1 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

STUDY GUIDE

2 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

Table of Contents

Welcome 3

Introduction to Opera 4

A Night at the Opera 6

Opera Terms and Voice Categories 7

A Word from the Director 8

About the Composer: Charles Gounod 9

A History of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette 10

Cast of Characters and Synopsis 11

Ballet in the Opera 12

Pants or Trouser Role 13

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet vs.

Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette 14

An Opera in Duets 15

For Teachers 16

References 17

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“Opera is about life and everything that entails—love, hate and passion.” - Lesley Garrett

Dear teachers and students, Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Patricia Kesler and I am the new Education and Outreach Coordinator at Calgary Opera. I’m very excited to be here and look forward to sharing my love of opera with all of you. Something happens in the theatre when the lights go down, the orchestra’s music begins to swell and the curtains open. We catch a first glimpse of the set and immediately begin to rise into an imagined world, one with no borders save for the edge of the stage and the depth of one’s capacity to believe.

“Some say that the best part of the opera is the anticipation. House lights. Orchestra. Curtain up into a world of wonder.” Pam Brown, b. 1928 Miraculous events occur in opera: an ice-hearted princess opens to love, two centuries-old feuding families decide to put aside their differences, lovers find each other across immeasurable distance and hardship and misunderstanding, yet these are the miracles of every day life, the miracle of being human and of having a heart. Opera can remind us of feelings we have long since laid down: yearning, hope, loss, but it is in feeling these emotions that we connect to the story, to the characters on stage, to each other. Sitting in the dark theatre with hundreds of others we have the chance to remember, to start again, to feel, to love. This is my hope for you, the wish that I have for your students, to find this beauty and this reminder of our common humanity on the opera stage, and to return to it, again and again. Patricia Kesler Education and Outreach Coordinator Calgary Opera

WELCOME!

4 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

The word opera comes from the Italian “opera in musica,”

which means “works or plays in music.” Simply put, opera is

a play in which the characters sing their lines rather than

speak them, with music as its driving force. It is a mixture of

many different types of art, combining music, drama, dance

elaborate costumes and scenery.

Traditional view holds that the first completely sung musical

drama (or opera) developed as a result of discussions held in

Florence in the 1570s by a group of intellectuals, poets,

artist, scientists and humanists such as composers Giulio

Caccini, Peri and Vincenzo Galilei (father of astronomer

and scientist Galileo Galilei, particularly known for his

improvements to the telescope). The Florentine Camerata,

as they called themselves, explored trends in the arts,

focusing on music and drama. One particular point of focus

was their joint belief that music, in particular vocal works,

had become over embellished and that returning to a more

pure form would be a powerful way to tell stories and

express emotions. Gathering inspiration from Classical

Greece, its dramas and the idea of the Greek chorus, which

acts as a commentator reporting on the actions, they

evolved the idea of “recitativo” — a single vocal line, sung in

a free, declamatory style, with simple instrumental support.

At the time it was argued that recitativo was far superior to

spoken verse, since the musical inflections intensified the

implied emotions. Thus, it is no wonder that many of

the first operas were based on Greek tragedies with

mythological themes.

The first opera composed by Jacopo Peri in 1597, Dafne,

about the nymph who fled from Apollo and was turned into

a laurel tree as a way to save her virtue, was a through-

composed musical work comprised of recitative sections, to

reveal the plot of the drama, and arias which provided the

soloist an opportunity to develop the emotions of the

character. Sadly most of the music for the opera has been

lost, however, Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, composed in

1607 based on the Orpheus myth, was very successful. To

this day we can hear the music in performance and

recordings: https://youtu.be/sKD1qUVJJBU

Opera has flourished throughout the world as a vehicle

for the expression of the full range of human emotions.

Italians claim the art form as their own, retaining dominance

in the field through the death of Giacomo Puccini in 1924.

Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Leoncavallo developed

the art form through clearly

defined periods that produced

opera buffa, opera seria, bel

canto and verismo. Mozart

(1756-1791) wrote operas in

Italian as well as German and

championed the singspiel (sing

play), which combined the

spoken word with music (The

Magic Flute 1791, Abduction

from the Seraglio 1782), a form

also used by Beethoven in his

opera Fidelio. Bizet (Carmen), Offenbach (Les Contes

D’Hoffmann), Gounod (Faust) and Meyerbeer (Les

Huguenots) led the adaptation by the French which ranged

from the opera comique to the grand full-scale tragedie

lyrique. German composers von Weber (Der Fresichutz),

Richard Strauss (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Wagner (Der Ring

des Nibelungen) developed diverse forms such as singspiel

to through-composed spectacles unified through the uses of

leitmotif. The English ballad opera, Spanish zarzuela and

Viennese operetta helped to establish opera as a form of

entertainment, which continues to enjoy great popularity

throughout the world.

