Ball Masked - Madison Opera

A
Verdi
Masked
Ball
Friday, October 26, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Overture Hall
Exploring the Opera Student Matinee Study Guide

Contents
2 | A Day at the Opera: What to Expect
3 | A Masked Ball: Cast & Characters
4 | A Masked Ball: Synopsis
5 | The Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
7 | Historical Context
9 | Music
10 | Verdi and the Censors: Getting the Opera to Stage
11 | Character Assassination: The Life and Death of the Real King Gustav III
13 | Verdi and Gustav III: Fact vs. Fiction
14 | A Masked Ball: What To Listen For
16 | Curtain Up! Putting on An Opera
Bonus: Click/Read/Watch/Listen — Educational links, video excerpts, recommended recordings,
and POPera connections for A Masked Ball.
1 • A Masked Ball guide
Photo courtesy of Lyric Opera of Kansas City,
from their production of A Masked Ball (2010).
Acknowledgements for Resources and Assistance in creating this Guide:
A Dictionary of the Drama by W. Davenport Adams (1904); Opera Themes and Plots by Rudolph Fellner (1958); The Metropolitan Opera; Operavore;
The National Giuseppe Verdi Museum online; Gustav III of Sweden: The Forgotten Despot of the Age of Enlightenment by A.D. Harvey (History Today
Vol: 53 Issue 12).

A Day at the Opera
What to Expect
Opera is an exciting theatrical form that combines music, drama, visual art, and movement to tell a story on stage.
Originating in Renaissance Italy, opera is over 400 years old. Many people are unsure what to expect at an opera and
avoid attending because they are afraid of doing something wrong. Let’s take a moment to bust some of the myths
surrounding opera:
1
2
3
4
Opera is boring.
Not true! Opera is a multi-sensory experience, entertaining the eyes and ears as well as the brain and the
heart. Opera uses powerful voices and spectacular costumes and scenery to tell stories of love, vengeance,
murder, deception, triumph, and even magic.
Opera is not for young people.
Not true! Generation X and Generation Y, who are under 40, are the fastest growing audience for opera.
Like their parents before them, they want to be entertained. Whatever your age, opera offers something
for everyone.
Opera is sung in a language I won’t understand.
Most operas are performed in languages other than English, but never fear— you will know exactly what’s
going on. We project English translations, called supertitles, above the stage. Like subtitles in a foreign
film, supertitles let you know what the characters are saying. You don’t have to be fluent in a foreign
language to know what’s happening in an opera.
Fancy clothes are required to attend the opera.
Not true! There is no dress code to attend an opera. Our patrons attend the opera in everything from
jeans to ball gowns. You should wear whatever makes you comfortable (though you might want to wear
something nicer than torn pants and a t-shirt).
Now that we’ve corrected those myths, here are a few tips to make your visit to the opera even more enjoyable:
Get some background! While there will be production notes in the opera playbill, you can always Google
information about the opera beforehand, and check out Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to learn more. Reading
this guide will also help prepare you for A Masked Ball, and you can visit www.madisonopera.org to learn more about
opera.
Quiet, please! Refrain from talking or whispering during the opera. It is distracting to your fellow audience members,
as well as the performers on stage.
Turn it off! If you have anything that can make a noise, turn it off. This includes cell phones, pagers, watch chimes,
and other alarms. You don’t want your electronics to interrupt the show by making a racket.
For your eyes only! Cameras, video, or sound recording devices are not permitted. Not only are they distracting to
everyone, recording the opera is prohibited.
Applaud! When the maestro, or conductor, steps onto the podium at the beginning of the show, it is customary to
applaud. But that’s not the only time you get to clap— if you enjoy what’s happening, let it be known! Applaud at the
end of songs, called arias, and at the end of scenes. You can also call out “bravo” (to the men on stage), “brava” (to the
women) and “bravi” (for the ensemble) if you really like their performance.
A Masked Ball guide • 2

A Masked Ball
Cast & Characters
The Italian title for Verdi’s A Masked Ball is Un Ballo in Maschera (oon ball-oh in mass-care-uh). A Masked Ball is
based on a real historical event, the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden, but is heavily fictionalized. These are
the main characters:
3 • A Masked Ball guide
Gustav III (goo-stahv)
The King of Sweden
Voice type: tenor
Anckarström (ahn-car-strewm)
The King’s secretary, as well as best friend
and confidant.
Voice type: baritone
Amelia (ah-meel-yuh)
Anckarström’s wife. Amelia and the King are
in love.
Voice type: soprano
Oscar (OH-skar)
The King’s page. The role of Oscar is what is
known as a ‘pants role’.
Voice type: soprano
Ulrica (oohl-re-kah)
A fortune-teller.
Voice type: mezzo-soprano
Christiano (chris-tee-ah-no)
A sailor whom the King uses to convince a
crowd of Ulrica’s powers.
Voice type: baritone
Count Ribbing
A courtier involved in a conspiracy to
assassinate the King.
Voice type: bass
Count de Horn
A courtier involved in a conspiracy to
assassinate the King.
Voice type: bass
Opera voice types
There are 5 basic voice types in the European classical
system: soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, and
bass. As training for singers changed over the centuries,
so too did the basic voices. Here are some common
descriptions of operatic voice types:
Range Male Female
Highest Countertenor Coloratua Soprano
High Tenor Soprano
Midrange Baritone Mezzo-soprano
Low Bass Contralto
Nearly all of these voice types have subcategories. For
instance, a ‘soprano’ may be any one of the following:
Coloratura soprano
Spinto soprano
Lyric soprano
Dramatic soprano
The subcategories do not refer to an actual voice type, but
describe the repertoire at which the singer is most adept.
Every voice is unique, possessing its own quality and
musical color, and every singer’s capabilities are different.
Some opera singers are able to sing across voice types
and defy easy categorization.
Many opera composers had a favorite voice or voices
for which they wrote most of their music. The composer
Giuseppe Verdi is credited with codifying the distinction
between a ‘baritone’ and a ‘bass’; many of his pieces
focused on the baritone voice type over the bass.
A pants role is a male
character portrayed by a
female singer. Often these
roles are those of adolescent
males, for which a higher
vocal range is needed than
adult male singers can
provide.

