Giovanni Pacini (1796 - 1867)SAFFO By early 1835 Giovanni Pacini had written almost fifty operas during the course of a career launched in 1813.He was tired and he was discouraged. Not only had his earlier works beenovershadowed by the force of Rossini’s musical personality, but even after thedeparture of the Pesarese from Italy in 1823, Pacini’s star did not shine brighter. In his fascinating Memoirs,the composerexaminedthese years and acknowledged his own limitations. Though the first performances of his Irene, o L’Assedio di Messina (Naples, Teatro San Carlo, 30th November 1833) were largely rescuedby the singers, Pacini knew the creative vein he had been mining was empty.Maturing under the spell of Rossini, he had not yet shown himself to be morethan an able follower: "I began to realise that I should withdraw from thefield - Bellini, the divineBellini, andDonizettihad surpassed me." He tried his hand once again during the carnival season of 1835, writingCarlo di Borgogna for the Teatro La Fenice but it was a dismal failure.Pacini’s judgments about hisoperas through 1835 are harsh, even unduly so:"I gave little though to honour myself and my art as I shouldhave... They called me Maestro delle cabalette because my cabalettasgenerally had the virtue of spontaneity, elegance, and form. Everyone believed it cost me littleto find a melodic thought of somenovelty, since, it was said, that was a matter of innate talent and nothing else." Though Pacini insisted he worked hard even on cabaletta tunes, always seeking to fashion them in waysdifferent from his contemporaries, he admitted that his music had defects: "My instrumentation was never careful enough, and it was sometimes beautiful or brilliant, thisresulted not from reflection but rather from that natural taste God granted me. Ifrequently slighted the string section, nor did I take pains about the effects thatmight be drawn from other instrumental families." He concentrated too much energy on suiting his vocal lines to the needsof individual singers, andthough he loved his art, his rivals were ever more admired and his own work thought tobe increasingly old-fashioned. Thus, Pacini decided to abandon the stage. He retired to Viareggio, where he founded and directed a music school,organised a band and small orchestra for his fellow townsmen, and built a theatre for hisstudents. In 1837 he was appointed head of the ducal chapel in nearby Lucca and turned his attention increasingly to sacred music. Theseyears away from the theatre were ones of reflection and personal growth. WhenPacini decided to accept a commission from the Roman impresario Vincenzo Jacovacci for a new operato open the carnival season of1839-40 at the Teatro Apollo, he was determined to strike out on a new path: "During my period of repose, I had meditated on new developments,on the changing taste of theaudience, and on what should be the path to follow. Rossini after 1829 had ceased tograce the musical world with further masterpieces. Bellini, the touching Bellini, had been stolenfrom art in 1835... Theversatile Donizetti and the severe Mercadante were the only ones who dominated the stage, since Verdi hadjust appeared on the horizon in that year 1839 with his Oberto di SanBonifazio. The others, such as Coccia, Ricci, Lauro Rossi, rarely gave their works onour stages. All this made me seriously consider on what path to begin anew. If my compositions wereto have any hope for long life, I hadto develop that aesthetic sense I had previously sought but rarely achieved. I set to work,with the firm intention of putting aside the procedures I had followed in myearlier career, and I looked for characteristic ideas from the diverse melodies ofdifferent peoples, drawing them from traditional sources, so that I could inform my works withthat truth so difficult to achieve in our art." This statement and similar ones Pacini made about Saffo suggestimpatience with the artificiality ofItalian operatic melody. The desire to revitalise art through new sources in folk ortraditional music was common to much European musical thought in the mid-nineteenth century. Of his opera for Rome, Furio Camillo, to a libretto by the congenial Roman librettist and literary figureJacopo Ferretti, Pacini wrote only: "The experiment with Furio Camillo was not a completesuccess, but I felt that I had made progress. Its reception did not correspond to my hopes, butwas not entirely unhappy;indeed, several pieces were enormously effective." In June 1840 Pacini, at home in Lucca, received an offer from the TeatroSan Carlo of Naples to write a new opera toa text by Salvatore Cammarano. Saffo was to be the first of fivecollaborations between them. Cammarano sent the poetry of the first act together with an outline of the whole, andPacini set towork atonce. His description of his preparations for the composition of Saffo are fascinating: "Reading and re-reading the story of that people, which opened apath to all human understanding, andseeking to discover what music was used by that heroic nation, whose sons includedEuripedes, sophocles, Aeschylus, Aristoxenus, Homer, Tyrtaeus, and Aristides (who in his Trattatomusicale gives aprecise idea of the principles that governed music in those times, and particularly speaks of rhythm), Ilearned that the Greeks attributed a more ample meaning to the word music,consisting not only of the art which excites various sentiments through sound,but also poetry, aesthetics, rhetoric, philosophy, and that science the Romans called politiorhumanitas. Giving heed to the modes they (the Greeks) employed, Doric, Ionic, Phrygian,Aeolian, Lydian, and of theirrelated forms, Hypodoric, Hyperdoric, etc., I gained an understanding of their system.Keeping always before me what Aristides said about the qualities of the threegenera, Diatonic, Chromatic, and Enharmonic (the first noble and austere, thesecond very sweet and plaintive, the third both gentle and exciting), I attempted,as I said, to approximate their art of melody. I set to work with a joy that Icannot explain..." Pacini completed two numbers, but gradually lost courage for theproject. He arrived in Naples in early September with the intention of asking Cammarano for a new libretto. Thelibrettist asked to hear the numbers already set, and Pacini sat down at thepiano and sang them through: "All of a sudden I saw the poet of Saffo grow pale and fullof emotion at the words’Di sua voce ii suon giungea’. He did not let me finish, he threw his arms around my neck: "My Maestro (heexclaimed), for heaven’s sake continue the work; you will give Italy a masterpiece." Pacini did continue, and Saffo had its premiere at the Teatro SanCarlo on 29th November 1840. It was an outstandingsuccess, judged universally to be Pacini’s masterpiece: "In the autumn of 1840 I was thereforebaptized by public opinionno longer as the composer of facile cabalettas, but rather of elaborated works and carefully meditatedcompositions". He claimed to have composed Saffo in twenty-eight days and created (bywhich he surely meant "sketched") the final scene in only two hours.But Saffo had been in his thoughts since June and had benefited both from thepreceding years of reflection and from Pacini’s efforts to find a characteristiccolour for this setting of a Greek legend. It would be fascinating to analyse Saffowith Pacini’s statement about its creation in mind. Pacini’s own description of the opera suggest its original divisionswere as follows: ACT I1. Introduzione2. Recitativo e Scena drammatica ACT II3. Coro e Cavatina Climene4. Recitativo e Duetto5. Coro e Finale II ACT III6. Scena, Coro e Terzetto7. Scena ed Aria Faone8. Coro, Scena ed Aria Finale Saffo It is worth stopping over this scheme to recognise the extent to which Saffo is constructed ofremarkably extended musical numbers. There are only three solo compositions in the opera, forClimene, Faone, and Saffo, all with either chorus or pertichini or both.The first two are arias in traditional designs, although both are marvellously rendered.Notice the syncopated theme of Climene’s Cavatina; the sumptuous clarinet solo that opensFaone’s Scena; the lovely canonic writing in its primo tempo; and Faone’s cabaletta,worthy of the"maestrodelle cabalette" , inwhich Pacini sends his tenor, Gaetano Fraschini, hurtling up to a high D flat, thenstratospherically and a al Rubini to a high E flat. Saffo’s final scene is a worthy heir to the final scene of AnnaBolena. The heroineis about to take the fatal leap from the rock of Leucade so as to put behind her earthly passion.Throughout the recitative, Pacini recalls other tunes and designs from earlier inthe opera. The reappearance of Climene and Alcandro drives Saffo into madness,and she imagines herself singing in honour of Climene’s wedding, as she had promised to do.Saffo’s beautiful melody(accompanied by harp and winds alone) gives way to an expansive, passionate outburst ("addio; tilascio in terra"), a melodic topos Pacini associated with Saffo elsewhere inthe opera. A less original but appropriately designed cabaletta concludes thefinale, with a startling cadential progression marking her leap to death andbringing down the curtain. The greatest achievements of Pacini’s score, though, lie in theensembles, particularly the gloriousfinale of the second act. To do justice to the sources of Verdi’s style, one must recognisethat his great Largomovements owe a more directdebt to the second-act finale of Saffo than to either Bellini orDonizetti. The strength of thismusic, its passion and scope, the interaction of an introductory solo and an ensemble,the building of enormous musical climaxes, all elements we hold to be typicalof the great early Verdian Largos, are present here in ample measure. Nor does thetension dissipate in the final stretta, with its wonderful reprise of the openingmelody transposed up a third at first (from B flat major to D flat major) andassigned to the full ensemble instead of to Saffo alone. Pacini sought to create a more continuous drama in much of the work, and the extent to which he gives lyricalexpression to scenes of dialogue is remarkable. A scene that will repay close study from thisperspective is the openingof the final act, where Saffo asks permission to take the leap of Leucade. Only