INTRODUCTION TO OPERA

5 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

With the beginning of the 20th century, composers in North

America diverged from European traditions in order to focus

on their own roots while exploring and developing the vast

body of the country’s folk music and legends. Composers such

as George Gershwin with Porgy and Bess, Douglas Moore with

The Ballad of Baby Doe, Carlisle Floyd with Suzanna, John

Adams with Nixon in China and Gian Carlo Menotti with The

Medium have all crafted operas that have been presented

throughout the world to great success. In Canada, composer

John Estacio and librettist John Murrell were commissioned by

Calgary Opera to produce Filumena, based on a true Canadian

story of the last woman to be hanged in Alberta — which

premiered in 2003 in Calgary to great success, and is one of

the most produced Canadian grand operas in the world.

Laura Whalen as the title character in Calgary Opera’s Filumena (2003)

https://youtu.be/_4Riw2wLsww

John Adam’s Nixon in China, Vancouver Opera

https://youtu.be/vd-ODo8v06A

George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at Teatro la Scala

https://youtu.be/VfziZxrXNy0

Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium, Pensacola Opera

https://youtu.be/uReeJn3v0EM

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There are many preconceived notions propagated by

popular media about opera and so a first visit to an

operatic performance may bring up a number of questions.

Here are some tips on how to make your night at the opera

most enjoyable.

By far, the most popular question and concern is:

What do I wear to the opera?

In the past, opera audiences have been known to wear

lavish gowns as well as top hats and bow ties, giving the

rest of the public a feeling that opera isn’t for everyone,

which is definitely not the case! In today’s opera lovers’

world audiences come dressed in whatever they feel most

comfortable! Your pajamas might attract stares, but to

each his own!

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2012/

oct/18/what-should-you-wear-at-theatre

Where are the performances held?

All Calgary Opera’s productions are held at the Southern

Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. If you are driving, it is

recommended that you arrive approximately 45 minutes

prior to the start of the show to avoid traffic. Another great

reason to ensure that you arrive on time is that if you are

late, you may have to wait in the lobby for the late arrival

entries, and be forced to watch the opera from the

monitors in the lobby for a period of time rather than from

your seat.

Your Experience at the Opera

On performance nights starting at 6:30 pm in the first floor

lobby Calgary Opera presents our Opera Talks where some

of Calgary’s most learned musicians and historians give an

interesting and entertaining talk about the opera that is

about to be performed on stage. Ice cream, coffee, tea and

other treats are available in the lobby as well as different

exhibits which will make your early arrival much more

enjoyable.

You will be advised by an announcement when the doors

to the main hall are open. Don’t forget to get your program

from an usher prior to taking your seats, as it will give you

additional information on the opera and the artists. You

will notice a number of individuals gathered at the very

front of the auditorium: these are the patrons that like to

look into the orchestra pit and all its splendors. Don’t be

shy, and if you have time, do wander down yourself during

intermission to have a look!

Food and drink are not allowed inside the hall and, since

sound carries due to the acoustics of the hall, please open

any candies you might have prior to the start of the show.

Also remember that many hours have gone into bringing

this particular production to you, so please be considerate

of the performers and your fellow audience members and

turn off and put away your cell phones.

Please remember that photography is not permitted once

the performance starts. The design and direction of the

show is protected under intellectual property laws and only

the official Calgary Opera photographers can take pictures.

Another big concern that the public has about opera is the

fact that it is in a different language. This, of course, is true

for most operas. However, like any foreign film that is

accessible to the public, opera always, no matter what

language it’s sung in, has easy to read surtitles which are

projected above the stage.

Please, do feel free to show your appreciation to the

performers by laughing at the humorous parts and

applauding after a well—performed aria. If you were

particularly impressed by a performer’s vocal acrobatics,

feel free to express your enthusiasm vocally as well as by

applause; if you hear fellow audience members shout

“bravo” for a man, “brava” for a woman or “bravi” for a

group of performers, chime in if the spirit moves you! It’s

all part of your unique opera experience! And remember,

for a performer, audience response is one of the most

rewarding parts of their work… positive audience response,

that is!

Some may argue that opera is an acquired taste. However,

to acquire the taste we must first expose ourselves to it,

and there is no better way than doing it live!

