Goes through the leading baritone roles in seven operas and explains—in
extended program notes—how their character is displayed through musical
means. What it seems to amount to is that Verdi followed the story. Backnotes,
bibliography, no index.- Andre, Naomi Adele. “Azucena, Eboli, and Amneris: Verdi’s Writing for
Women’s Lower Voices.” Ph.D. diss., Harvard U., 1996. ix, 430p.
Analysis: Rhythm
- Noske, Frits R. “Verdi and the Musical Figure of Death.” In Signifier(#1285),
171–214.
A chapter devoted to the idea that death in opera is frequently associated with
the anapest. Noske finds examples from Lully through Berlioz and notes
Verdi’s use of the device, especially in Macbeth. - Rosen, David. “Meter, Character, and tintain Verdi’s Operas.” In Verdi’s Mid-
dle Period(#1803), 339–392.
Observes the different moods engaged by Verdi’s use of various triple meters:
3/8, 3/4, and 6/8. During the middle period, 3/8 was more common. The dis-
tinction is always important for expressing the situation and should not be
passed over by performers. - Marvin, Roberta Montemorra. “Aspects of Tempo in Verdi’s Early and Mid-
dle Period Italian Operas.” In Verdi’s Middle Period (#1803), 393–411.
Verdi’s autograph scores show growing attention to details of tempo markings;
he began including metronome indications with Attilaand continued using
them. Tempo designations in many of the operas are arrayed and discussed.
Analysis: Form
- Budden, Julian. “Problems of Analysis in Verdi’s Works.” In Nuove prospet-
tive (#1916), 125–129.
A brief, pessimistic look at the search for unifying features in the operas: all
approaches present great obstacles. Tonal structure seems invalid, since most
of the operas end in a key other than the one in which they begin. Thematic
development is not much pursued. Motivic unity is also scarce. - Powers, Harold S. “La solita formaand ‘The Uses of Convention.’” AM 59
(1987): 65–90.
Revises an essay that had appeared in Nuove prospettive(#1916). Takes issue
with other scholars who have expressed themselves on the unity issue, espe-
cially Budden (#1830, #1851) and Gossett (#246). Powers looks for answers
in dramatic issues rather than in musical demands. Verdi achieved effects by
deviating from patterns that the audience was expecting (solite forme). Sug-
gests that Verdi was influenced in these matters by the writings of Abramo
Basevi (#1829). See also Parker (#1808) and next item. - Parker, Roger. “Insolite forme,or Basevi’s Garden Path.” In Leonora’s Last
Act(#1808), 42–60.
346 Opera