DON CARLO Student Guide | Opera Philadelphia

Page 1

OperA Philadelphia and t h e S c h oo l D i s t r i c t o f P h i l a d e l p h i a present

verdi

Academy of Music | final Dress Rehearsal W e d n e s d ay, a p r i l 2 2 , 2 0 1 5 A T 2 : 0 0 P. M . 1


Best Practices in Arts Education is sponsored by Pennsylvania Alliance for Arts Education, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Department of Education

A FA M I L Y G U I D E TO THE OPERA

Opera Philadelphia believes that family is the most important foundation for learning. Let your kitchen table become a classroom where your children can build their knowledge of opera and the humanities. As you join in the teaching and learning process with your children, watch their eyes sparkle. Opera is a communal celebration and your children’s education should be one as well. Pennsylvania Academic Standards call for students to demonstrate what they know and are able to do, and children need to share what they have discovered or learned. Thus, the title of our program is Sounds of Learning™. It reflects our belief that children must actively engage in sharing ideas. The Sounds of Learning™ workbook and teacher guide integrates with the local core literacy curriculum in many ways. Just as opera is a uniquely integrated art—combining orchestra, voice, literature, drama, and dance—Sounds of Learning™ is an interdisciplinary, studentcentered program. The goal of the Active Learning section is to engage your children in the process of self-teaching. They will be able to show how they gain insights into their learning by drawing, writing, and discussing the issues most relevant to them. In this way, students demonstrate what they can do with what they know. In reading the libretto, or script, we suggest that you and your family members take turns reading particular roles. Dr. Ellen Winner of Harvard’s Project Zero found that “drama helps to build verbal skills that transfer to new materials,” and helps improve not only students’ reading skills but also “oral and written language development.1” 1.

Journal of Aesthetic Education, v34, #3/4, Fall/Winter, 2000.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF SOUNDS OF LEARNING™ Improve literacy achievement by using the opera’s libretto to teach lessons across the curriculum Understand the plot, characters, and their motivations in the opera Learn something about the composer and others involved in writing the opera Make a connection to the historic and social context of the story Know some key musical elements, recognize certain melodies, differentiate between voices Understand the role music plays in expressing emotions and heightening the dramatic experience Understand the various elements of producing opera and the functions of those involved: e.g., conductor, director, set designer, technical crew, etc. Develop the ability to make inferences about the opera, production, and performance Relate incidents in the opera to those of the present day

2


TA B L E O F CONTENTS 2

A Family Guide to the Opera

G E T T I N G R E A D Y F O R T H E O P E R A 4

Going to the Opera at the Academy of Music

5

Theater Anatomy

6

The Then and Now of Opera

8

Opera Vocabulary

9

Connect the Opera Terms

R E L AT I N G O P E R A TO H I S TO RY

10

What in the World? Events in Verdi’s Life

12

Giuseppe Verdi: Hero of Italy

14

Beware the Grand Inquisitor

L I B R E T T O

15

Don Carlo: Synopsis

16

Don Carlo: Libretto

37

Don Carlo: Meet the Artists

A D D I T I O N A L

38

Don Carlo History and Opera Philadelphia’s Production

40

Royal Intermarriage and Don Carlo’s Family

41

Sequence of the Story

42

Conflicts and Loves in Don Carlo

43

Plot in the Action: Don Carlo

A N D P RO D U C T I O N I N F O R M AT I O N

LESSONS

44 Glossary

3


G O I N G T O T H E O P E R A AT T H E AC A D E M Y O F M U S I C There’s nothing as exciting as attending the opera in a theater like the Academy of Music, where you’ll see the final dress rehearsal of Giuseppe Verdi’s Don Carlo. The Academy is a very special building because it is the country’s oldest grand opera house still used for its original purposeperforming opera! It is a grand opera house with a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Its four-level design was based on the famous La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy. The Academy opened on January 26, 1857 with a Grand Ball and Promenade Concert and the first opera performed there was Verdi’s Il trovatore on February 25, 1857. The Academy is so important to our nation’s history that it was made a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1963. When you’re at the Academy of Music for Don Carlo, you may see several computer monitors and a large table spread out over the seats in the center of the first floor of the auditorium. Seated in this area is the production team: Director, Assistant Director, Costume Designer, Lighting Designer, and Set Designer, among others. They’ll be taking notes and communicating via headsets with the many people backstage who help make operatic magic. They’ll be able to talk to the crew DOs and DON’Ts at the OPERA

Here are some things you can do to make sure everyone in the theater can enjoy the opera: Use the bathrooms before the opera begins or at intermission. Enter and exit the theater in an orderly fashion. Turn off your cell phones and all electronic devices. Applaud after the arias; shout “Bravo!” for men and “Brava!” for women. Don’t forget... Please obey the theater ushers and staff. No food, gum, or beverages are allowed inside the theater. No photos or audio/video recording may be taken during the performance. No talking or whispering during the performance. No shoving, jumping, running, spitting, or throwing anything in the theater. Make your school proud!

4

so changes can be made right away. Should things go wrong, the rehearsal might be stopped or a part repeated to make sure that it is perfect. Unlike actors on television or in the movies, performers on stage are very aware of the audience. They want to share their love of performing with you. Everything you do in the audience affects what happens on stage. You can show them how much you appreciate their work and the opportunity to come to the rehearsal by being as quiet as possible. Show your respect for the cast, musicians, the production team, and everyone in the theater by not talking. Give the artists and the production your full attention! To take a tour of the Academy of Music, please visit kimmelcenter.org/ planning/tours.php

Photo by Michael Bolton

AC A D E M Y O F M U S I C F U N FAC T S

The auditorium seats 2,897; 14 columns support the tiers; the auditorium is encased within a three feet thick solid brick wall. The Academy chandelier is 25 ft high, 50 ft in circumference, almost 17 ft in diameter, and 3,500 pounds in weight. It has 23,000 crystals on it, which, if laid out, could reach from Broad Street to Rittenhouse Square and back. The red and gold pattern on the Academy’s stage curtain is of a pineapple, a Victorian-era symbol for “welcome.” The first-ever indoor football game was held at the Academy on March 7, 1889 between the University of Pennsylvania and Riverton Club of Princeton. 1,600 people attended the first-ever motion picture screening on February 5, 1870. Air conditioning was installed in 1959. There was no elevator for the general public in the Academy until 1990!


T H E AT E R A N ATO M Y Opera singers must act on stage as well as sing! This means that they have to understand the stage set-up. When the director is rehearsing with the singers, he or she must be clear about where they should be on stage, otherwise there could be a big traffic jam! So special vocabulary is used. Upstage is the very back of the stage (away from the audience) and downstage is at the front (near the audience). Stage Left and Stage Right may seem to be on the wrong sides as well. Can you figure out why? You might also wonder about “up” stage and “down” stage. Opera sets are frequently built on a platform or “deck” that’s lower in the front near the apron and higher in the back near the back stage area. Thus, the lower end is “downstage” and the higher end is “upstage.” Also, when you visit the Academy of Music, look for the bas-relief portrait of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the top of the proscenium.