Below are some helpful Calgary Opera links that may

answer any additional questions you may have:

https://www.calgaryopera.com/discover/plan-your-visit

A NIGHT AT THE OPERA: Your Guide to a Night to Remember

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OPERA TERMS AND VOICE CATEGORIES

The word “opera” is Italian, derived from the plural of the Latin opus, meaning “work”. Opera, in Italian, is called opera lirica, or

lyric work. “Lyric” is defined as “appropriate song,” so opera lirica is a work of theatre that is set to song. Opera combines the best

of all worlds with strong singing, full orchestra, riveting drama, exceptional dance, spectacular sets, lavish costumes, dramatic

lighting and special effects. All of these characteristics combine to make opera one of the most powerful art forms. Opera is fun,

really, and it is just as entertaining now as it was when it was first created. If you like a good story, you’ll like opera. Here are a few

things to help you figure it all out.

Opera Terms

Libretto:

Italian for " little book": the words of an opera written by a librettist.

Aria:

Italian for an air or song; the big number where the singer expresses feelings and shows off the voice.

Recitative:

Speech-singing where the singer chants the words in rhythm of free speech, used to further the plot or set up an aria. Forerunner

of rap.

Duet:

An aria built for two. Singers express feelings to each other or the audience

Ensemble:

Principal singers singing mostly together, expressing different opinions and emotions. Example: Quintette in Cenerentola

(Cinderella).

Fach or Voice Category

German for "compartment," a voice category or range of notes and voice quality in individual singers.

Coloratura Soprano:

The highest female voice. This soprano is the tweety bird of opera, singing the highest range of notes with great flexibilty.

Example: the Queen of the Night’s aria in Magic Flute.

Soprano:

The voice has a high range of notes. Voice quality can be dramatic or lyric. Example:

Clorinda in La Cenerentola (Cinderella).

Mezzo:

Mezzo-sopranos have the middle range of the female voice. Example: the role of Carmen in Carmen.

Tenor:

The highest range in the male voice Example: Don Jose in Carmen.

Baritone:

The middle range of the male voice. Example: the Toreador in Carmen.

Bass:

The lowest of the male voices. Example: Frère Laurent, Capulet, Duke of Verona in Roméo et Juliette.

Chorus :

A group of community-based singers who provide support to the principal singers, set the scene and create the mood for an

opera. The chorus includes all voice categories.

8 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

By Jean Grand-Maître, Director of Calgary Opera’s production of Roméo et Juliette

Staging Charles Gounod’s brilliant Roméo et Juliette has been a unique and unforgettable ex-

perience for me. It has also transformed into a terrific opportunity for Alberta Ballet and Cal-

gary Opera to come together and to inspire our faithful Calgary audiences by flexing our savoir

faire together.

Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers have been a part of my life in so many ways over time that

they have become my greatest teachers on love and unfortunately on hate as well, for both

light and darkness equally permeate this brilliant play. I first became acquainted with this

powerful tragedy watching the extraordinary Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann films. I later

danced in Gounod’s opera in a Montreal Opera production when I was still in ballet school. I

went on to stage two different ballets based on Prokofiev’s legendary score, a French musical in Montreal and now two

different opera productions.

Every time I tackle this immensely moving narrative, I rediscover its genius and realize just how profound its warning is

to us all: That hate, intolerance and the fear of the “other” will be the end of us, at least until beauty and truth can pre-

vail once again. Juliet and her Romeo are more potent today than they ever were. History repeats itself and it seems

that for society to progress there must always be the sacrifice of the innocent.

Enjoy the tragedy!

Jean Grand-Maître

A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR

Pacific Opera Victoria: Set Design by Ken MacDonald

Roméo et Juliette - The Metropolitan Opera (2016-2017)

Diana Damrau as Juliette

9 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

EARLY YEARS Charles-François Gounod was born June 17, 1818 in Paris, France. His father was a painter and professor of drawing in the École Polytechnique in Paris and his mother was a lawyer in the Parliament and a capable piano player. His father died when little Charles-François was only 5 years old, forcing his mother to give piano and drawing lessons to provide for her children. She became his first music teacher. He obtained his high school diploma of philosophy in 1836 from Saint Louis secondary school. During his years there his mother took him to the productions of Rossini’s Otello and Mozart’s Don Giovanni. These two masterpieces had a great impact on the young musician and turned him into a life-long fan of Mozart. The further discovery of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and the 9th with choirs sparked in him an ambition to become a great composer, an aspiration to which his mother opposed and secretly worked against with the aid of his teachers. However, they could not ignore his genius and instead of dissuading him they whole heartedly encouraged the young musical student. EARLY SUCCESS & A SACRED CALLING As a student at the Paris Conservatory he studied under Fromental Halévy, Jean-François LeSueur and Pierre Zimmerman, whose daughter Anne he later married. On his third try, in 1839 he won the Prix de Rome competition with the cantata Fernande. As prize winner for the Institute, he was given the opportunity to live in the Medici’s villa in Rome. Before embarking he composed an Agnus Dei for 3 voices and choir for the anniversary of his Master LeSueur. About this piece Hector Berlioz wrote “Everything there is new and distinguished: song, modulation , harmony. M. Gounod proves here that one can expect everything from him.” During his stay in Italy Gounod studied the music of Palestrina, an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music, as well as other sacred musics of the time. This love of sacred music and his ensuing years studying and composing in Vienna and Paris lead him to heavily consider joining the priesthood, and from October 1847 through February 1848 he wore only the ecclesiastical frock and signed his letters “l’Abbé Gounod” (Abbot Gounod). “TO BECOME A NAME: IT’S THE THEATRE” At the age of 30 Gounod became aware that “there is only one road to follow to become a name: it’s the theatre.” He was pushed by the singer Pauline Viardot to compose music for an opera from which he produced his first operatic work, Sapho. It met with mild success, but more importantly, it awoke the

