Author: Michiko Hara

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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"Giacomo Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, a one-act opera forming part of his trilogy called Il Trittico, received its world premiere in New York on December 14, 1918. Schicchi is a character that Dante Alighieri, approximately six hundred years earlier, condemned to Hell in his Commedia, more precisely in Canto XXX of the Inferno, for having impersonated the deceased Buoso Donati and successfully falsified the latter's will. Surprisingly, Puccini's Gianni Schicchi is a comedy with a happy ending and the impersonator Schicchi, one of Dante's worst sinners, becomes a hero. Why did Puccini, known to be a cosmopolitan xenophile, choose Dante at this particular time? In fact, it is Puccini's only opera based on an Italian source and the only opera buffa or comedy in his entire oeuvre. Moreover, if Dante was indeed the inspiration for his Gianni Schicchi, why did Puccini not respect the quintessence of Inferno XXX? Unfortunately, scholarly works that directly address these issues are scarce. With a view to finding answers to the aforementioned questions, the first chapter deals with the historical aspects from the biographical, social, political and artistic points of view. Then, the following chapter focuses on the theme of Gianni Schicchi, i.e. the close reading of the opera's libretto taking into consideration its musicality and in comparison with Dante's severe treatment of Schicchi. By then, it becomes clear that: if Gianni Schicchi is a comedy, it is a black comedy reflecting Puccini's Nihilism and sarcasm; whereas Dante's judgment was based on a strict and rigid interpretation of Thomas Aquinas's theology and his political vision sustaining the aristocracy, Puccini approached Schicchi more humanly and democratically; and, Puccini thus challenged Dante's ideological position. In sum, the opera Gianni Schicchi represents Puccini's criticism of social injustice and hope for a better society without class struggle. This preliminary conclusion, however, is supported solely by circumstantial evidences. In order to substantiate and make it worthy as the final conclusion, the final chapter discusses Puccini's other operas to find a coherent flow of the theme as well as the question of authorship. Doing so, it becomes evident that the theme of social injustice constitutes the thread throughout his entire oeuvre. " --

Download or read book Giacomo Puccini's Gianni Schicchi written by Michiko Hara and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Giacomo Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, a one-act opera forming part of his trilogy called Il Trittico, received its world premiere in New York on December 14, 1918. Schicchi is a character that Dante Alighieri, approximately six hundred years earlier, condemned to Hell in his Commedia, more precisely in Canto XXX of the Inferno, for having impersonated the deceased Buoso Donati and successfully falsified the latter's will. Surprisingly, Puccini's Gianni Schicchi is a comedy with a happy ending and the impersonator Schicchi, one of Dante's worst sinners, becomes a hero. Why did Puccini, known to be a cosmopolitan xenophile, choose Dante at this particular time? In fact, it is Puccini's only opera based on an Italian source and the only opera buffa or comedy in his entire oeuvre. Moreover, if Dante was indeed the inspiration for his Gianni Schicchi, why did Puccini not respect the quintessence of Inferno XXX? Unfortunately, scholarly works that directly address these issues are scarce. With a view to finding answers to the aforementioned questions, the first chapter deals with the historical aspects from the biographical, social, political and artistic points of view. Then, the following chapter focuses on the theme of Gianni Schicchi, i.e. the close reading of the opera's libretto taking into consideration its musicality and in comparison with Dante's severe treatment of Schicchi. By then, it becomes clear that: if Gianni Schicchi is a comedy, it is a black comedy reflecting Puccini's Nihilism and sarcasm; whereas Dante's judgment was based on a strict and rigid interpretation of Thomas Aquinas's theology and his political vision sustaining the aristocracy, Puccini approached Schicchi more humanly and democratically; and, Puccini thus challenged Dante's ideological position. In sum, the opera Gianni Schicchi represents Puccini's criticism of social injustice and hope for a better society without class struggle. This preliminary conclusion, however, is supported solely by circumstantial evidences. In order to substantiate and make it worthy as the final conclusion, the final chapter discusses Puccini's other operas to find a coherent flow of the theme as well as the question of authorship. Doing so, it becomes evident that the theme of social injustice constitutes the thread throughout his entire oeuvre. " --