A Masked Ball
Synopsis
Sweden, 1792.
ACT I
Courtiers await an audience with King Gustav III,
including a group of conspirators led by Counts de Horn
and Ribbing. The King notices the name of Amelia, wife
of his secretary and friend Anckarström, on the guest list
for a masked ball, and thinks about his secret love for her.
Left alone with Gustav, Anckarström warns the King of
a conspiracy against him, but Gustav ignores the threat.
The page Oscar tells the King about the fortuneteller
Ulrica, who has been accused of witchcraft and is to be
banished. Deciding to see for himself, the King arranges
for his court to pay an incognito visit to Ulrica.
In a warehouse, Ulrica invokes prophetic spirits and tells
the sailor Christiano that he will soon become wealthy
and receive a promotion. The King, who has arrived
in disguise, slips money and papers into Christiano’s
pockets. When the sailor discovers his good fortune,
everybody praises Ulrica’s abilities. Gustav hides as
she sends her visitors away to admit Amelia, who is
tormented by her love for the King and asks for help.
Ulrica tells her that she must gather a magic herb at night
by the gallows. When Amelia leaves, Gustav decides to
follow her there. Oscar and members of the court enter,
and the King asks Ulrica to read his palm. She tells him
that he will die by the hand of a friend. Gustav laughs
at the prophecy and demands to know the name of the
assassin. Ulrica replies that it will be the first person that
shakes his hand. When Anckarström rushes in, Gustav
clasps his hand, saying that the oracle has been disproved
since Anckarström is his most loyal friend. Recognizing
their king, the crowd cheers him as the conspirators
grumble their discontent.
ACT II
Amelia arrives at the gallows and prays that she will be
freed of her love for the King. When Gustav appears, she
asks him to leave, but ultimately they admit their love
for each other. Amelia hides her face when Anckarström
interrupts them, warning the King that assassins are
nearby. Gustav makes Anckarström promise to escort
the woman back to the city without lifting her veil,
then escapes. Finding Anckarström instead of their
intended victim, the conspirators make ironic remarks
about his veiled companion. When Amelia realizes that
her husband will fight rather than break his promise to
Gustav, she drops her veil to save him. The conspirators
are amused and make fun of Anckarström for his
embarrassing situation. Anckarström, shocked by the
King’s betrayal, asks Horn and Ribbing to come to his
house the next morning.
ACT III
In his study, Anckarström threatens to kill Amelia. She
asks to see their young son before she dies. After she has
left, Anckarström exclaims that is it the King on whom
he should seek vengeance, not Amelia. Horn and Ribbing
arrive, and Anckarström tells them that he will join the
conspirators. The men decide to draw lots to determine
who will kill the King, and Anckarström forces his wife
to choose from the slips of paper. When his own name
comes up, he is overjoyed. Oscar enters, bringing an
invitation to the masked ball. As the assassins welcome
this chance to execute their plan, Amelia decides to warn
the King.
Gustav, alone in his study, resolves to renounce his love
and send Amelia and Anckarström to Finland. Oscar
brings an anonymous letter warning him of the murder
plot, but the King refuses to be intimidated and leaves
for the masquerade. In the ballroom, Anckarström tries
to learn from Oscar what costume the King is wearing.
The page answers evasively, but finally reveals Gustav’s
disguise. Amelia and the King meet, and she repeats her
warning. Refusing to leave, he declares his love one more
time and tells her that he is sending her away with her
husband. As the lovers say goodbye, Anckarström stabs
the King. The dying Gustav forgives his murderer and
admits that he loved Amelia but assures Anckarström
that his wife is innocent. The crowd praises the King’s
goodness and generosity.
The assassination of King
Gustav III of Sweden was an
actual event. However, Verdi
added elements to his opera
that have no basis in King
Gustav III’s life. Read more
about it on pg. 13.
A Masked Ball guide • 4

