wills and

emotions,” and Nabucco's “alternations of mood between impotent fury and supplication

Character (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994), 14.101Ibid., 15.

65

are admirably portrayed.”102

Unlike the previous two acts, Nabucco does not make a grand entrance, but instead

enters “disheveled and distracted.”103 In the recitative that precedes the duet, Nabucco

shows no sign of his royal authority and is subverted by Abigaille's boldness. In the first

section of the duet, Abigaille asserts her authority, her dramatic coloratura towering over

his meek interjections; only when he agrees that the Hebrews should be punished, “A

morte tutto Israel sia tratto!” (Death to all Israel is cast!), does he ascend above the

primary tessitura, an F4 on the word “tutto” (all of them). Even after it is revealed that

Fenena has converted to Judaism, and will also be killed, Nabucco's deflated character

cannot muster any dramatic singing. He is defeated, and at this point he realizes that he

has truly lost the throne to Abigaille.

The next section of the duet begins with a solo section for Nabucco, sung as an aside.

Here, Nabucco expresses his inner disappointment. Verdi uses fluctuating tonal centers to

show Nabucco's growing instability.104 His frustration leads to an ascent into the

baritone's upper tessitura, highlighted by a rise to F4 on the repeated text “l'ombra tu sei”

(you are a shadow). (Appendix K, Example 5) Although the orchestration here is fairly

light, the tessitura remains quite high. William Clifford Goold writes that this is an

example of “punishing tessitura,” where more than half of the notes written for Nabucco

in this first solo section are C4 and higher.105 As the duet continues, Nabucco remains

102 Dyneley Hussey, Verdi (London: J.M. Dent & Sons, Ltd., 1973), 22.103 Ryan Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards, The Verdi Baritone: Studies in the Development of the Dramatic

Character (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994), 15.104 William Clifford Goold “The Verdian Baritone: A Study of Six Representative Operas” (DMA diss,

University of Kentucky, 1981), 34.105 William Clifford Goold “The Verdian Baritone: A Study of Six Representative Operas” (DMA diss,

University of Kentucky, 1981), 35.

66

remorseful, but begins to match Abigaille in her fioratura, and the tessitura remains

elevated.

The next section begins with Nabucco begging Abigaille to spare Fenena's life.

Nabucco begins to become agitated, which is highlighted in the music by shortened

phrases and “anxious triplets.”106 The tessitura remains very high, and as the duet

concludes, Nabucco is singing in thirds and sixths with Abigaille, matching the vocal

intensity of the dramatic coloratura. (Appendix K, Example 6). This intensity, combined

with the complex emotions that Nabucco expresses, is an example of the fully-realized

Verdi baritone.

The tessitura remains elevated for the entire duet. (Table 10) The primary tessitura lies

between A-flat4 and E-flat4, and in fewer than ten instances does Nabucco sing G3 or

below. In addition to the consistently high tessitura, there are an exceptional number of

weighted pitches. The C4, D-flat4, and E-flat4 are not only sung extremely often,

Table 10: Nabucco, Act III, Duetheld 2 1 15 11 33 23 4 35 2 4pitch Eb3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 3 4 0 1 34 3 37 0 50 42 8 39 1 5Exterior tessitura: Eb3 – F4 Primary tessitura: Ab3 – Eb4

Secondary tessitura: F4 Weighted pitches: C4 , Db4, Eb4

but Verdi requires the baritone to sustain the notes for extended periods of time. Verdi has

not extended the range of the baritone, but the tessitura remains consistently elevated.

Vocal And Characterization Demands: Act IV

The act opens with Nabucco asleep in a chair in an apartment at the palace in Babylon.

106 Ryan Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards, The Verdi Baritone: Studies in the Development of the Dramatic Character (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994), 17.

67

The entire first scene of Act IV consists of a prelude, scena, cavatina, tempo di mezzo,

and finally cabaletta, all of which display a different part of Nabucco's psyche.

Ultimately, Nabucco has an inner battle between the two halves of his personality: the

caring and loving father, and the violent tyrant.

The scene begins with a recitative written in a simple declamatory style, mostly

unaccompanied, with short interjections from the orchestra. The tessitura in this section

hovers around C4. Nabucco expresses his frustration until he hears the chorus sing his

daughter's name, when his mood changes from anger to concern. Here, as Edwards states,

“the strength of his paternal love that ultimately propels Nabucco to a full conscious

understanding of his hubris.”107

The tessitura sits in a medium range, mostly from G3 to C4. (Table 11) Compared to

some arias in the works of Mercadante and Donizetti, this is neither a dramatically varied

recitative nor a vocally challenging tessitura. However, as the recitative becomes more

Table 11: Nabucco, Act IV, Scena and aria, recitative section held 2 11 4 11 1 19 5 10 4 2pitch D3 F3 F#3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 2 1 2 30 3 13 32 5 30 4 24 5 0 1Exterior tessitura: D3 – F4 Primary tessitura: G3 – C4 Secondary tessitura: Eb4 Weighted pitches: G4, Bb3, C4

cantabile and less parlando, the tessitura becomes more consistently centered around and

above the primo passaggio (a Bb3 for most baritones). At the peak of the scena, when

Nabucco realizes that he is a prisoner, (Appendix K, Example 7) the baritone is finally

forced to venture above the primary tessitura, to an F4 over a forte tremolo in the

107 Ryan Edwards and Geoffrey Edwards, The Verdi Baritone: Studies in the Development of the Dramatic Character (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994), 18.

68

orchestra. In a total of fifty-seven bars of music, only three times does Verdi write a note

that lies below the primary tessitura.

The cavatina begins after a somber cello solo and a chromatic cadenza played by a

flute, musical devices that both Mercadante and Donizetti used in arias for their

baritones. The accompaniment style is simple and provides an easy texture for the

baritone to sing over. More importantly, the thin texture sets a peaceful and religious

atmosphere where we find the once-proud hero asking for forgiveness from the god of his

enemies. The simple melody is broken into short two-bar phrases and Verdi confines the

use of turns and roulades to important words, such as “te” (the divine Thee). In general,

Verdi avoids word repetition, but the word “adorarti” (I adore thee) is repeated four

times. William Goold explains that this symbolizes “Nabucco's acknowledged

submission of himself to the God of the Hebrews.”108

Table 12: Nabucco, Act IV, Cavatinaheld 2 1 7 1 6 1 4 3 6pitch E3 F3 F#3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 2 8 0 10 4 23 19 6 27 9 17 1 8 5Exterior tessitura: E3 – F4 Primary tessitura: A3 –D4 Secondary tessitura: E4 - F4 Weighted pitches: A3, C4, F4

The cavatina has a primary tessitura of A3 to D4, with a fairly prominent secondary

tessitura of E- flat4 and F4. (Table 12) The weighted pitches of this section, especially C4

and F4, are the first clear indication of the tessitura demands that partially define the Verdi

baritone. Three times the cavatina climaxes on an F4 (Appendix K, Example 8), and

although the accompaniment is fairly light throughout, there is very little singing down in

108 William Clifford Goold, “The Verdian Baritone: A Study of Six Representative Operas” (DMA diss, University of Kentucky, 1981), 41.

69

the middle of the voice, creating a situation where the baritone must utilize the upper fifth

of his voice throughout.

The cabaletta, accompanied by a militaristic pattern of dotted rhythms, is

conventional in form, but dramatically it serves to show the other side of Nabucco's

personality. While the prayer in the cavatina revealed Nabucco's paternal side, the

cabaletta shows his tyrannical side.

The tessitura challenges in this cabaletta are numerous. (Table 13) In the forty

Table 13: Nabucco, Act IV, Cabalettaheld 4 16 10 24 3 7 2 (4)109

pitch Eb3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4 G4 Ab4

# 5 0 8 0 8 29 30 0 32 25 1 22 3 9 1 (1)Exterior tessitura: Eb3 – G4 (Ab4) Primary tessitura: C4 –Eb4 Secondary tessitura: F4 - G4 Weighted pitches: C4, Db4 , Eb4

measures that Nabucco sings, he spends nearly all of it in the primary tessitura, C4 to E-

flat4, which lies as high as in any other section of the opera. Verdi also requires the

baritone to spend significant time in the secondary tessitura, where the number of

weighted pitches nearly equals the total number of pitches. During this the baritone must

contend with the male chorus and the brass of the orchestra, plus rise to sing a G4. Goold

calls this a “special effect,” and states that it “may possibly be taken as a final reference

to the residue of personal vanity in the converted king.”110 (Appendix K, Example 9)

Goold offers this as an example of one of the traits of a Verdi baritone, when Verdi asks

the baritone to sing a pitch usually reserved for the tenor. Many modern singers take the

109 Parenthesis indicate that the pitch is not in the score, but based on historical recordings and contemporary performance expectations, this note is often sung. There is no evidence that singers in this study sang this pitch.

110 William Clifford Goold, “The Verdian Baritone: A Study of Six Representative Operas” (DMA diss, University of Kentucky, 1981), 42.

70

optional Ab4 at the end of the cabeletta, a practice that may not have been common in

Verdi's time.

Overall Tessitura Summary

Within the score of Nabucco, Verdi has infused many of the traits of a Verdi baritone:

the multi-dimensional character, the high tessitura demands, and a challenging

orchestration to sing over. Edwards' indication of a Verdi baritone as being a singer with

the ability to utilize the top fifth of his vocal range is evident here. As the first of the

Verdi baritone roles, Nabucco sets the standard for the roles to follow. The character of

Nabucco appears in a major musical number in each of the four acts, and the only act

where he does not have a significant solo is Act III. But even in this act, he must contend

with Abigaille's soprano vocal line, where he is forced to sing in the tenor range during a

duet.

The primary tessitura consistently remains in the B-flat3 to E-flat4 range. (Table 14)

Although this is similar to the primary tessitura of operas composed before it, the

secondary tessitura is where Verdi makes additional demands. Nine of the fifteen sections

in the opera have a secondary tessitura that extends up to an F4 or higher. For about half

of the opera, Verdi keeps the low end of singing around F3, ignoring any of the voice that

is bass-like in character.

Although Nabucco does not contain all of the musical and dramatic innovations that

Verdi would achieve in his later operas, it does begin the process of stretching the limits

of the vocal resources available. It is clear that with a baritone who possessed the vocal

capabilities of Giorgio Ronconi, Verdi was able to create a baritone protagonist with a

71

multi-faceted character, and he was able to compose music that captured all of the

different sides of Nabucco's character.

Table 14: Nabucco, Role Tessitura Table

(Act I=sections 1-3; Act II=sections 4-8; Act III=sections 9-11; Act IV=sections12-14)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 140123456789

10111213141516171819202122232425

NabuccoTessitura Table

Primary TopPrimary BottomExterior TopExterior Bottom

Section

Pitc

h Le

vel

A4Ab4G4F#4F4E4Eb4D4C#4C4B3Bb3A3Ab3G3F#3F3E3Eb3D3C#3C3B2Bb2A2Ab2G2

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Evidence of Changes in Demands on the Baritone Voice

Evidence of the changes in demands for the baritone is found in roles written before

the premier of Verdi's Nabucco. Two roles, the title role in Gaetano Donizetti's Torquato

Tasso and the role of Manfredo in Saverio Mercadante's Il giuramento, exhibit

characteristics that would later be found in a Verdi baritone role. The demands in these

roles are evidence of both the change in the way baritones were singing, and the way

composers were writing for them.

Torquato Tasso

Torquato Tasso premiered on September 9, 1833, at the Teatro Valle in Rome.

Donzetti entrusted the title role to the young Giorgio Ronconi, who had impressed the

composer with his portrayal of Cadenio in Il furioso. The libretto, a melodramma

semiserio written by Jacopo Ferretti, was based on several literary sources that dealt with

the life of the Roman poet Torquato Tasso. A melodramma semiserio111 usually contained

a comic character, a hero, and a villain. In Torquato Tasso, the hero is sung by a baritone,

the rival is sung by a tenor, and the villain is sung by a buffo bass. In his entry for

Torquato Tasso in the New Grove Dictionary of Opera, William Ashbrook states that this

odd distribution of roles may be one of the reasons that it did not stay in the repertoire.112

However, Torquato Tasso was not unique, and it is just as likely that the difficulty of the

title role may have lead to decline in performances.

111 Other examples of a melodramma semiserio include Mercadante's Elisa e Claudio (1821) and Donzetti's Linda di Chamounix (1842)

112 William Ashbrook, “Torquato Tasso,” The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Ed. Stanley Sadie. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 11 Feb. 2009 <http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.ezproxy1.library.arizona.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/O005109>.

73

Ronconi's involvement is important for two reasons. First of all, the dramatic elements

of the role required a wider range of emotions than in previous Donizetti operas.

Ronconi was a good choice for this role because, as record in the London's Musical

World on September 11, 1847, he was “universally acknowledged... to be the greatest

male dramatic artist on the lyric stage.”113 Secondly, the vocal demands on the singer

were greater. Ronconi subsequently proved more than capable when he originated the

role of Nabucco in Verdi's Nabucco, and with his portrayals of other Verdi roles, such as

Don Carlo in Ernani and the title role in Rigoletto.

Vocal And Characterization Demands: Act I

Act I of Torquato Tasso is divided into eight numbers, and the baritone makes his first

appearance half-way through the act in the fifth number, a duet with Roberto, the tenor.