BACKSTAGE

PROSCENIUM

W I N G S

UPSTAGE RIGHT

UPSTAGE CENTER

W I N G S

UPSTAGE LEFT

CENTER

DOWNSTAGE RIGHT

DOWNSTAGE CENTER

DOWNSTAGE LEFT

CURTAIN LINE APRON

ORCHESTRA PIT

Diagram from OPER A America’s MUSIC! WORDS! OPER A! Level II Teacher’s Manual ©1991, OPER A America Inc.

5


THE THEN AND NOW OF OPERA Have you ever wondered where opera got its start? Back in the late 1500s, during the height of the Renaissance (1400–1600), a group of men called the Florentine Camerata got together to create a new and moving theatrical experience. They wanted to recreate what the ancient Greeks did during their legendary dramas. The result was something entirely new – opera! Most of the early operas were based on Greek myths. The most famous opera of this early period that is still performed today is Claudio Monteverdi’s Orfeo (1607). Certain basic ingredients were included in opera: songs, instrumental accompaniments, costumes, dance, and scenery. We still use all of these ingredients today! Early operas were first performed in the grand courts of Italian nobility, but soon opera became popular with the public, too. Theaters were built just to mount operas. These theaters had elaborate stage machinery to create special effects, like flying actors or crumbling buildings. During the Baroque period (1600–1750), Italian opera spread all over Europe. The Italian style of opera was so popular that even non-Italians wrote in this style. For example, Georg Frederic Handel (1685–1759) was a German-born composer who lived and worked in England. His

operas, like Julius Caesar (1724), were written in the Italian language and used an Italian style of music. The eighteenth century was full of change for both Europe and opera. This time period was known as the Age of Enlightenment. People were talking about new forms of government and organization in society, especially the evergrowing middle class. Music displayed this new thinking as composers dropped the Baroque era’s complicated musical style for simpler, more emotional music. One of the first operas to use this new style was Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (1762). In 1776 the American Revolution changed the world. A few years later the French had their own revolution (1789) and the first modern democracies were born. To match the times in which they were created, audiences wanted to see characters like themselves on stage, not gods and goddesses. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (1786) featured a timely story of aristocratic class struggles that had both servants and nobility in lead roles. In the 1800s opera continued to grow. The Italian tradition continued in the bel canto movement, which literally translates to “beautiful singing.” The most famous bel canto composers were Gioacchino Rossini (1792–1868), Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848), and Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835). Their operas, like Rossini’s popular comedies The Barber of Seville (1816) and Cinderella (1817), are still some of the most popular operas performed today. By the middle of the century, the Romantic Movement led many composers to champion their own national identities. German operas like Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz (1821), Russian operas like Mikhail Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar (1836) and French operas like Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots (1836)

6


were performed across Europe. In Germany, Richard Wagner took Romanticism to the extreme in The Ring of the Nibelung (1876), which takes over 15 hours to perform! Opera in the twentieth century became even more experimental. Composers like Giacomo Puccini (La bohème, 1896), Claude Debussy (Pelléas et Mélisande, 1902), Richard Strauss (Salome, 1905), and Benjamin Britten (Peter Grimes, 1945) evolved their national styles. Others, horrified by the destruction of World War I (1914-1918) and other aspects of modern life, created music that was new and drastically dissonant. American opera had a huge hit with George and Ira Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (1935) which included jazz and blues musical styles. Today, opera is still growing and expanding. Opera Philadelphia helps to shape the future of opera by producing important new works like Theodore Morrison’s Oscar (2015), an opera based on the trial and imprisonment of Oscar Wilde. Upcoming productions include Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD (2015) by Daniel Schnyder, about the tortured jazz saxophonist, and Cold Mountain (2016), an opera composed by Philadelphian Jennifer Higdon and based on the book of the same name by Charles Frazier. Although opera is one of the oldest musical art forms, it still remains and expands today. From the old favorites to the new experimental works, opera continues to be a moving art form of the people.

READING COMPREHENSION

1. During the Renaissance, on what were many of the first operas based? 2. What kind of opera spread all over Europe during the Baroque period? Give one example of this kind of opera. 3. What artistic genre played a huge role in French opera during the Baroque period? 4. How did the Enlightenment movement during the 18th century change how composers wrote operas? 5. What new operatic qualities did Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro display due to the American Revolution and its effect in the world? 6. Describe bel canto opera and give one example of a composer who used this style. 7. Nationalism was a prominent feature in the operatic world in the 1800s. Give an example of a composer who strayed from the Italian operatic form to write nationalistic operas. 8. What other musical styles did the American opera Porgy and Bess include? 9. Name three new operas that Opera Philadelphia has produced or will produce in the future.

Above: Countertenor David Daniels in Oscar by Theodore Morrison. Left: Soprano Michelle Johnson as Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. Far left: Bass Morris Robinson dominates Verdi’s patriotic Nabucco. Photos by Kelly & Massa.

7


OPERA VOC ABUL ARY Act - main sections of a play or opera Aria - a solo song sung in an opera Audience - people who watch a performance and sit in the “house� or auditorium Ballet - dance set to music within an opera Blocking - action on stage Character - person who is part of the opera’s story Chorus - music composed for a group of singers or the name of a group of singers in an opera Conductor - person who rehearses and leads the orchestra Duet - a song performed by two singers Libretto - the text of an opera or other long vocal work Orchestra - a group of musicians who play together on various musical instruments Ornamentation - any of several decorations, such as the trill, occurring chiefly as improvised embellishments in music Overture - a piece of instrumental music played at the beginning of an opera Program - booklet that contains information about the opera, composer, performers, the opera company, and includes advertisements Recitative - words that are sung in the rhythm of natural speech - a bit like the 18th century version of rap Rehearsal - time when singers/actors practice with or without the orchestra; time when musicians practice together with the conductor Scene - segments of action within the acts of an opera TYPES OF SINGERS Soprano - highest pitched female voice Mezzo-soprano - female voice between soprano and contralto Contralto - lowest pitched female voice Countertenor - male who sings in falsetto, in a female range Tenor - highest pitched male voice Baritone - male voice between tenor and bass 8

Bass - lowest pitched male voice


CONNECT THE OPERA TERMS 1. Opera Seria

A. Dance spectacle set to music

2. Baritone

B. Highest pitched woman’s voice

3. Opera

C. Dramatic text adapted for opera

4. Ballet

D. Low female voice

5. Orchestra

E. Comic opera

6. Libretto

F. A drama or comedy in which music is the essential factor; very little is spoken

7. Duet 8. Aria 9. Soprano 10. Chorus

G. Opera with dramatic and intense plots H. Music composed for a singing group I. A composition written for two performers

11. Act

J. A group of musicians who play together on various musical instruments

12. Contralto

K. Highest pitched man’s voice

13. Tenor 14. Opera Buffa

L. A musical style used in opera and oratorio, in which the text is declaimed in the rhythm of natural speech with slight melodic variation

15. Recitative

M. Male voice between bass and tenor

16. Bass

N. A piece of music originally designed to be played before an opera or musical play

17. Overture 18. Verismo

O. The term describing the realistic or naturalistic school of opera that flourished briefly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; libretti were chosen to depict a ‘slice of life’ P. Deepest male voice Q. Elaborate solo in an opera or oratorio R. Main division of a play or opera