The Composer
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi
was born October 10, 1813 in the
village of Le Roncole, which was then
part of Napoleon’s Kingdom of Italy.
It can be difficult to separate fact
from fiction in the composer’s history,
due in no small part to Verdi’s own
penchant for romanticizing his life.
For instance, Verdi enjoyed presenting
himself as the son of illiterate
peasants, a humble upbringing from
which he dragged himself to glory. In
truth, his father Carlo was a modest
but literate innkeeper, and his mother
Luigia a spinner in a textile factory.
They were not wealthy, but both Carlo and Luigia came
from families of landowners and traders. Carlo was
able to invest heavily in Verdi’s education, including
private instruction with local priests. On Verdi’s seventh
birthday, Carlo gave him a spinet. Soon, Verdi was
substituting as organist at the local church and became
the permanent organist at the age of nine.
In 1823, the family moved to Busseto. The metropolitan
area permitted Verdi access to a broader range of
educational opportunities and he spent much of his
time at the enormous Jesuit library. At age eleven,
Verdi entered the ginnasio (secondary school)
where he received training in Latin, Italian, rhetoric,
and humanities. In 1825, Verdi began lessons with
Ferdinando Provesi, choirmaster at San Bartolomeo in
Busseto and director of the municipal music school and
the local Philharmonic Society. Over the next six years,
Verdi produced hundreds of band marches, several
symphonies, a half dozen concertos, and a number of
variations for pianoforte, serenades, cantatas, and church
music. His musical ambitions were enthusiastically
supported by Antonio Barezzi, a wealthy local merchant
and amateur musician. It was in Barezzi’s home in 1830
that Verdi gave the first public performance of one of
his compositions. In May 1831, Verdi moved into the
Barezzi house to act as musical tutor to Barezzi’s daughter
Margherita. The two fell in love and became engaged.
In 1832, with Barezzi’s financial support and the
promise of a scholarship Carlo secured from a charitable
institution, Verdi went to Milan to complete his studies.
5 • A Masked Ball guide
Verdi’s application to enroll at the Milan
Conservatory was rejected, due in part
to his being four years too old and not
a Milan resident, but also because of his
unorthodox piano technique. Though
the young composer was discouraged,
Barezzi sponsored Verdi’s private
study with Vincenzo Lavigna who
had for many years been choirmaster
at La Scala. In 1834, Verdi assisted
at the keyboard in performances of
Haydn’s Creation given by a Milanese
Philharmonic Society directed by Pietro
Massini. A year later, Massini and Verdi
co-directed performances of Gioachino
Rossini’s La Cenerentola.
In 1836, Verdi returned to Busetto and married
Margherita. He directed and composed for the local
Philharmonic Society and supplemented his income
by giving private lessons. He and Margherita had two
children during their marriage, Virginia and Icilio
Romano. Both children died in infancy while Verdi
was at work on his first opera, Oberto (1839). The
opera opened to success at La Scala in Milan, and the
manager Bartolomeo Merelli offered Verdi a contract
for three more works. While Verdi was working on his
second opera Un giorno di regno (A One Day Reign) in
1940, Margherita died of encephalitis at the age of 26.
Verdi was devastated by the deaths of his young family
in the span of only three years, and his sorrow was
compounded by the failure of Un giorno di regno. In
despair, Verdi vowed to give up musical composition, but
Merelli persuaded him to write Nabucco. Verdi’s third
opera opened to critical and popular acclaim in March
1842, and rocketed him to fame.
The fourteen years that followed (which Verdi called his
“galley years”) saw the composer produce 14 new operas,
including I Lombardi (1843) and Macbeth (1847). During
this time he began an affair with Giuseppina Strepponi,
a soprano nearing the end of her career who had starred
in many of Verdi’s operas. Strepponi’s demanding
performance scheduled eventually cost her voice. After
being booed off stage in 1845, she semi-retired, confining
her performances to roles in Verdi’s operas. They married
in 1859, and their marriage was a happy one.

Verdi’s prolific galley years came to an end around the time
of his second marriage. While no longer as productive,
the composer went on to compose some of his most wellknown
operas, including Rigoletto in 1851,and Il Trovatore
(The Troubadour) and La traviata (The Fallen Woman) in
1853. Each of these operas was a magnificent success, and
Verdi received a number of commissions from opera houses
throughout Europe. Between 1855 and 1867, Verdi composed
Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball) in 1859, La forza del
destino (The Force of Destiny) commissioned in 1861 but
not performed until 1862, a revised version of Macbeth in
1865, Les vêpres siciliennes (The Sicilian Vespers) in 1855, Don
Carlos in 1867, and Simon Boccanegra in 185.
The death of fellow Italian composer Rossini in 1868 spurred
Verdi to compose a portion of a requiem to honor Rossini’s
memory. Verdi’s Libera me (Deliver me) was one of thirteen
compositions in a collaborative requiem entitled Messa per
Rossini. Politics and personal conflict led to the project being
abandoned, and the completed Messa per Rossini would not
premiere until 1988. Verdi revised Libera me for use in the
Messa da Requiem (1874), a memorial composition for Italian
writer and humanist Alessandro Manzoni.
While working on the Requiem, Verdi composed and
premiered Aida (1871). The opera was an enormous and
instant success. Following Aida, Verdi had a relatively quiet
period during which he composed for a string quartet and
revised several of his prior operas. He composed two new
operas during this time: Otello (1887) and his final opera,
Falstaff (1893). Following the run of Falstaff, Verdi retired to
a country home in Busseto with Giuseppina, who died four
years later in 1897.
Verdi spent his last years in Milan, where he was visited
regularly by friends and admirers. While staying at the Grand
Hotel et de Milan, Verdi had a debilitating stroke. He grew
steadily weaker and died six days later on January 27, 1901.
Verdi was given a state funeral in which orchestras and choirs
throughout Italy amassed to remember him in what remains
the largest public assembly in Italy’s history.
Verdi’s final resting place is the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti,
a rest home for retired musicians that Verdi established in
1896. The rest home is still in existence, and was the chief
beneficiary of his will. Of the home, Verdi once wrote:
“Of all my works, that which pleases me the most is the Casa
that I had built in Milan to shelter elderly singers who have
not been favoured by fortune, or who when they were young
did not have the virtue of saving their money. Poor and dear
companions of my life!”
Antonio Barezzi
Margherita Barezzi
Giuseppina Strepponi
Casa di Riposo per Musicisti
A Masked Ball guide • 6