Roberto, a secretary to the Duke of Este, is jealous of the poet's skill and longs to see him

fail. In this duet, Roberto pretends to be his friend. In turn, Tasso entrusts Roberto with

poetry he wants delivered to Eleonora, the sister of the Duke.

The first section of the duet, marked larghetto, maintains an average baritone tessitura

and is divided into two sections, both with a primary tessitura of A3 to D4 and with one

F4. (Table 15) The second section of the duet contains two solo sections with similar

Table 15: Torquato Tasso, Act I, Duet (with Roberto), first and second sections held 1 1 6 1 2pitch D3 Eb3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 4 1 13 39 4 36 0 43 44 8 48 6 36 10 1 7Exterior Tessitura: D3 - F4 Primary tessitura: G3 - D4

Secondary tessitura: E3- F3 Weighted pitches: D4

melodies, one sung by Torquato Tasso and the second sung by Roberto. Torquato Tasso's

113 Thomas G. Kaufman, “Giorgio Ronconi,” The Donizetti Society Journal, no. 5 (1984): 169-206.

74

solo section takes him several times up to F4 . (Appendix L, Example 1) However, the

orchestration is light throughout and the melody is rooted in the bel canto style of

singing. This section does not yet match those demands of the Verdi baritone.

By the final section of the duet, Donizetti extends the baritone up to a G-flat4, (Table

16) and requires the baritone to sing in thirds with the tenor. The primary tessitura is

Table 16: Torquato Tasso, Act I, Duet, tempo di mezzo and cabalettaheld 3 7 1 1pitch D3 Eb3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 F4 Gb4

# 7 1 0 32 2 36 6 47 60 4 74 9 69 31 4 1Exterior tessitura: D3 - Gb4 Primary tessitura: Bb3 - Eb4

Secondary tessitura: F3- A3 Weighted pitches: D4

slightly higher, yet the secondary tessitura, as in the previous section, remains lower than

the primary tessitura. The orchestration is still light, mostly strings and woodwinds, but

the significant amount of time that Tasso must spend in the primary tessitura, combined

with how little he sings below F3, brings this challenging and lengthy duet closer to the

Verdi baritone requirements.

The next scene in the act is a cavatina for Eleonora, which is immediately followed by

a duet for Eleonora and Torquato Tasso. Eleonora has been listening to verses from

Torquato Tasso's poems and has fallen in love with his words. Tasso enters and discovers

that she does not despise him, but truly loves him.

The duet begins with a short recitative section which leads to a solo section for the

baritone, with a primary tessitura of A-flat3 to E-flat4. (Table 17) In the twelve bars,

75

Table 17, Torquato Tasso, Act I, Duet with Eleonora, first and second sections held

pitch Eb3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 10 0 2 0 11 55 1 68 29 57 43 13 35 2 4Exterior tessitura: Eb3 - F4 Primary tessitura: Ab3 - Eb4

Secondary tessitura: E4- F4 Weighted pitches: None

Donizetti only writes four notes below the primary tessitura, which is very similar to the

way Verdi handles the title character in Nabucco. After a shorter solo section for the

soprano, Torquato Tasso re-enters singing a third lower than the soprano, but remains in

the upper part of the primary tessitura, this time extending up to an F4 as his excitement

grows. As the duet proceeds, more and more time is spent in the primary tessitura, rarely

going lower than A-flat4. (Appendix L, Example 2) More than in the previous duet, this

duet requires the baritone to maintain a higher tessitura. The only aspect missing that is

typical of the Verdi baritone role is weighted pitches. Instead, Donizetti writes floridly for

both voices. Despite the absence of weighted pitches, rarely does the baritone have

respite in his lower register.

Dramatically, Torquato Tasso is not the confident baritone normally found in librettos

of this period. He is fragile, hanging on Eleonora's every word, and expresses his feelings

in a musically excitable way. During the cabaletta, Donizetti again requires the baritone

to sing in thirds with the soprano, climaxing with a fermata F4 before the coda. Here,

Donizetti writes with more emphasis on the upper half of the primary tessitura, which is

the same as the first section of the duet, A-flat3 to E-flat4. (Table 18) There are also a

76

Table 18: Torquato Tasso, Act I, Duet with Eleonora, tempo di mezzo and cabalettaheld 5 2 3 3 11 3 1 10 2pitch Eb3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 9 5 9 1 35 48 6 48 15 82 42 11 48 3 9Exterior tessitura: Eb3 - F4 Primary tessitura: Ab3 - Eb4

Secondary tessitura: E4- F4 Weighted pitches: C4, Eb4

significant number of weighted pitches compared to the previous section, making this

duet similar to the demands of the Verdi baritone.

The title character's final appearance in Act I is in the finale. Torquato Tasso is

confronted by Roberto, and eventually the Duke of Ferrara and his wife make an

entrance. The first part of the scena has a relatively low tessitura for the baritone, and

only in one section does Tasso extend into the upper register. In this section he must soar

over the ensemble, three times extending to an F4, and once up to an accented G-flat4.

In the closing section of the finale, Donizetti truly utilizes the upper register of the

baritone, even if the character of Torquato Tasso is still decidedly one dimensional. The

Duke reveals that Eleonora will be married to the Duke of Mantua, sending both

Eleonora and Torquato into deep despair. The primary tessitura lies at B3 to E4, with a

significant amount of singing up to an F4. (Table 19) Here, Tasso spends significant time

Table 19: Torquato Tasso, Act I, Finale, allegro to endheld 4 1 1 4 9 2 4 1 2pitch D3 Eb3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 1 2 10 10 3 43 16 28 10 55 77 15 53 15 55 31Exterior tessitura: D3 - F4 Primary tessitura: B3 - E4

Secondary tessitura: G3 – A3, F4 Weighted pitches: C4, Eb4

in the upper part of the primary tessitura and above. His unison singing with Eleonora is

rigorous, (Appendix L, Example 3) and requiring him to compete with a forte orchestra

and the tenor singing in his upper register.

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Vocal And Characterization Demands: Act II

In Act II, the title character appears in the final two of five scenes: a duet with

Eleonora, and the finale. In the duet, Eleonora and Tasso say their goodbyes. Tasso

passionately begs Eleonora to stay, but she must leave him. The primary tessitura is

similar to the duets in the first act, but begins lower, A-flat4 to D-flat4. (Table 20) Only

one passage stretches the limits of the baritone. In this passage, the baritone sings

Table 20: Torquato Tasso, Act II, Duetheld 1 4 6 4 2 16 5 6 1 2pitch Eb3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 2 8 9 1 27 45 8 63 6 82 38 3 24 1 4Exterior tessitura: Eb3 - F4 Primary tessitura: Ab3 - Db4

Secondary tessitura: Eb4 - F4 Weighted pitches: G3, C4, Eb4

consistently in the primary tessitura, often up to an E-flat4 and several times to an F4. It is

unique that a second love duet appears in the opera for a baritone and a soprano.

However, it is not dramatically complex or particularly challenging for the baritone. The

style is traditional bel canto, with Torquato Tasso's emotions squarely focused on the love

he is about to lose forever.

The scene moves directly into the finale. The duet between the two lovers has been

overheard by the Duke (Eleonora's brother), the Duchess, and the Duke's henchman, Don

Gherado. After a quick recitative, the ensemble commences, and the Duke announces that

because Tasso has professed his love for Eleonora, he must be mad, and orders him to be

is imprisoned.

Overall, the finale embraces both the standard requirements of the bel canto baritone

and some of the requirements that would be expected of a Verdi baritone. The primary

78

tessitura for the finale is consistently only G3 to C4, and there is little singing for the

baritone below a G3. During the second half of the finale, Donizetti begins to demand

more of his protagonist. There is a greater occurrence of pitches above the primary

tessitura, and eleven weighted pitches on an E4. (Table 21) As Tasso's impending

imprisonment grows nearer, the earnestness of the vocal line increases. The peak of the

Table 21: Torquato Tasso, Act II Finale, from meno allegro to the endheld 1 1 18 1 5 1 10 25 3 11 1pitch D3 Eb3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 1 0 9 8 2 66 8 27 6 38 73 2 25 0 35 11Exterior tessitura: D3 – F4 Primary tessitura: G3 – C4

Secondary tessitura: E4 Weighted pitches: G3, B3, C4, E4

singing comes when Torquato Tasso is singing in a duet section with Roberto. Here

Donizetti has Tasso reach above the primary tessitura while competing with the tenor.

(Appendix L, Example 4) Despite this venture into the baritone's upper register, it does

not yet match what the Verdi baritone must achieve. We have also not seen the complex

character that makes up a Verdi baritone.

Vocal And Characterization Study: Act III

The third act is written for only Tasso and male chorus, requiring the baritone to

dominate the scene. The range of emotions is great: from despair, to anger, to joy, and

finally to a mix of agony and reverence, similar to the range of emotions found in the

fourth act scene and aria from Nabucco. Tasso is in prison, placed there by the Duke after

declaring his love for the Duke's sister, Eleonora, who Tasso believes is still alive.

The scene takes the form of a typical aria, with an instrumental prelude, a recitative,

cavatina, tempo di mezzo, and cabaletta. The prelude, written in the somber key of C

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minor, reflects the opening mood of Tasso. In the recitative that follows, Tasso asks

questions, both practical and rhetorical. He bemoans the fact that he has been sent to

prison to die and states that “l'irrequieto demone ignoto non mi dà mai pace” (an

unknown restless demon never gives me peace). However, his spirits are not completely

dampened. Before the larghetto section of the scene begins, Tasso makes one last remark

in his recitative: “stolto me crede il mondo, e amor non tace” (The world thinks me crazy,

and love will not be silenced). (Appendix L, Example 5) This sudden change in emotion

adds depth to the characterization and prolongs Tasso's feelings of anger until later in the

act. Here we begin to see the complex nature of Torquato Tasso's character; he is not just

the vengeful baritone.

The recitative has a primary tessitura of A-flat3 to D-flat4, rising to an E4 on the word

“ignoto” (unknown, referring to the unknown demon that is haunting him while he is in

the prison.) and to an E-flat4 on “mondo” (world). Rarely does the recitative go below an

F3.

The first cavatina is sung in a fairly light manner but with a high tessitura. The

introduction includes a flute solo, similar to the cello solo that precedes the aria in the

fourth act of Verdi's Nabucco, which sets the mood of the piece. The orchestration is light

and the melody for the most part is parlando, but Donizetti utilizes some ornamentation.

The opening text begins at the height of the primary tessitura and encompasses its entire

range. Although high, the light orchestration allows the baritone to use a lighter

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Table 22: Torquato Tasso, Act III, Cavatinaheld 10 5 20 20 10 15pitch D3 Eb3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4

# 3 0 0 17 1 9 0 12 24 0 29 5 32 9Exterior tessitura: D3 - Eb4 Primary tessitura: F3 - D4

Secondary tessitura: Eb4 Weighted pitches: Bb3, C4

registration. (Table 22) Only twice, both times at the end of the phrase, does the melody

rise above the primary tessitura, and only by a half step to an E-flat4.

The cavatina continues in the same fashion. The baritone is required to sing with a

light mechanism in the upper half of the primary tessitura. The melody is stepwise until

leaps occur at the beginning of the first phrase, breaking the serene nature of the melody

as Tasso shows his disbelief. However, the melody returns to stepwise motion. The next

phrase rises again to the top of the primary tessitura, this time by way of an arpeggio on

the tonic triad and then stepwise up to an E-flat4. (Appendix L, Example 6) The

remaining music in the cavatina repeats the text in the same high tessitura.

The chorus enters and informs Tasso that he has been released. At first he is ecstatic,

but then he is told that Eleonora has passed away. Rather than wallowing in sadness or

turning to anger, Tasso remains calm, as if in shock, and the key turns to C major. By

shying away from two obvious mood changes, Donizetti broadens the depth of Tasso's

character. The tessitura is also raised compared to the first cavatina section. The key is

raised from B flat major to C major, and the orchestration grows heavier throughout the

section. Donizetti also adds one more element to the section, a greater range of dynamic

levels. The weighted pitches make up most of the primary tessitura. (Table 23) However,

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Table 23: Torquato Tasso, Act III, Cavatina “cantabile”held 5 1 1 1 2pitch C3 E3 F3 F#3 G3 G#3 A3 B3 C4 C#4 D4 E4 F4

# 1 6 8 6 40 6 36 28 38 1 19 9 4Exterior tessitura: C3 – F4 Primary tessitura: G3 – C4 Secondary tessitura: D4-F4 Weighted pitches: G3, B3, C4

with a lofty tessitura and heavier orchestration, the cavatina begins to resemble a Verdi

baritone aria. The first part of the cavatina rests in the low part of the primary tessitura

and below. (Appendix L, Example 7) At a sudden shift in mood, the range breaks into the

secondary tessitura where the baritone sustains an F4 .

After an interjection by the chorus, the accompaniment returns to the pattern found at

the start of the cavatina, and the same melody returns. After the first measure, the melody

is augmented, bringing it up into the secondary tessitura. This continues, and the vocal

line is doubled and played in thirds and sixths by the woodwinds. (Appendix L, Example

8) The melody rises again, with crescendo, to F4. As Tasso succumbs to the horror of

which he has already spoken, the melody morphs into thirty-second note runs.

The final section of the third act is another chorus followed by an aria in two parts.