after she has sworn tothrow herself into the sea is her identity as the daughter of Alcandro andsister of Climene revealed, leading to another beautiful ensemble, "Al seno mistringi". But it is Pacini’s handling of the dialogue that is particularlynoteworthy: he tries, usually with great success, to lend lyrical and dramatic force toeach expression. In this he is greatly aided by Cammarano’s libretto, long held tobe the poet’s finest achievement. Philip Gossett(The University of Chicago) SYNOPSIS Six hundred years before the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus a young lyric poetess lived in Greece: she was not strikinglybeautiful but was gifted with an ardent and enthusiastic heart. Her name was Sappho, and she has become as famous for her poetry asfor her misfortunes. Rejected by Phaon, a handsome youth of Mytilene whom sheloved, she sought a remedy for her violent passion by throwing herself from the celebratedpromontory of Leucas intothe Aegean Sea:according to the myth. Apollo would heal survivors of the leap from their sorrow by erasingall memories of their unrequited love. Sappho however, did not survive: she met death in the ragingwaves insteadof the cureshe had hoped for. In the ages which have elapsed since her death, the most interestingdetails of Sappho’s life has beenlost: even her father’s name is unknown. All we know is that at the early age of six thepoetess was left an orphan by the death of her mother Cleida. Sappho, according tohistory, was very short and slight. She had married a man called Cercylas,but had soon afterwards been left a widow, whereupon she fell violently in lovewith Phaon: this was the hopeless passion which caused her death. In spite ofthe obscurity of her life {which is at best a mixture of fact and fable) her namehas been preserved through the ages and the memory of her poetic genius willnever be effaced. These gaps in her history have perhaps encouraged the vivid imaginationof Salvatore Cammarano, theItalian poet who, to fill up the void left by historians, wrote a libretto for Pacini whichcreates a romantic and fanciful plot full of brilliant theatrical situations;although somewhat violent it maintains a tender love interest throughout. ACT IThe Olympic Crown ’Olympia, at the time of the 42nd Olympiad: outside the Circus, where the Poetic Games arebeing held. Boisterous shouts of applause are heard, followed by an increasinguproar and a tumult of wild yells. Alcandro, High Priest of Apollo’s Temple in Leucadia, rushes in from the Circus in a state of extreme angerand disarray. There he meets Ippia, the Chief Augur, to whom he explains that he has been driven out of the Circus bythe people, who had beenstirred to revolt by Saffo’s song. The poet’s elegy against the barbarous and inhumane Leucadianleap (supported by the priests of Apollo) has roused powerful emotions in the crowd and forced him toflee. The outraged Alcandroconceives a violent hatred for the sublime poetess, who has just been awarded the Olympic Crown.He swears revenge, although the sound of her persuasive voice, during the contest, woke strangelyfamiliar feelings in his breast,and some secret power impelled his heart to love her. Faone, already jealous of theadmiration Saffo deservingly receives from the famous lyrical poet Alceo, now seemsto the cunning Alcandro to be the best instrument he can use to carry out his vengeance on Saffo,prime cause of the insultAlcandro has just suffered at the hands of the people. Therefore, in a most persuasive way, he remindsFaone of the affection the young man had formerly expressed for his owndaughter Climene. Judging his moment with care, he exhorts the wavering youngman to forget the inconstant Saffo. When later the two lovers meet, Saffo makes every effort to dispel the suspicions so insidiously aroused inFaone by Alcandro. But though Faone loves, he still doubts; and if for a moment he submits againto the yoke of love, hevery quickly recalls the jealous thoughts which lacerate his heart, and the mere idea that the Olympic wreath isto be set upon her brow by Alceo enrages him. Saffo clings to Faone’s kneesin a state of desperation, but he upbraids her and flees from her presence witha storm of curses. ACT IIThe Nuptials of FaoneThree months later, in Alcandro’s apartments beside the Temple of Apollo in Leucadia. Climene is surrounded byDirce and the rest of her handmaidens, who are attiring her for her approaching wedding. Saffointroduces herself to Alcandro’s daughter, to whom she is unknown, imploring Climene’sprotection and asking her tointercede with her father to allow Saffo to present offerings to Apollo to appease the god’s wrath.Apollo’s anger has been excited by the contempt Saffo had shown for his worship during the OlympicGames. Climene receives her withlove and kindness and offers her friendship, as pure as that which she had felt for heridolised sister whose tragic loss she is still mourning: The vessel’s brow was turnedTowards the shores of SamosWhither my father was then goingTo fulfil some divine rite; thechildWas with him... impetuous windsAssailed them in the Cyclades, and castThe ship