Historical context
1813
1814
1816
1818
1820
1821
1822
1823
1824
1829
1830
1831
1833
1836
1837
7 • A Masked Ball guide
Verdi is born.
Rubber is patented.
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is published.
Francis Scott Key publishes the poem,
The Star-Spangled Banner.
René Laennec invents the stethoscope.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is published.
The U.S. Congress adopts the stars and stripes
as the official national flag.
The U.S. Congress passes the Missouri
Compromise.
The Venus de Milo statue is discovered on the
Greek island of Milos.
Napoleaon Bonaparte dies in exile on Saint
Helena of stomach cancer.
Thomas Young and Jean-François
Champollion decipher hieroglyphics using the
Rosetta Stone.
The ban on coffee in Sweden, of which King
Gustav III was a staunch supporter, is finally
lifted after seventy-six years.
Eleven-year-old Franz Liszt gives a concert
after which he is personally congratulated by
Ludwig van Beethoven.
The United States War Department creates the
Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 premieres in
Vienna.
Cyrill Demian receives a patent for the
accordion.
Greece grants citizenship to Jews.
Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame
is published.
Verdi becomes a tutor in the Barezzi household.
Anselme Payen discovers the enzyme diastase,
heralding the dawn of biochemistry.
The U.S. territory of Wisconsin is created.
Verdi marries Margherita Barezzi.
Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist begins serial
publication.
Samuel Morse patents the telegraph.
Louis Daguerre develops the daguerreotype.
1838
1839
1840
1842
1843
1844
1845
1847
1848
1850
1851
1852
The people of the Cherokee Nation are forcibly
relocated during the Trail of Tears.
Proteins are discovered by Jöns Jakob Berzelius.
Pitcairn Islands, a British colony in the Southern
Pacific, gives women universal suffrage.
Louis Daguerre takes the first photograph of
Earth’s moon.
Slaves aboard the Amistad rebel and capture
the ship.
Verdi’s first opera, Oberto, opens in Milan.
Charles Goodyear vulcanizes rubber.
Gaetano Donizetti’s opera La fille du régiment
premieres in Paris.
Verdi’s third opera, Nabucco, premieres in Milan.
Anesthesia is used for the first time in an
operation.
The Treaty of Nanking establishes Hong Kong as
a British colony.
Verdi’s I Lombardi premieres in Milan.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is published.
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart is
published.
Ada Lovelace translates and expands Menabrea’s
notes on Charles Babbage’s analytical engine, the
precussor to computers.
Verdi’s I due Foscari debuts in Rome.
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven is published.
Ireland’s Great Famine begins.
Frederick Douglass’s autobiographical Narrative
is published.
Verdi’s Macbeth premieres in Florence.
Charlotte Brontë publishes Jane Eyre under the
pen name of Currer Bell.
Wisconsin becomes the 30th U.S. state.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter
is published.
Wagner’s opera Lohengrin premieres
in Germany.
The New York Times is founded.
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
is published.

1858
1859
1861
1865
1868
1869
1871
1873
1875
1876
1877
1880
1881
Attempted assassination of Napoleon III
in France.
Verdi’s A Masked Ball premieres in Rome.
Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities
is published.
Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species.
The American Civil War begins with the
bombardment of Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
The Kingdom of Italy is established.
John Wilkes Booth shoots Abraham Lincoln at
Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
The Thirteenth Amendment, which permanently
abolishes slavery in the U.S., is approved and
ratified by three quarters of the states.
French geologist Louis Lartet discovers skeletons
of the Cro-Magnon, the first early modern
humans, in Dordogne, France
Dmitri Mendeleev publishes the first version of
the Period Table of the Elements.
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
form the National Woman Suffrage Association.
The Suez Canal in Egypt is inaugurated. Verdi
had been asked to compose an ode for its
opening but declined, saying that he did not
write “occasional pieces”.
Rome becomes the capital of unified Italy.
Verdi’s Aida premieres in Cairo.
Thespis, the first Gilbert and Sullivan operetta,
premieres in London.
Levi Strauss & Co. begin manufacturing jeans.
Bizet’s Carmen premieres in Paris.
Alexander Graham Bell makes the first
successful telephone call.
Richard Wagner inaugurates the Bayreuth
Festival.
Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake debuts in
Moscow.
Wabash, Indiana becomes the first electrically
lit city in the world.
Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell
form the Oriental Telephone Company.
Infamous gunfight at OK Corral occurs in
Tombstone, AZ.
1883
1885
1886
1887
1888
1889
1891
1892
1893
1894
1896
1897
1898
1900
1901
Wagner dies of a heart attack in Venice. Verdi,
his peer and rival, lamented: “Sad, sad, sad!
... a name that will leave a most powerful
impression on the history of art.”
The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York
Harbor, a gift from France.
Karl Benz patents the first successful gasolinedriven
automobile.
Pharmacist Dr. John Stith Pemberton invents
Coca-Cola.
The construction of the Eiffel Tower’s
foundations begins in Paris.
Verdi’s Otello premieres at La Scala in Milan.
Handel’s Israel in Egypt is recorded onto wax
cylinder at the Crystal Palace. It is the earliest
known recording of classical music.
Vincent van Gogh cuts off the lower part of his
left ear.
Vincent van Gogh paints Starry Night at Saint-
Rémy-de-Provence.
Mahler’s First Symphony premieres.
Carnegie Hall opens in New York, with its first
public performance conducted by Tchaikovsky.
Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants
to the United States.
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet premieres in
St. Petersburg.
Verdi’s last opera, Falstaff, premieres in Rome.
William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for
motion picture film.
Puccini’s La Bohème premieres in Italy.
Teatro Massimo is inaugurated in Palermo. It is
the largest opera theatre in Italy and the third
largest in Europe
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is published.
Marie and Pierre Curie announce their
discovery of radium.
Puccini’s Tosca premieres in Rome.
Gaetano Bresci assassinates King Umberto I
of Italy.
Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom dies.
Verdi dies.
A Masked Ball guide • 8