Tasso finally mourns for his lost Eleonora. The moderato and allegro sections that

comprise this final section make full use of the baritone's upper range, lying heavily on

the pitches D4 and E4 . (Table 24) More than in any other part of the opera, Tasso's final

Table 24: Torquato Tasso, Act III, Aria, moderato held 1 4 14 1 1 4 3 11 2 14 1pitch D3 Eb3 E3 F3 F#3 G3 G#3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 2 2 3 6 4 26 4 7 2 10 23 3 24 3 15 2Exterior tessitura: D3 - F4 Primary tessitura: B3 - E4 Secondary tessitura: G3 Weighted pitches: G3, C4, D4, E4

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aria most resembles the dramatic writing of Verdi. The moderato section begins in C

minor, and immediately makes use of the entirety of the primary tessitura, G3 to E4. The

orchestral texture is light for the first twelve bars, but then there is a sudden shift in

tonality, texture, tempo, and dynamic level. (Appendix L, Example 9) There is no specific

mark in the score for an increase in tempo, but the dramatic nature of the text, and the

marking of tutta voce (full voice) suggest an increase in tempo. The marking of tutta

voce indicates that Donizetti wanted the virile sound of the baritone. This change in mood

is also where Donizetti places the greatest demands on the singer. The vocal line reaches

to the top of the primary tessitura with seven E4s, and ascends to an F4 in the final

cadence.

The same tessitura demands appear in the cabaletta section. The primary tessitura is

narrowed by a third, making the lowest note a B3, rather than the G3 in the previous

section, thus allowing less respite in the middle of the voice. (Table 25) The baritone is

Table 25: Torquato Tasso, Act III, Cabalettaheld 3 9 6 3 1pitch G3 G#3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 2 0 2 0 8 14 0 11 0 10 3Exterior tessitura: G3 - F4 Primary tessitura: B3 - E4 Secondary tessitura: none Weighted pitches: C4, D4, E4

now competing with the entire male chorus singing forte and the orchestra at full force.

(Appendix L, Example 10) The repeated use of the upper range in this texture is a

challenge for the baritone, especially in the final act of opera. More importantly, the

divergence of two emotions, elation at his release from prison, and devastation caused by

Eleonora's death, challenges the baritone to interpret this section with a mixture of both

83

joy and sorrow.

The entire act places great weight on both the baritone's voice and his ability to carry a

scene with characterization. Besides the chorus, there are no other singers included in the

act, which amounts to approximately twenty-four minutes of music. This, combined with

the rigorous demands in both characterization and tessitura throughout the entire opera,

create a role that anticipates the demands of the dramatic or Verdi baritone, in an opera

written ten years prior to the premiere of Verdi's Nabucco.

Overall Tessitura Summary

The overall primary tessitura for the role of Torquato Tasso, like that of Nabucco, is

B-flat3 to E-flat4. However, one-third of the time the primary tessitura extends up to and

E4 or F4, and only one-quarter of the time is the upper note of the primary tessitura lower

than an E-flat4 (two times a D4 and four times a D-flat4). On the other end of the vocal

range, only five of the twenty-four sections require the baritone to sing below an E3

(21%), which is actually less time spent singing in that range compared to Nabucco.

More important is the sheer amount of musical numbers that Torquato Tasso appears in,

and his place as the central character in the opera. The evidence found in the tessitura

analysis, combined with the characterization demands, proves that the role of Torquato

Tasso has many of the same qualities and challenges of the Verdi baritone roles.

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Table 26: Torquato Tasso: Role Tessitura Table

(Act I = Sections 1-12; Act II= Sections 13- 19; Act II= Sections 20-24)

Donizetti's Writing as an Antecedent to the Verdi Baritone

In addition to Nabucco, an interesting analysis can be made when the role of Torquato

Tasso is compared to the role of Rigoletto. Torquatto Tasso (table 40, page 99) has 270

more measures of involvement, compared to Rigoletto (1,198 to 919 )114 and about the

114 Comparison is taken from a table similar to table 7 in Richard Lee Collins doctoral dissertation entitled A Study of the Musical and Dramatic Treatment of Five Baritone roles in Operas by Verdi (Indiana University, 1975).

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 240

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

Torquato TassoTessitura Table

Primary TopPrimary BottomExterior TopExterior Bottom

Section

Pitc

h Le

vel

A4Ab4G4F#4F4E4Eb4D4C#4C4B3Bb3A3Ab3G3F#3F3E3Eb3D3C#3C3B2Bb2A2Ab2

85

same amount of high notes (70 in Torquato Tasso to 74 in Rigoletto). The only major

difference is the ceiling of the tessitura. Rigoletto contains a majority of G4s, a whole step

higher than the top note in Torquato Tasso. However, this difference of a whole step is a

minor difference when considering the climate in which the two operas were written.

Giorgio Ronconi, who premiered the role of Torquato Tasso, sang Rigoletto numerous

times in his lifetime, including the premiere of the work in St. Petersburg115 and at Covent

Garden,116 and as late as 1870,117 when he was sixty years old. The tessitura and

characterization demands of Torquato Tasso were greater than the operas that proceeded

them, but they were in capable hands when sung by a singer such as Giorgio Ronconi,

one of the first great Verdi baritones.

115 February 12, 1853, St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre116 May 14, 1853117 New York Academy of Music, February 14, 1870

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Il giuramento: Manfredo

Il giuramento was premiered at La Scala in Milan on March 11, 1837, composed to a

libretto by Gaetano Rossi. Because it was the end of the 1837 Carnival season, it only ran

for nine performances, but it opened the next Carnival season at La Scala and ran for

thirty-six performances. The opera was well received and was still in the repertory when

Verdi's Aida made its European premiere at La Scala in February of 1872.118

This was Mercadante's first reform opera. Mercadante himself lists the characteristics

of this style as “forms varied, trivial cabalettas banished, crescendos out, vocal lines

simplified, fewer repeats, more originality in the cadences, emphasis on the drama,

orchestra rich but not so as to swamp the voices, no long solos in the ensembles - which

force the other parts to stand coldly by to the detriment of the action, not much bass

drum, and a lot less brass band.”119

Phillip Gossett sums up Mercadante's early dramatic innovations as “a concentration

on essentials, an abbreviation of inherited structural patterns, [and] an effort to abandon

formulaic writing.”120 Gossett admits that Mercadante is not consistent throughout, and

that he was not the only composer working with such innovations, but his innovations

allow for more dramatic focus to be paid to each character, leading to the development of

the Verdi baritone.

The genesis of Il giuramento and the reform operas that followed can be traced back

to Mercadante's visit to Paris, where he was invited by Rossini to compose an opera for

118 Phillip Gossett, Il giuramento, “Introduction” (Italian Opera, 1810-1840, v. 18. New York: Garland. 1986), 4.

119 Saerio Mercadante, from a letter to Francesco Florimo in Gossett's Introduction to Il giuramento, 5.120 Gossett, 5.

87

the Théâtre Italien in Paris. His opera I briganti was produced in Paris on March 22,

1836. Even more importantly, in Paris Mercadante witnessed first-hand the operas of

Meyerbeer and Halévy, and returned to Italy with “profoundly modified conceptions of

operatic dramaturgy.”121 Donizetti made a similar visit to Paris, and had an opera

premiered at the Théâtre Italien in 1835. These visits helped Mercadante and Donizetti

“shape new stylistic approaches to their art in the period,”122 a period that came

immediately before Giuseppe Verdi appeared on the scene.

Il giuramento was Mercadante's first opera produced after he returned from France.

The source of the libretto is Victor Hugo's play, Angelo, tyran de Padoue, which had

premiered in Paris on April 28, 1835. Mercadante was in Paris at the time of the premiere

and may have become familiar with the play at that time. The tyrant in the title of Hugo's

play becomes Manfredo, the baritone role. Although Manfredo does not occupy a

singularly central role in Il giuramento, like the characters of Torquato Tasso and

Nabucco, his character offers interesting and unique situations for the baritone. He is a

combination of scorned husband, unrequited lover, and vengeful tyrant, a complex

character similar to the Verdi baritones that follow.

Vocal And Characterization Study: Act I

Manfredo makes his first entrance in the third scene of the introduzione.123 During the

recitative, he expresses his anguish and longing for Elaisa, feelings the tenor Viscardo

121 Phillip Gossett, Il giuramento, “Introduction” (Italian Opera, 1810-1840, v. 18. New York: Garland. 1986), 3.

122 Ibid.123 The introduzione in Il giuramento, an example of Mercadante's reforms, is six scenes long and includes

two cavatinas (tenor and baritone), a romanza (soprano), a quartet, and is continuously connected by recitative and interjections by the chorus.

88

similarly expressed in his cavatina in the previous scene. The chorus informs Manfredo

that another man, a possible rival for Elaisa's heart, was just there. This angers Manfredo,

but he sings his cavatina in a measured and calm fashion.

Table 27: Il giuramento, Act I, Coro e cavatina nell'Introduzioneheld 8 3 2 13 11 13 13 9 3pitch C3 Db3 Eb3 F3 Gb3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 F4

# 1 2 16 8 7 22 2 30 2 35 29 1 9 1Exterior tessitura: C3 – F4 Primary tessitura: Ab3– Db4 Secondary tessitura: Eb4 Weighted pitches: Gb3, Bb3, C4, Db4, Eb4

In the first section, (Table 27) he sings how this suspected rival awakens his jealous

heart, with the agitation represented by the double dotted rhythms in the vocal line, and

the tremolo-like thirty-second notes in the orchestra. (Appendix M, Example 1) The vocal

line itself stays fairly smooth, slowly rising in two-bar phrases until it settles on a E-flat3

for the second utterance of “nel geloso ardente cor” (the jealous, ardent heart). The

melody remains mostly in the primary tessitura, with only one E-flat4 “si desta” (wakes).

Mercadante uses this pitch as a way of text painting, entering the secondary tessitura to

“wake the jealous and ardent heart,” but Manfredo remains calm by descending the

octave to complete the line of text.

The next section of the cavatina, marked con anima, displays notation that is found in

Verdi's writing. (Appendix M, Example 2) A legato phrase in the orchestra doubles the

melody, but accents are placed on each note in the vocal line, asking the baritone to sing

each word with emphasis without losing the legato line. The melody remains in the

primary tessitura, but with emphasis on the C4 and D-flat4. Mercadante also extends into

the secondary tessitura more often, offering very little respite in the lower voice.

89

The final section remains entirely in the primary tessitura and above. At the climax of

the cavatina, on the word “alfin” (at last), the melody extends to a F4, held for half the

bar, sung over a full and fortissimo orchestra. (Appendix M, Example 3) In the entirety of

the cavatina, Mercadante does not allow the baritone much respite in the lower voice, and

only to F3 and occasionally and E-flat3. The only time it ends up on the tonic D-flat3, is the

very end of the cavatina, which could be a D-flat4, depending on what the performer

chooses to use as a cadenza.

Manfredo makes his next appearance in a quartet that is accompanied by chorus.

Overall, the primary tessitura is relatively low (table 28), and only extends up to an E4

Table 28: Il giuramento, Act I, Quartetheld 2 1 1 2 9 4 3 3 1 3 3 4

pitch G2 B2 C3 D3 E3 F3 F#3 G3 G#3 A4 A#4 B4 C4 C#4 D4 E4

# 4 3 7 4 14 12 4 23 10 17 16 11 21 8 19 5Exterior tessitura: G2 - E4 Primary tessitura: G3 - D4 Secondary tessitura: E4 Weighted pitches: G3, G#b3, E4

five times. Also, there is a considerable amount of time where the baritone has to sing

below the primary tessitura, creating a secondary tessitura lower than the primary

tessitura. There are times when Manfredo is singing in unison, or even lower than the

basses in the chorus. The second section of the quartet, which follows the romanza for

soprano, serves as the finale of the introduzione. This section requires the baritone to

remain in the primary tessitura longer, but the tessitura overall is slightly lower than the

first section. (Table 29) The secondary tessitura again sits lower than the primary

tessitura, proving that this ensemble is not representative of what is to come from the

Verdi baritone.

90

Table 29: Il giuramento, Act I, Quartet, strettaheld 2 4 10 9 5 11 6 1pitch C3 D3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4

# 6 0 3 34 2 20 11 33 29 14 59 12 13 6Exterior tessitura: C3 – Eb4 Primary tessitura: G3– C4 Secondary tessitura: C3 - F3 Weighted pitches: A3, Bb4, C4

The third and final entrance of Manfredo in the first act comes in the second large

scene structure of the act, the finale. The finale is broken up into five separate scenes: A

recitative for the the mezzo soprano, Bianca; a recitative, romanza and duet for Bianca

and Viscardo; a recitative and duet for Elaisa and Bianca; scene and quintet (Manfredo's

entrance); and Seguito e Stretta del Finale. Like the six-scene introduzione that begins the

opera, the large-form finale is continuous and is in line with Mercadante's reform

principals.

The quintet begins with a solo section for Manfredo. (Table 30) He enters with his

guards and is alerted that there is a plot against him. He also discovers Viscardo with his

wife, Bianca. The solo section that Manfredo sings remains in the primary tessitura

Table 30: Il giuramento, Act I, Quintet, solo sectionheld 1 6 2 5 5pitch F3 Gb3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 F4

# 3 3 6 4 8 1 6 10 0 1 4Exterior tessitura: F3 – F4 Primary tessitura: Ab3– Db4 Secondary tessitura: Eb4 - F4 Weighted pitches: Bb3, Db4, F4

for the majority of the time, and extends to the secondary tessitura with significant time

spent on the the weighted pitches. More importantly, as Manfredo ascends into the

secondary tessitura, the orchestra reaches a fortissimo with its full forces.

