Allesandro Longo complied the most complete edition of Domenico ...

THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF MUSIC
LIRICHE VOCALE DA SALOTTO DI FRANCO ALFANO
(LYRIC VOCAL SONGS FOR THE SALON OF FRANCO ALFANO)
By
LUVADA A. HARRISON
A Treatise submitted to the
College of Music
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Music
Degree Awarded:
Spring Semester, 2007

The members of the Committee approve the Treatise of Luvada A. Harrison defended on
12 December 2006.
______________________________
Douglas L. Fisher
Professor Directing Treatise
______________________________
Andre Thomas
Outside Committee Member
______________________________
Matthew Lata
Committee Member
The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee
members.
ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Examples .................................................................................................. iv
Abstract ...................................................................................................... vi
1. EARLY YEARS AND EDUCATION
Posillipo ................................................................................................ 1
Leipzig ................................................................................................ 4
Berlin ................................................................................................ 5
2. BEGINNING HIS PROFESSIONAL LIFE
Paris ................................................................................................ 6
Return to Italy ............................................................................................. 12
3. THE ART SONGS OF ALFANO ................................................................. 20
Felicità ................................................................................................ 21
Al chiarore della mattina............................................................................ 25
Rabindranath Tagore................................................................................... 31
Giorno per giorno....................................................................................... 33
È giunto il nostro ultimo autunno ............................................................... 39
Luce ................................................................................................ 46
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 51
APPENDIX A
Art Song Catalog ........................................................................................ 54
REFERENCES ............................................................................................... 62
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .............................................................................. 64
iii

LIST OF EXAMPLES
1.1 Risurrezione, Act II. Recitative: “Giunge il treno”............................................. 9
1.2 Risurrezione measures 18-19............................................................................... 10
1.3 Katiusha’s Aria: “Dio pietoso,” Act II, measures 1-4 ......................................... 11
1.4 measures 34-41 .................................................................................................... 12
2.1 Felicita measures 1-2........................................................................................... 22
2.2 measures 6-8 ........................................................................................................ 23
2.3 measures 21-23 .................................................................................................... 23
2.4 measures 9-14 ...................................................................................................... 24
2.5 mesures 30-32 ...................................................................................................... 24
3.1 Al chiarore della mattina… measures 1-4 ........................................................... 26
3.2 mesaures 15-18 .................................................................................................... 27
3.3 measures 19-20 .................................................................................................... 28
3.4 measures 21-22 .................................................................................................... 29
3.5 measures 34-35 .................................................................................................... 30
3.6 measures 53-54 .................................................................................................... 30
4.1 Giorno per giorno measures 1-12........................................................................ 35
4.2 measures 18-22 .................................................................................................... 36
4.3 measures 52-55 .................................................................................................... 37
4.4 measures 60-63 .................................................................................................... 37
4.5 measures 68-71 .................................................................................................... 38
4.6 measures 88-91 .................................................................................................... 38
4.7 measures 98-101 .................................................................................................. 39
5.1 È giunto il nostro ultimo autunno measures 1-4.................................................. 41
5.2 measures 13-19 .................................................................................................... 42
5.3 measures 37-40 .................................................................................................... 43
5.4 measures 51-54 .................................................................................................... 44
iv

5.5 measures 68-70 .................................................................................................... 45
5.6 measures 96-100 .................................................................................................. 46
6.1 Luce measures 1-4................................................................................................ 48
6.2 measures 5-6 ........................................................................................................ 48
6.3 measures 14-15 .................................................................................................... 49
6.4 measures 24-25 .................................................................................................... 50
6.5 measures 32-33 .................................................................................................... 50
6.6 measures 42-43 .................................................................................................... 51
v

ABSTRACT
This treatise will focus on the solo art song literature of the Italian composer Franco
Alfano (1875-1954). Although, Alfano composed a total of fifty-three solo vocal pieces, these
works are not generally known and are deserving of more widespread performance and study.
Franco Alfano is recognized outside of Italy solely as the composer who completed the
third act duet of Giacomo Puccini’s final opera, Turandot, and little scholarly research in English
is available on the subject of his art songs. The first part of this treatise will provide a brief
biography of Alfano. The second part will discuss the poetry Alfano used for his art songs,
focusing primarily on Rabindranath Tagore, the Bengali poet, composer and educator who was
the recipient of the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature. More than half of Alfano’s art songs are set to
Tagore’s poetry. The third section will be a discussion of five art songs that are representative of
the different compositional periods in Alfano life. The final section of the treatise is a catalogue
of Alfano’s art songs, providing information on publishers, the voice types for which they are
written, the general mood of each art song, style of accompaniment, and notes on potential
difficulties for performers.
vi

EARLY YEARS AND EDUCATION
Posillipo
Franco Alfano was born on 8 March 1875 i in the picturesque town of Posillipo (“respite
from pain”) in the Campria (Campania) region of southern Italy. The town was given its name
by the Greeks who first settled the area in the 6 th century BC. The territory was later conquered
by the Romans and renamed Neapolis (“the new city”) as part of the Holy Roman Empire.
Posillipo became a favorite respite for vacationing Roman Emperors and nobility, who built
lavish villas and exquisite gardens complete with baths into the hills overlooking the bay. 1
Centuries later this beautiful location was the inspiration for a ballet composed by Alfano for the
Folies Bergère. The area also inspired one of the most notable composers of Neapolitan songs,
Sir Francesco Paolo Tosti (1846-1916) ii .
The year of Alfano’s birth, 1875, brought forth a cornucopia of talented individuals who
made major contributions in the fields of education, finance, science, psychology, literature and
music. In the United States, Mary McLeod Bethune, African-American educator and founder of
Bethune-Cookman College and financier, E.F. (Edward Francis) Hutton; iii in England, Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor, Afro-British composer, conductor and educator; 2 in Switzerland, Carl Gustav
Jung, the founder of Analytical Psychology, who pioneered dream analysis; in Austria, violin
prodigy and composer, Fritz Kreisler, who won the premier prix of the Paris Conservatoire at
age 12, and for whom Edward Elgar iv (1857-1934) wrote a Violin concerto; 3 in Germany, Paul
Thomas Mann, novelist, philanthropist and essayist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in
1929; Rainer Maria Rilke, one of Germany’s greatest twentieth-century poets; and the 1952
Nobel Prize winner, theologian, philosopher, physician, and musician, Albert Schweitzer, who
specialized in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and published a study of Bach and Bach
interpretation. 4 And in France, Joseph Maurice Ravel, composer and pianist, who was a founding
member of Les Apaches (“the hooligans”). v
Alfano was born into a family of mixed cultures, his father Vincenzo was an artisan who
earned his living as a silver engraver. His mother, whose maiden name Fourcade later Italianized
to Forcati, was French. The advantage of having parents of different cultural heritage more than
1 Columbia University Encyclopedia Online, http://reference.allref.com/encyclopedia/P/Posillipi.html (accessed
June 3, 2005)
2 Alison Latham, ed., The Oxford Companion to Music. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), 270.
3 Lathan, Oxford Companion to Music, 662.
4 Ibid., 1130.
1

