Giuseppe Verdi was born in a small village Roncole, Italy in 1813, and passed away in Milan in early 1901. Considered a leading figure in Italian music, he composed twenty-six operas and hundreds of choral works which were, as Julian Budden wrote, “the epitome of Romantic drama and passion.” Unlike German leading Richard Wagner with his highly chromatic melodies and harmonic settings, Verdi liked to portray characters, emotions, and scenarios with relatively simple musical language, such as rounded binary form and easily memorable melodies, creating an accessible geniality for his audiences. Luisa Miller was conceived in 1844, accomplished by the end of September in 1849, and premiered on December 8th 1849 at Teatro San Carlo (Royal
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The vocal setting of the characters is as the follows:
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Walter (Count) Bass Rodolfo (His son) Tenor Federica (Duchess of Ostheim, Walter’s niece) Contralto Wurm (Walter’s steward) Bass Miller (A retired veteran) Baritone Luisa (His daughter) Soprano Laura (a peasant girl) …show more content…
The main character named Rodolfo, a Count's son, falls in love with a girl named Luisa, a veteran's daughter. Because of the large difference in social hierarchy between them, Rodolfo's father doesn't want his son to marry Luisa and plans to marry Rodolfo instead to a rich and influential Duchess Federica who grows up with Rodolfo. However, Rodolfo holds firm. He goes to Luisa’s home and kneels down in front of the veteran, her father, to beg for permission to marry her. At the same time, Rodolfo's father breaks into the room and later sends the veteran to prison after fighting with him. Thus, in order to rescue her father, Luisa writes a letter suggested by Wurm, a courtier of Rodolfo's father who also loves Luisa. Wurm tells her that if she acknowledges in the letter that the only reason she wants marry Rodolfo is his money and prestige and that her real lover is Wurm, her father will be emancipated; if not, then he will be executed. Luisa does what Wurm says, but later the letter is brought out to show Rodolfo how frivolous Luisa is, leading him to believe that she has betrayed him. Unfortunately, Rodolfo believes the letter and falls into an abyss of extreme desperation. Worse, the Count (Rodolfo’s father) tries to use this moment to persuade Rodolfo to marry the duchess. He pretends to accept this marriage but also prepares to
The vocal setting of the characters is as the follows:
________________________________________
Walter (Count) Bass Rodolfo (His son) Tenor Federica (Duchess of Ostheim, Walter’s niece) Contralto Wurm (Walter’s steward) Bass Miller (A retired veteran) Baritone Luisa (His daughter) Soprano Laura (a peasant girl) …show more content…
The main character named Rodolfo, a Count's son, falls in love with a girl named Luisa, a veteran's daughter. Because of the large difference in social hierarchy between them, Rodolfo's father doesn't want his son to marry Luisa and plans to marry Rodolfo instead to a rich and influential Duchess Federica who grows up with Rodolfo. However, Rodolfo holds firm. He goes to Luisa’s home and kneels down in front of the veteran, her father, to beg for permission to marry her. At the same time, Rodolfo's father breaks into the room and later sends the veteran to prison after fighting with him. Thus, in order to rescue her father, Luisa writes a letter suggested by Wurm, a courtier of Rodolfo's father who also loves Luisa. Wurm tells her that if she acknowledges in the letter that the only reason she wants marry Rodolfo is his money and prestige and that her real lover is Wurm, her father will be emancipated; if not, then he will be executed. Luisa does what Wurm says, but later the letter is brought out to show Rodolfo how frivolous Luisa is, leading him to believe that she has betrayed him. Unfortunately, Rodolfo believes the letter and falls into an abyss of extreme desperation. Worse, the Count (Rodolfo’s father) tries to use this moment to persuade Rodolfo to marry the duchess. He pretends to accept this marriage but also prepares to