9


W H AT I N T H E W O R L D ? EVENTS IN VERDI’S LIFE Below is a list of important historical events both in Verdi’s life and throughout the world. The items in boldface type are things that happened to Verdi and items with an asterisk (*) have local significance. All other items are historic or cultural events. Discuss what it might have been like to be alive during the time period. How would your life be different or the same? How did the inventions of the time affect daily life? 1813 1821 1829

Giuseppe Verdi was born on October 10 in Le Roncole, a small village near Busseto, Italy. Verdi’s father bought him a broken-down spinet, initiating his first musical studies. * The cornerstone for the first United States Mint was laid at Chestnut and Juniper Streets in Philadelphia. 1830 “ Mary Had a Little Lamb” was first published by Sarah Josepha Hale in the anthology “Poems for Our Children.” 1832 Verdi traveled to Milan to attend Conservatory but was not accepted; he began to study independently. 1836 Verdi married Margherita Barezzi, the daughter of his benefactor. 1839 Verdi met famous singer Giuseppina Strepponi in Milan, Italy, whom he would later marry. 1839 First recorded use of “OK” [oll korrect] was published in Boston’s Morning Post. 1840 Verdi’s wife Margherita died shortly after the death of his two small children. 1842 March 9, triumphant debut of Nabucco at La Scala. 1843-51 Verdi wrote and produced thirteen operas, among them: I Lombardi, I due Foscari, Macbeth. 1845 Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” was first published. 1847 The first doughnut with a hole in it was created. 1848 Verdi bought the Sant’Agata estate near Busseto, a vast property rich in woods, vineyards, and water, which became his refuge and source of inspiration. 1851 Verdi’s mother died. 1852-62 Verdi composed some of his most successful operas including Rigoletto, Il trovatore, La traviata, and Un ballo in maschera. 1857 *Philadelphia’s Academy of Music opens with a concert conducted by Tchaikovsky. 1859 Verdi married soprano Giuseppina Strepponi. 1861 Verdi was elected to Parliament under the Liberal Party. 1861-65 American Civil War takes place. The Edgar Allan Poe National Historical Site in Philadelphia is where the short 1865 The 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishes slavery story master and poet wrote such classics throughout the United States. as “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Fall of 1867 Verdi lost his father Carlo and his benefactor Barezzi. the House of Usher,” and “To Helen.” Photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC 1869 * Charles Elmer Hires sold his first root beer in Philadelphia. 1871 Verdi’s opera Aida premiered triumphantly in Cairo, Egypt. 1874 First performance of Verdi’s Manzoni Requiem, considered by some to be the most beautiful religious music of its time. *The first United States zoo opened in Philadelphia. 1876 Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call. 10


1878 United States Supreme Court ruled that states cannot prohibit segregation on public transportation. 1880 *Rodin created his sculpture “The Thinker.” A copy can be seen in the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia. 1882 The first string of Christmas tree lights was created by Thomas Edison. 1884 America’s first roller coaster began operating at Coney Island, NYC. 1885 Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published. 1887 Verdi’s opera Otello, based on the play by Shakespeare, premiered at La Scala. 1888 Slavery was abolished in Brazil. More slaves had been imported (4 million) to Brazil than any other western hemisphere nation. 1889 * Johnstown, Pennsylvania was destroyed by a massive flood, killing 2,209 people in the flood and related fire. 1890 Ellis Island, NYC, opened as a United States immigration depot. Peanut Butter was invented as a vegetarian protein supplement for people with missing teeth. 1892 Sunday school teacher Lizzie Borden, accused of killing her father and stepmother with an ax in Fall River, Mass., was acquitted of the murders by an all-male jury. The American Pledge of Allegiance was first recited in public schools to commemorate Columbus Day. 1893 Verdi’s Falstaff was presented at Milan’s La Scala theater. The Ferris Wheel was introduced at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago by George Ferris. 1894 *Milton Hershey (1857-1945) founded Hershey Foods in The first Ferris wheel, created by George Pennsylvania. Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. from the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in 1895 Frederick E. Blaisdell patented the pencil. Chicago was 264 feet tall. 1896 The first movie theater in United States opened and charged 10 cents for admission. The United States Supreme Court ruled 7 to 1 to give states the authority to segregate people racially. 1897 Verdi’s second wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, died on November 14. * World renowned singer and civil rights pioneer Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia. 1898 * Paul Robeson (d.1976), athlete, actor and singer, was born in Princeton, NJ. *The first amusement pier opened in Atlantic City, NJ. The first automobile was sold. 1900 The hamburger was created by Louis Lassing in Connecticut. 1901 * The first annual Mummers parade was held in Philadelphia. Verdi died at the Grand Hotel in Milan, Italy, at age 87, after spending Christmas with his dearest friends.

Information taken from Timelines of History website at http://timelines.ws. 11


GIUSEPPE VERDI: H E R O O F I T A LY What is your passion in life? Does music, dance, sports, reading, science, or math make you happy? What do you love so much that you would sacrifice everything for it? As a young Italian boy, Giuseppe Verdi was passionate about playing piano and writing music. He worked hard and experienced failure, but because of his perseverance and talent, we can enjoy Verdi’s great music through his emotional and beautifully composed operas.

Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1813 and his love of music was evident from his earliest years. One of his greatest joys was listening to the old organ in the church just a few steps from his home. At the age of eight, his father, Carlo Verdi, bought him an old spinet, a type of piano, and Giuseppe began music lessons. Giuseppe’s father hoped his son would become a country band leader so he arranged for him to study under the church organist. Four years later, at the age of 12, the young Giuseppe became the church organist when his teacher took another post. Can you imagine playing organ for a church at the age of 12? Soon afterwards, Giuseppe’s father recognized his son’s gift and arranged for him to study in the nearby town of Busseto, Italy. His father’s friend, Antonio Barezzi, who was a successful shopkeeper and amateur musician, agreed to put the young Giuseppe up in his home there. It was in this town that Giuseppe met the director of the music school, Bartolomeo Merelli, who put him to work copying orchestral parts for the scores of the famous composers of the time, such as Franz Joseph Haydn (17321809) and Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868). Giuseppe became so proficient in his music studies that the director of the school allowed him to take the podium of the local orchestra and conduct them. His patron, Barezzi, was so impressed with Giuseppe’s gifts that he helped arrange for Giuseppe to receive a scholarship to continue his studies in Milan. However, 12

Giuseppe was now over eighteen, and the judges did not care for his simple country dress. As a result they refused to accept him into the school. The director of La Scala, one of the greatest opera houses in the world, told him not to give up and encouraged him to study under Maestro Vincenzo Lavigna. Under his new teacher’s tutelage, Giuseppe studied the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (17561791) and Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). At 21, Giuseppe was attending a rehearsal of Haydn’s mass, The Creation, when the conductor became ill. Giuseppe was asked to continue to conduct the piece for him. He sat at the piano and played with one hand while conducting with the other, a great feat! The musicians were so impressed with his talent that he was given the responsibility of conducting the performances in Milan. This success launched his career. On May 4, 1836, Giuseppe married his patron’s daughter, Margherita Barezzi. On November 17, 1839, his first opera, Oberto, premiered at La Scala and was a moderate success. The next few years, however, were times of deep sadness. Giuseppe’s two children died before either reached the age of three, and then his wife Margherita died in June 1840, a few months after the second child.