likely helped to broaden the cultural horizons of the young Franco. Music was frequently heard
in the Alfano household. Before long a precocious three-year-old Franco could be heard singing
“Mira, o Norma,” a duet from Bellini’s opera Norma. 5
Alfano was first introduced to the piano by his paternal uncle, who brought with him a
grand piano when he came to live with the family. Alfano’s father may have been entertained by
his son’s early musical prowess, however, when it came time to begin his formal education, he
insisted that the young Franco attend the Istituto fisico-matematico (the Institute of Physics and
Mathematics). Alfano continued to study piano with his uncle while a student at the Istituto,
where he also showed an aptitude for technical studies. His uncle was more than likely an
amateur musician, so it wasn’t long before Alfano found himself in need of a more advanced
teacher. At this point, Signora Alfano enlisted the help of Raffaele Morfella, a family friend, who
introduced the eleven-year-old Alfano (who was still enrolled at the Istituto fisico-matematico) to
Alessandro Longo (1864-1945).
Longo was an alumnus of the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella. He began his
teaching career at the Conservatorio when he was called upon to fill in for his piano teacher,
Beniamino Cesi. He formally joined the faculty of the Conservatorio in 1897 and later became
its Director. An active performer, dedicated teacher and scholar, Longo wrote numerous piano
methods and anthologies. He focused his scholarly research on the music of his fellow
Neopolitan, Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757), compiling the most complete collection of his
works entitled Domenico Scarlatti: Opere complete per clavicembalo. The publication consisted
of eleven volumes and reignited interest in the keyboard music of Scarlatti. 6 According to the
Harvard Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the unusual modulations and virtuoso techniques
that characterized Scarlatti’s keyboard sonatas were compositional practices that Longo passed
on to his students and can be evidenced in the music of Alfano.
Alfano’s work with Longo proved beneficial, when at the age of 16, he was officially
accepted into the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella vi in Naples (known today as the Naples
Conservatory) and placed directly into the third level harmony course taught by Camillo De
Nardis (1857-1951). He began to study the violin and organ, while continuing his piano studies
with Longo.
5 Dryden, Konrad, “Franco Alfano and Risurrezione.” (Master’s Thesis, California State University, 1996), 12.
6 Carolyn Gianturcoxr: ‘Longo, Alessandro’, Grove Music Online ed L. Macy (Accessed 31 May 2005),
http://www.grovemusic.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu.
2

Up until this time, Alfano and his mother had been successful in concealing his musical
studies from his father. However, when he was accepted into San Pietro a Majella, his mother
withdrew him from Istituto fisico-matematico. When mother and son finally made the elder
Alfano privy to their actions, both endured a harsh reprimand from the father for their deception.
Alfano was an exceptional student with a gifted aptitude for composition. In the following year
he skipped counterpoint levels four and five and advanced to the sixth level which was taught by
Paolo Serrao (1830-1907). Alfano’s respect and appreciation for Longo is evidenced by his
continued friendship with his professor following his graduation from the conservatory and by
his dedication of Quatre pieces pour piano op.3 to his former teacher and mentor.
Longo had been a student of Paolo Serrao, who was also an alumnus of the Conservatory.
Serrao remained at the Conservatory after graduating, becoming a professor of composition,
counterpoint and piano. Eventually, he gained the reputation as one of the best teachers in Naples
as evidenced by the success of many of his students, including Francesco Cilea (1866-1950) vii ,
who would later become director of the Conservatory; Umberto Giordano (1867-1948) viii ,
Ruggiero Leoncavallo (1857-1919) ix and Giuseppe Martucci (1856-1909). x Serrao also sat on a
committee chaired by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) that was established in 1871 to reform the
Conservatory’s musical studies. 7
Alfano had a strong interest in composing instrumental music, more specifically
symphonic music. Italy was the land of opera, but the Germans had cultivated the symphonic
form, in particular the Mannheim school. xi Many Italian composers of Alfano’s generation
traveled north seeking more fertile compositional instruction. Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936),
who is known for his brilliantly orchestrated orchestral suites Fontane di Roma and Pini di
Roma, studied in Berlin, and Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924), who won the Rubinstein
Competition in 1890, studied in Leipzig. 8 Alfano was in good company when at the age of
twenty (having completed his course of study at the Conservatorio di San Pietro Majella), and,
after he and his mother convinced his father to assist him financially, he continued his education
in Germany. His city of choice was Leipzig, one of the major cultural centers in Germany. The
city would expose the young musician to the music of Bach, Wagner, Strauss, and other
noteworthy composers whose music had yet to migrate southward to Naples. Leipzig was more
7 Matteo Sansone: ‘Serrao, Paolo,’ Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (accessed 31 May 2005),
http://www.grovemusic.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu.
8 Alison Latham, Oxford Companion to Music, 183-184.
3