Verdi’s Music
Verdi was a composer of the Romantic Era of classical
music, dated roughly 1820 to 1900. In Italy, Romanticism
in music was dominated by the bel canto style as
established by Italian composers Gaetano Donizetti
and Gioachino Rossini. Verdi’s early compositions were
influenced by his predeccesors, particularly Donizetti.
Over his career, Verdi’s compositional style became
more refined, and he left the well-known conventions of
Italian opera in favor of producing highly original and
expressive works.
Verdi felt his compositional style was more uneducated
than that of his peers, and relied on his natural melodic
gift to inform his expression. He fully appreciated the
value of the orchestra and used its powers to their
full extent. Italian opera had long been dominated by
traditional scenic elements, old-fashioned librettos, and
emphasis on vocal displays; Verdi dedicated himself to
unifying music and drama to tell engrossing stories. The
composer was absorbed with plot and had a tendency
to micromanage his librettists to ensure that the opera
characters and story were brought fully to life.
Verdi’s operas have been criticized as overly
melodramatic, but the composer freely admitted that
his music was aimed at an audience composed of the
general public rather than the musical elite. He was very
picky about operatic topics, choosing only those tales
he belived would engross the audience from first note to
last. The composer once declared that his works should
be “original, interesting...and passionate; passions above
them all!”
Verdi’s operas are characterized by quick pacing,
emotional extremes, and music that underscores drama
and turmoil. Verdi employs duets, trios, and quartets to
give the singers the most expressive moments possible.
As Verdi aged and experienced more of life, his operas
became increasingly unconventional, without the harsh
divisions of musical moments common in other works
and great continuity in musical moments. In the comic
Falstaff, his final work, Verdi concludes with a carefree
finale: a fugue declaring ‘All the world’s a joke!’
9 • A Masked Ball guide
VERDI’S MAJOR OPERATIC WORKS
In addition to songs and choral works, Verdi wrote
37 operas during his lifetime. Here is a list of his most
important operas:
Nabucco (1842)
I Lombardi (1843)
Macbeth (1847)
Rigoletto (1851)
Il Trovatore (The Troubadour, 1853)
La Traviata (The Fallen Woman, 1853)
Simon Boccanegra (1857)
Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball, 1859)
Don Carlos (1867)
Aida (1871)
Otello (1887)
Falstaff (1893)
What’s In A Name?
Verdi lived during the
Risorgimento, the Italian unification
movement. Themes of Italian
Nationalism are present in his music. His
name was used as a codeword for popular
support of the leader of the Unification
movement: ‘Viva VERDI’. Verdi stands
for Vittorio Emanuele, Re D’Italia. The
phrase means ‘Long live Victor
Emanuele, king of Italy’.
VERDI IN POPULAR CULTURE
Even if you have never been to an opera, you have
probably heard some of opera’s most famous musical
pieces in advertising, TV shows and movies, and in
department stores. Doritos’s 2012 Super Bowl XLVI
commercial “Sling Baby” used the familiar aria “La
Donna È Mobile” from Verdi’s Rigoletto.
ll Trovatore has become one of popular culture’s most
often referenced Verdi works. Gilbert and Sullivan
musically spoof the opera’s Anvil Chorus in The Pirates
of Penzance. The Marx Brothers had a particular affinity
for the opera, particularly the Anvil Chorus, and it
appears in three of their films: as cash register music in
The Cocoanuts (1929), a humorous piano scene in Animal
Crackers (1930), and as the operatic scene trying to
happen onstage during A Night at the Opera (1935).

Verdi and the Censors
Getting the Opera to Stage
Verdi spent the majority of his career at war with the
censors. He used his operas to express his political
opinions, particularly his desire to see the expulsion of
the Austrians who ruled Milan and Venice. The subtext
of Italian liberation from foreign rule lies in nearly
every Verdi opera, particularly his early works. Verdi’s
allegories of independence, personal liberty, and freedom
were much beloved by the Italian citizenry. Verdi and
his works often served as a rallying point for the Italian
people and the dream of a unified and sovereign Italy,
and ultimately led to a lifelong battle between the
composor and the censors.
Prior to the establishment of Italy as a nation in 1861,
Austrian-imposed law required all ideas for a new opera
to be submitted for approval before a libretto could even
be written; the libretto would then have to pass scrutiny.
Verdi’s early operas Nabucco (1842) and I Lombardi
(1843) were approved with little comment by the
Milanese censors, but they provoked riots that surprised
and horrified city officials. Thereafter, the censors
began scrutinizing Verdi’s works to the very last note.
Occasionally, however, the censors would miss subversive
elements. For instance, Ezio, the Roman general in Attila
(1846) says “Avrai tu l’universo, resti l’Italia a me”. The
translation—“You may keep the universe, let Italy be
mine.”— was a direct statement that Italy should be ruled
by, and for, Italians. When the censors did eventually
catch on, it made Verdi even less popular with them.
In many cases, the only reason Verdi managed to get
his work to stage was due to the support of an Austrian
censor named Martello, who was an avid opera lover and
an admirer of Verdi. Martello compromised with Verdi
and negotiated with his fellow censors to maintain as
much of Verdi’s original material as possible. Martello’s
power and interference stirred up even more ill-will
with the censors, and the powder keg was fully primed
for explosion by the time Verdi submitted his idea for A
Masked Ball.
Regicide was always a hot-button issue in monarchical
countries, but raised particular alarm during an era when
violent social revolution was poised to erupt. Dreams
of democracy were sweeping Europe, threatening
the autocracies and the status quo. Everywhere on
the continent was rebellion, insurrection, war, and
conspiracy. While A Masked Ball was in rehearsal, both
King Ferdinand of Naples and Napoleon III narrowly
escaped assassination attempts. Antonio Somma, Verdi’s
librettist, was suspected of involvement in uprisings
against Austrians in Venice and was under government
surveillance. He eventually penned the libretto for A
Masked Ball under a pseudonym, either out of fear for
his life or because he was furious about the changes to
the opera. In this dangerous atmosphere, Verdi made the
alterations requested of him by the Neapolitan censors:
he made the king to a duke, and moved the action to an
earlier historical period. The censors then demanded
more changes: that Amelia must be a sister and not
a wife, the conspirators could now draw lots, and the
murder must occur offstage.
Furious, Verdi refused to obey and withdrew his opera
from Naples. He hoped for more freedom from the
Roman censors, but met with the same demands with
the additional requirement that the plot be moved out
of Europe. In danger of losing his opera completely,
Verdi had no choice but to bow to the censors. The opera
action was relocated to 17th-century Boston and the king
demoted to a colonial governor for the English Crown.
It escaped everyone’s notice that Boston did not become
a city until 1822 and that the English Crown never had
a governor there while it ruled. In addition to the new
setting, firearms were not permitted onstage, and many
of the male characters had their names changed.
At long last approved by the censors, A Masked Ball
premiered on February 17, 1859 in Rome. It quickly
became popular, and remained so through the turbulent
decade of unification that followed.
By 1870, with the censors deposed and Italy under
sovereign rule, Verdi could have returned the opera to
its original setting but never did. It continued to be set
in Boston until a 1935 staging in Copenhagen which
restored the original Swedish elements. It is now more
common to see it staged as Verdi originally intended it:
in Sweden, with its King.
A Masked Ball guide • 10