Giuseppe returned to Milan and composed the comic opera, Un giorno di regno, for which he had signed a contract prior to his wife’s death. This opera was a complete failure due partly to the extreme grief with which Giuseppe struggled while composing it. Deeply depressed and finding it hard to concentrate on his work, Giuseppe was almost impoverished. He could only afford to eat one meal a day. Not long after, while leaving a tavern, he bumped into Bartolomeo Merelli, the opera house director who had supported Giuseppe’s earlier work. He asked Giuseppe to compose another opera. From this accidental meeting, the great opera Nabucco was born. The night the opera was premiered, March 9, 1842 in La Scala, the audience cheered Giuseppe, who still could not smile.

R eading C omprehension

1. H ow did Verdi’s father know that his son had a musical gift? 2. W hen did Verdi get his big break for conducting that launched his career? 3. W hom did Verdi have an accidental meeting with that resulted in him composing Nabucco? 4. W ho was Verdi’s personal hero and how did this influence his operas? 5. Whom did Verdi support after his death?

Over the years, Giuseppe composed masterpiece after masterpiece. Some of his operas had a political nature and the government was always checking his work for anything they disagreed with. Giuseppe believed in republican ideals, which were different from the Italian government’s views, and thought of George Washington, the first American president, as his personal hero. The song, “Va, pensiero” (Go Thought) from Nabucco became the revolutionary hymn of Italy while they fought to gain their independence from Austria. It still inspires people today. Giuseppe always remembered and loved his simple country heritage. He never forgot those less fortunate than himself. He supported other struggling artists financially, and upon his death gave all the royalties of his operas to support a home in Milan for aged opera singers. This nursing home exists to this day. Giuseppe Verdi was more than an artist; he embodied the heart and soul of Italy, and Italy loved him!

13


B E WA R E THE GRAND INQUISITOR The Catholic Church established the Inquisition in Spain to make sure that new converts obeyed church rules. In Verdi’s Don Carlo, the Inquisition affects many of the characters and is a main part of the plot. The Inquisition was originally created in the thirteenth century and its activities varied according to the needs of the rulers of Catholic countries. In Spain, it was highly feared. Even the Church's own leaders were afraid of it. In 1542, Pope Paul IV made it an official Church office because he thought that Protestant ideas were increasing among Italian Catholic churchmen. The Inquisition was a committee of six cardinals appointed by the pope to review cases of suspected heresy, belief, or opinion contrary to orthodox Catholic doctrine. Thus began a period of unrest and discomfort within the Church as it attempted to clean out Jewish and Muslim followers, who converted to Christianity, but practiced their faiths of origins secretly, known as Crypto-Jews and Crypto-Muslims. The pope gave the Inquisition full power and authority. Arrests, tortures, and violent means were used to obtain confessions of heresy from suspected non-believers.

object to him putting his own son, Don Carlo, to death. The Inquisitor replies that the King will be in good company: God sacrificed His own son. In return for his support, the Inquisitor demands that the King have Posa, the king’s right hand man, killed, due to his heresy. Also, as a backdrop to the drama of the opera, an autoda-fé happens in Act III, Scene II, which shows the public parade and the Inquisition burning condemned heretics.

T he I nquisition T oday The Inquisition still survives today; its official title is the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It reviews writings by Catholics considered to be contrary to official Church dogma. Instruments of physical torture are no longer in use, but these inquiries create much ill feeling because of the pressures brought upon the writers to take back many of their beliefs. In the view of scholars, this intellectual torture prevents free speech and scientific progress.

In Spain, during the reign of Philip II, the Inquisition conducted its activities free of royal interference. Catholics and Protestants bitterly fought each other in Spain as they did in Rome and elsewhere. One historian calls this period "a time for massacres." Persons suspected of heresy were burned at the stake. No one was safe from suspicion.

D on C arlo and G rand I nquisitor

the

The Grand Inquisitor in the opera Don Carlo is a blind, ninety-year-old man. King Philip is under the Grand Inquisitor’s influence and desires his approval, so he asks him if the Church will 14

The Grand Inquisitor. Costume design by Constance Hoffman.


DON CARLO: SYNOPSIS A ct I

Don Carlo, son of the King of Spain, and Elizabeth de Valois, princess of France, are secretly in love and are promised to each other in an arranged royal marriage; however, for reasons of state, the princess is instead given in marriage to Carlo’s father, King Philip II of Spain. Carlo prays for peace at the tomb of his grandfather, Charles V where he meets a friar, whose voice he recognizes as Charles V. Carlo’s friend Rodrigo, the Marquis of Posa, arrives and attempts to distract Carlo begging him to join him to fight for the country of Flanders (modern day Belgium), which is being oppressed by the Spanish. Carlo then meets with Elizabeth and asks her to intervene for him with King Philip II to be sent to Flanders. Carlo then expresses his love for Elizabeth, which he knows she cannot return, even though she still loves him. Carlo flees. The King arrives and Rodrigo pleads for Flanders with the King, but Philip tells him of his worries about Elizabeth and Carlo. Philip asks Rodrigo to spy on Carlo and Elizabeth.

A ct I I

It is evening. Carlo has received an anonymous letter and is waiting for the Queen in the garden. The letter’s author was the princess Eboli, who is also in love with Carlo and is in the garden wearing a veil to disguise herself. Thinking the veiled woman is Elizabeth, Carlo reveals his love. Eboli, believing Carlo is confessing his love to her, removes her veil and confesses her love for Carlo. He then rejects Eboli, who swears vengeance. Rodrigo arrives and threatens to kill Eboli; but Carlo stops him. He asks Carlo to give him any incriminating documents concerning Flanders that he might possess to him. An autoda-fé, or a burning of heretics at the stake, is about to begin; but deputies from Flanders approach and beg the King for aid. He sends them away, at which Carlo draws his sword and demands to be sent to Flanders. Rodrigo takes away his sword, after which, Philip makes Rodrigo a duke and has Carlo arrested and put in prison.

A ct I I I

Philip obtains help from the Grand Inquisitor in setting up a trial for his son. Maliciously, Princess Eboli has passed Elizabeth’s jewel box on to the King which contains a miniature portrait of Carlo inside. The King confronts the Queen with it, at which she faints. Eboli then confesses everything, including the fact that she has been the King’s mistress. Elizabeth bans her from the Court. Eboli immediately regrets her confession to Philip and decides to rescue Carlo from prison. Meanwhile, Rodrigo goes to see Carlo in prison, knowing that his own last hour is upon him. A gun fires and Rodrigo falls; mortally wounded, he dies in Carlo’s arms. With dying breath he tells Carlo to meet Elizabeth at the monastery. Philip enters and goes to give Carlo back his sword, but Carlo rejects him, having realized that Rodrigo has died to save him. In the resulting commotion, Eboli takes the opportunity to rescue Carlo from imprisonment.

