Evening star., 1940-11-03
Melodies From 'RigoIetto'
Popular Throughout Land
This Is Found Despite Repeated Assertions
America Is Not Opera Minded

removed the plot from any reference
to living notable personages and
gave it the title of "Rigoletto. In
40 days from the moment Verdi sat
down to compose it. the work was
finished and ready to open the car
nival season at La Fenice, the We
netian opera house.
In thus centering the attention on
the principal male character of the
play. Verdi departed from an old
established custom in opera writing.
A set formula had directed the opera
form from time to time. In the
beginning, the entire plan of musi-
cal composition revolved around the
male soprani and contralti who
won such fame by their vocal feats
as to become the chief drawing card
of any operate performance to the
detriment Of any unbiased consid-
Grafton of the music as a whole To
Gluck belong the credit of banish-
ing forever this unnatural type Of
singing from opera. When Mozart
took to this form of composition, he
glorified the light soprano voice and
Wagner, later. brought to the fore
the more dramatic expression from
women singers Verdi was the first
to give special prominence to the
baritone and that in some other
guise than that of the lover.
Music Enhances Drama.
Rigoletto, the humpbacked court
jester, was the tool and accomplice
of his profligate master, the Duke
of Mantua. Many were the crimes
he abetted. among them the ruin
of the noble Monterone's daugh-
ter. When the latter is cast in
prison at Rigoletto's suggestion, the
bitter curse which Monterone places
upon the jester begins to operate
in the dramatic events that form
the story. There was one fine thing
in Rigoletto's makeup and that was
the love he bore his daughter whom
he kept hidden from the circle in
which he moved. Through her be-
trayal by the Duke, Rigoletto's an
guish, when he discovers it, the plan
for vengeance which recoils on him
when his daughter. in fidelity to her
lover, Is killed in his stead, the curse
is fulfilled.
To this tragic story Verdi has
written the type of music to en-
hance its dramatic situations. The
light atmosphere Of courtly circles
is portrayed by a lifting rhythm
also in keeping with Rigoletto's posi-
ton among these dissolute people.
In contrast is the purity and nobility
of the music assigned to Gilda and
to the scenes with her father. One
of the most dramatic moments is
that in which Rigoletto. feverishly
seeking his daughter, begs the cour-
tiers help and is laughed at. Again,
the effective juxtaposition of the
highly dramatic and lighter mood
is found in the scene of the famous
quartet which leads to the tragic
finale.
Quotation on French Defeat.
Verdi was at all times an ardent
patriot and had his share of un-
pleasantness when taking a stand
for what he considered just. 1t
might be of special interest and
particularly apropos to quote from
his letters during the troubled times
of 1870 for so appropriate are these
words that they seem as if destined
for today. In writing to a friend of
the French defeat of that period
he says: IF France succumbs don't
let us have any illusions about it
all our liberty and our culture will
succumb. Our men of letters and
our politicians may extol the knowl-
edge, the science and even God
forgive them the art of these VIC
tors, but if they were to look a little
further inside, they would see that
in these victors' veins still flows the
old Goth blood, that they are i'm
measurably proud. hard, intolerant,
despising anything not Germanic
and that they are rapacious without
limit. They are men of brains but
without heart, . strong but not .
cultured race"
And again: II deplore the mis-
fortune Of France and I fear q ter
rible future for ourselves. An,
the north. A country and a people
which terrify me. Think Of q Ger
man arm. It Is 50 hard"