cosmopolitan than Posillipo or Naples, and would allow Alfano to experience living in a worldly
city. Intent upon strengthening his skills in orchestration, and equally exited by the cultural
diversity that awaited him, Alfano enrolled in the Conservatory of Leipzig, where he began his
studies with Salomon Jadassohn (1931-1902).
Leipzig
Just as Longo and Serrao had returned to their alma mater to teach, Jadassohn had done
the same. After his studies at the Leipzig Conservatory, he went to Weimar to continue his piano
studies with Franz Liszt (1818-1886). Jadassohn was a successful performer before becoming a
theorist and teacher, as well as the author of multiple theoretical texts that dealt with harmony,
counterpoint, analysis and instrumentation. Ferruccio Busoni, Frederick Delius (1862-1934) and
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) (whom Alfano idolized), were former students of Jadassohn, who
went on to become successful composers. 9
Alfano attended the Leipzig Conservatory for less than a year. He entered the
Conservatory on 3 October 1895. 10 Four months later, on 11 February 1896, he impressed a
panel of judges during his fourth exam with a brilliant performance of his Drei Präludien und
Fugen für Pianoforte (Three Preludes and Fugues for piano). Alfano was awarded his diploma
and left the conservatory on 18 July 1896. 11 His compositional output at Leipzig included pieces
for piano, orchestral works, and Cinq Mélodies (Five Songs) for voice and piano, set to poems by
Alfred de Musset (1810-1857), Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869) and Victor Hugo (1802-
1885). Alfano made this statement about the Cinq Mélodies: “Cinque Melodi su testi francesi le
quali, pubblicate in Germania e capitate fra le mani di Jules Massenet, ebbero dal grande
musicista parole d’insperata lode.” 12 (“The Five Melodies with French text, were published in
Germany and ended up in the hands of the great musician, Jules Massenet (1842-1912), who
found them inspirational and worthy of praise.”) The songs were published by Ed. Hug in 1896
and received a second publication posthumously under the title Letze Gedanke in 1964.
Alfano took full advantage of all that Leipzig had to offer. In his master’s thesis, “Franco
Alfano and Risurrezione,” Konrad Dryden writes, “…he made use of his German sojourn to
9 Janna Saslaw: ‘Jadassohn, Salomon’, Grove Music Online ed L. Macy (accessed 31 May 2005),
http://www.grovemusic.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu.
10 Johannes Streicher, Ultimi splendori: Cilea, Giordano, Alfano. (Roma: ISMEZ, 1999), 450.
11 Ibid., 451.
12 Francesco Canessa and Rino Maione, Franco Alfano: presagio di tempi nuovi con finale controcorrente. Milano:
Rugginenti, 1999, 237.
4

immerse himself in Leipzig’s cultural life, frequenting concerts with the music of Richard
Strauss and other en vogue composers who had been far from popular in Naples. He was
inebriated with enthusiasm for the rich, dynamic and exotic colors Strauss wove into his tapestry
of sound, especially his tone poems.” Strauss’s music evoked an enthusiasm in Alfano that may
have been the impetus for his decision to broaden his compositional style and repertoire. He had
successfully composed songs and piano pieces, and it was time to return to his Italian heritage
and compose for the stage. Not only would Alfano compose the music for his first opera, he
would also write the libretto. Miranda is based upon a poetical romance written by his fellow
Neapolitan and friend, Antonio Fogazzaro (1842-1911). Longo (his former composition and
piano instructor) was spending the summer in Leipzig and the two men frequently spent time
with each other. It is probable that Alfano sought his former instructor’s opinion and advice
regarding the composition of his first opera. Longo was only eleven years older than Alfano, so
their relationship at this point may have evolved to that of older/younger brother. Jadassohn on
the other hand was more then sixty years of age when Alfano became his student and although
he was an exceptional theorist and composer, he had never composed an opera.
Berlin
In the fall of 1896, Alfano moved to Berlin to pursue a career as a pianist. During his stay
in Berlin, Alfano composed his second opera An den Quellen von Enschir (The source of
Enschir) xii , for which Luigi Illica (1857-1919), was the librettist. xiii The opera received its
premiere performance on 8 November 1898, on a double bill with Der Bajazzo, composed by
Ruggiero Leoncavallo (1857-1919) at the Stadttheater in Breslavia, which is now Warsaw. The
performance was well received by both the audience and critics, in spite of the libretto which
was judged by the critics as mediocre. Following the success of An den Quellen von Enschir,
Alfano traveled to Poland and Russia at the invitation of former classmates from his days in
Leipzig. Before leaving Berlin to move to Paris in the summer of 1899, Alfano composed
Quatre dances roumaines for piano and orchestra. The dances, composed in tribute to a great
lady of Bucharest, were performed in traditional folk regalia, and remain in the repertoire to this
day.
5

BEGINNING OF HIS PROFESSIONAL LIFE
Paris
Alfano moved to Paris in search of new experiences and more lucrative financial
opportunities. A new century was perched upon the horizon. Construction of the Paris Metro
began in 1899. Paris ushered in the new century with the Paris Exposition, which influenced the
Art Deco movement, and the Olympic Games. Alfano found the environment of Paris
intellectually and culturally stimulating. At this point, Alfano was no longer receiving financial
support from his father. Like a true bohemian he shared a small apartment in Auteuil with a
painter and managed to make ends meet working as a pianist and accompanist. The largest boost
to Alfano’s finances came when his roommate introduced him to Paul Milliet, one of the
librettists for Massenet’s Werther and Herodiade. Milliet offered the scenario for the first of two
ballets that Alfano composed for Les Folies Bèrgere. The success of the ballets brought Alfano
some notoriety (the first ballet, entitled Napoli ran for 160 performances), and although the
money was good, the young composer was hesitant to continue on this path.
On 30 April 1902, Pelléas et Mélisande, the most important French opera of the twentieth
century was premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. This masterpiece composed by Claude
Debussy (1862-1918) masterfully adheres to the melody of French speech. In all probability,
Alfano was one of the repeat attendees at performance of this great opera. Motivated and
intrigued by the intellectual debates that were fueled by the varying operatic compositional styles
of such notable French composers as Massenet, Charpentier and especially Debussy, Alfano
decided to return to the world of the melodrama.
On 14 November 1902, Alfano attended a performance of Résurrection, Henri Bataille’s
romantic adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s 1900 novel Voskreseniye (‘Resurrection’), at the Théâtre
National de l’Odéon. Tolstoy based the premise for this his third most popular novel on a
newspaper article. He used the novel to introduce his own ideas about the moral double standards
of society. xiv Set in Russia around 1910, Résurrection tells the tragic story that results from
socially prohibited love between a servant and an aristocrat. Caterina Mikaïlovna, the orphaned
Russian peasant girl known as Katiusha, has the misfortune of falling in love with Prince
Dimitrii Ivanovitch Nekludoff, the handsome nephew of her mistress, Sofia Ivanovna. It is Easter
Eve. Katiusha anxiously awaits the return of her mistress, Sofia Ivanovna, and her nephew from
church. Prince Dimitrii, on leave from his regiment, has come to spend this most sacred holiday
6