A ct I V

Elizabeth and Carlo bid each other farewell in the gardens of the monastery of San Juste. They are taken by surprise by the King and the Grand Inquisitor. Carlo seems as though he will attempt to defend himself, but at the climax of the music, he pulls out his dagger and stabs himself. At the same moment a mysterious monk appears (who strongly resembles the ghost of Carlo’s grandfather, Charles V) as Carlo sinks dying into the ash.

15


DON CARLO LIBRETTO Fi nal D r ess R e h e ar sal – W e d n esday, APRIL 22, 2 015 at 2: 0 0 p. m . Translation courtesy of opera-guide.ch/. Words bolded in the libretto are defined in the glossary in the back of the guide. To see videos of the audio selections, go to the links provided in the gray boxes.

D on Carlo..............................................................................D i m i t r i P i t t a s* tenor ELIZ ABE TH D E VALO IS.........................................................L e a h C ro c e t t o*soprano PRIN CESS EBO LI.................................................M i c h e l l e D eYo u n g* mez zo - soprano K IN G PH ILIP II...................................................................E r i c O we n s b as s- b aritone RO D RIG O....................................................................................Troy C o o k b aritone TH E G R AN D IN Q U ISITO R........................................................Mo r r i s Ro b i n s o n b as s TEBALD O............................................................................ A s h l ey E m e r s o n soprano A FRIAR (A MO NK).......................................................................J e re my M i l n e r b as s A H E AVEN LY VO I CE...............................................................S a ra h S h a f e r soprano COUNT LER M A AND THE ROYAL HER ALD...........................................Mi ng j ie L e i* tenor D eputies, Friars, M onks, Ladies-in -Waiting, Pages, Pe ople, H eralds, N oblemen, Cour tiers, etc. Conductor......................................................................................C o r ra d o Rova r i s Dire ctor.................................................................................................T i m A l b e r y* S et D esign................................................................................A n d rew L i e b e r m a n* Costume D esign.....................................................................C o n s t a n c e H o f f m a n* Lighting D esign...................................................................................T h o m a s H a s e* Wig & M ake - up D esign...............................................................D a v i d Zi m m e r m a n Chorus M aster..............................................................................E l i za b e t h B ra d e n Stage M anager................................................................................... J e n ny H a r b e r A s sistant Stage M anager.........................................................................B e c k i S m i t h A s sistant Stage M anager............................................................................ J e n S h a w New Production Co-production with Washington National Opera and Minnesota Opera *Opera Philadelphia debut

16


MEET THE A R T I S T S I N D O N C A R LO Tenor D i m i t r i P i tta s makes his Opera Philadelphia debut as the title role in Don Carlo and has appeared on leading opera stages including the Bavarian State Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the Canadian Opera Company. He has been heard on the Metropolitan Opera stage as Rodolfo in La bohème, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. His repertoire includes roles such as Alfredo in La traviata and Tebaldo in I Capuletti e i Montecchi.

In the 2014-2015 season, soprano Leah Crocetto makes her Opera Philadelphia debut as the role of Elizabeth of Valois, sings Desdemona in Otello with English National Opera, Mimì in La bohème with San Francisco Opera, and Madam Lidoine in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites with Washington National Opera. She has won many competitions including being the 2010 Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. A former Adler fellow at San Francisco Opera, Leah has appeared frequently with the company, most recently in the role of Liu in Turandot.

This season, mezzo-soprano

Eric

Michelle

D e Yo u n g

makes her Opera Philadelphia debut as Princess Eboli in Don Carlo. She has sung at leading opera houses and her repertoire includes the title roles in Samson et Dalila, The Rape of Lucrectia, Amneris in Aida, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, and Marguerite in Le Damnation de Faust. Michelle has also appeared with many of the finest opera houses of the world including the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Houston Grand Opera, the Seattle Opera, the Glimmerglass Opera, and La Scala. Rodrigo in Don Carlo marks baritone T r o y C o o k’ s fifth production with Opera Philadelphia. Previous roles at Opera Philadelphia include Marcello in La bohème and most recently Father Palmer in the World Premiere of Silent Night by Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell. Other highlights this season include performances as Paolo in Simon Boccanegra with Kentucky Opera, Riccardo in Boston Lyric Opera’s I puritani, and the Marquis de la Force in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites with Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

bassbaritone and Philadelphia native, comes home to perform his role debut as King Philip II in Don Carlo. Eric’s career operatic highlights include his San Francisco Opera debut in Otello, his Royal Opera, Covent Garden, debut in Norma, Aida at Houston Grand Opera, and Rigoletto, Il trovatore, and La bohème at Los Angeles Opera. Mr. Owens opens his current operatic season by returning to Lyric Opera of Chicago for performances of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. He will also appear in his title role debut of Der fliegende Holländer with the Washington National Opera. Ow e n s ,

Atlanta native and a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Young Artist Program, Morris Robinson , bass, made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in their production of Fidelio. He has since appeared at the Met as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and the King in Aida. He has sung the King in Verdi’s Aida and Zaccharia in Verdi’s Nabucco with Opera Philadelphia and this season, Morris takes the stage as the creepy old Grand Inquisitor in Verdi’s Don Carlo. Morris’s first album, Going Home, was released on the Decca label. 37


DON CARLO HISTORY O P E R A P H I L A D E L P H I A’ S P R O D U C T I O N the opera was composed, Paris was the opera capital of the world. The city planned a gala Universal Exhibition for 1867 to celebrate France’s contributions to the new industrial age. In 1865, Verdi was asked, and reluctantly agreed, to compose a new opera as the centerpiece of the celebration, choosing to base the libretto on the German play “Don Karlos, Infante von Spanien” by Friedrich von Schiller.

Don Carlo set designs by Andrew Lieberman.

Don Carlo is the most ambitious and the most complex work of all the operas composed by Giuseppe Verdi. It is a majestic musical panorama of one of the most tumultuous periods in European history. This powerful opera is a study of power: its uses, abuses, limitations, and effects. Set against the continuous political, religious, and social battles of church and state, it reflects a society at war with itself. This is truly opera on a grand scale. The opera has no definitive version or standard performing edition. In its original form, first presented in Paris in 1867, Don Carlos was a five act opera containing more than four hours of music, sung in French, with a large cast that included a ballet. In October 1867, the five act text was translated into Italian for a production in Bologna. The revisions tightened the opera’s focus on its characters and their individual dramas. With all its spectacular effects, Don Carlo (the Italian title drops the ‘s’) is an opera about five people embroiled in a constant struggle against overwhelmingly powerful forces which threaten to destroy them. In the middle of the nineteenth century, when 38

When rehearsals began, Verdi was continuously forced to revise and cut his score to meet the theatrical and social customs prevalent in the Paris opera world. The opera was not an overwhelming success at its premiere. The American premiere took place at New York’s Academy of Music on April 12, 1877. The first performance in Philadelphia was on February 7, 1922, a production of New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Don Carlo’s establishment as an audience favorite began with a production of the five act version in Florence, Italy in 1950, followed by a revival of the four act version at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in November 1950. The New York atmosphere was highly charged, as pickets protested the opera’s presumed anti-Catholic tone. Then, in 1971, a new commercial recording

Aerial view of Escorial, near Madrid, Spain, ca. 1563-1584.


presented the opera in its five act version, sung in a new Italian translation. This recording restored much of the music and text cut by Verdi in 1867 and 1884. The reborn work was hailed by critics, scholars, and audiences as the masterpiece it truly is. Verdi, always a musical innovator, was years ahead of his time in composing this opera. Don Carlo is a scholar’s opera, a singer’s opera, and a pleasure-filled challenge for musicians, stage directors, and audiences. It is without question a milestone and a monument of operatic history.

silvery ivory color – a symbol of hope, of escape, of Carlo’s love for Elizabeth and the dream that was Fontainebleau. Throughout the opera, the set remains constant in its basic form, but the cupola changes subtly to reflect the drama.