The ensemble section of the quintet commences in the concertato style, with all five

91

voices singing with the women's chorus. The majority of the singing for Manfredo in this

section (Table 31) is sung in the same primary tessitura as that of the solo section, A-flat3

Table 31: Il giuramento, Act I, Quintet held 1 4 1 2 2 5 15 2 3pitch C3 Db3 Eb3 F3 Gb3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4

# 1 5 4 2 2 9 2 11 4 13 33 4 3Exterior tessitura: C3 – Eb4 Primary tessitura: Ab3– Db4 Secondary tessitura: none Weighted pitches: Db4

to D-flat4, with only limited extension above the primary tessitura. Most notable is the

fact that Mercadante does not use Manfredo as a bass in this ensemble, which is

especially curious, since there is no other low male voice singing in the quintet, and only

the women's chorus is singing.

The next major singing event in the finale is a short duet section for Manfredo and

Viscardo which appears in the Seguito e Sretta del Finale. Manfredo sings in thirds with

the tenor. (Appendix M, Example 4) The primary tessitura of this section is B3 to E4, and

is sung forte throughout. (Table 32) Here Manfredo now suspects that the army from

Table 32: Il giuramento,Act I, Finale, duet section held 1 1 5 5 1 6 1 9pitch F#3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 2 9 0 4 2 17 32 10 25 3 17 2Exterior tessitura: F#3 – F4 Primary tessitura: B3– E4 Secondary tessitura: None Weighted pitches: D4, E4

Agrigento is planning an attack. In this finale we find Manfredo having to address two

problems, the betrayal of his wife Bianca and the fact that his city could soon be under

attack. This final section shows Manfredo dealing with both his role as a ruler and a

husband, and warns both the unknown traitor and the advancing enemy that they will

92

“tutti tremino del mio furor” (all tremble at my fury).

Vocal and Characterization Demands: Act II

In his introduction to the score of Il giuramento, Phillip Gossett says of this scene and

aria, “this kind of baritone solo, of course, will be familiar to all who know the operas of

Verdi.”124 Mercadante displays melodic style that is almost completely syllabic, very

much in line with his reform style. Like many of Verdi's baritone arias, Mercadante uses

shifts of tonality to help color the mood and to match the free flow of emotions. This

scena is not a representation of only one or two emotions, as many bel canto arias of the

time are, but rather shows Manfredo's depth, his remorse, and his human side. Unlike the

finale of the first act, where Manfredo is the two-dimensional angry husband and ruler,

Mercadante and Rossi used this aria to add depth and insight into the character.

This gran scena is also a representation of Mercadante's scene structure in his mature

operas, a scene structure which combines recitative and lyrical movements to create

musico-dramatic motion, advancing the drama.125 Mercadante combines several different

styles of recitative to assist this motion, as well as changes in orchestral texture and

abrupt changes in tempo. There is also an unbalanced relationship between the length of

sections in the recitative, where the text and subtext determine the length of each section,

not form or convention.

Like “Dio di guida” from Nabucco and Tasso's final aria in Torquato Tasso, the

introduction to the scena contains a passage for a solo instrument, in this case, a cello.

124 Phillip Gossett, Il giuramento, “Introduction” (Italian Opera, 1810-1840, v. 18. New York: Garland. 1986), 7.

125 Rebecca R. Kowals, “Issues of Style in Saverio Mercadante's Mature Operas” (Ph.D. Diss, Brandeis University, 1997), 116.

93

Manfredo is near Bianca's tomb, where she will be laid after she is executed.

In the recitative, Manfredo examines his conscience, and finds himself ashamed and

remorseful. This recitative is divided into four sections, and Mercadante freely moves

between a declamatory style of recitative and a cantabile style. This style of recitative

can be found in his other reform operas. The tessitura of this recitative hovers around the

C4 pitch, and just below the primo passaggio the majority of the time. (Table 33) Vocally

Table 33: Il giuramento, Act II Scena, recitative and preghieraheld 5 2 1 2 8 5 3 4

pitch Db3 Eb3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 1 2 1 9 1 14 6 15 20 1 45 9 8 1 2 1Exterior tessitura: Db3 – F4 Primary tessitura: Bb3– Db4 Secondary tessitura: E4 Weighted pitches: C4, Db4, E4

it is not very taxing, but the third section of the recitative does require the baritone to sing

on E flat4 over a fortissimo orchestra, then climb to a F4 marked con forza in the score.

The above table also represents the interjections that Manfredo speaks as he hears the

prayer of the women mourning Bianca. This scene is similar to the prison scenes in both

Nabucco and Torquato Tasso. Here, Manfredo is reacting to a loss of a loved one, and not

his wife, Bianca, but Elaisa. (Tasso mourns Eleonora, who is actually dead, and Nabucco

anticipates the sorrow that will overcome him after Fenena is executed.) He realizes that

what he has done may damn him, but he struggles, trying to convince himself that Bianca

betrayed him, therefore deserving her fate.

In the next section, which completes the scena, Manfredo finally loses the battle with

his conscience. The orchestral accompaniment grows more agitated during this section,

and the tempo also increases. The tessitura of this section is similar to the previous

94

recitative, although it does not extend as high past the primo passaggio. (Table 34) This

Table 34 : Il giuramento, Act II, Scena,recitative continuedheld 3 2 5 1 3 4 2pitch Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4

# 1 10 1 11 7 6 0 1 5 3 2Exterior tessitura: Gb3 – E4 Primary tessitura: G3– B3 Secondary tessitura: D4- E4 Weighted pitches: Bb3

short section builds the dramatic tension of the scene. After Manfredo ascends to an E4,

he gives in, and falls on his knees. (Appendix M, Example 5)

The aria is a moderately fast prayer, marked andante mosso, with Manfredo spending

the majority of the time above the primo passaggio. The texture is light, similar to the

cavatina section in Nabucco's aria. The first eight bars of the cavatina rise from a G3 to

an E4, encompassing the ranges of both the primary and secondary tessituras. The

majority of the cavatina remains in the area above the primo passaggio. (Table 35)

Table 35: Il giuramento, Act II, Ariaheld 5 8 8 6 2 4

pitch E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4

# 1 3 0 10 2 8 1 37 21 1 9 3 5Exterior tessitura: E3 - E4 Primary tessitura: G3– C4 Secondary tessitura: D4 - E4 Weighted pitches: B, C4, D4

There is a brief tempo di mezzo between the cavatina and the cabaletta, where the

chorus enters to inform Manfredo that the battle that was being fought has not completely

finished, and that the enemy still poses a threat. Manfredo is distracted from his previous

emotion and proceeds to declare in the following cabaletta, “bella è morte sul campo

d'onor.” (beautiful is death in the field of honor.)

Phillip Gossett argues that Mercadante takes a step backward by including this

95

cabaletta, with its shift back to the two-dimensional tyrant. Mercadante makes the

clichéd shift of emotions, abandoning the more complex emotions explored in the

recitative and cavatina, but he uses this shift to place greater vocal demands on the

baritone. (Table 36) The primary tessitura sits very high in the cabaletta, and the baritone

Table 36: Il giuramento, Act II, Cabalettaheld 5 9 4 2 16 5

pitch F3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 4 2 10 6 36 0 41 23 2 21 0 5Exterior tessitura: F3 - F4 Primary tessitura: Bb3 - Eb4 Secondary tessitura: F4 Weighted pitches: Bb3, C4, Eb4, E4

is required to sing over the full force of the orchestra and a male chorus. (Appendix M,

Example 6) Rarely does Manfredo venture below the primary tessitura, and all of the

pitches in the secondary tessitura are weighted pitches.

The final scene in Act II, a scena and trio, is also the last scene that includes Manfredo

in the opera. He visits his wife Bianca in prison, and gives her one last chance to reveal

her lover. When she refuses, he gives her what he thinks is poison provided by Elaisa, but

is really a narcotic that will make her appear dead. The short scena does not provide

much character development, and commences immediately after Bianca refuses to name

her lover. The trio itself, in ABB form, is little more then an outlet for each character to

divulge their emotions regarding the situation. Mercadante does not provide the baritone

with much vocal interest, and does not extend the baritone as he did previously in Act II

during the aria.

The primary tessitura of the scena and trio lies between G3 and C4, with a secondary

tessitura that only ascends to E-flat4. (Table 37) This use of the baritone does demonstrate

96

Table 37: Il giuramento, Act II, Trioheld 1 3 5 8 12 7 25 5 10 14 6 14pitch Bb3 Eb3 E3 F3 Gb3 G3 Ab3 A3 Bb3 B3 C4 Db4 D4 Eb4 E4 F4

# 2 8 0 13 20 56 45 13 67 13 26 24 14 33 0 0Exterior tessitura: Bb3 - Eb4 Primary tessitura: G3– C4 Secondary tessitura: Db4 - Eb4 Weighted pitches: Bb3, Db4, E4

the same challenges as previous numbers in the opera have, but at this singular moment,

the character of Manfredo reverts to only the jealous husband. This moment is also the

final appearance in the opera for Manfredo, as Act III is reserved for the lovers Bianca

and Viscardo, and Elaisa, who dies at Viscardo's hand before Bianca awakes from her

sleep.

Overall Tessitura Summary

The primary tessitura for the role of Manfredo is B-flat3 to E-flat4 for about two-thirds

of the opera. (Table 38) Five of the sections require an extension in the secondary

tessitura to an F4. The one major difference in the role, as compared to the title roles in

Torquato Tasso and Nabucco, is Mercadante's use of the lower register. Eight of the

twelve sections, or 66%, require the baritone to sing lower than an E3, as compared to

21% of the time in Torquato Tasso and 29% of the time in Nabucco. Compared to

Nabucco, Manfredo's upper limits of exterior tessitura are about the same, but the amount

of time spent up in that region is significantly less. Although Manfredo does not occupy a

singularly central role in Il giuramento, his character offers interesting and unique

situations for the baritone. He is a husband in an unhappy marriage, and in love with

someone who does not return his sentiments. The role also offers some tessitura

challenges for the baritone.

97

Table 38: Il giuramento, Role Tessitura Table

(Act I = Sections 1-7; Act II = Sections 8-12)

Mercadante's Writing as an Antecedent to the Verdi Baritone

As important as the tessitura requirements, which are fairly significant, is the

characterization of Manfredo. Parallels can be seen between Nabucco and Manfredo, both

characters are strong and vengeful, but allow a loved one to influence the morality of

their choices. Mercadante's reform style is the most obvious influence on Verdi, but the

vocal writing for Manfredo, combined with the characterization challenges, are evidence

of the development of the Verdi baritone.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1202468

1012141618202224

Il giuramentoTessitura Table

Primary LowPrimary HighExterior LowExterior High

Section

Pitc

h Le

vel

G4F#4F4E4Eb4D4C#4C4B3Bb3A3Ab3G3F#3F3E3Eb3D3C#3C3B2Bb2A2

98

Role Comparisons

The roles of Manfredo and Torquato Tasso display characteristics found in the role of

Nabucco, the first Verdi baritone role. A comparison of the baritones who performed the

roles in the decades after they were first written shows that the same type of baritone

performed each of these roles. Giorgio Ronconi's involvement in the creation of both

Torquato Tasso and Nabucco closely links these two roles. Similar characterization

demands and a three-dimensional quality is found in all three roles, which was not always

present in baritone roles of the period.

An examination of the frequency of musical events for each role shows that all three

roles are lengthy, with a significant amount of singing in every act (except Act III for Il

giuramento, where Manfredo does not appear). (tables 37-39) The roles of Nabucco and

Torquato Tasso have a significant number of high notes (F4 or higher) compared to

Manfredo, but all three roles have two or fewer low notes. Nabucco and Torquato Tasso

share an almost equal number of solos and duets (six and five respectively), while

Manfredo has significantly less time as a featured character (only two solo sections and

no duets). This is most easily explained by the fact that both Torquato Tasso and Nabucco

are title character roles, while Manfredo is a secondary character.

99

Table 39: Frequency of musical events in the role of NabuccoAct I II III IV TotalNumber of measures of involvement

211 152 163 184 710

Low notesa none 1 B2 none none 1High notesb 1 F4

6 F4 9 F4 (1 A-flat4)

1 G4

6 F4

24

Solos 2 (arioso) 2 (arioso) none 1 (scena/aria) 5Duets none none 1 (three part) 1Trios none none none none noneEnsembles (more than four voices)

2 1 none 1 4

Table 40: Frequency of musical events in the role of Torquato TassoAct I II III TotalNumber of measures of involvement

643 389 166 1,198

Low notes none none none noneHigh notes 3 G-flat4

50 F4

3 F4 8 F4 64

Solos none none 2 (cavatina and scena/aria)

2

Duets 2 1 none 3Trios 1 none none 1Ensembles (more than four voices)

2 1 none 3

a Low notes are considered to be pitches of B2 or lower.b High notes are considered to be pitches of F4 or higher.

100

Table 41: Frequency of musical events in the role of ManfredoAct I II III TotalNumber of measures of involvement

509 282 0 791

Low notesa none 2 B-flat2 none 2High notesb 7 F4 6 F4 none 13

Solos 1 (cavatina) 1 (scena/aria) none 2Duets none none 0Trios none 1 none 1Ensembles (more than four voices)

4 none none 4

a Low notes are considered to be pitches of B2 or lower.b High notes are considered to be pitches of F4 or higher.