Character Assassination
The Life and Death of the Real King Gustav III
Gustav III of Sweden (1746-1792) was one of a handful
of 18th-century rulers known as the Enlightened
Despots, monarchs who employed the principles of the
Enlightenment—such as religious tolerance, freedom of
speech and the press, and the right to private property—
to rule their territories. Gustav’s reign is overshadowed
by those of his relatives Frederick the Great of Prussia,
Catherine II of Russia, and Joseph II of Austria, but his
assassination has inspired a number of novels, films, and
stage works.
When Gustav took the throne in 1771, Sweden’s
government was awash in corruption. The Riksdag,
the Swedish Parliament, held political power and took
advantage of Sweden’s Age of Liberty to abuse both the
monarchy and the common people. The two warring
factions of the Riksdag refused Gustav’s attempts at
reconciliation and partnership. Frustrated, Gustav
deposed the Riksdag through a coup d’état in 1772 that
returned power to the Swedish monarchy and saved
Sweden from losing its independence to Russia. Although
Gustav’s swift action was popular with the people, it
rankled many of the powerful ruling nobility. Anger and
vengeance followed Gustav throughout his reign.
Though Gustav was not a well-educated monarch by the
standards of the era, he was thoughtful and intelligent.
He took day-to-day charge of nearly every aspect of his
government. During the strongest years of his reign,
he re-wrote the Constitution, stabilized the country’s
currency and grew its dilapidated finances, reformed the
criminal justice system, and instituted a new economic
policy that gave Swedish merchants better and greater
opportunities for international trade. Gustav dealt with
the ministers of his government as often as possible, but
had a habit of going directly and often secretly to middle-
and low-ranking subordinates in order to achieve his
goals. This behavior rankled even his supporters and
flamed the fires of resentment in his Court.
Gustav held a great admiration for the arts, and his
particular love was the theatre. He wrote several plays,
and is today regarded as one of the finest Swedish
dramatists of his age. He also acted, and commissioned
a number of works in which he placed native performers
to help bolster their careers. Gustav founded the Royal
Theatre in 1773, which included the Royal Swedish
Opera and the Royal Swedish Ballet; the Royal Dramatic
11 • A Masked Ball guide
Theatre followed in 1788. Gustav’s most vital legacies
were his contributions to the arts in Sweden, and his
dedication to supporting and promoting Swedish artists.
His influence is vibrantly apparent in Swedish culture
today.
Gustav also paraded his love of the theatrical at Court.
He enjoyed the lengthy and complex rituals, parties,
ceremonies, and grand attires that went with being King.
He wasted a good deal of time and money on cards, and
would often hold meetings while embroidering bodices
for the ladies of his Court. The nickname given him by
history, The Theatre King, refers to both his patronage of
the arts and his flamboyant nature. Gustav’s costly and
pompous indulgences earned him the derision of his
enemies, and became a point of contention for those who
fell out of his graces (Gustav is said to have cared little for
loyalty).
The King’s quirks, coupled with his Enlightened
philosophy on ruling, made him popular with the
common people. The middle years of Gustav’s reign are
considered the ‘golden years’, when the Swedish King
enacted his most socially progressive legislation and
rescued Sweden from becoming a subject of Russia. As
his reign continued, Gustav’s frivolities at Court, finicky
relationships with friends and foes alike, constant battles
with the Riksdag, and Sweden’s mounting financial
debt to France and Russia caused the tide of Gustav’s
popularity to ebb and flow.
By 1786, Gustav launched efforts to abolish the
Parliament and began making decisions without their
sanction. In 1788, the King declared war against Russia
without the consent of the Riksdag. Russia’s military
resources were stretched thin by a violent conflict with
the Ottoman Empire, and Gustav’s strategy was to exploit
this weakness. However, the Swedish troops were poorly
provisioned and bitterly opposed to the illegality of the
war. When the soldiers crossed the Russian border in July
1788, they mutinied. The mutiny was led by aristocratic
officers. Gustav managed to rally popular anti-aristocrat
opinion and ultimately quash the rebellion.
The Russo-Swedish War (1788-1790) was largely a
disaster for Gustav. It left Sweden nearly bankrupt and
with little to show for itself other than an annual subsidy
from Catherine the Great. Gustav took advantage of the

situation to cast his nobles in a bad light, and presented
the Riksdag with a new Constitution stripping them
of noble privileges and giving himself an absolute
monarchy. When the Riksdag rejected the new
Constitution, Gustav ordered that their votes be recorded
as “Yes”, an illegal and dictatorial move that cemented the
decision of the nobles to depose the King.
The new Constitution gave Gustav the right to declare
war without approval from the Riksdag, and he had
barely finished with Russia before turning his sights on
France. The French Revolution was in full swing, and
Gustav positioned himself as the leader of the monarchist
opposition to the uprising. Gustav was an impoverished
monarch with no powerful European allies, and his
attempt to put down the French rebellion was extremely
unpopular. The conspiracy among his enemies grew
into murderous intent, led by Captain Jakob Johan
Anckarström, Count Claes Fredrik Horn, and Count
Adolf Ludvig Ribbing.
On March 16, 1792, Gustav attended a masquerade
ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm. At dinner
with friends, he received an anonymous death threat. It
was one of many the King had received and he chose to
ignore it. After dinner, he went to the masquerade, where
half an hour later Anckarström placed a pistol against
the King’s back and pulled the trigger. The pistol had
been loaded with balls, nails, and scraps of lead and iron.
Despite the terrible pain, Gustav did not fall, a fact that
added to the romanticism surrounding his assassination.
Anckarström was arrested the following morning, and
with Horn and Ribbing made a full confession. Horn
and Ribbing would be stripped of their nobility and
exiled from Sweden; Anckarström would be tortured,
mutilated, and executed.
Gustav lingered in agony in his quarters, giving orders
about his country and showing little interest in the
plotters who had confessed to attempted regicide. The
King, told of their confessions, said:
“I don’t want to know the names ... It is only their political
plan I should like to know about, some time or other. I am
curious to see whether there was anything sensible in it.”
Gustav’s wound became severely infected, and on March
29, 1792, he died. His final words were:
“I feel sleepy, a few moments’ rest would do me good.”
King Gustav III in 1777 (above). The masquerade costume he wore
to the Royal Opera House the night of his assassination (below).
A Masked Ball guide • 12