The cupola at El Escorial monastery.

Opera Philadelphia set after the auto-de-fe with burning ashes

O ur N e w P roduction Our production of Don Carlo comes from Washington National Opera and Minnesota Opera. The set is inspired by the oppressive, repetitive architectural scheme of El Escorial, built by King Philip II in 1584, which is actually two architectural complexes: the royal monastery and a royal monastic retreat. El Escorial was at the same time a monastery and a Spanish royal palace, representing the duality of church and state. The Escorial of the opera set is on its side so that we are looking straight into its cupola, or cathedral dome, as the back wall, instead of the ceiling, so it’s as if the building is laid on its side and we are looking into the top. Its walls are a burnished coppery gold and its windows are black rectangles that feel like grave slabs in the floor of a church, or prison doors and windows. The cupola in the distance is a

Opera director Tim Albery describes how the set changes in Act 4 of the opera: In the interval before Act 4, we see that the fires of the Auto-daFe have wreaked havoc on the tower. The cupola is burned away completely leaving only its charred black edges, revealing the gash of grey clouds in the sky beyond. Grey ash is banked up to one side of the room, with some chairs and burnt timbers buried in it. As the music begins the people leave disconsolately and Philip leaves followed by his courtiers. The monastery is empty in another bleak dawn. Elizabeth arrives and is wearing her winter coat from Fontainebleau. She reaches the tomb of Charles and with her hand brushes away the ashes that cover it. Carlo arrives and Philip and three armed courtiers appear with the Inquisitor with his two monks. Carlo seems as though he will attempt to defend himself, but at the climax of the music, he pulls out his dagger and stabs himself. At the same moment Charles V enters as Carlo sinks dying into the ash as the front prison wall begins to fly in.

Source Cited: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_ Escorial Preliminary notes by opera director Tim Albery

39


R O YA L I N T E R M A R R I A G E A N D D O N C A R L O ’ S F A M I LY Imagine being forced to move to anot her countr y when you are a young teenager to marr y someone your parents c hose for you: no love, no time to grow up, no c hoices. This is how marriage worked in Don Carlo’s royal Europe.

Don Carlo’s father and stepmother, King Philip II and Elizabeth of Valois, were married to each other when Elizabeth was only fourteen and King Philip was 31, more than twice her age at the time. Such marriages were very common Philip II of Spain and his wife, Mary I of England. Mary and during this time in Philip were first cousins once history and it was removed. usually the result of a politically motivated royal intermarriage. Royal intermarriage is the practice of members of ruling dynasties to marry into other reigning families. Although sometimes it is the law for royalty to marry this way, more often it has been a matter of political policy or tradition in monarchies. Monarchies, or royal families, aren’t as common today, but arranged marriage still exists in some religions and cultures.

ruling families grew progressively smaller, until all European royalty was related. The House of Habsburg (Don Carlo’s family) was infamous for inbreeding, with Don Carlo only having 4 great-grandparents instead of the usual 8, due to the marriages of first cousins and first cousins once removed. He had only six great-greatgrandparents, instead of the maximum 16. This inbreeding, or being closely related over many generations, caused some major physical and mental problems for the Habsburgs. Don Carlo himself was said to have been born delicate and deformed, having one leg longer than the other and being prone to fits of rage. He was a feeble and sickly boy and as a young adult, began to show signs of mental instability. As feared, he died in prison at the age of 23 for attempting to kill his father.

An arranged marriage differs from autonomous marriage, called love marriage, in some parts of the world, where the individuals find and select their own spouses; arranged marriages, in contrast, are usually set up by the parents or an older family member. Marriage between dynasties was sometimes formed to help guarantee peace between nations or to start a war with a third nation. It also was used to gain territory if there was no undisputed male heir to the foreign throne.

In total, nine out of the eleven marriages entered into by the Habsburg kings were marriages between close relatives (third cousins or closer). As a result, half of the Hapsburg children did not survive past age 10, as compared Charles II of Spain to the 20% infant mortality showing a genetic trait aggravated by royal rate observed in Spanish family intermarriage, villages around this known as Habsburg jaw. time. Consequently, the Habsburg dynasty came to a quick end when there were no heirs left to rule in the year 1700 with the death of the last heir, Charles II.

Over time, because of the small number of potential royal spouses, the gene pool of many

Sources Cited: meeg-toomuchinformation.blogspot.com/2009/10/scientists-weigh-in-on-inbred-spanish.html www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=morris&book=spanish&story=reckless en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos,_Prince_of_ Asturias

40


SEQUENCE OF THE S TORY The sequence of a story or play is very important for understanding the content. The sequence of events explains how things happen and when they happen. After reading the libretto, place the following events in order. Re-number the events from one to ten in the order that they occur in the opera. Write the act in which you find that event. ______ 1. Rodrigo is assassinated. Act ___ ______ 2. Rodrigo threatens to kill Eboli.

______ 3. Don Carlo and Elizabeth say good-bye forever.

Act ___

Act ___

______ 4. Don Carlo trembles upon hearing the late King Charles V.

Act ___

______ 5. In a discussion with King Philip, Rodrigo makes a surprising plea for Flemish independence.

Act ___

______ 6. Rodrigo brings Elizabeth a letter from her mother and a note from Don Carlo.

Act ___

______ 7. The ghost of Charles V emerges from the tomb to pull Don Carlo into the sanctuary.

Act ___

______ 8. Eboli admits her affair with the king.

Act ___

______ 9. The Grand Inquisitor visits King Philip.

Act ___

______ 10. Don Carlo draws his sword against his father, but Rodrigo takes it away from him.

Act ___

AC T I V E L E A R N I N G Choose what you feel is the most important event in the sequence above and explain how, if changed, it would affect the other events. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Use additional paper if necessary.) Illustrate the most important event you have chosen or ask your teacher if you can act out the scene with your classmates. Discuss why you feel this scene is important with your classmates. How could you cause a change in this scene and affect the rest of the story’s plot? Discuss this new view of the opera with your classmates or write a new ending to the opera. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Use additional paper if necessary.)

