Musical Symbols of Death in Tosca

Asserts that composers of opera are able to flesh out the bare words of libretti with the expressive power of music to heighten the audience's appreciation of the drama, even on a subconscious level. Examines several of the techniques used in Puccini's setting of Sardou's "Tosca&...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Opera quarterly Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 59 - 69
Main Author Gentry, Theodore L
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Oxford University Press 01.07.1998
Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
Duke University Press, NC & IL
Subjects
Audiences
Composers
Compositional Techniques
Dramatic Theater
Harmony
Libretti
Music
Musical criticism
Musical Settings
Musicology
Opera
Orchestration
Puccini, Giacomo
Symbolism
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Summary:Asserts that composers of opera are able to flesh out the bare words of libretti with the expressive power of music to heighten the audience's appreciation of the drama, even on a subconscious level. Examines several of the techniques used in Puccini's setting of Sardou's "Tosca" which illustrate the composer's skill in weaving suggestions of death, conflict, and tension into an unspoken narrative which complements the libretto's words. Discusses harmonic singularities including reliance on the tritone, the whole-tone scale, and the Phrygian cadence. Draws attention to recurrent rhythmic patterns suggestive of funeral marches and the tolling of bells.
Bibliography:ArticleID:14.4.59
istex:8A115AFBC10C56E6016709EA4E9DC88CF72EAFDC
ark:/67375/HXZ-BNC03VGM-8
ISSN:0736-0053
1476-2870
DOI:10.1093/oq/14.4.59