attention of the public and the critics who recognized in his work the arrival of a new and important voice. MARRIAGE AND HIS ENDURING WORKS In 1852 Gounod married Anna Zimmerman, the daughter of his early professor from the Paris Conservatory, Pierre-Joseph Zimmerman. At this time he also moved into the Zimmerman home in Saint-Cloud. They had two children together, their son Jean in 1856 and their daughter Jeanne in 1863. Fanny Mendelssohn, sister of Felix Mendelssohn, introduced Gounod to the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach around this time. He came to revere Bach for the rest of his life and claimed that Bach’s textbook The Well-Tempered Clavier was “the law to pianoforte study.. the unquestioned textbook of musical composition.” Gounod created a melody that he superimposed on the C major prelude from the textbook to which he fitted the words of Ave Maria in 1959, which had the effect of launching him to worldwide fame. From 1852 Gounod worked on Faust, using a libretto by M. Carré and J. Barbier based on J.W. von Goethe’s tragedy. The premiere of Faust on March 19, 1859 marked a new phase in the development of French opera. This work has continued to overshadow all of Gounod’s subsequent stage works, including Philémon et Baucis (1860), La Colombe (1860), the fairly successful Mireille (1864), based on a Provençal poem by Frédéric Mistral, and Roméo et Juliette (1867), created at the Théâtre-Lyrique and which marks the highlight of the dramatic career of the composer. He wrote 12 operas in all. LATER YEARS In 1870 he moved to London and formed a choir named after himself, which in later years became the Royal Choral Society. During this time he devoted himself almost entirely to writing oratorios, one being Gallia (1870). He became nervous and ill in London and returned to France to rest and recuperate. He later continued with the oratorio form with La Rédemption (1882) and Mors et Vita (1885). He was made Commandeur de la Légion D’Honneur in 1877 and Grand Officier of the Legion of Honour in 1888.

In his final years he was considered the grand old man of French music. He remained active and creative and also started writing, became a critic and even took up the guitar. He avidly composed and directed his pieces until his death by stroke in Saint-Cloud, France on October 17, 1893. At the service in the church of the Madeleine, his disciple Saint-Saëns paid homage to “the artistic educator of his generation.”

ABOUT THE COMPOSER: CHARLES GOUNOD

Photograph 1865

10 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

Over the centuries, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has

inspired many different musical, theatrical and operatic

pieces. What makes Charles Gounod’s production of Roméo

et Juliette special is that, of the hundreds of operatic

interpretations of Shakespeare plays, only a few are still

produced to this day, with this interpretation of Romeo and

Juliet being the most popular and enduring.

Roméo et Juliette is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod

with words by Barbier and Carré after the tragedy by

Shakespeare. Premiered in Paris at the Théâtre Lyrique on

April 27, 1867, its success was aided by the presence of

dignitaries in Paris, in town for the International Exhibition,

several of whom attended performances. Although Gounod

had a difficult time with the ending, re-writing it twice, and

had a hard time casting a lead male, the opera was an instant

success.

Charles Gounod had achieved such a success in the opera

world with his composition Faust in 1859 that the director

Carvalho commissioned him to do another. Indeed Faust was

and still remains his most beloved piece so he called upon the

same librettists to work with him again on Roméo et Juliette,

Michel Carré and Jules Barbier.

Carré and Barbier together and separately, or with others,

authored the librettos of some of the most enduring French

operas. The plot of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette is fairly faithful

to the original, doing away with many secondary characters

and expanding others, such as the page Stéfano, who is

unnamed in Shakespeare’s tragedy, but has a memorable aria

in the opera.

The major departure from the original plot is that in the final

scene, the lovers find each other still alive in the crypt to

allow for a heart-wrenching final duet “Viens! Fuyons au bout

du monde!” followed by them begging God’s forgiveness for

their unchristian suicide as they both die.