with his aunt. The uncertainty that comes with war leads Katiusha to proclaim her love to
Dimitrii, who takes advantage of the situation and seduces Katiusha, impregnating her. Rebuked
by her mistress, and abandoned by Prince Ditmitrii, Katiusha is left alone to have her baby. The
death of her child sets Katiusha on a spiraling descent into the world of Russian prostitution, and
eventually she is falsely accused of murder. As an aristocrat, one of Prince Dimitrii’s duties is to
serve on a jury. He recognizes the accused woman as his former conquest, Katiusha. As the trial
unfolds, Dimitrii realizes that his behavior was the catalyst that propelled the poor young woman
to her subsequent demise. Katiusha is found guilty and exiled to Siberia. Overcome with
remorse, Dimitrii is determined to right the wrong he has perpetrated on Katiusha. He obtains a
pardon for her from the Tsar and proceeds to travel to Siberia to ask for Katiusha’s hand in
marriage. Katiusha refuses his offer. As an advocate for fellow prostitutes she has finally found
her purpose in life. She has also been befriended by a fellow prisoner and political exile,
Simonson, who helped to restore her self-respect. Although, she is not in love with Simonson,
Katiusha respects him and believes that her true place is at his side fighting for the rights of their
fellow prisoners.
Risurrezione xv was the third and last of Alfano’s operas composed during the verismo xvi
period. Unable to obtain the rights for the play xvii , Alfano enlisted the assistance of Italian
journalist Cesare Hanau xviii , (who was living in Paris at the time) to write the libretto. Alfano
wrote the opera in just five months, across four cities, Paris (acts one and two), Berlin (act three),
Moscow (part one of act four), and the final duet in his home town of Posillipo. G. Ricordi &
Co., having passed on the publishing rights to Alfano’s second opera An den Quellen von
Enschir, would not make the same mistake again. Upon hearing the score to Risurrezione,
Ricordi acquired the publishing rights and premiered the opera at the Teatro Vittorio Emanuele
in Turin on November 30, 1904. The production was conducted by Tullio Serafin and cast
consisted of Elvira Magliulo as Katiusha, Oreste Mieli as Dimitrii and Angelo Scandiani as
Simonson. Two years later, the opera was presented at La Scala. Critics labeled Alfano as a
“veristic” composer, comparing Risurrezione to Giordano’s Fedora. The success of Risurrezione
gained the twenty-nine-year-old Alfano international recognition with subsequent performances
in Brussels, Berlin and Madrid. Over a span of forty-nine years, Risurrezione would receive over
1000 performances in Italy alone.
7

Katiusha’s second act aria “Dio pietoso,” serves as an excellent example of Alfano’s
early compositional period. A comparison can be made between Katiusha and Cio-Cio-San in
Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. xix The two characters are foreign and exotic. Both women love
naively, become impregnated and are abandoned by narcissistic men who are unaware of the
pregnancy. Both characters steadfastly hold on to the belief that their respective lovers will
return, restoring them to an acceptable place within society.
Katiusha has been assured by her friend Anna, that Dimitrii will pass through the train
station in this small town in Little Russia on his way to rejoin his regiment. Banished from the
home of her mistress, Dimitrii is Katiusha’s only salvation. She believes that when he learns of
the baby, he will rectify the situation with his aunt and do the right thing. As the hours pass and
snow begins to fall, there is still no sign of Dimitrii. Disconsolate, Katiusha turns to the one
infinite source of hope she knows, desperately beseeching God for compassion.
Dio, pietoso
Katiusha’s aria from Act II: Risurrezione
Giunge il treno ed ei non giunge ancor!
Non vien! Non verrà!
Tornerò sola indietro...
Nell’asilo mio triste...
Col pensier del doman
Che nell’ombra mi spia
Come una preda!
Dio pietoso, fa ch’ei venga alfin,
che vegga il mio duol,
del rio mio destin tutto l’orror...
che senta l’oscuro minacciar mortale,
che su di me incombe che mi strugge il cuore...
Oh! mio pietoso Iddio,
Dio di bontà suprema,
Dio che vedi e perdoni,
Signore onnipossente.. umil mi volgo a te!
Signor... Dio d’amor.
Ascolta l’angoscia d’un’anima che muor...che muor!
God of compassion
The train has arrived and still he is not here!
He does not come! He will not come!
I will return alone to my sad refuge
with the thought of tomorrow, that spies on me from the shadows like prey.
8

God of compassion, make him finally return,
make him see my sadness, all the horrors of my cruel destiny …
so that he feels the darkness that threatens my mortality,
that hangs over me, that my heart struggles with…
Oh! My compassionate God,
God of supreme goodness,
God who sees and forgives,
Omnipotent Lord, humbly I turn to you!
Lord…God of love.
Listen to the anguish of a dying soul.
EXAMPLE 1.1 Risurrezione, Act II. Recitative: “Giunge il treno” measure 1-9. xx
The tempo marking is Lento e grave (slow and solemn) xxi . The first nine measures of the
recitative are seen in Example 1.1. Although the lack of a key signature would imply C major or
a minor, the four chords used in the introduction to the recitative clearly establishes the tonal
center of F major. The recitative begins solemnly on an F major chord in first inversion that
moves through a chromatic progression of harmonically unrelated chords – a device that is
reminiscent of Wagner – the introduction ends on the same chord, now in root position. As the
9