101

CONCLUSION

Even though the common term for the dramatic baritone is the Verdi baritone, not

all of the characteristics of that type of singing were developed solely by Giuseppe Verdi.

Instead, they grew out of the work of earlier singers and composers. All of the singers

profiled, the pre-Verdi baritones, the transitional baritones, and the established Verdi

baritones provided the physical material for the composers to craft new vocally and

dramatically challenging roles. These singers therefore created the roles that were the

foundation of the Verdi baritone, and later the Verdi baritone roles themselves. The title

role in Donizetti's Torquato Tasso and the role of Manfredo in Mercadante's Il

giuramento anticipate the developments made by Giuseppe Verdi, which were first

displayed in Nabucco. The new demands required by Donizetti and Mercadante prepared

the singers of the time for the roles created by Giuseppe Verdi, changing the way

baritones sang forever.

102

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

APPENDIX A: ORAZIO CARTAGENOVA PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearRossini Otello La Scala (Milan) 1823Rossini Ernesto La Scala (Milan) 1823Rossini La Scala (Milan) 1823Rossini Otello La Scala (Milan) 1824Mercadante San Carlo (Naples) 1828Mercadante San Carlo (Naples) 1828Bellini 1831Mercadante 1832Donizetti Enrico VIII 1832Bellini # (Turin) 1832Donizetti Enrico VIII (Turin) 1832Mercadante Carlo Felice (Genova) 1832Bellini Carlo Felice (Genova) 1832Bellini Filippo 1832Mercadante (Turin) 1833Rossini Mose (Turin) 1833Donizetti 1833Mercadante Emma d'Antiochia 1833Ricci Roberto La Scala (Milan) 1833Bellini 1833Donizetti La Scala (Milan) 1833Donizetti Enrico VIII 1833

La Scala (Milan) 1833Mercadante Emma d'Antiochia 1834Mercadante Enrico V La Scala (Milan) 1834Bellini La Scala (Milan) 1834Donizetti La Scala (Milan) 1834Rossi La Scala (Milan) 1834Bellini Filippo La Scala (Milan) 1835Donizetti La Scala (Milan) 1835Mercadante Emma d'Antiochia La Scala (Milan) 1835Donizetti La Scala (Milan) 1835Donizetti Enrico VIII 1835

ElmiroZoraide

Orbazzano TancrediElmiro Osroas Adriano in SiriaFayel Gabriella di Vergy^Valdeburgo La straniera Teatro Regio (Turin)Ordamante I normanni a Parigi^ Teatro Regio (Turin)

Anna Bolena (Lucca)Il pirataAnna Bolena

Fayel* Gabriella di VergyCapellio* I Capuleti e i Montecchi

Beatrice di Tenda La Fenice (Venice)Fayel Gabriella di Vergy

Mosè in EgittoCostantino Fausta La Fenice (Venice)Corrado La Fenice (Venice)

I due sergentiValdeburgo La straniera La Fenice (Venice)Cardenio Il furioso

Anna Bolena La Fenice (Venice)Pavesi Dominus La donna bianca

Corrado La Fenice (Venice)La gioventù di Enrico V^

Rodolfo La sonnambulaConte di Vergy Gemma di VergyDon Isidoro La casa Disabitata

Beatrice di TendaCapellio I Capuleti e i MontecchiCorradoCardenio Il furioso

Anna Bolena Hofoper (Vienna)

103

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

ORAZIO CARTAGENOVA PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearDonizetti 1835Bellini 1835Bellini 1835Mercadante Emma d'Antiochia (Trieste) 1835Bellini # Norma (Trieste) 1835Donizetti (Trieste) 1835Bellini (London) 1836

Ernesto La Scala (Milan) 1837Donizetti 1837Donizetti 1837Mercadante La Scala (Milan) 1837Rossini Iago Otello 1837Mercadante La Scala (Milan) 1837Donizetti 1837Donizetti 1837Bellini Filippo 1837Rossini Iago Otello 1839Mercadante Guido 1839Mercadante Guido 1839Mercadante Guido 1839Donizetti San Carlo (Naples) 1840

San Carlo (Naples) 1840Pacini San Carlo (Naples) 1840Mercadante San Carlo (Naples) 1840Rossini Otello San Carlo (Naples) 1840Lillo San Carlo (Naples) 1840Donizetti Enrico San Carlo (Naples) 1840Mercadante Il bravo San Carlo (Naples) 1840Bellini Filippo San Carlo (Naples) 1840

Cardenio Il furioso Hofoper (Vienna)Rodolfo La sonnambula Hofoper (Vienna)Valdeburgo La straniera Hofoper (Vienna)Corrado

Cardenio Il furiosoValdeburgo La straniera

Obiols Odio e amoreConte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy Fiera del Santo (Padova)Belisario Belisario Nuovo (Padova)Corrado I briganti

Teatro Regio (Parma)Manfredo Il giuramentoBelisario Belisario Teatro Regio (Parma)Cardenio Il furioso Nuovo (Padova)

Beatrice di Tenda Teatro Regio (Parma)Nuovo (Padova)

Elena da Feltra Nuovo (Padova)Elena da Feltre Comunale (Bologna)Elena da Feltre Nuovo (Padova)

Conte di Vergy Gemma di VergyGenovesi Everardo Iginia d'Asti

Alcandro SaffoPublio La vastaleElmiroSentinelli Cristina di Svezia

Lucia di LammermoorFoscari

Beatrice di Tenda

104

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

APPENDIX B: ANTONIO TAMBURINI PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) Year# La contessa 1818

Donizetti La Scala (Milan) 1822Mercadante La Scala (Milan) 1822Rossini La Scala (Milan) 1822

1822Donizetti # Teatro Valle (Rome) 1824Rossini Mustafa (Palermo) 1825Rossini (Palermo) 1825Rossini (Palermo) 1825Rossini Figaro (Palermo) 1825Rossini (Palermo) 1825Mercadante Arnoldo Elisa e Claudio (Palermo) 1825

Lisandro 1825Rossini 1825

1825Rossini 1825Donizetti 1826Rossini Figaro La Scala (Milan) 1827

Riccardo La Scala (Milan) 1827Rossini La Scala (Milan) 1827Rossini La Scala (Milan) 1827Bellini Ernesto La Scala (Milan) 1827Rossini Rodrigo La Scala (Milan) 1827Bellini Ernesto La Scala (Milan) 1827Bellini Ernesto (Vienna) 1827

Carlo VII San Carlo (Naples) 1827Rossini San Carlo (Naples) 1828Bellini Filippo San Carlo (Naples) 1828Rossini # San Carlo (Naples) 1828Donizetti San Carlo (Naples) 1828Bellini Filippo Bianca E Fernando Carlo Felice (Genova) 1828Donizetti Alina^ Carlo Felice (Genova) 1828Rossini La Scala (Milan) 1829

Generali CentoPicaro Chiara e Serafina^Generale Banier Adele ed EmericoAlirando Matilde di Shabran

Cimarosa Robinsone Il matrimonio segreto La Fenice (Venice)L'ajo nell'imbarazzoL'italiana in Algeri

Licinio Aureliano in PalmiraBatone L'inganno felice

Il barbiere di SivigliaOrbarazzano Tancredi

Cordella Alcibiade La Fenice (Venice)Polidoro Zelmira La Fenice (Venice)

Pavesi Carilo Ardano e Dartula La Fenice (Venice)Faraone Mosè in Egitto La Fenice (Venice)Alahor Alahor in Granata Carolino (Palermo)

Il barbiere di SivigliaFrasi La selva d'hermanstadt

Rodrigo di Dhu La donna del lagoFaraone Mosè in Egitto

Il pirata^La donna del lagoIl pirataIl pirata

Vaccai Giovanna d'ArcoMaometto II L'assedio di Corinto

Bianca e GernandoIl barbiere di Siviglia

Rustano Gianni di Calais^

Volmar Polidoro Zelmira

105

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

ANTONIO TAMBURINI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearSaul Saul La Scala (Milan) 1829

Rossini Figaro La Scala (Milan) 1829Pacini Riccardo La Scala (Milan) 1829Bellini La Scala (Milan) 1829

La Scala (Milan) 1829Rossini La Scala (Milan) 1829Rossini Fernando La Scala (Milan) 1829Bellini Filippo Bianca E Fernando La Scala (Milan) 1829Rossini San Carlo (Naples) 1830Rossini # San Carlo (Naples) 1830Bellini San Carlo (Naples) 1830Bellini Ernesto La Scala (Milan) 1830Rossini Filippo San Carlo (Naples) 1830Rossini San Carlo (Naples) 1830

Simone Paolo e Virginia La Scala (Milan) 1830Donizetti San Carlo (Naples) 1830Rossini Figaro La Scala (Milan) 1830Rossini Fernando La Scala (Milan) 1830Rossini L'aio Le comte Ory San Carlo (Naples) 1830Pacini Carlo VII Giovanna d'Arco La Scala (Milan) 1830Riesck Leonzio Bianca di Belmonte La Scala (Milan) 1830Rossi Oristeno Costanza ed Oringaldo San Carlo (Naples) 1830Rossini # Semiramide San Carlo (Naples) 1830Bellini Valdeburgo La straniera La Scala (Milan) 1830Donizetti # I passi per progetto San Carlo (Naples) 1830Donizetti Ubaldo Imelda de' Lambertazzi^ San Carlo (Naples) 1830Rossini Maometto II L'assedio di Corinto San Carlo (Naples) 1831Rossini # Semiramide San Carlo (Naples) 1831Bellini Valdeburgo La straniera San Carlo (Naples) 1831Rossini # Il barbiere di Siviglia San Carlo (Naples) 1831Donizetti Costantino Fausta San Carlo (Naples) 1831Mandanici Parmenide Argene San Carlo (Naples) 1831Donizetti # La romanziera^ T. del Fondo (Naples) 1831

VaccaiIl barbiere di SivigliaIl talismano

La straniera La straniera^Persiani Erberto Il solitario

Asdrubale La pietra del paragoneLa gazza ladra

Dandini* La CenerentolaIl barbiere di Siviglia

Valdeburgo La stranieraIl pirataBianca e Falliero

Maometto II L'assedio di CorintoGuglielmi

Il genio tutelare Il retorno desideratoIl barbiere di SivigliaLa gazza ladra

106

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

ANTONIO TAMBURINI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearRossini Assur Semiramide Théatre Italien (Paris) 1831Donizetti Ubaldo Imelda de' Lambertazzi^ San Carlo (Naples) 1831Pacini # Il Contestabile di Chester San Carlo (Naples) 1831Donizetti Il re Francesca di Foix ^ San Carlo (Naples) 1831Mercadante Orosmane Zaira San Carlo (Naples) 1831Rossini Dandini La Cenerentola Théatre Italien (Paris) 1832Rossini Mosè Mosè in Egitto Théatre Italien (Paris) 1832Bellini Valdeburgo La straniera Théatre Italien (Paris) 1832Rossini Assur Semiramide Théatre Italien (Paris) 1832Bellini Valdeburgo La straniera King's Theatre (London) 1832Bellini Riccardo I puritani^ Théatre Italien (Paris) 1835Donizetti Ismaele Marino Faliero^ Théatre Italien (Paris) 1835Rossini Assur Semiramide La Fenice (Senigallia) 1842Donizetti # Linda di Chamounix Théatre Italien (Paris) 1842Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Théatre Italien (Paris) 1843Rossini Assur Semiramide Covent Garden (London) 1847Bellini Giorgio I puritani Covent Garden (London) 1847

107

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

APPENDIX C: DOMENICO COSSELLI PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearRossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Ducale (Parma) 1823Rossini Orbazzano Tancredi Ducale (Parma) 1823Rossini Dandini La Cenerentola Ducale (Parma) 1823Rossini Fernando La gazza ladra (Ravenna) 1825Rossini Assur Semiramide (Ravenna) 1825Rossini Elmiro Otello La Fenice (Venice) 1825Carafa Akebare Il Paria La Fenice (Venice) 1825Mercadante Don Fernando Caritea La Fenice (Venice) 1825Mercadante Naballe Erode La Fenice (Venice) 1825Rossini Assur Semiramide Comunale (Bologna) 1827Donizetti Olivo Olivo e Pasquale Valle (Rome) 1827Rossini Assur Semiramide Ducale (Parma) 1828Rossini Polidoro Zelmira Ducale (Parma) 1828Rossini Maometto II L'assdio in Corinta Comunale (Bologna) 1828Rossini Polidoro Zelmira Comunale (Bologna) 1828Rossini Assur Semiramide Carcano (Milan) 1829Rossini Tutor Le comte Ory (Bergamo) 1830Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia (Bergamo) 1830Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Pergola (Florence) 1830Rossini Giugliemo Tell Giugliemo Tell (Lucca) 1831Rossini Giugliemo Tell Giugliemo Tell (Florence) 1831Bellini Valdeburgo La straniera La Fenice (Venice) 1831Pacini Cedrico Ivanhoe La Fenice (Venice) 1831Pavesi Sallustio L'ultimo giorno di Pompei La Fenice (Venice) 1831Donizetti Enrico VIII Anna Bolena La Fenice (Venice) 1831Donizetti Maometto II L'assdio in Corinta (Piacenza) 1832Donizetti # Il diluvio universale^ Carlo Felice (Genova) 1833Donizetti Azzo Parisina^ Pergola (Florence) 1833Bellini Ernesto Il pirata Comunale (Senigallia) 1833Rossini Faraone Mosè in Egitto Comunale (Senigallia) 1833Donizetti Azzo Parisina^ Pergola (Florence) 1833Rossini Elmiro Otello (Florence) 1833Donizetti Azzo Parisina La Fenice (Venice) 1834