In January of 1873 Roméo et Juliette was taken over by the

Opéra Comique and further by the Grand Opéra in November

28, 1888. It subsequently played in London at Covent Garden

in Italian on July 11, 1867. It made its premier in North

America in New York at the Academy of Music on November

15, 1867, with Minnie Hauck as Juliette then at the

Metropolitan Opera House on December 14, 1891 with Emma

Eames as Juliette, Jean de Reszke as Roméo and Edouard de

Reszke as Friar Lawrence. It played in Chicago on December

15, 1916, with Muratore as Roméo and Galli-Curci as Juliette.

The first complete recording of the opera was made in 1912

with Agustarello Affre as Roméo, Yvonne Gall as Juliette, Henri

Albers as Capulet and Marcel Journet as Friar Lawrence.

Gounod’s opera has become a standard in most major opera

houses of the world today and this season alone is being

performed by the Metropolitan Opera, Opera de Montreal

and Utah Opera, in Prague by the Karlin Music Theatre and by

our very own Calgary Opera.

One of the most memorable anecdotes from the early years

of the piece’s performance was that of the singers Ernesto

Nicolini as Roméo and Adelina Patti as Juliette at the Grand

Opéra in Paris. Patti was married to the Marquis of Caux,

albeit unhappily. The marriage did not last long for Roméo

and Juliette the couple had fallen as much in love in real life as

their characters on stage, as was revealed one night to the

audience, when, during the balcony scene the performers—

according to the story—placed twenty-nine real kisses on

each other’s lips.

A HISTORY OF GOUNOD’S ROMÉO ET JULIETTE

The Théatre-Lyrique during the premiere of Ernest Boulanger’s Don Quichotte on

May 10, 1869.

The wedding procession from the Paris premiere of the 1888 version of Charles Gou-

nod's opera Roméo et Juliette, starring Jean de Reszke and Adelina Patti,

from L'Illustration, 1888. (Mary Evans Picture Library)

11 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

CAST OF CHARACTERS

ACT I

At the house of Capulet in Verona

At a ball given by her father, Count Capulet, Juliette’s cousin Tybalt introduces her to Pâris, to whom she is promised. Mingling uninvited among the guests are Roméo, of the family of Montague, currently feuding with the Capulets, and some of his friends. Roméo has forebodings of disaster, but his friend Mercutio suggests mockingly that he has been visited by Mab, Queen of the Fairies, who presides over dreams.

Teased about her forthcoming marriage by her nurse Gertrude, Juliette expresses her desire to enjoy her youth in freedom. Struck by her beauty Roméo addresses her. By the time Tybalt interrupts their conversation and they learn one another's identities, they have already fallen in love. Capulet, concerned for the success of his party, restrains Tybalt, who wishes to attack Roméo.

ACT II

The garden outside Juliette's window

Hiding in the garden, Roméo overhears Juliette confess her love for him and her wish that he was not a Montague. He offers to disown his name if it will please her. His profession of love is interrupted by Capulet servants led by Grégorio, who scours the grounds for a suspected interloper: Roméo's page.

They tease Gertrude with the suggestion that she has attracted a Montague follower. Roméo and Juliette agree to marry; he will make the arrangements and send her word. Gertrude calls Juliette to come inside.

ACT III

SCENE 1: Frère Laurent's cell

Roméo tells Frère Laurent of his love for Juliette. She arrives and Frère Laurent marries them.

INTERMISSION

SCENE 2: The street outside the Capulet house

Roméo's page Stéphano sings a derisive serenade, warning the Capulets that their white dove is about to

NAME DESCRIPTION VOICE TYPE ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Roméo, of the house of Montague

Lead male, love interest Tenor Romeo

Juliette, of the house of Capulet

Lead female, love interest Soprano Juliet

Frère Laurent Roméo’s confessor and secretive aide to

the couple

Bass Friar Lawrence

Mercutio Friend of Roméo Baritone Mercutio

Stéphano Roméo’s Page Soprano Stephano

Benvolio Friend of Roméo Tenor Benvolio

Capulet Father of Juliette Bass Capulet

Tybalt Juliette’s nephew Tenor Tybalt

Pâris A young count and Juliette’s intended

husband

Baritone Paris

Gertrude Juliette’s nurse Mezzo-soprano Gertrude

Le Duc Represents the governing power or the

law in Verona

Bass The Duke

SYNOPSIS

12 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

SYNOPSIS Cont.

fly the nest. Capulet servants appear and a brawl breaks

out, which results in a duel between Grégorio and Sté-

phano. The row draws others to the scene, and Mercutio's

remark that it is typical of the Capulets to pick on a child is

overheard by Tybalt, who challenges him.