Verdi and Gustav III
Fact vs. Fiction
The censors demanded so many changes to A Masked Ball that
by the time it made it to stage, it was no longer recognizable as an
opera about the Swedish King Gustav III. Of course, Verdi took
liberties of his own with the life of the king.
Amelia | Fictional Character
The real Gustav III married Sophia Magdalena of Denmark. The
marriage was an unhappy one, mainly because Gustav’s mother
was jealous of Sophia and made life disagreeable for the couple.
Gustav later endured rumors spread by his mother that he was not
the father of Sophia’s first son. These rumors took root because
Gustav and Sophia married in 1766, but did not produce their
first child until 1778. Whether Gustav’s mother was right or just
malicious has never been established.
Count Anckarström | (1762-1792)
The real Anckarström was a minor noble and Captain in the
Swedish army who, early in his career, was imprisoned on charges
of slandering Gustav III. He was acquitted after a trial and cruel
imprisonment. He maintained that the experience sparked his
hatred of the king. They did not have a friendship; it is probable
they never even met before the night Anckarström shot Gustav.
Ulrica the Fortune-Teller | (1734-1801)
Anna Ulrica Arfvidsson was a professional Swedish fortune-teller,
commonly known as Mamsell Arfvidsson. She was the daughter
of high-ranking royal palace servants. Her natural intelligence and
wide net of informers enabled her to give accurate predictions,
and Ulrica became popular with the aristocracy. In 1786, Gustav
III came to her in disguise for a reading in the company of Count
Jacob De la Gardie. Ulrica warned: Beware of the man with a sword
you will meet this evening, for he aspires to take your life. It is not
known whether Gustav encountered such a man, but when he was
assassinated four years later, the authorities interrogated Ulrica.
She was never charged with involvement, but it frightened away
her clients and she died in poverty.
The King’s Costume
In the opera, Anckarström has to find out from Oscar what
costume the king is wearing. Gustav III was easily identifiable to
his assassin due to the large silver Royal Order of the Seraphim
star worn on his chest.
The Murder Weapon
In the opera, the assassin uses a knife to stab the king to death.
Gustav III was shot. Verdi’s original work was true to this
historical fact, but the censors would not permit firearms on stage
and he changed the weapon to a knife.
13 • A Masked Ball guide
Jacob Johan Anckarström
Marian Anderson
in the role of Ulrica (1955)
Mamsell Arfvidsson read coffee leaves to
tell fortunes. Gustav III believed coffee
consumption was dangerous to public health,
and ordered a scientific experiment be
conducted on a set of imprisoned identical
twins. Their exeuctions were commuted to life
imprisonment on the condition that one twin
drank three pots of tea a day for life, and the
other drank three pots of coffee. Gustav III was
assassinated before the experiment concluded;
the tea-drinking twin died first, at the age of 83.

A Masked Ball
What to Listen For
Themes
Verdi’s A Masked Ball is dominated by recurring musical themes that underscore the hidden
passions and intentions of the characters. There are two major themes in A Masked Ball. They
appear first in the prelude, and reappear throughout the opera.
The Conspirators
The staccato motif of the conspirators suggests sneaky plotters walking around on tip-toe and
whispering furtively in shadows, and is in direct opposition to the lighter melodies of the rest of
the royal court and loyal subjects, who wish the King good health and happiness.
Key
moments
Key
moments
Act I
Courtiers await the arrival of the King for a morning audience. The loyal
subjects hope the King has slept well and is feeling strong and in good spirits,
but the conspirators plot his assassination.
Act II
Gustav has made Anckarström promise to escort the disguised Amelia back
to the city without lifting her veil. The conspirators, who have been hunting
for Gustav, come upon Anckarström and begin taunting him and his veiled
companion.
Act III
The conspirators arrive at Anckarström’s home, and are told that Anckarström
wishes to join in their conspiracy. They all swear vengeance together.
Gustav’s Love Theme
The King is a stately, dignified, and commanding character, but when he thinks of Amelia, his
demeanor is softened by love.
Act I
The King sees Amelia’s name on the masquerade ball guest list.
Act III
The King wonders if Amelia has returned home safely. In order to remove
temptation, he signs an order that will send Amelia and Anckarström away from
Sweden. As he prepares for the masquerade ball, he rejoices in the thought of
seeing his beloved Amelia one last time.
A Masked Ball guide • 14

Pants
Role
15 • A Masked Ball guide
In 17th and 18th century Italian opera, the characters of adolescent boys and young men were
often played by castrati. Social acceptance of castrati began to decline as social acceptance of
women appearing onstage grew. By the mid-1800s, most of the roles the castrati once performed
were filled by women dressed as men, and it became common for composers to write ‘pants
roles’ for a woman’s voice. Today, there are three options for dealing with a role originally written
for castrai: employ a countertenor, cast a woman dressed in male costume, or drop the pitch of
the role by an octave and cast a male tenor. Countertenors are comparatively rare, and using a
female singer offers the most authentic sound that is closest to the castrati of the time.
The character of Oscar in A Masked Ball was written for a soprano’s voice. The character of
Oscar is meant to bring a sense of levity and innocence to an opera rife with conpspiracy,
jealousy, anger, and vengeance. Just as the conspirator’s theme draws attention to the shadows
and darkness closing in on the King, Oscar highlights the joy and excitement that the King
experiences in his love for Amelia.
Key
moments
Act I
Volta la terrea
Gustav asks about the banishment of Ulrica. Oscar defends her, telling of her
marvelous magic and her uncanny prophecies. Ulrica’s witchcraft has caught his
youthful imagination, and Gustav decides to visit her and judge for himself.
Act III
Di che fulgor
Oscar has brought the masquerade invitations to Anckarström and Amelia. As
the conspirators plot murder and Amelia tries desperately to think of how to
warn the King, Oscar, oblivious to the tension in the air, sings dreamily of the
planned festivities at the ball.
Act III
Saper vorreste
Anckarström has arrived at the ball and asks Oscar what costume the King is
wearing. Oscar laughingly refuses to tell; it is not in the spirit of a masquerade
ball to reveal someone’s costume. Anckarström convinces the innocent Oscar
that it is a matter of urgency, and Oscar describes the Gustav’s costume, thus
unwittingly aiding in the King’s assassination.

