The article examines the autograph papers documenting the genesis of Aida, preserved in the Villa Verdi in Sant’Agata. The corpus comprises 345 folios, 38 of which present the fair copy of the discarded Sinfonia. The remaining 307 folios include sections of the full score, fragments of skeleton score, continuity drafts, and preparatory sketches dating back to different phases of the composition, as well as fragments of the libretto. Among the papers, there are also materials relating to other works: Don Carlos (1867), the String Quartet, Simon Boccanegra (1881). The article then explores the genesis of two sections from Aida: a discarded stretta for the first act’s ‘terzetto’, and the opening scenes of the third act in the 1871 revised version, which includes the romanza «O cieli azzurri». Verdi composed the latter’s melody before receiving the poetry from Ghislanzoni, having in mind both the poetic structure and the piece’s sentimental content.
La composizione di Aida nelle carte di Sant’Agata: una ricognizione preliminare e la genesi di «O cieli azzurri»
fabrizio emanuele della seta
2022-01-01
Abstract
The article examines the autograph papers documenting the genesis of Aida, preserved in the Villa Verdi in Sant’Agata. The corpus comprises 345 folios, 38 of which present the fair copy of the discarded Sinfonia. The remaining 307 folios include sections of the full score, fragments of skeleton score, continuity drafts, and preparatory sketches dating back to different phases of the composition, as well as fragments of the libretto. Among the papers, there are also materials relating to other works: Don Carlos (1867), the String Quartet, Simon Boccanegra (1881). The article then explores the genesis of two sections from Aida: a discarded stretta for the first act’s ‘terzetto’, and the opening scenes of the third act in the 1871 revised version, which includes the romanza «O cieli azzurri». Verdi composed the latter’s melody before receiving the poetry from Ghislanzoni, having in mind both the poetic structure and the piece’s sentimental content.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