When Roméo arrives, Tybalt wants to fight him, but Ro-

méo, wishing to avoid a confrontation with Juliette's

cousin, answers his insults calmly. Mercutio fights with

Tybalt and is killed and Roméo casts prudence to the winds

and challenges Tybalt, wounding him mortally. Tybalt dies

in Capulet's arms as the rival families gather. A developing

fight is prevented by the arrival of the Duke, who banishes

Roméo.

ACT IV

Juliette's bedroom

Roméo and Juliette have spent the night together. She has

forgiven him for the death of Tybalt, as otherwise Tybalt

would have killed him. She tries to delay his departure,

only yielding when she realises the danger he is in.

Accompanied by Frère Laurent, Capulet tells Juliette that

she is to marry Pâris that very day, in accordance with

Tybalt's last wish. At a signal from the friar she remains

silent and, left alone with him, she reveals that she would

rather die than marry Pâris. He gives her a sleeping

draught that will give her the appearance of death for a

whole day, explaining that when she is taken to the family

crypt, Roméo and he will be on hand to rescue her. She

takes the potion.

ACT V

SCENE 1: A street

Frère Jean tells Frère Laurent that he was unable to deliver

to Roméo the letter explaining what has happened.

SCENE 2: The vault of the Capulets

Believing Juliette to be dead, Roméo comes to the vault

and takes poison. She wakes and they rejoice at their reun-

ion, but Roméo begins to feel the effects of the poison. He

tells Juliette what he has done and collapses at her feet.

Finding no poison left, she stabs herself. As they die they

pray for forgiveness.

BALLET IN THE OPERA

Although opera itself can be attributed to the Italians, ballet in

opera was purely a French invention and was one of the main

differentiating factors between Italian and French opera in the

1600s and 1700s.

Ballet first made its appearance in France in the famous 1581

production of Circe ou le Balet comique de la Royne. From then

onwards it appeared in all French operas and was further cham-

pioned by Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) who was a skillful

conductor and composer and incorporated elements from every

musical and dramatic form that had already proved itself in

France, such as French classical tragedy, the pastorale, the Ital-

ian opera and French ballet into his successful productions.

The standard for French opera was always that the ballet piece

be present at the end of the second act, this remained so for

decades. When Wagner presented his first work ever at the

Paris Opera house in 1861, Tannhauser, he placed the ballet

scene just after the first scene instead. When it premiered on

the 13th of March it was met with jeering and derisive whistling

from an organised group in the audience. Parisian high society

got involved, turning up the heat on the opposition. The protest

became political with the presence of the Imperial couple of

France at the second performance so Wagner was forced to pull

the piece, only performing it three times. It would be a long

time before his name made an appearance on the playbill of the

Paris Opera house again.

Slowly, however, these changes took hold, and ballet is almost

never included in opera pieces anymore.

This is one of the reasons that Calgary Opera is so proud of this

production of Roméo et Juliette. Not only has ballet been rein-

troduced in two places during the opera, but it has been done in

collaboration with Alberta Ballet dancers and the directing tal-

ent of Alberta Ballet Artistic Director Jean Grand-Maître. Mr.

Grand-Maître is also the choreographer of the ballet pieces in

the production.

Calgary Opera is very proud to return French opera to its origi-

nal and glorious roots and hope that the cooperation of two of

Calgary’s premiere arts and cultural institutions will create a

memorable and entertaining piece for the audience.

13 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

Historically, many operas have been written with a character that was a man in the story, but was intended to be played by a woman. This role is called a trouser role, pants role, or breeches role, all names for the garment that at the time of these occurrences were only worn by men. The role can also be called a travesti role, although this is less common in North America.

As Ellen MacDonald-Kramer wrote in her article Women in Trousers: A Very Brief History of a Bizarre Operatic Tradition, “Opera is full of little quirks, but the trouser role tradition may well be the icing on the cupcake of its peculiarities.” You might wonder what is going on in an opera when a male character begins to sing in the high mezzo-soprano or soprano voice of a woman. In order to understand the Trouser role it helps to know its history.

The roots of the high-voiced male character began a very long time ago with men. In 1588, Pope Sixtus V banned women from singing in churches. Soprano and alto parts (the highest vocal ranges) were sung by the few men who had falsetto voices but were eventually taken over by men known as Castrati. Castrati were men, who when they were boys or before they had hit puberty, were castrated and so their voices never deepened as they normally would have.