41


CONFLICTS AND LOVES IN D O N C A R LO Verdi’s opera is filled with several fascinating characters, all of whom interact with each other. Draw a picture of Don Carlo in the middle circle. In the outer circles, draw a picture of the other characters. In the boxes pointing to the middle circle, write how the other characters feel about Don Carlo. In the boxes pointing to the outer circles, write how Don Carlo feels about the other characters.

42


PLOT THE ACTION IN D O N C A R LO Directions: Fill in the required information for each section below in numerical order. Use the information that appears with each section to help you proceed. It’s okay to write through the gray diagonal line in two of the sections.

2. As the story continues, the Rising Actions introduce complications and problems for the main characters. These difficulties create suspense!

3. The Climax of the story is when the reader is most interested in how the story will end. The suspense is at its peak, but the outcome is not yet known.

3. Climax

2. Rising Actions

4. Falling Actions

4. Falling Actions appears at the ending of the story. Suspense has been eliminated and these events show characters’ lives returning to normal. 1. The Exposition

1. The Exposition appears at the beginning of the story. It introduces us to the setting, characters, and background information.

5. Resolution

5. The Resolution is the final solution to the problem or conflict. In stories with happy endings it’s called the denouement. Tragic endings are called catastrophe.

43


GLOSSARY OF TERMS ab s o l u t i o n (ab - suh - lo o - shuh n) n .

the act of being freed from blame or guilt.

a c c u r s t (uh- k ur st ) adj .

doomed or ill-fated.

under a curse;

a d u l t e r o u s (uh - d uh l- ter - uh s ) adj .

involvement in sexual relations between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse. struck with overwhelming shock or amazement.

ag h a s t ( uh- ga st ) adj .

a n g u i s h (a n g - gwish ) n .

acute distress, suffering, or pain.

a s s a i l ( uh - se y l) v.

violently; assault.

excruciating or

to attack vigorously or

a s t r ay ( uh - st r e y ) adv.

known road, path, or route.

off the correct or

a s u n d e r (uh- suh n - der ) adv.

separate parts; in or into pieces.

into

a formal interview with a sovereign such as a king or queen.

a u d i e n c e (aw - dee - uh ns ) n .

the public declaration of the judgment passed on persons tried in the courts of the the Spanish Inquisition, followed by their execution, especially the burning of condemned heretics at the stake. A u t o d a F ĂŠ (aw- toh - duh - fe y ) n .

ba n i s h ( ba n - ish ) v. to expel from or relegate to a country or place by authoritative decree. b e s t o w ( bih - st o h ) v.

give; confer.

to present as a gift;

b e t r o t h e d (bih - t r o h t h d ) adj .

engaged to be married.

a former territory in W Europe next to Flanders. B r aba n t (bruh- ba n t ) n .

b r az e n (b r e y - zuh n ) adj .

impudent.

b r o o d ( brood ) v.

44

shameless or

to think or worry

persistently or moodily about; ponder. c a s k e t ( kas - kit) n .

as for jewels.

a small chest or box,

c l o i s t e r ( kl oi- ster) n . a place of religious seclusion, as a monastery or convent.

c o n s o l e ( kuh n- s oh l ) v. to alleviate or lessen the grief, sorrow, or disappointment of; give solace or comfort.

c o u r t i e r s ( koh r- tee- er) n . a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. c y p r e s s ( s ah y - pruh s) n . any of several evergreen coniferous trees having dark-green, scalelike, overlapping leaves often referred to as needles. d e f i l e d ( dih- fah y l d) v.

chastity of.

to violate the

d e m e n t e d ( dih- m e n - tid) adj .

insane; mad.

crazy;

d i s a r m ( dis- ah rm ) v. to take away or to deprive of a weapon or weapons. D o m i n i c a n ( duh- m in - i- kuh n) adj.

of or relating to the Dominican Order of Catholics.

d o m i n i o n s ( duh- m in -yuh n) n . a territory, usually of considerable size, in which a single rulership holds sway. e n c h a n t ( en- ch an t) v.

magical influence; bewitch.

to subject to

e n t o u r ag e ( ahn- too- rah zh ) n . a group of attendants or associates, as of a person of rank or importance. e n t r a n c i n g ( en- tran - sing ) adv.

delightful; enchanting.

to charge or invest with a trust or responsibility to another person. e n t r u s t ( en- truh s t) v.

e r r i n g ( e r- ing) adj .

error; wrong.

going astray; in


a village in central Spain: architectural complex containing a monastery, palace, and college, built by Philip II between 1563 and 1584. E s c u r i a l (e - sk y o o r - ee- uh l ) n .

e x i l e ( eg - zahyl ) n . expulsion from one’s native land by authoritative decree.

to hesitate or waver in action, purpose, intent. f a l t e r i n g (fawl - ter ) v. f aw n i n g (fawn ) v.

by servile demeanor.

to seek notice or favor

f e e b l e ( f e e - buh l ) adj .

from age or sickness; frail.

physically weak, as

F l a n d e r s (flan- derz) n . a powerful medieval country in W Europe located in W Belgium north of France. f l e e t l y ( fleet ) v.

to move swiftly; fly.

F l e m i s h (flem - i sh ) n .

Flanders collectively.

the people of

an ornamental design representing a lily with three distinct petals. f l e u r - d e - l y s (flur - dl - e e ) N .

f o e ( foh) n .

an enemy or a person who feels enmity, hatred, or malice toward another.

F o n ta i n e b l e a u (fo n - tin - bloh ) n . a town in N France, SE of Paris: famous palace, long a favorite residence of French kings; extensive forest. f o r s ak e (fawr - se y k ) v.

entirely; abandon; desert.

to quit or leave

a member of a Roman Catholic order, especially Franciscans, Dominicans, and Augustinians. f r i a r ( f ra h y - er ) n .

to reflect a sparkling light or a faint intermittent glow; shine lustrously. g l i s t e n i n g (glis- uh n ) v.

G r a n d I n q u i s i t o r (G rand I n- kwizi - ter ) n . the chief official in the court of the

Spanish Inquisition.

g r a n d e e s (gran - d e e ) n . a man of high social position or eminence, especially a Spanish or Portuguese nobleman.

h a l b e r d i e r s (hal - ber - d e e r ) n . a soldier, guard, or attendant armed with a halberd, an axlike cutting blade. h e r a l d s (h e r - uh ld ) n .

(formerly) a royal

or official messenger, especially one representing a monarch in an ambassadorial capacity during wartime. an opinion differing from the orthodox or accepted doctrine, especially of a church or religious system. h e r e s y ( h e r- uh- see) n .

i n f at u at i o n ( in - fach - oo- e y - shuh n) n . the state of being foolishly or unreasoningly

in love.

I n q u i s i t i o n ( in - kwuh - zis h - uh n) n .

the often violent institution that guarded the beliefs of Catholicism in Spain, chiefly by the persecution of Jews and Muslims. i n s o l e n t ( in - suh - luh nt ) adj.

rude or disrespectful; contemptuously impertinent; insulting. l a d e n ( l e y d - n) adj .

down.

boldly

burdened; loaded

m a n d o l i n ( man- dl - in ) n . a musical instrument with a pear-shaped wooden body and a fretted neck.

of or relating to the Moors, a Muslim people of NW Africa. M o o r i s h ( m oo r - ish ) adj . m o u r n ( mawrn) v.

to feel or express

n a u g h t ( nawt) n .

nothing.

sorrow or grief.

n i g h ( nahy) adv.

relation.

near in space, time, or

p l i g h t e d ( plahyt) v. to pledge (one’s troth) in engagement to marry.