last chord dissipates, the voice enters parlando (speech-like). Con grande commozione (with
great emotion) is written above the opening phrase: “Giunge il treno ed ei non giunge ancor,”
(“The train has arrived and still he is not here”) that is sung on same repeated notes until the
pronoun “ei” (“he”) when the pitch changes as Katiusha refers to Dimitrii. Katiusha feels hope
slipping away like trails of smoke that dissipate into the air as trains leave the station. The
ambiguous tonality of the recitative, clearly illustrates Katiusha’s emotional turmoil. The vocal
line becomes mainly conjunct as Katiusha speaks of returning to her meager lodging, “Tornerò
sola indietro…Nell’asil mio triste” (“I will return alone to my sad refuge.”) The last phrase of
the recitative is parlando again, on repeated pitches: “che nell’ombra me spia come una preda”
(“that spies on me from the shadows like prey”) that ascend from b' to d # ', the leading tone of e
minor, the key of the prayer (example 1.2). The final pitch of the recitative is accompanied by a
B major chord, the dominant chord of e minor, ending the recitative with on an authentic cadence
clearly establishing the key of the prayer that follows.
EXAMPLE 1.2 measures 18-19
The prayer begins in a new meter ¾. Alfano may have chosen this meter because
Katiusha is praying to God. The number three has strong connotation within Christian doctrine.
In the aria Katiusha makes her supplication to God first as God of compassion, secondly as God
of supreme kindness and lastly as the God of love. The authentic cadence that ends the recitative
leads the listener directly to e minor the key of the prayer. The new tonality is further established
within the first four measures (example 1.3), as the chord progressions fluctuate between the
tonic and dominant harmony of e minor.
10

EXAMPLE 1.3 Katiusha’s Aria: “Dio pietoso,” Act II, measures 1-4
The tempo marking for the prayer is poco a poco accelerando insino all andante con
moto (little by little getting faster until at a walking tempo); eventually the tempo should reach a
metronome marking of quarter-note equaling 76. The piano vocal score has an additional
emotional instruction, abbandonandosi al dolore (abandoning to sorrow) written above the
tempo marking. The voice enters simultaneously with the accompaniment. Katiusha’s emotional
reaction to her situation is extroverted and clearly declaimed in the recitative. However, the act
of prayer is personal as Katiusha becomes introspective, humbly making her supplication to God
for compassion. The melodic vocal line, though disjunct, is consonant and rhythmically stable,
clearly establishing this prayer as an aria. The syncopated chords in the accompaniment provide
a sense of momentum while simultaneously creating emotional tension. With each phrase, the
intervals expand until the octave is reached on “del rio mio destin” (“of my cruel destiny”)
which is then followed by a more linear vocal line. The vocal line rises above the staff on the
first emotional outburst in the aria “che senta l’oscuro minacciar mortale” (“so that he feels the
darkness that threatens my mortality.”) The accompaniment reinforces the emotion of the phrase
by doubling the vocal line in open octaves, a device indicative of Puccini. In typical versimo
style, the composer indicates many nuances in tempo (ritardando, animando, sostenuto, molto
sostenuto, etc.) that allow for expansive vocalism in the more emotional moments of the aria.
11

EXAMPLE 1.4 measures 34-41.
The aria ends (example 1.4) with true dramatic flair as the vocal line ascends to a
fortissimo high B-flat that is followed immediately by a pianissimo descending line. The
dramatic intensity of the aria should be maintained with a mixture of voce di petto e di testa
(chest and head voice) creating a cry in the voice on “d’un’anima che muor” (“of a dying soul.”)
Return to Italy
Alfano spent nine years away from his native Italy broadening his education, expanding
his compositional palette and absorbing various cultural diversities. He began in the small city
of Leipzig, then moved on to the more stimulating city of Berlin, and finally to Paris, the cultural
capital of world at the turn of the century. Alfano proudly returned to Italy as a young
12

cosmopolitan composer. Backed by one of Italy’s most prestigious publishing houses, G. Ricordi
& Co., Risurrezione garnered Alfano international success at the age of twenty-nine.
Alfano returned to an Italy that was experiencing vast economic disparities between the
agrarian south and the mercantile and increasingly industrialized north. Italy was plagued with
widespread strikes between 1902 and 1907 as the movement to create unions was underway.
Alfano lived a rather nomadic life for the next four years traveling to Berlin, Paris and Naples,
overseeing productions of Risurrezione and performing. In 1906, an international exposition that
took place in Milan to celebrate the opening of the Simpione Tunnel, which at that time was the
longest tunnel in world. In conjunction with the exposition, La Scala extended its season with
productions of Risurrezione and La Figlia di Jorio, a pastoral drama by Gabriele D’Annunzio
(1863-1938) with music by Baron Albert Franchetti (1860-1942). 13 Ricordi wanted to maintain
the public enthusiasm for its next generation of operatic composers and pushed Alfano to begin
work on his next opera. In the spring of 1906, Alfano would again team-up with Luigi Illica for
his fourth opera Il principe Zilah. xxii Alfano would spend the next two years composing Il
principe Zilah and an orchestral piece, the Suite italiana.
In 1908 Alfano established residency in Milan and immediately ensconced himself in the
music community of the city. He ingratiated himself into the G. Ricordi & Co. fold, attending
various events hosted by the publishing firm, along with premieres of operatic works by
Giordano, Mascagni, Puccini and Zandonai. The next two years proved to be pivotal in Alfano’s
career. The lukewarm success of his fourth opera, Il principe Zilah gave the composer reason to
pause and choose between a career of popular approval or of uncompromising expression of his
true musical nature. Alfano chose the idealistic course, spending the next two years composing
the Suite romanitca (Romantic Suite) for orchestra and the Sinfornia in mi (Symphony in E).
Both works consists of four movements and were published by G. Ricordi & Co., in 1909 and
1910 respectively. Irving Schwerke, xxiii in his article “A Puccini Aide” wrote the following
regarding the Romantic Symphony: “It is distinguished by a frankly melodic style and a subtle
impressionism, and is permeated by a feeling of introspective emotion and sentiment for
Nature.”
The forward thinking and cyclical compositional form that Alfano used to construct the
four movements of the Sinfornia in mi garnered Alfano attention in artistic and academic circles.
13 Gatti-Casazza, Giulio. Memories of the Opera. New York: John Calder Ltd, 1941, 137.
13