Castrati sang many parts in sacred music and when opera became popular in the early 17th century, the castrati voice was written into the libretti of many popular operas. Originally the castrati were given the leading heroic male roles, but as the idea of the castrati and the practice of castrating young males started to fall out of favour, towards the end of the 18th Century and early 19th, mezzo-sopranos (females) increasingly took on the male lead roles. Women had had roles before this time, but they were generally smaller roles, less important, although there were women who were successful in opera during the Baroque period as well (1600-1750).

As the women began to replace the men in these roles, many Italian composers started to write male characters for women to portray. Rossini wrote several, including the title role of Tancredi and the soldier Arsace in Semiramide, and Isolier in Le comte Ory. Donizetti wrote several as well, although they tended to be secondary roles. The practice was no less popular in France as Ascanio in Hector Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini and, of

course, Charles Gounod with Siebel in Faust and the invented character of Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette. Composers from other countries such as Germany and former Czechoslovakia also took up the trouser role. But the most famous is Octavian in Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier (1911), in which the young Octavio is in love with an older woman and the full drama and hilarity of the trouser role is played out.

The tradition of the trouser role has endured into our modern day, which tells us that opera audiences still appreciate the role of the female as male. We look forward to it here at Calgary Opera in Roméo et Juliette, with Stéphano’s character and the lovely aria “Que-fais-tu, blanche tourterelle?” that he (Stephanie Tritchew) sings.

PANTS OR TROUSER ROLE

1779 John Colley Playbill of an actress dressing in breeches . Image courtesy of www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breeches_role

14 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO & JULIET vs. GOUNOD’S ROMÉO ET JULIETTE

1. A play written by William Shakespeare most likely be-tween 1594-96, first published in 1597. It is difficult to know when it was first performed as few records remain. 2. Opens with a duel between the enemy houses of the Montagues and the Capulets. Develops the relationship between Juliet and her nurse, Romeo and his friends in much more detail. Much more of the plot revolves around these other relationships. 3. Shows much more of the feud between the houses so that the tension builds throughout the play. 4. Act II, Scene 5 begins with Juliet’s impatience with the slow march of the day toward sunset. She yearns to be with her love and cannot seem to wait for the appointed meeting time to arrive. 5. Closes with Romeo rushing to meet Juliet at her family tomb. When he finds her seemingly lifeless body he be-lieves her to be dead, and so he drinks the vial of poison he obtained in Mantua in order to die with her. She awak-ens from the sleep potion and, finding him to truly be dead, takes her own life. They do not get a last chance to see each other alive.

1.

An opera with music by Charles Gounod, libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. Written in the years before it was first performed at the Lyric Theatre in Paris, April 27, 1867. 2. The opera focuses almost entirely on the love story be-tween the two young lovers. It relies on the Prologue in which it is mentioned that the two houses are enemies to let the audience know of the long-standing feud. The opera opens at the Capulet ball in which Romeo (in dis-guise) falls in love with Juliette. 3.In order to add tension to the feud and make the murder of Tybalt seem justified, Barbier and Carré added the char-acter of Stéphano. His taunting aria, which was complete-ly fabricated for the opera in order to create the necessary aggression for the fight and killings which ensue, adds more than enough fuel to Gregorio’s anger and he chal-lenges Stéphano to fight. More members of both families appear and the great battle in which Mercutio is killed and revenged by Romeo, who kills Tybalt, plays out. 4. Contains every major monologue from the play, almost word-for-word, except for Juliette’s “Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steads” in which she begs the day to draw to a close so that she can be back with her lover. The li-brettists felt that this monologue would slow the story down too much and break the flow of the dramatic action. 5. Closes with Juliette in her family crypt, having drunk the sleeping potion from Friar Lawrence. Roméo, having heard of her death, rushes to the crypt to see her body. Upon finding her lifeless body he drinks poison. She slow-ly awakens in time to see him still alive, and they sing a final love duet together. Initially he seems to forget about the poison but as they get up to leave together, it begins to work. They beseech God to forgive them for taking their own lives as Juliette stabs herself and they die, together. This is the biggest alteration that the librettists made from the original play, allowing Gounod’s soaring music be to played once more as they cling to life and each other.