108

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

DOMENICO COSSELLI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearMeyerbeer Aladino Il crociato in Egitto La Fenice (Venice) 1834Pacini Arnoldo Carlo di Borgogna La Fenice (Venice) 1834Bellini Ernesto Il pirata San Carlo (Naples) 1834Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda San Carlo (Naples) 1834Donizetti Azzo Parisina San Carlo (Naples) 1834Donizetti Azzo Parisina San Carlo (Naples) 1835Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor^ San Carlo (Naples) 1835Stabile Zopiro Palmira San Carlo (Naples) 1835Persiani Danao Danao re d'Argo San Carlo (Naples) 1835Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda San Carlo (Naples) 1835Rossini Assur Semiramide San Carlo (Naples) 1835Rossini Elmiro Otello (Rome) 1837Bellini Riccardo I puritani (Faenza) 1837Donizetti Marino Faliero Marino Faliero Comunale (Bologna) 1837Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia La Fenice (Venice) 1838Mercadante Tebaldo I Normanni a Parigi La Fenice (Venice) 1838Donizetti Nottingham Roberto Devereux La Fenice (Venice) 1838Donizetti Belisario Belisario Comunale (Senigallia) 1838Donizetti Marino Faliero Marino Faliero Comunale (Senigallia) 1838Donizetti Marino Faliero Marino Faliero Teatro Regio (Parma) 1838Donizetti Azzo Parisina Teatro Regio (Parma) 1840Mercadante Guido Elena da Feltre Teatro Regio (Parma) 1840Donizetti Belisario Belisario Teatro Regio (Parma) 1840Donizetti Marino Faliero Marino Faliero Comunale (Bologna) 1843Malipiero Ugo Giovanna Comunale (Bologna) 1843

109

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

APPENDIX D: PAULO BARROILHET PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearRossini Batone L'inganno felice Teatro Regio (Parma) 1832Pacini Federico Il Barone di Dolsheim Teatro Regio (Parma) 1832Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore Sociale (Bergamo) 1833Bellini Oroveso Norma Teatro Regio (Turin) 1833Bellini Rodolfo La sonnambula Teatro Regio (Turin) 1834Lillo Alberto Odda di Bernaver San Carlo (Naples) 1836Bellini Valdeburgo La straniera San Carlo (Naples) 1836Bellini Giorgio Valton I puritani San Carlo (Naples) 1836Donizetti Azzo Parisina Valle (Rome) 1836Donizetti Azzo Parisina San Carlo (Naples) 1836Raimondi Diego Isabella degli Abenanti San Carlo (Naples) 1836Rossini Maometto II L'assedio di Corinto San Carlo (Naples) 1836Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso Valle (Rome) 1836Donizetti Eustachio L'assedio di Calais^ San Carlo (Naples) 1836Donizetti Eustachio L'assedio di Calais San Carlo (Naples) 1837Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy San Carlo (Naples) 1837Aspa, M. Conte Castelli I due Savoiardi San Carlo (Naples) 1837Donizetti Nottingham Roberto Devereux^ San Carlo (Naples) 1837Mercadante Ferdinando Donna Caritea San Carlo (Naples) 1837Rossini Assur Semiramide San Carlo (Naples) 1837Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda San Carlo (Naples) 1837Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor San Carlo (Naples) 1837Donizetti Belisario Belisario San Carlo (Naples) 1837Holmes Ruggero Ruggero San Carlo (Naples) 1837Raimondi Corrado Viclinda San Carlo (Naples) 1837Donizetti Nello Pia dei Tolomei San Carlo (Naples) 1838Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda San Carlo (Naples) 1838Donizetti Nottingham Roberto Devereux San Carlo (Naples) 1838Balducci Guido Bianca Turengo San Carlo (Naples) 1838Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor San Carlo (Naples) 1838Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy San Carlo (Naples) 1838Mercadante Guido Elena da Feltre^ San Carlo (Naples) 1838Sarmiento Alfonso Alfonso d'Aragona San Carlo (Naples) 1838

110

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

PAULO BARROILHET PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearBellini Valdeburgo La straniera San Carlo (Naples) 1838Mercadante Manfredo Il giuramento San Carlo (Naples) 1838Donizetti Eustachio L'assedio di Calais San Carlo (Naples) 1838Aspa, M. Conte Castelli I due Savoiardi San Carlo (Naples) 1838Lillo Enrico Il conte di Chalais San Carlo (Naples) 1839Donizetti Eustachio L'assedio di Calais San Carlo (Naples) 1839Mercadante Corrado I briganti San Carlo (Naples) 1839Donizetti Nottingham Roberto Devereux San Carlo (Naples) 1839Mercadante Publio La vestale^ San Carlo (Naples) 1839Mercadante Manfredo Il giuramento San Carlo (Naples) 1839Mercadante Guido Elena da Feltre San Carlo (Naples) 1839Bellini Riccardo I puritani San Carlo (Naples) 1839Donizetti Alphonse La favorite^ Opéra (Paris) 1840Halevy Fromental La reine de Chypre^ Opéra (Paris) 1841Donizetti Camoëns Don Sebastinano^ Opéra (Paris) 1843Halevy Charles Charles VI^ Opéra (Paris) 1843Adam Richard Richard en Palestine^ Opéra (Paris) 1843Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Real (Madrid) 1851Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Real (Madrid) 1851

111

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

APPENDIX E: GIORGIO RONCONI PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearBellini Valdeburgo La straniera (Pavia) 1831Donizetti Murena L'esule di Roma Valle (Rome) 1832Bellini Valdeburgo La straniera Nuovo (Padova) 1832Bellini Valdeburgo La straniera Comunale (Bologna) 1832Bellini Valdeburgo La straniera Cremono 1832Mercadante # Gabriella di Vergy Nuovo (Padova) 1833Donizetti Enrico Anna Bolena Nuovo (Padova) 1833Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso^ Valle (Rome) 1833Donizetti Cardenio Il furioso^ Valle (Rome) 1833Donizetti Azzo Parisina Carignano (Turin) 1834Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso Carcano (Milan) 1834Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso Del Fondo (Naples) 1835Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso San Carlo (Naples) 1835Mercadante Corrado Emma d'Antiochia San Carlo (Naples) 1835de Ruolz, H. Ottone Lara San Carlo (Naples) 1835Marliani Giacomo Il bravo San Carlo (Naples) 1835Donizetti Cardenio Il furioso San Carlo (Naples) 1835Persiani Niceto Eufemio da Messina San Carlo (Naples) 1835Donizetti Enrico Il campanello di notte^ Teatro Nuovo (Naples) 1836Donizetti Azzo Parisina Comunale (Bologna) 1836Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Comunale (Senigallia) 1836Donizetti Pietra Pia de' Tolomei (Venice) 1836Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso Degli Avvalorati (Livorno) 1836Bellini Riccardo I puritani La Fenice (Venice) 1836Bellini Riccardo I puritani Del Giglio (Lucca) 1837Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso Della Pergola (Florence) 1837Rossini Mustafa L'italiana in Algeri Della Pergola (Florence) 1837Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso Comunale (Bologna) 1837Donizetti Nello Pia de' Tolomei^ Teatro Apollo (Venice) 1837Bellini Riccardo I puritani La Fenice (Venice) 1837Bellini Riccardo I puritani Comunale (Senigallia) 1837Donizetti Nello Pia de' Tolomei Comunale (Senigallia) 1837Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore Comunale (Bologna) 1837

112

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

GIORGIO RONCONI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearBellini Riccardo I puritani Comunale (Senigallia) 1837Lillo Itulbo Rosmunda in Ravenna La Fenice (Venice) 1837Donizetti Riccardo I puritani La Fenice (Venice) 1837Mozart Don Giovanni Don Giovanni Della Pergola (Florence) 1837Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda La Fenice (Venice) 1837Donizetti Corrado Maria de Rudenz^ La Fenice (Venice) 1838Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso Grande (Trieste) 1838Donizetti Corrado Maria de Rudenz Degli Avvalorati (Livorno) 1838Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Grande (Trieste) 1838Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Teatro Comunale (Bologna) 1838Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Degli Avvalorati (Livorno) 1838Mercadante Manfredo Il giuramento Grande (Trieste) 1838Donizetti Nottingham Roberto Devereux Grande (Trieste) 1838Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor La Fenice (Venice) 1838Vaccai Don Cesare La sposa di Messina La Fenice (Venice) 1838Donizetti Parisina Parisina La Fenice (Venice) 1838Bellini Giorgio I puritani Argentina (Rome) 1838Mercadante Manfredo Il giuramento La Fenice (Venice) 1838Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Della Pergola (Florence) 1838Donizetti Corrado Maria de Rudenz Pergola (Florence) 1839Donizetti # L'elisir d'amore Del Giglio (Lucca) 1839Donizetti Azzo Parisina Filarmonico (Verona) 1839Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor La Fenice (Senigallia) 1839Bellini Riccardo I puritani La Scala (Milan) 1839Donizetti # L'elisir d'amore Pergola (Florence) 1839Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor La Scala (Milan) 1839Donizetti Dulcamara L'elisir d'amore La Fenice (Senigallia) 1839Donizetti Corrado Maria de Rudenz Filarmonico (Verona) 1839Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore La Scala (Milan) 1839Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Pergola (Florence) 1839Donizetti Nello Pia de' Tolomei La Scala (Milan) 1839Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Del Giglio (Lucca) 1839Mercadante Manfredo Il giuramento Del Giglio (Lucca) 1839

113

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

GIORGIO RONCONI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearMercadante Manfredo Il giuramento La Fenice (Senigallia) 1839Bellini Riccardo I puritani Filarmonico (Verona) 1839Mercadante Manfredo Il giuramento Pergola (Florence) 1839Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Del Giglio (Lucca) 1839Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Nuovo (Padova) 1840Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Pergola (Florence) 1840Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia La Fenice (Venice) 1840Nini Gothland Margherita di York La Fenice (Venice) 1840Mercadante Manfredo Il giuramento Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1840Donizetti Azzo Parisina Pergola (Florence) 1840Mercadante Guido Elena da Feltre Pergola (Florence) 1840Donizetti Azzo Parisina Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1840Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1840Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Filarmonico (Verona) 1840Donizetti Don Pedro Maria Padilla^ La Scala (Milan) 1841Mercadante Guido Elena da Feltre Comunale (Faenza) 1841Donizetti Belisario Belisario Delle Muse (Ancona) 1841Donizetti Corrado Maria de Rudenz Delle Muse (Ancona) 1841Mercadante Guido Elena da Feltre Filarmonico (Verona) 1841Mercadante Guido Elena da Feltre Delle Muse (Ancona) 1841Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Filarmonico (Verona) 1841Mercadante Guido Elena da Feltre Grande (Brescia) 1841Donizetti Corrado Maria de Rudenz Comunale (Faenza) 1841Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Comunale (Faenza) 1841Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda La Fenice (Senigallia) 1841Verdi Nabucco Nabucco La Scala (Milan) 1842Mozart Guglielmo Cosi fan tutte H.M. Theatre (London) 1842Rossini Mose Mosè in Egitto H.M. Theatre (London) 1842Bellini Valdeburgo La straniera La Scala (Milan) 1842Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda H.M. Theatre (London) 1842Donizetti L'elisir d'amore L'elisir d'amore H.M. Theatre (London) 1842Donizetti Belisario Belisario La Scala (Milan) 1842Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso H.M. Theatre (London) 1842

114

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

GIORGIO RONCONI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearDonizetti Don Pedro Maria Padilla La Scala (Milan) 1842Mozart Don Giovanni Don Giovanni H.M. Theatre (London) 1842Donizetti Nottingham Roberto Devereux H.M. Theatre (London) 1842Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor H.M. Theatre (London) 1842Rossini Iago Otello H.M. Theatre (London) 1842Bellini Riccardo I puritani H.M. Theatre (London) 1842Rossini Basilio Il barbiere di Siviglia H.M. Theatre (London) 1842Mercadante Guido Elena da Feltre H.M. Theatre (London) 1842Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1843Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1843Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Théatre Italien (Paris) 1843Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Théatre Italien (Paris) 1843Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1843Donizetti # Maria di Rohan^ Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1843Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1843Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1844Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1844Bellini Riccardo I puritani Théatre Italien (Paris) 1844Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Théatre Italien (Paris) 1844Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Théatre Italien (Paris) 1844Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Théatre Italien (Paris) 1844Rossini Iago Otello Théatre Italien (Paris) 1844Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Nemzeti Szinhaz (Budapest) 1844Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Théatre Italien (Paris) 1844Donizetti L'elisir d'amore L'elisir d'amore Nemzeti Szinhaz (Budapest) 1844Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Théatre Italien (Paris) 1844Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1844Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1844Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1844Bellini Riccardo I puritani Théatre Italien (Paris) 1844Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Théatre Italien (Paris) 1844Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Del Circo (Madrid) 1845Rossini Iago Otello Théatre Italien (Paris) 1845Donizetti Dulcamara L'elisir d'amore Del Circo (Madrid) 1845