In recognition of his exceptional compositional style, Alfano was nominated to the first
Examination Commission of Composition for the Conservatorio di Milano. He was also offered
the directorship of the Liceo Musicale di Bologna. 14 Although, he declined the offer, he would
later accept the position of Director of the Liceo Musicale di Bologna when it was offered to him
a second time in 1921.
The next four years, 1910-1914 were filled with emotional ups and downs. Following the
success of his orchestral works, Alfano began composing I cavalieri e la bella, an opera in three
acts that he did not complete. Giulio Ricordi, the founder of the publishing company that bore his
name, died in Milan on 6 June 1912. He was succeeded by his son Tito, who would direct the
company until 1919. 15 Alfano returned to the genre of melodrama with his fifth opera L’ombra
di Don Giovanni, based on the romance Il demone by Ettore Moschino (1867-1941) 16 . The
opera was premiered in Milan at Teatro alla Scala on 2 April 1914. Tulio Serafin was the
conductor. Critics judged the opera more successful than the public. Tito Ricordi sided with the
public, a decision that led to a temporary break in the relationship between Alfano and his
publisher.
In August of 1914, Alfano learned that one of his most cherished friends, Giovanni Pozza
(1852-1914), the noted poet, theatre and music critic for the Corriere della Sera 17 was gravely ill,
so he moved to Sanremo xxiv to care for him. It was Pozza who introduced Alfano to Sankùntala,
the famous poem written by the 4 th -5 th century Sanskrit poet Kalidasha. When Alfano decided
that Sankùntala would be the source of his next opera, he wished for Pozza to write the libretto.
Alfano began work on La leggenda di Sakùntala while he was caring for Pozza. Whether or not
Pozza’s illness prevented him from collaborating with Alfano on the libretto is unclear.
Unfortunately, Pozza’s inevitable death meant that Alfano would be both composer and librettist
for what would become his operatic masterpiece. Alfano found comfort and solace in Sanremo.
Eventually he purchased a home Villa delle Onde (House on the Waves), where he was “inspired
by the murmur of the sea, by the penetrating odor of the sea-weeds and transported by the
breezes from the waves and the opal colors of the day, the phosphorescent clearness of the
14 Canessa and Maione, Franco Alfano: presagio di tempi nuovi con finale controcorrente, 18
15 Streicher, Ultimi splendori, 457.
16 http://www.aib.it/aib/editorial/dbbi20/,moschino.htm.
17 http://www.milanesiabella.it/pozzagiovanni_bio_el.htm.
14

moon-lit nights.” 18 Alfano’s home in Sanremo became the “respite” for his adulthood, just as
Posilippo had been the respite for the aristocracy of Rome. Alfano would surrender to nature in
Sanremo, leaving behind the politics of the day and the trials and tribulations of everyday life as
a patriot of a country that for most of his life was continuously fighting to establish for itself a
political, cultural and artistic identity that would place it on a more even keel with the rest of the
world.
In 1915, one year after Alfano began composing La leggenda di Sakùntala, Italy
foreswore allegiance with Austria-Hungary. The following year 1916, Italy foreswore allegiance
with Germany and entered into World War I (1914-1918). Alfano’s compositional output during
the next seven years consisted of the completion of his operatic masterpiece, La leggenda di
Sakùntala; the lirica, Felicità (1914); Quartetto in re for two violins, viola and cello (1918); Tre
poemi di Rabindranath Tagore (1919) and Nostalgie (1919) a piece for piano. He also accepted
the position of Director at the Liceo Musicale in Bologna. La leggenda di Sakùntala was
premiered in Bologna at the Teatro Comunale on 10 December 1921. Alfano remained at the
Liceo Musicale in Bologna until 1923.
The territorial gains that Italy received at the end of the First World War could not
possibly justify the lost of life and governmental expenditure. Italy lost over 600,000 lives during
World War I and the government expenditure reached 148 billion lire, double the sum of all
government expenditure in the previous half century of the young nation’s existence. 19 The
political and social canvas of Italy was in complete turmoil. Infighting was rampant within the
popolari xxv and socialist xxvi political parties, creating an opening for the establishment of a third
party, the Fascist.
The Fascists were led by Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) an oddly charismatic individual
with remarkable rhetorical talents and oratory skills. He started as a teacher and quickly
abandoned the field of education to become a political journalist and public speaker.
Immediately after learning of the death of one of Italy’s most beloved composers, Giuseppe
Verdi, Mussolini – then a student – gave a rousing impromptu speech extolling the virtues of
Verdi’s tremendous contribution as a composer and political activist. Mussolini was in and out of
jail for his outspokenness and socialist activism. The success of his newspaper La Lotta di Classe
18 G. Viafora. Franco Alfano: An Interview, Musical Courier, 25 August 1927.
19 Sachs, Harvey, Music in Fascist Italy. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd, 1987, 8.
15

