Lucia di Lammermoor mad scene
Music 360
Fall 2012
History paper
Lucia di Lammermoor- Mad scene
Lucia di Lammermoor, written in 1835, is an opera by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) based on the novel The Bride of Lammermoor by Sir Walter Scott. The opera is often called a masterpiece and has, thus far, stood the test of time. It was not only popular in its day, but remains popular repertory today and performed by companies around the world every year. The “Mad Scene” has been remarked as a reason to go to the opera. The scene uses motives from earlier in the opera that show a mind going insane, in addition to utilizing elaborate coloratura and vocal flourishes. This opera is said to touch the heart the way few others can do, as a masterpiece and “heralding swan song of Romantic sensibility”.1 The role of Lucia is very demanding and requires refined acting skills, vocal technique, and the ability to let one’s mind go deeply into the insanity and heartbreak of the character. One should be aware of the Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor because of its complexity and popularity, but particularly because of the way that Donizetti is able to use music to portray madness and incorporate Sir Walter Scott’s text to make a piece for both audiences and sopranos to delight in. Gaetano Donizetti was born in Bergamo in the province of Lombardy on November 29, 1797. Donizetti was born into poverty, which is notable because when looking into the periods before him, a musical education was available only to those of means and society. In his hometown of Bergamo is where Donizetti first discovered serious music through teacher, benefactor and eventually friend, Johann Simon Mayr.2 Mayr was one of Donizetti’s biggest supporters who is said to have helped him in acquiring some of his professional engagements. Donizetti’s first major success was his thirty-first opera Anna Bolena.3 In the 1830s there was a high demand for opera in Italy and Donizetti worked to meet the challenge because there
Fall 2012
History paper
Lucia di Lammermoor- Mad scene
Lucia di Lammermoor, written in 1835, is an opera by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) based on the novel The Bride of Lammermoor by Sir Walter Scott. The opera is often called a masterpiece and has, thus far, stood the test of time. It was not only popular in its day, but remains popular repertory today and performed by companies around the world every year. The “Mad Scene” has been remarked as a reason to go to the opera. The scene uses motives from earlier in the opera that show a mind going insane, in addition to utilizing elaborate coloratura and vocal flourishes. This opera is said to touch the heart the way few others can do, as a masterpiece and “heralding swan song of Romantic sensibility”.1 The role of Lucia is very demanding and requires refined acting skills, vocal technique, and the ability to let one’s mind go deeply into the insanity and heartbreak of the character. One should be aware of the Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor because of its complexity and popularity, but particularly because of the way that Donizetti is able to use music to portray madness and incorporate Sir Walter Scott’s text to make a piece for both audiences and sopranos to delight in. Gaetano Donizetti was born in Bergamo in the province of Lombardy on November 29, 1797. Donizetti was born into poverty, which is notable because when looking into the periods before him, a musical education was available only to those of means and society. In his hometown of Bergamo is where Donizetti first discovered serious music through teacher, benefactor and eventually friend, Johann Simon Mayr.2 Mayr was one of Donizetti’s biggest supporters who is said to have helped him in acquiring some of his professional engagements. Donizetti’s first major success was his thirty-first opera Anna Bolena.3 In the 1830s there was a high demand for opera in Italy and Donizetti worked to meet the challenge because there