Verdi: Rigoletto

Author

Giuseppi Verdi (1813-1901: Italiain)
  • born in northern Italy, father was an innkeeper
  • wealthy merchant supported him through his musical studies
  • married his benefactor's daughter
  • operas took on patriotic value.
  • wrote a total of 28 operas, including one when he was almost 80
  • Wikipedia Article

About the Piece

(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

  • Genre is opera
  • inspired by Victor Hugo
  • selection is a quartet
  • text language is Italian
  • begins with a male aria about the fickleness of women (intended to reflect more on the character of the singer than the character of women in general)
  • first aria is strophic
  • middle section is through-composed
  • final section has ABAC form with a coda
  • contains substantial vocal counterpoint

Purpose

  • entertainment
  • opera performance, to tell a story with music

Reflections

I feel like opera isn't meant to be heard this way...it should be performed as a whole and not in an excert and should be accompanied by acting. Also, I think it is designed to be in the dialect of the people, and I don't speak Italian. The arias are pretty, but not what I would call beautiful. Altogether, this was not one of my favorite pieces.