115

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

GIORGIO RONCONI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearDonizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Théatre Italien (Paris) 1845Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Théatre Italien (Paris) 1845Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda San Carlo (Naples) 1845Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Théatre Italien (Paris) 1845Bellini Riccardo I puritani Théatre Italien (Paris) 1845Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Del Circo (Madrid) 1845Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Del Circo (Madrid) 1845Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Théatre Italien (Paris) 1845Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy Théatre Italien (Paris) 1845Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Théatre Italien (Paris) 1845Donizetti Dulcamara L'elisir d'amore Théatre Italien (Paris) 1846Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Théatre Italien (Paris) 1846Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Grand Théâtre (Bordeaux) 1846Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Théatre Italien (Paris) 1846Bellini Riccardo I puritani Del Circo (Madrid) 1846Bellini Rodolfo La sonnambula Del Circo (Madrid) 1846Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Del Circo (Madrid) 1846Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Théatre Italien (Paris) 1846Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Del Circo (Madrid) 1846Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy Théatre Italien (Paris) 1846Rossini Iago Otello Théatre Italien (Paris) 1846Cimarosa # Il matrimonio segreto Théatre Italien (Paris) 1846Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Del Circo (Madrid) 1846Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Del Circo (Madrid) 1846Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Théatre Italien (Paris) 1846Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Covent Garden (London) 1847Bellini Giorgio I puritani Covent Garden (London) 1847Bellini Riccardo I puritani Théatre Italien (Paris) 1847Rossini Iago Otello Théatre Italien (Paris) 1847Bellini Riccardo I puritani Théatre Italien (Paris) 1847Bellini Riccardo I puritani Covent Garden (London) 1847Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Théatre Italien (Paris) 1847Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Théatre Italien (Paris) 1847

116

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

GIORGIO RONCONI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearDonizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Théatre Italien (Paris) 1847Verdi Francesco I due Foscari Covent Garden (London) 1847Rossini Dandini La Cenerentola Théatre Italien (Paris) 1847Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy Théatre Italien (Paris) 1847Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Covent Garden (London) 1847Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Théatre Italien (Paris) 1847Donizetti Dulcamara L'elisir d'amore Théatre Italien (Paris) 1848Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Théatre Italien (Paris) 1848Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Théatre Italien (Paris) 1848Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Théatre Italien (Paris) 1848Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Covent Garden (London) 1848Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Théatre Italien (Paris) 1848Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Théatre Italien (Paris) 1849Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Théatre Italien (Paris) 1849Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Théatre Italien (Paris) 1849Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix Théatre Italien (Paris) 1849Rossini Mustafa L'italiana in Algeri Théatre Italien (Paris) 1849Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Covent Garden (London) 1849Rossini Dandini La Cenerentola Théatre Italien (Paris) 1849Rossini Podesta La gazza ladra Théatre Italien (Paris) 1849Rossini Mustafa L'italiana in Algeri Théatre Italien (Paris) 1849Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore Théatre Italien (Paris) 1849Rossini Dandini La Cenerentola Théatre Italien (Paris) 1850Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Del Circo (Madrid) 1850Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Del Circo (Madrid) 1850Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Théatre Italien (Paris) 1850Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore Covent Garden (London) 1850Bellini Rodolfo La sonnambula Teatro Real (Madrid) 1850Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Del Circo (Madrid) 1850Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Théatre Italien (Paris) 1850Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Théatre Italien (Paris) 1850Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Covent Garden (London) 1850Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Théatre Italien (Paris) 1850Mozart Don Giovanni Don Giovanni Théatre Italien (Paris) 1850

117

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

GIORGIO RONCONI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearDonizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Théatre Italien (Paris) 1850Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Teatro Real (Madrid) 1850Rossini Podesta La gazza ladra Covent Garden (London) 1850Rossini Iago Otello Covent Garden (London) 1850Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Del Circo (Madrid) 1850Bellini Riccardo I puritani Teatro Real (Madrid) 1850Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Covent Garden (London) 1850Donizetti Dulcamara L'elisir d'amore Covent Garden (London) 1851Rossini Podesta La gazza ladra Covent Garden (London) 1851Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1851Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore Teatro Real (Madrid) 1851Mozart Papageno Il flauto magico Covent Garden (London) 1851Rossini Iago Otello Covent Garden (London) 1851Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1851Donizetti L'elisir d'amore L'elisir d'amore Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1851Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1851Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Teatro Real (Madrid) 1851Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix Teatro Real (Madrid) 1851Bellini Riccardo I puritani Covent Garden (London) 1851Rossini Iago Otello Teatro Real (Madrid) 1851Rossini Iago Otello Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1851Rossini Dandini La Cenerentola Teatro Real (Madrid) 1851Rossini Podesta La gazza ladra Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1851Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1851Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Covent Garden (London) 1852Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Covent Garden (London) 1852Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan (Granada) 1852Rossini Dandini La Cenerentola Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1852Donizetti L'elisir d'amore L'elisir d'amore Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1852Donizetti L'elisir d'amore L'elisir d'amore Covent Garden (London) 1852Mozart Papageno Il flauto magico Covent Garden (London) 1852Bellini Riccardo I puritani Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1852Bellini Riccardo I puritani Covent Garden (London) 1852Mozart Don Giovanni Don Giovanni Covent Garden (London) 1852

118

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

GIORGIO RONCONI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearDonizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1852Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix (Granada) 1852Bellini Riccardo I puritani Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1852Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Covent Garden (London) 1852Rossini Guglielmo Tell Guglielmo Tell Covent Garden (London) 1852Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1852Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1852Mozart Don Giovanni Don Giovanni Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1852Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1852Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto Covent Garden (London) 1853Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1853Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1853Rossini Guglielmo Tell Guglielmo Tell Covent Garden (London) 1853Bellini Riccardo I puritani Covent Garden (London) 1853Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Covent Garden (London) 1853Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Covent Garden (London) 1853Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Covent Garden (London) 1853Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Covent Garden (London) 1853Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1853Rossini Mose Mosè in Egitto Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1853Rossini Iago Otello Covent Garden (London) 1853Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1853Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1853Donizetti L'elisir d'amore L'elisir d'amore Covent Garden (London) 1853Donizetti L'elisir d'amore L'elisir d'amore Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1853Bellini Rodolfo La sonnambula Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1853Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Covent Garden (London) 1854Rossini Mose Mose Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1854Bellini Riccardo I puritani Covent Garden (London) 1854Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1854Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1854Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Covent Garden (London) 1854Mozart Don Giovanni Don Giovanni Covent Garden (London) 1854Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto Covent Garden (London) 1854

119

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

GIORGIO RONCONI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearRossini Iago Otello Covent Garden (London) 1854Bellini Riccardo I puritani Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1854Bellini Rodolfo La sonnambula Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1854Bellini Riccardo I puritani Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1854Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Covent Garden (London) 1854Rossini Guglielmo Tell Guglielmo Tell Covent Garden (London) 1854Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1854Donizetti L'elisir d'amore L'elisir d'amore Covent Garden (London) 1854Donizetti Severo Poliuto Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1854Bellini Rodolfo La sonnambula Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1854Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Covent Garden (London) 1854Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto Principe Alfonso (Malaga) 1855Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Principe Alfonso (Malaga) 1855Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Principe Alfonso (Malaga) 1855Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Principal (Cadiz) 1855Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto Imperial (St. Petersburg) 1855Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Principal (Cadiz) 1855Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Principe Alfonso (Malaga) 1855Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Principal (Cadiz) 1855Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix Teatro Real (Madrid) 1856Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Teatro Real (Madrid) 1856Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Teatro Real (Madrid) 1856Donizetti L'elisir d'amore L'elisir d'amore Teatro Real (Madrid) 1856Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto Teatro Real (Madrid) 1856Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto Teatro Real (Madrid) 1856Rossini Dandini La Cenerentola Teatro Real (Madrid) 1856Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia Teatro Real (Madrid) 1856Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Teatro Real (Madrid) 1856

120

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

APPENDIX F: CESARE BADIALI PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearDonizetti Maresciallo Gli esiliati in Siberia La Scala (Milan) 1831Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso Teatro Regio (Parma) 1837Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore Teatro Regio (Parma) 1837Mercadante Manfredo Il giuramento La Scala (Milan) 1838Mercadante Manfredo Il giuramento La Scala (Milan) 1838Mozart Figaro Le nozze di Figaro La Scala (Milan) 1838Rossini Dandini La Cenerentola La Scala (Milan) 1838Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso La Scala (Milan) 1838Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1839Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy La Scala (Milan) 1839Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1839Donizetti Israele Marino Faliero Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1839Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1840Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1840Mercadante Guido Elena da Feltre Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1840Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1840Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Teatro Regio (Turin) 1840Bellini Riccardo I puritani Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1841Rossini Iago Otello Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1841Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1841Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1841Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda La Fenice (Venice) 1842Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1842Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix La Fenice (Venice) 1842Donizetti Belisario Belisario Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1842Donizetti Don Pedro Maria Padilla La Fenice (Venice) 1842Verdi Nabucco Nabucco La Fenice (Venice) 1842Rossini Jago Otello Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1842Pacini Alcandro Saffo Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1842Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1842Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Comunale (Bologna) 1843Verdi Francesco I due Foscari Comunale (Bologna) 1845Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan La Fenice (Venice) 1846

121

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

CESARE BADIALI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearVerdi Francesco I due Foscari La Fenice (Venice) 1846Ricci Cedrico Griselda La Fenice (Venice) 1846Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor La Fenice (Venice) 1846Rossini # Mosè in Egitto San Carlo (Naples) 1848Sanelli Gennaro Gennaro Annese Comunale (Bologna) 1848Verdi Macbeth Macbeth San Carlo (Naples) 1848Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan San Carlo (Naples) 1848Donizetti Severo Poliuto San Carlo (Naples) 1848

122

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

APPENDIX G: FILIPPO COLETTI PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearBellini Valdeburgo La straniera San Carlo (Naples) 1834Rossini # Maometto II San Carlo (Naples) 1834Rossini # Mosè in Egitto San Carlo (Naples) 1834Rossini # L'assedio di Corinto San Carlo (Naples) 1834Pacini Cedrico Ivanhoe San Carlo (Naples) 1835Bellini Riccardo I puritani Carlo Felice (Genova) 1835Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy Valle (Rome) 1836Bellini Riccardo I puritani Nuovo (Padova) 1836Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda São Carlo (Lisbon) 1837Bellini Valdeburgo La straniera São Carlo (Lisbon) 1837Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor São Carlo (Lisbon) 1837Bellini Riccardo I puritani São Carlo (Lisbon) 1837Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso São Carlo (Lisbon) 1837Donizetti Belisario Belisario São Carlo (Lisbon) 1837Mozart Don Giovanni Don Giovanni São Carlo (Lisbon) 1838Donizetti Israele Marino Faliero São Carlo (Lisbon) 1838Donizetti Belisario Belisario São Carlo (Lisbon) 1838Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy São Carlo (Lisbon) 1838Donizetti Nottingham Roberto Devereux São Carlo (Lisbon) 1838Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor São Carlo (Lisbon) 1838Bellini Riccardo I puritani São Carlo (Lisbon) 1838Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy São Carlo (Lisbon) 1838Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor São Carlo (Lisbon) 1839Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy São Carlo (Lisbon) 1839Bellini Riccardo I puritani São Carlo (Lisbon) 1840Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy São Carlo (Lisbon) 1840Donizetti Israele Marino Faliero São Carlo (Lisbon) 1840Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor São Carlo (Lisbon) 1840Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore São Carlo (Lisbon) 1840Pacini Alcandro Saffo La Fenice (Venice) 1841Ferrari Candiano Pietro Candiano IV La Fenice (Venice) 1841Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso La Scala (Milan) 1841Donizetti Israele Marino Faliero Teatro Riccardi (Bergamo) 1841

123

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

FILIPPO COLETTI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearDonizetti Ezzelino Eustorgia da Romano Comunale (Bologna) 1841Donizetti Costantino Fausta La Scala (Milan) 1841Bellini Riccardo I puritani São Carlo (Lisbon) 1841Nicolai Edemondo Il Proscritto La Scala (Milan) 1841Pacini Duca d'Alba Il Duca d'Alba La Fenice (Venice) 1841Bellini Filippo Beatrice di Tenda La Scala (Milan) 1841Ricci Corrado Corrado d'Altamura La Fenice (Venice) 1841Pacini Alcandro Saffo San Carlo (Naples) 1842Donizetti Filippo Beatrice di Tenda San Carlo (Naples) 1842Pacini Pietro La fidanzata corsa San Carlo (Naples) 1842Donizetti Don Pedro Maria Padilla San Carlo (Naples) 1842Pacini Duca di Herz Adolfo di Warbel San Carlo (Naples) 1842Lillo Ottone Lara San Carlo (Naples) 1842Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix San Carlo (Naples) 1842Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore San Carlo (Naples) 1842Donizetti Azzo Parisina San Carlo (Naples) 1842Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso San Carlo (Naples) 1842Donizetti Don Pedro Maria Padilla San Carlo (Naples) 1843Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia San Carlo (Naples) 1843Mercadante Manfredo Il giuramento San Carlo (Naples) 1843Nicolai Briano Teodosia San Carlo (Naples) 1843Donizetti Belcore L'elisir d'amore San Carlo (Naples) 1843Pacini Pietro La fidanzata corsa San Carlo (Naples) 1843Battista Francesco Margherita d'Aragona San Carlo (Naples) 1843Donizetti Lusignano Caterino Cornaro^ San Carlo (Naples) 1843Bellini Riccardo Forth I puritani San Carlo (Naples) 1843Pacini Alcandro Saffo San Carlo (Naples) 1843Mercadante Donato Francesca Donato San Carlo (Naples) 1844Mercadante Rodrigo Il vascello di Gama San Carlo (Naples) 1844Verdi Francesco I due Foscari San Carlo (Naples) 1844Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix San Carlo (Naples) 1844Donizetti Don Pedro Maria Padilla San Carlo (Naples) 1844Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso San Carlo (Naples) 1844Mercadante Foscari Il bravo San Carlo (Naples) 1844