P o s a ( poz uh) n . the area in France where the character Rodrigo comes from. p y r e ( pah y uh r) n .

for burning a body.

a pile or heap of wood

r abb l e ( rab - uh l) n .

mob.

a disorderly crowd;

open, organized, and armed resistance to one’s government or ruler. r e b e l l i o n ( ri - be l -yuh n) n .

the ceremonial clothes of royalty as in a crown and scepter. r e ga l i a ( ri - ge y - lee- uh) n .

deep and painful regret for wrongdoing; compunction. r e m o r s e ( ri - m awrs ) n .

45


r e n o u n c e d (ri - n o un s) v.

put aside voluntarily.

to give up or

r e p e n ta n c e (ri - pe n - tns ) n . deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing, or the like.

the state of reposing or being at rest; rest; sleep. r e p o s e ( ri - po h z ) n .

r e s o l v e (ri - z o lv ) v. to come to a definite or earnest decision about; determine (to do something). r e s t i t u t i o n (res - ti- t o o - shuh n) n .

s t r i f e ( strahyf ) n .

clash as in battle.

a quarrel, struggle, or

s u b d u e ( suh b- d oo) v.

bring into subjection.

to conquer and

s u b l i m e ( suh - bl ah y m ) adj. impressing the mind with a sense of grandeur or power; inspiring awe, veneration, etc.

having or manifesting a keen sense of what to say or do to avoid giving offense; skill in dealing with difficult or delicate situations.

ta c t f u l l y ( takt- fuh l) adj .

to afflict with great bodily or mental suffering; pain.

compensation made for loss, damage, or injury caused.

t o r m e n t ( tawr - m e n t) v.

r e t r i b u t i o n (re - truh - b y o o - shuh n) n . retaliation for some evil done.

t r e a c h e r o u s ( tre ch - er - uh s) adj.

r o u s e ( rouz) v. to bring out of a state of sleep, unconsciousness, inactivity, fancied security, apathy, depression.

s a c r i l e g i o u s (sak - ruh - li j - uh s) adj .

pertaining to or involving the violation of anything sacred or held sacred.

a member of any of the nomadic tribes on the Syrian borders of the Roman Empire. Sa r a c e n (sa r - uh- suh n ) n .

s e a l ( seel ) n . a stamp, medallion, ring, etc., engraved with such a device, for impressing paper, wax, lead, or the like.

sheltered or screened from general activity, view, etc. s e c l u d e d (si- k lo o - did) adj .

characterized by faithlessness or readiness to betray trust; traitorous. u n ava i l i n g ( uhn- uh- ve y - ling) adj.

ineffectual; futile.

u tt e r e d ( uh t- er) v. to give audible expression to; speak or pronounce.

ineffectual or unsuccessful;

va i n ( veyn) adj .

futile.

an arched structure, usually made of stones, concrete, or bricks, forming a ceiling or roof over a hall or room.

va u l t s ( vawlt) n .

v e h e m e n t l y ( ve e - uh- muh nt ) adj.

strongly emotional; intense or passionate.

s e d u c e d (si- d o o s) V. to persuade or induce to have sexual intercourse.

1. a piece of opaque or transparent material worn over the face for concealment. 2. n . the life of a nun, especially a cloistered life.

s o m b e r (so m- ber ) adj .

v e r g e ( vurj) N .

or dismal in mood.

gloomy, depressed,

v e i l ( veyl) n .

the edge, rim, or margin of

something.

s p e c t r e (spe k - ter ) n . a visible spirit, one of a terrifying nature; ghost; phantom; apparition.

to cause (time) to pass, especially in some easy or pleasant manner (usually followed by away).

s p u r n e d (spurn ) v.

w r at h ( rath) n .

scorn.

s t e e l ( steel) v.

and unyielding.

to render oneself determined

s t e r n ( sturn ) adj .

uncompromising.

to reject with disdain;

firm, strict, or

s t r e w n ( stroon ) v. to let fall in separate pieces or particles over a surface; scatter or sprinkle.

46

w h i l e ( wahyl) v.

vengeance or punishment as the consequence of anger.

very unfortunate in condition or circumstances; miserable; pitiable.

w r e t c h e d ( re ch - id) adj .

w r o u g h t ( rawt) v. y e a r n ( yurn ) v.

strong desire; long.

y i e l d ( yeeld ) v.

power or authority.

worked.

to have an earnest or

to give up, as to superior


THE S CH O O L DI S TRICT O F PHIL A DELPHI A S CH O O L REF O R M C O M M I S S I O N William J. Green, chairman Feather Houstoun, member Farah Jimenez, member

Sounds of Learning™ was established by a

generous grant from The Annenberg Foundation. Dedicated funding for the Sounds of Learning™ program has been provided by:

Marjorie Neff, member

THE WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION

William R. Hite, Jr., Ed.D Superintendent of Schools

Wells Fargo Hamilton Family Foundation Universal Health Services Anonymous Eugene Garfield Foundation GlaxoSmithKline

O PER A PHIL A DELPHI A David B. Devan General Director & President

Corrado Rovaris Jack Mulroney Music Director Annie Burridge Managing Director

Michael Bolton Vice President of Community Programs

Opera Philadelphia Community Programs Department © 2015

1420 Locust Street, Suite 210 Philadelphia, PA, 19102

Tel: 215.893.5927

Fax: 215.893.7801

operaphila.org/learn

Sylvia P. Simms, member

Dennis W. Creedon, Ed.D. Deputy Chief, Academic Enrichment & Support

Written and produced by:

Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Memorial Fund The Hirsig Family Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation Morgan Stanley Foundation Alpin J. & Alpin W. Cameron Memorial Fund Deluxe Corporation Foundation The McLean Contributionship Mutual Fire Foundation Louis N. Cassett Foundation Victory Foundation

Michael Bolton Vice President of Community Programs bolton@operaphila.org Adrienne Bishop Community Programs Assistant bishop@operaphila.org Katie Dune Multimedia Communications Coordinator dune@operaphila.org Special thanks to: Dennis W. Creedon, Ed.D. Creator, Sounds of Learning™ Curriculum Consultant Dr. Dan Darigan Joann Neufeld Vincent Renou Salvatore Sermania Theodore T. Smith Dr. Nancy Werner-Kaiser Katherine Young Curriculum Consultants Dr. Bettie Joyner Kleckley Dr. Nanci Ritter Program Evaluators Maureen Lynch Operations Manager, Academy of Music

Opera Philadelphia is supported by major grants from The William Penn Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Additional support is provided by the Independence Foundation and the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. Opera Philadelphia receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Support provided in part by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

Cornell Wood Head Usher, Academy of Music Academy of Music Ushers Karma Agency Design Concept and Cover Artwork Kalnin Graphics Printing

47


operaphila.org 48


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.