(The Class Struggle) led to his being appointed editor of the official Socialist newspaper, Avanti!
(Forward!). Originally Mussolini was vehemently opposed to Italy’s intervention into World
War I. He soon changed his mind and began writing articles and making thunderous speeches in
favor of the war. As a result he was expelled from the Socialist Party and resigned as the editor
of Avanti!.
In the summer of 1922, under Mussolini’s direction, volunteers of the Fascist party
defeated a strike by the trade-union that the government failed to prevent. The well calculated
move by Mussolini won him tremendous favor amongst the middle class, further strengthening
him politically. Later that same year Mussolini threatened to march on Rome. The threat of civil
unrest forced the King to dispatch a compromise to Mussolini, who through this maneuver
placed himself in position to become the youngest Prime Minister in Italian history. Within a
year the King abdicated his throne and Mussolini became the first Dictator of Italy. The people
were deceived and manipulated by his flamboyancy. Tired of strikes and riots, the middle class
fell into a false sense of security in the belief that Mussolini could stabilize the economy and
restore the dignity of Italy. The Fascist party abolished Italy’s already fragile democracy in favor
of a one-party state by outlawing opposition parties, trade-unions, and the free press. The Fascist
ruled Italy from 1922 to1943 during which time it controlled all aspects of Italian life and had a
tremendous effect on music in the second quarter of twentieth-century Italy, just as Nazism
affected the music scene in Germany. Mussolini claimed “godlike omniscience in the field of
music.” 20 And he hired a well known music journalist to write a series of booklets to inflate and
praise every aspect of his musical prowess in an effort to convince the people of his claim.
In the midst of this new Fascist era, Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), Italy’s leading
operatic composer of the “The Young Italian School” known as veristi, died of throat cancer in
Brussels on 24 November 1924, leaving his last opera Turandot unfinished. The original
premiere date of the opera was April 1925. In order to preserve the earning power of the newly
deceased composer’s final work, Ricordi encouraged the belief that Turandot was essentially
finished. Nothing was further from the truth. Puccini had barely left skeletal drafts that consisted
of a few measures of music for voice and piano, some harmonic progressions, some detached
chords and the rare indication here and there of instrumentation for the final scene. Initally,
Arturo Toscanni, who was to conduct the premiere attempted to flesh out the fragments left
20 Sachs, Music in Fascist Italy. 11.
16

ehind by Puccini. When he realized that the task was beyond his scope of expertise, Ricordi
decided to postpone the premiere. On July 1, 1925 Antonio Puccini met privately with Alfano to
ask him to complete his father’s unfinished opera. According to Linda B. Fairtile in her article:
“Duetto a tre: Franco Alfano’s completion of Turandot,” published in the Cambridge Opera
Journal, 16, 2 (2004): “the two composers had been good friends who candidly discussed each
other’s work.” Due to the recent success of Alfano’s lastest opera La leggenda di Sankùntala and
his longstanding affiliation with Ricordi, Toscanni agreed that Alfano was the man for the job.
Alfano though flattered, was apprehensive about accepting the daunting and thankless task of
completing another composer’s work. Let alone that it was the work of the most prolific operatic
composer of the post-Verdi era. He felt that his own compositional career and administrative
duties at the Liceo Musicale in Turin would leave him very little, if any time to undertake the
task of completing Turandot. Eventually, Alfano agreed to complete the unfinished score.
Fairtile offered the following explanation for Alfano’s decision to complete the unfinished opera:
“he (Alfano) had once sketched a Turandot libretto for his own use, but had abandoned the
subject when he learned of Puccini’s interest in it.” Unfortunately for Alfano the decision proved
to be a poor one because today if remember at all, it is as the composer who completed the final
scene of Puccini’s last opera.
In 1926 the Fascist government began unionizing all aspects of the artistic fabric of Italy
from the opera houses to conservatories to theaters to dance troops to carpenters and musicians.
Membership was mandatory. If you were not a member of a union you did not work. xxvii To be
successful during this period one had to at least pay lip-service to the regime and to praise its
magnanimity towards the arts or risk being ostracized from the musical fabric of Italy. Musical
institutions were forced to change during the more than twenty years of fascist rule. Those
musicians who wanted to survive the Fascist era of façade and delusion modified their behavior,
creating their own façades in order to maintain their livelihoods during this period.
Franco Sciannameo, xxviii in his article “Aspects of Alfano,” which appeared in the
publication of Musical Times, Winter 2002 characterizes Alfano, Ildebrando Pizzetti and
Adriano Lualdi as “convinced Mussolinians.” Sciannameo bases his characterization on
correspondences exchanged between Alfano and Mussolini that were published by Fiamma
Nicolodi, a specialist in twentieth-century Italian music. In the same article Sciannameo also
makes this statement regarding Facist Party officials: “ they unquestionably admired the man,
17

withou t necessarily endorsing some of his political decisions nor siding with those of the many
gerarchi surrounding him. Perhaps such a stance allowed all three to remain very much active
and in positions of authority in the years after 1945.”
Alfano was a model Italian citizen during the Fascist regime. He was a member of the
National Union of Musicians which was open only to those who “normally and as their principal
activity practice the art of music as composers, concert artists, band masters, or private teachers
of music, or other analogous artistic activities.” 21 He served on the executive council of the
union and was the Director of the Corporation of Entertainment for his region. During the more
than twenty year of Fascism and through to the conclusion of World War II, Alfano composed
and performed throughout Italy and South America. Even before it was called for in one of the
many manifestos published during this period, Alfano was composing orchestral and chamber
music. On 26 March 1927 Alfano’s Secondo Quartetto in do - which was dedicated to Mussolini
- received a private premiere at Mussolini’s home, where Alfano occupied a seat of honor next to
Mussolini for the performance. He oversaw productions of three of his most popular operas,
Risurrezione, La leggenda di Sakùntala and Cyrano de Bergerac xxix which were performed
throughout Italy and in South America. He accompanied many important singers of the day
when they performed his liriche. Alfano’s compositional output during this time includes four
new operas, twenty-six liriche, seven piano pieces, two string quartets, two sonatas for violin and
cello respectively, a concerto for piano, violin and cello, a second symphony and his only choral
work, as well as other instrumental pieces. The majority of these works received performances
throughout Europe.
In 1935 or ‘36 (the specific date is unclear), Alfano received the Officier de la Légion
d’Honneur(The Legion of Honour). 22 Life began to take a downward spiral for Alfano in 1941,
one year after Mussolini allied Italy with Germany in World War II. In a letter to Mussolini,
Alfano states that he is “almost poverty stricken” the meager pension that he receives from the
State is no longer being supplemented by royalties from his compositions. In the same letter
Alfano voices his dissatisfaction with the “anti-artistic” trapping of his administrative
responsibilities as the Artistic Director of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo where he feels far
removed from any cultural stimuli. Alfano now 66 years of age, had spent the last forty years of
21 Ibid., 31.
22 Streicher. Ultimi splendori, 482.
18