124

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

FILIPPO COLETTI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearVerdi Nabucco Nabucco La Fenice (Senigallia) 1844Donizetti Enrico Il conte di Chalais San Carlo (Naples) 1844Verdi Don Carlo Ernani San Benedetto (Venice) 1844Verdi Francesco I due Foscari San Carlo (Naples) 1845Pacini Alcandro Saffo San Carlo (Naples) 1845Pacini Gianni Stella di Napoli San Carlo (Naples) 1845Verdi Gusmano Alzira San Carlo (Naples) 1845Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix San Carlo (Naples) 1845Battista Emo Emo San Carlo (Naples) 1845Verdi Francesco I due Foscari Théatre Italien (Paris) 1846Verdi Francesco I due Foscari Théatre Italien (Paris) 1846Verdi Don Carlo Ernani La Fenice (Senigallia) 1846Bellini Ernesto Il pirata Théatre Italien (Paris) 1846Verdi Francesco I masdanieri^ H.M. Theatre (London) 1847Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix H.M. Theatre (London) 1850Bellini Riccardo I puritani H.M. Theatre (London) 1850Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto (Rome) 1851Verdi Stankar Stiffelio La Fenice (Venice) 1851Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto La Fenice (Venice) 1851Rossini Assur Semiramide La Fenice (Venice) 1851Sanelli Morillo Tradita La Fenice (Venice) 1851Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto La Fenice (Venice) 1852Verdi Francesco I due Foscari Teatro Apollo (Roma) 1854Verdi Germont La Traviata Teatro Benedetto (Venice) 1854Verdi Barone La Traviata San Carlo (Naples) 1855Verdi Giacomo Giovanna d'Arco San Carlo (Naples) 1855Donizetti Camoëns Don Sebastinano San Carlo (Naples) 1856Verdi Michele I vespri Sciliani Argentina (Roma) 1856Mercadante Pelagio Pelagio San Carlo (Naples) 1857Verdi Boccanegra Simon Boccanegra # 1858Verdi Filippo II Don Carlo Teatro Regio (Turin) 1867Thomas Hamlet Hamlet (New York) 1872Verdi Filippo II Don Carlo Teatro Regio (Turin) 1867

125

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

FILIPPO COLETTI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearThomas Hamlet Hamlet (New York) 1872Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso San Carlo (Naples) 1841Donizetti Arnoldo Adelia San Carlo (Naples) 1841Mercadante Publio La vestale San Carlo (Naples) 1841

126

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

APPENDIX H: FILIPPO COLINI PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearVerdi Oberto Oberto San Carlo (Naples) 1841Torregiani Ulrico Ulrico di Oxford San Carlo (Naples) 1841Donizetti Azzo Parisina San Carlo (Naples) 1841Bajetti Diego Gonsalvo San Carlo (Naples) 1841Donizetti Belisario Belisario San Carlo (Naples) 1841Pacini Alcandro Saffo San Carlo (Naples) 1841Mercadante Manfredo Il giuramento San Carlo (Naples) 1841Donizetti Nottingham Roberto Devereux San Carlo (Naples) 1842Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Teatro Regio (Parma) 1843Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix La Scala (Milan) 1844Verdi Giacomo Giovanna d'Arco^ La Scala (Milan) 1845Verdi Pagano I Lombardi La Scala (Milan) 1845Verdi Nabucco Nabucco San Carlo (Naples) 1848Donizetti Severo Poliuto San Carlo (Naples) 1848Pacini Amedei Bondelmonte La Fenice (Senigallia) 1850Verdi Stankar Stiffelio^ Teatro Grande (Trieste) 1850Verdi Macbeth Macbeth La Fenice (Senigallia) 1850

127

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

APPENDIX I: FELICE VARESI PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearDonizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso (Varese) 1834Donizetti Cardenio Il furioso Nuovo (Novara) 1834Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso Nuovo (Novara) 1834Donizetti Cardenio Il furioso (Varese) 1834Rossini Dandini La Cenerentola Teatro Regio (Parma) 1835Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy Teatro Regio (Parma) 1835Bellini Riccardo Forth I puritani Teatro Regio (Parma) 1835Bellini Ernesto Il pirata Teatro Regio (Parma) 1836Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Teatro Regio (Parma) 1836Bellini Riccardo Forth I puritani (Faenza) 1837Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Pergola (Florence) 1837Donizetti Filippo Beatrice di Tenda Pergola (Florence) 1838Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy (Modena) 1838Donizetti Cardenio Il furioso Argentina (Rome) 1838Donizetti Belisario Belisario Teatro Verzario (Perugia) 1839Mercadante Guido Elena da Feltre Teatro Verzario (Perugia) 1839Donizetti Azzo Parisina Carlo Felice (Genova) 1839Mercadante Publio La vestale La Scala (Milan) 1841Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix^ Karntentortheatre (Vienna) 1842Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix Teatro Valle (Rome) 1842Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Teatro Regio (Parma) 1844Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan Comunale (Bologna) 1844Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Nuovo (Padova) 1844Donizetti Lusignano Caterino Cornaro Teatro Regio (Parma) 1844Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Teatro Regio (Parma) 1844Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix Teatro Regio (Parma) 1845Verdi Francesco I due Foscari Teatro Regio (Parma) 1845Verdi Francesco I due Foscari (Bergamo) 1845Bona Marchese Don Carlo La Fenice (Venice) 1847Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia La Fenice (Venice) 1847Pacini Cameron Allan Cameron La Fenice (Venice) 1847Verdi Macbeth Macbeth^ Pergola (Florence) 1847Buzzolla Claudio Almeto La Fenice (Venice) 1847

128

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

FELICE VARESI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearVerdi Macbeth Macbeth La Fenice (Venice) 1847Verdi Macbeth Macbeth San Carlo (Naples) 1849Verdi Francesco I masnadieri San Carlo (Naples) 1849Pacini Alcandro Saffo San Carlo (Naples) 1849Donizetti Antonio Linda di Chamounix San Carlo (Naples) 1849Donizetti Severo Poliuto San Carlo (Naples) 1849Donizetti Filippo Beatrice di Tenda San Carlo (Naples) 1849Donizetti Alfonso La favorita San Carlo (Naples) 1849Malipiero Crotez Fernando Cortez La Fenice (Venice) 1850Verdi Miller Luisa Miller La Fenice (Venice) 1850Pacini Cameron Allan Cameron La Fenice (Venice) 1850Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor La Fenice (Venice) 1850Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto^ La Fenice (Venice) 1851Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto (Treviso) 1851Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto (Verona) 1852Verdi Seid Il corsaro La Fenice (Venice) 1852Donizetti Severo Poliuto La Fenice (Senigallia) 1852Pacini Amadei Bondelmonte La Fenice (Venice) 1852Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto La Fenice (Senigallia) 1852Verdi Don Carlo Ernani La Fenice (Venice) 1852Verdi Germont La Traviata^ La Fenice (Venice) 1853

129

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

APPENDIX J: ACHILLE DEBASSINI PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearDonizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Nuovo (Padua) 1839Donizetti Nottingham Roberto Devereux Nuovo (Padova) 1839Donizetti Alfonso XI La favorita Nuovo (Padua) 1840Donizetti Azzo Parisina (Parma) 1840Donizetti Giustiniano Belisario (Parma) 1840Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Nuovo (Padova) 1842Donizetti Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor La Scala (Milan) 1843Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale Teatro Regio (Turin) 1843Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Argentina (Roma) 1844Verdi Francesco I due Foscari^ Argentina (Roma) 1844Verdi Nabucco Nabucco (Modena) 1844Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Teatro Rossini (Livorno) 1844Verdi Nabucco Nabucco Carlo Felice (Genova) 1845Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Carlo Felice (Genova) 1845Verdi Enrico Lucia di Lammermoor Carlo Felice (Genova) 1845Verdi Don Carlo Ernani La Scala (Milan) 1845Verdi Don Carlo Ernani La Scala (Milan) 1846Verdi Nabucco Nabucco La Scala (Milan) 1846Verdi Ezio Attila La Scala (Milan) 1846Verdi Gusmano Alzira La Scala (Milan) 1847Verdi Don Carlo Ernani Comunale (Bologna) 1847Verdi Giacomo Giovanna d'Arco La Fenice (Venice) 1847Donizetti Don Pedro Maria Padilla Comunale (Bologna) 1847Verdi Montolino La straniera La Fenice (Senigallia) 1847Mercadante Orazio Orazi e Curiazi La Fenice (Venice) 1847Verdi Ezio Attila Teatro Regio (Turin) 1848Verdi Seid Il corsaro Teatro Grande (Trieste) 1848Verdi Don Carlo Ernani San Carlo (Naples) 1849Verdi Miller Luisa Miller San Carlo (Naples) 1849Verdi Nabucco Nabucco San Carlo (Naples) 1849Verdi Francesco I due Foscari San Carlo (Naples) 1849Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan San Carlo (Naples) 1849Donizetti Don Alfonso Lucrezia Borgia San Carlo (Naples) 1849Mercadante Lutzow Leonora San Carlo (Naples) 1849

130

# = Unknown Role/Theater * = Estimated Role ^ = Originated Role

ACHILLE DEBASSINI PERFORMANCE HISTORY (CONTINUED)

Composer Role Opera Theater (City) YearDonizetti Mustafa L'italiana in Algeri San Carlo (Naples) 1849Rossini Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia San Carlo (Naples) 1849Verdi Miller Luisa Miller San Carlo (Naples) 1849Donizetti Conte di Vergy Gemma di Vergy San Carlo (Naples) 1850Verdi Miller Luisa Miller San Carlo (Naples) 1850Donizetti Enrico Maria di Rohan San Carlo (Naples) 1850Mercadante Ismaele La schiava saracena San Carlo (Naples) 1850Ricci Corrado Corrado d'Altamura San Carlo (Naples) 1850De Giosa Arturo Folco d'Arles San Carlo (Naples) 1850Mercadante Giasone Medea San Carlo (Naples) 1850Verdi Francesco I due Foscari San Carlo (Naples) 1850Mercadante Guido La Vestale San Carlo (Naples) 1851Verdi Francesco I due Foscari Kärntnertortheater (Vienna) 1851Verdi Conte di Luna Il trovatore La Fenice (Senigallia) 1854Donizetti Malatesta Don Pasquale La Fenice (Senigallia) 1854Donizetti Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso San Carlo (Naples) 1865Verdi Rigoletto Rigoletto Teatro Brunetti (Bologna) 1866

131

APPENDIX K: NABUCCO MUSIC EXAMPLES

Example 1: Nabucco Act II Finale

Nabucco:

132

Example 2: Nabucco Act II Finale

Example 3: Nabucco Act II Finale

(continued on the next page)

Fenena:

Nabucco:

Nabucco:

133

Example 3 (continued): Nabucco Act II Finale: Nabucco:

134

Example 4: Nabucco Act III Duet Nabucco:

135

Example 5: Nabucco Act III Duet

(continued on the next page)

Abigaille:

Nabucco:

136

Example 5: Nabucco Act III Duet (continued)

Example 6: Nabucco Act IV Scena and Aria, Recitative Section

(continued on the next page)

Abigaille:

Nabucco:

Nabucco:

137

Example 6: Nabucco Act IV Scena and Aria, Recitative Section (continued)

Example 7: Nabucco Scena and Aria, Cavatina

Nabucco:

Nabucco:

138

Example 8: Nabucco Act IV Scena and Aria, Cabaletta Nabucco:

139

APPENDIX L: TORQUATO TASSO MUSIC EXAMPLES

Example 1: Torquato Tasso Act I Duet

140

Example 2: T orquato Tasso Act I Duet (with Eleonora)

Example 3: Torquato Tasso Act I Finale

Torquato Tasso:

Eleonora:

Eleonora:

Torquato Tasso:

141

Example 4 Torquato Tasso : Act II Finale

Example 5: Torquato Tasso , Act III Recitative

Roberto:

Torquato Tasso:

Torquato Tasso:

142

Example 6: Torquato Tasso , Act III Cavatina

Example 7: Torquato Tasso , Act III Cantabile

Torquato Tasso:

Toruato Tasso:

143

Example 8: Torquato Tasso , Act III Cantabile

Example 9: Torquato Tasso , Act III, Moderato

Torquato Tasso:

Torquato Tasso:

144

Example 10: Torquato Tasso , Act III, Cabaletta Torquato Tasso:

Chorus:

Torquato Tasso:

Chorus:

145

APPENDIX M: IL GIURAMENTO MUSIC EXAMPLES

Example 1: Il giuramento , Act I, Scene 3, Cavatina, Maestoso sostenuto

Example 2: Il giuramento , Act I, Scene 3, Cavatina, “con anima”

Manfredo:

Manfredo:

146

Example 3: Il giuramento, Act I, Scene 3, Cavatina, final bars

Example 4: Il giuramento , Act I Finale, Seguito e Stretta del Finale

Manfredo:

Viscardo:

Manfredo

147

Example 5: Il giuramento , Act II, Aria, Recitative

Example 6: Il giuramento , Act II, Aria, Cabaletta Manfredo:

Chorus:

148

Example 6: Il giuramento , Act II, Aria, Cabaletta (continued)

Manfredo:

149

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