Image of William Shakespeare courtesy of: https://macaulay.cuny.edu/

academics/upper-level-courses/fall-2018-courses/shakespeare-and-

musical-interpretations-of-shakespeare/

Image of Charles Gounod courtesy of : https://

blogs.wdav.org/2014/06/5-things-you-may-not-know-about-charles-

gounod/

15 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

“Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette… One remembers the work as a series of very pretty duets, varied by a sparkling waltz air for Juliet…” Sutherland Edwards, music critic of the St. James’s Gazette, in a critique following the first London performance in 1867. As the opera Roméo et Juliette focuses almost wholly on the love story between the two young lovers, it would follow suit that the story is enacted in a series of moving duets between the two. These four duets are the cornerstones of the opera. Each is described here in brief accompanied by an excellent performance from some of the world’s best opera singers. Listen to the duets and watch them here. The first takes place at the Capulet ball when Roméo and Juliette first see each other. At this point, we know that the Montague and Capulet families are embroiled in a feud that has spanned many years, but the two characters do not know each other. This is the duet of love at first site. You can see and hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a08paWkMf5I The second, which is the famous balcony scene, takes place in the evening at the Capulet house. Roméo and Juliette now know that they are from feuding families, but can’t resist each other. It is very dangerous for Roméo to be in the Capulet yard, not to mention that Juliette’s nurse is calling her from inside. There is the possibility of the two of them getting found out at any moment. You can see and hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T4EZN3fvX4

The third happens after Roméo has killed Juliette’s family member, Tybalt. Even though he has committed a murder against her family, she forgives him. She has decided to show loyalty to her husband over her family. You can see and hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z19UfQbBlWM The final duet takes place after Roméo has found Juliet in the Capulet crypt. She is still sleeping from the sleeping potion that Friar Lawrence gave her and appears to be dead. Believing her to be so, Roméo drinks the vial of poison that he bought in Mantua. As she awakens from the sleep and sees him, they sing this last duet together. You can see and hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnObknpiPQ0

AN OPERA IN DUETS

The balcony scene in The Dallas Opera 2011 production of

Roméo and Juliette. Photo credit: Karon Almond.

16 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

Dear Teachers,

Roméo et Juliette is an opera rich in content, both entertaining and educational. In addition to the information found

in this study guide, I am including several links that will help you bring this content to your classroom according to your

students’ needs.

ACTIVITIES, DISCUSSIONS AND RESEARCH:

• The years Shakespeare is thought to have written the play Romeo and Juliet, around 1594-5, the Renaissance

was coming to an end in Europe. The play takes place in the city of Verona in Italy and it has been said that the

idea of the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues could have easily been influenced by the real-life

state of Italy at the time, which was a land of city states, each with its own separate rules and norms.

Have your students find information about Italy in the late 1500s to show how Shakepeare’s play was

influenced by and reflected the times accurately. If your students were to write a play today, which elements

of current politics, government and social practices could influence the plot and characters of the play?

John Mullan explores how Italian geography, literature, culture and politics influenced the plots and atmosphere

of Shakespeare’s plays. https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/shakespeare-and-italy

• The incorporation of ballet into Calgary Opera’s performance of Roméo et Juliette is novel in today’s world of

opera, however it is considered standard in French Opera. Look at the history of the Paris Opera house and try

to discover one of the more comical reasons the French were so angry when Wagner moved up the ballet

portion of Tannhauser in 1861. Hint: it has more to do with the habits of the French than anything else!

Listen to this podcast from the New York Public radio station WQXR to find out. https://www.wqxr.org/story/

romeo-and-juliet-all-about-love-duets/

FOR TEACHERS

17 Roméo et Juliette Study Guide

Batta, Andras. Opera. Composers, Works, Performers. Cologne: Konemann Verlagsgesellschaft, 2000

Ganeri, Anita and Barber, Nicola. The Young Person’s Guide to the Opera. London: Pavilion Books Ltd., 2001

Goldbeck, Frederick, 1998. Revised 2018. Charles Gounod—French Composer. [accessed October 19, 2018]. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Gounod

Grout, Donald Jay. A Short History of Opera. Columbia University Press, 1988.

Hopkins, Kate, 2017. Girls being boys being girls: a short history of opera’s trouser roles. [accessed October 15, 2018]. https://www.roh.org.uk/news/trouser-roles-opera-history

MacDonald-Kramer, Ellen, 2014. Women in Trousers: A very brief history of a bizarre operatic tradition. [accessed Oc-tober 15, 2018]. http://www.lafolia.com/women-in-trousers/

Martin, George. The Opera Companion. London: John Murray Publishers, 1984

Mullan, John, 15 March 2016. Shakespeare and Italy. [accessed October 29, 2018].https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/shakespeare-and-italy

Opera Quotations. Edited by Claire Lipscomb. Watford: Exley Publications Ltd, 1998

Orrey, Leslie. A Concise History Of Opera. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1972

Schneider, Corrine. Wagner and the Paris Opera in ten landmark events. [accessed October 25, 2018]. https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/magazine/wagner-and-the-paris-opera-in-ten-landmark-events

Schütz, Chantal, 2005. Revised 2006. Shakespeare and Opera. [accessed October 27, 2018]. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shakespeare-and-Opera-1369569#ref850901

Walsh, Michael. Who’s Afraid of Opera? Simon & Schuster, 1994

REFERENCES