Curtain Up!
Putting on An Opera
Although the singers get the spotlight, it takes a lot
of people to get an opera to the stage. From selecting
the opera to designing the production to publicizing
the event and selling tickets, mounting an opera is a
complex undertaking. Every opera production and
every opera company is unique, but the diagram to
the right shows the most common roles that must be
filled to get an opera produced.
How Opera Happens
A composer, who writes the music, and a librettist,
who writes the words that go with the music, team
up to create the opera. The opera is then entrusted to
a conductor and stage director who collaborate with
designers, singers, and musicians to give the opera
physical life. Those are the basics. In reality, there are
quite a few steps in between. Here are the basics:
1
2
3
4
The opera is chosen by the General Director and/
or Artistic Director.
Singers, supernumeraries, and chorus members
are hired. Many companies, like Madison Opera,
have their own chorus and simply add or subtract
members based on the needs of the opera.
The stage director is hired.
Production designers are hired. Many opera
companies often rent scenery and/or costumes
from other companies instead of building entirely
new scenery and costumes for every show.
The scenic designer develops blueprints for the sets.
These designs are given to the scene shop, where
carpenters and artists build and paint the set.
The costume designer creates drawings and
swatch books for the costumes. Cutters, stitchers,
and sewers make the costumes. Wig designers
and make-up artists create designs to match the
costumes.
The lighting designer develops light plots, which
detail where the lighting instruments are hung and
where onstage the light beams are focused. The
light plots also tell what gels (color filters), gobos
(cut-out patterns), and other special equipment
each instrument receives.
Singers learn their music before rehearsals begin.
The rehearsal period lasts less than a month.
During this time, the stage director teaches
the singers where to move during their scenes
and what stage business they have to do with
Artists
Composer
Stage Director
Principal Singers
Chorus Members
Supernumeraries
Dancers
5
6
7
Administrative &
Production Staff
General Director
Artistic Director
Development Director
Marketing Director
Patron Services Manager
Artistic Manager
Stage Manager
Opera!
Conductor
Orchestra
Choreographer
Chorus Master
Rehearsal Pianist
Wig & Make-Up
Designer
Costume Designer
Scenic Designer
Lighting Designer
Props Master
Theatre Technicians
Stage Crew
House Manager
Ushers
At the end of an
opera, the singers return
to the stage to take a bow.
In many opera houses, the
singers will “share” their bows
with the orchestra and the
production crew by indicating
them with a sweep of their
arms. Opera truly is a
collaborative art.
props. The conductor works with the singers on the music,
establishing the relationship between the music and the stage
movement. The singers also use this rehearsal time to get to
know their co-stars and the overall vision for the production.
The stage manager runs rehearsals, and makes notes about
scenic changes, lighting cues, and other technical aspects of
the production.
The scenery is loaded onto the stage. Scenic dressers add the
curtains, furniture, and foliage to the set.
The costumes, wigs, and props are brought into the theatre.
The wardrobe crew and prop crew must get everything
situated backstage for easy access during the performance.
The lighting designer and a team of electricians get all of the
lighting instruments prepared. Using specialized lighting
instruments, colored gels, and computers the designer writes
the script for the lights. These lighting “cues” are used during
the production by the light board operator.
Tech week is when the entire production comes together. The
singers, the orchestra, the conductor, and the stage manager
get their chance to perform with the scenery, costumes, and
lighting, and work out any technical difficulties.
The show opens! The administrative staff has spent months
advertising the show and selling tickets. During the
production, the house manager and ushers assist patrons in
getting seated.
A Masked Ball guide • 16

A Masked Ball (Un Ballo in Maschera)
Click / Read / Watch / Listen
Educational Links
The Composer
The National Giuseppe Verdi Museum
The Opera
Vocal Score (PDF, 14.58MB)
English libretto
Characters
Synopsis
Online Video Excerpts
"Volta la terrea" and ensemble (Oscar; Gustav, Anackrström, and Court)
“Re dell’abbisso” (Ulrica)
“Teco io sto!” (Riccardo, Amelia)
"Morrò, ma prima in grazia" (Amelia)
A video slide show of King Gustav III’s life
Recommended Recordings & DVDs
CD: Domingo, Riciarelli, Bruson, Obraztsova, Grubovera, Abbado (Deutsche Grammophon)
CD: Bergonzi, Price, Merrill, Verrett, Frist, Leinsdorf (RCA)
CD: Callas, Di Stefano, Gobbi, Barbieri, Ratti, Votto (EMI)
DVD: Pavarotti, Millo, Nucci, Levine (Deutsche Grammophon)
POPera Connections: Verdi in popular culture
Video: Doritos “Sling Baby” Super Bowl Commercial (music is “La Donna è Mobile” from Verdi’s Rigoletto)
Video: Marx Bros. A Night at the Opera (opera on stage is Verdi’s Il Trovatore)
Video: Tiny Toon Adventures (“The Anvil Chorus” from Verdi’s Il Trovatore)
Production photos of A Masked Ball from Lyric Opera of Kansas City