upon a rock;He alone escaped death! Saffo then tells Climene that she too had been the victim of a dreadfulfate: for three whole monthsshe vainly searched the shores of Greece, seeking a faithless lover. Climene’s pity is like balm to Saffo’swounded heart, and the two young women remain for some time in each other’s arms embracing with great feeling. Then Climene suggeststhat on such a happy day a request from her would certainly be wellreceived: her marriage is about to take place in a few moments. Saffo is overjoyed, andoffers to celebrate the nuptials with some verses of her own composition. Shefeels, however, that she should not attend the ceremony wearing suchtravel-stained clothing. But Climene instantly gives orders for Saffo to be dressed in her own bestgarments, and then herself proceeds to the ceremony where she is awaited. As soon as Saffopresents herself at the wedding ceremony, crowned with laurel and in magnificent attire,what is her astonishment at finding that her former lover, Faone, is thebridegroom! She breaks out into shrieks of wild despair, and reminds him pitifullyof his erstwhile love and vows. Climene’s father, Alcandro the High Priest,although feeling with strange disquiet that his vengeance is not as sweet as he hadthought, orders her to withdraw from the temple. But when she utterly refusesto leave without her lover Faone, Alcandro points to the two nuptial wreaths on the altar and declares: Turn to the sacred altar and besilent.He is already married! Learning that Faone no longer belongs to her, Saffo at first remains as if thunderstruck, then rushes madly atthe marriage altar and hurls it to the ground with a blasphemous gesture. All is confusion andterror: the Augurs andPriests of the Leucadian Apollo tear the poetess away and drive her with curses from the sacred precinct. ACT IIIThe Leucadian LeapIn a remote place, buffeted by roaring gusts of wind. Alcandro ispresenting Saffo to Ippia and theassembled Council of Augurs. Lisimaco, an old man of Leucadia is also present. Theunhappy Saffo, bowed down underthe weight ofdivinemalediction, her sensitive heart wounded by the recollection of her unhappy love, decides to prostrateherself before Apollo and beg the priests to let her make the terrifyingLeucadian Leap. In this way she hopes to extinguish the fiery passion which stillconsumes her heart. The oracle is consulted and the answer is favourable to her request.Alcandro orders the rite to begin, and Ippia first requires the repentant Saffo to state her name, herbirthplace andthe name ofher father. Saffo, Lesbos,Ipseus are the three answers given by Saffo. At this, Lisimaco, becoming increasingly agitated,exclaims! Ministers!You must now hear me. Let notThe rite be polluted by inadvertentFalsehood. She is not, as shebelieves,Daughter of Ipseus, nor was she bornUpon the soil of Lesbos. ..Four lustraHave passed since thenWhen on the beach I found her,thrownBy the tempestuous Aegean sea. More and more anxious, Alcandro presses him; was there not an amulet hanging from her neck? Lisimacoconfirms that there was, adding that it was engraved with the Leucadian Apollo.Then Saffo takes from her neck the amulet which she always wears, which proves that she isAspasia, long lost daughterof Alcandro and sister of Climene, who is delirious with joy at the news. Alcandro’s feelings aboutSaffo are completely reversed; now he knows her to be his daughter he longs tosave her from the imminent peril to which she has condemned herself. But Ippiaand the Augurs refuse to release her from the sacred oath she has sworn. Alcandro therefore asksif he can at least offerup a sacrifice, so that the Augurs can ask the god, on the victims’ blood, to absolve Saffo from the oath.While the god’s decision - which will be pitiless- is awaited, Faone enters,full of lamentation and remorse for having rejected that faithful and innocentsoul, Saffo. At this point Ippia and the Augurs return. The offering hasrevealed the will of Apollo: Saffo cannot be set free from her sacred oath.After the fatal decree is pronounced, Faone first falls to the ground inviolent agitation, then, as ifinspired with sudden hope, resolves to die with Saffo. The Augurs invite him to withdraw,because the appointed hour has comeand the dreadful leap must bemade. The people of Leucadia advance, full of consternation, with the Priests ofApollo and the Augurs. Among the Sacred Guards is Saffo, in a white robe,her hair unbound; Lisimaco follows her sorrowfully, bearing her wreath and her lyre. After havingput on her laurel crown,Saffo takes her lyre from Lisimaco and strikes it with poetic fire, singing her farewell to the world and to herlover. Then she goes towards Climene, and leads her into Faone’s arms,singing:Love him as I have always loved him.More, if thou wouldst, thou couldstnotMay love lend you those joysWhich destiny to me denied!Finally, escorted by the Augurs, the poetess ascends the summit of the promontory. Her father Alcandrodrops to his knees; Climene faints in the arms of Dirce; Faone tries to throwhimself into the sea, but is prevented by the priests. The curtain falls. Luigi Ferrari