his life working as a composer and pedagogue, continuously striving to bring honor to his
beloved Italy through his work. The tone of the letter is one of a confused child seeking an
explanation for a punishment that is undeserved. In a second letter sent only five months later
Alfano writes:
“Duce, You to whom the longing of the poets and the
suffering of the people are not unknown, I turn, once again, today.
Forgive me; I hope my request will not seem strange to you. After
having composed so much music, served the Revolution in the
Sindacato dei musicisti of Turin and in the school, in order to make
a living (for which I am very grateful to the Ministro della Cultura
Popolare) I find myself today in Palermo, Direttore artistico of the
opera house here, Duce, a musician is in need of many things,
especially a vast environment as representative of the artists in the
centre of an open world. I appeal to You for a new appointment as
representative of the artists in the Camera dei Fasci e delle
Corporazioni… and, once in Rome I would be able to feel liberated
from exile.
To those who think of politics as being different from Art,
I, in full conscience, can answer that in Italy, today, one must
follow only one politic: Yours. Our duty is, therefore, to obey and,
with our work, contribute to a greater Italy. This is what I have
done and wish to continue to do. Yours always very
affectionately.”
Alfano had two children. He lost his only son during the war. Then in February of 1943,
he lost all his household possessions when the storage facility in Turin was destroyed during an
air raid. Alfano poignantly describes the loss in another letter to Mussolini: “my entire world, my
past, the memory of which was supposed to bring joy and comfort to my later years,
unfortunately no longer productive.” 23 Mussolini’s sense of compassion for the aging
composer’s dilemma is documented by a receipt that is on file for a check in the amount of
50,000 lire that was sent to Alfano. Alfano sent the following thank you note: “Thank You,
Duce, Thank You from my heart! May God guide and crown every act of Yours for Your
personal welfare and our much beloved Italy.” 24
In June of 1942 Alfano was officially released from his duties at the conservatory in
Palermo and transferred to the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome to teach Opera Studies. In
Less than a year later in April of 1943, Alfano would suffer the loss of wife after a lengthy
23 Sciannameo. Aspects of Alfano, 9
24 Ibid., 10
19

illness. Alfano poured himself into his work. During the next ten years Alfano composed another
23 liriche, Quintetto in la for piano and string quartet, one opera, his third string quartet, and
three works for orchestra. His last composition renamed Sinfonia classica, was a reshaping of his
Sinfonia in mi and published by Ricordi in 1953. Alfano died amidst the murmurs of the sea at
his home in Sanremo on 27 October 1954.
20

THE ART SONGS OF ALFANO
Alfano belongs to the first generation of twentieth-century Italian composers devoted to
the composition of the art song, denoted as la lirica da camera. Unlike Puccini, whose songs
were studies for many of his operatic arias, the art songs of Alfano have little or no relationship
to his operatic compositions. Alfano took his compositional style and poetic aesthetic for the art
song from the French who with such composers as Saint-Saëns, Fauré, Debussy and Ravel were
dominating the genre in the first half of the twentieth-century.
Italian author and musicologist Rino Maione bestows upon Franco Alfano the title of
“Regenerator della lirica da camera” (Regenerator of Vocal Chamber Music) of the
Generazione dell’Ottanta xxx (the Generation of the 1880s). Webster’s New World Italian
Dictionary defines the word lirica (the singular form of liriche,) as lyric poetry. Donna Esselstyn
Harrison in her book Poetry in Song Literature: A Handbook for Students states that: “Lyric
Poetry forms the bulk of all poetry and of all song literature. In lyric poems, the poet is said to
have relative vision because he expresses only personal thoughts and feelings.” Harrison further
states that “Lyric Poetry is musical poetry, usually with a distinct rhythm of which a singer must
be extremely conscious in order to achieve a graceful and sensitive performance of music and
words.” In the Introduction to Italian Art Song, Robert C. White Jr. states “The lyrical quality of
the Italian language predisposes Italian melodies to follow lyrical curved lines.” The new
generation of Italian composers, keenly aware of the importance of the text, composed music that
followed the dictates of the poetry. Composers were careful to set words so as not to stretch out
melodies to conform to a particular musical form but to adhere to the natural accents of the
words as they occur when spoken.
The liriche of Alfano are composed in a tonal language born of polytonality and
unresolved dissonances to create a particular interpretive quality and color that strongly denote
the combined influence of French Impressionism and German Chromaticism. Alfano also uses
rhythmic and harmonic patterns as interpretive devices to express the ideas of the text. These
patterns are then developed with elaborations. Notwithstanding the influence of French
Impressionism and German Chromaticism, Alfano maintains the use of verism to express passion
in a warm and Italianate way.
On 16 March 1953, (the year before his death) Alfano was invited to present a program
of his music at the Naples Conservatory. He took this opportunity to share with the audience the
21

position vocal chamber music held within his body of works. He stated that vocal chamber
music was: “…certainly not of secondary importance compared to the more complex operatic
and symphonic compositions. I have always thought that a lyric, xxxi a beautiful lyric of course, is
to a Sonata, a quartet or a Symphony as a sonnet is to an epic poem.” 25
of forty-nine songs, ten of which were orchestrated.
Alfano composed a total
Alfano found inspiration from a wide variety of poetic sources, including French
Romanticism, early twentieth-century Italian poetry that was influenced by the French
Parnassians, intellectual and feminist poetry, and especially the Indian exoticism of Rabindranath
Tagore. Five songs will be discussed in chronological order, as a sampling of Alfano’s
contribution to twentieth-century Italian art song repertoire.
Felicità
Felicità (Happiness)
(Francesco Pastonchi)
Nel vento della sera odorano i rosai:
Godi l’ora che mai più non ritornerà!
Nel vento della sera baciami tra le rose.
Fatta di tenui cose è la felicità!
Happiness
In the evening wind the rose bushes give scent:
Enjoy the hour that will never return!
In the evening wind kiss me among the roses.
Happiness is made of tenuous things!
EXAMPLE 2.1 Felicita measures 1-2
25 Translation by Timothy Allan Shaw from the liner notes of Liriche di Tagore.
22

Felicità is Alfano’s first lirica set to an Italian text. The poemetto (short little poem) was
written by Francesco Pastonchi (1877-1953) 26 and is only four lines. Very little information is
available in English on Pastonchi. His poetry was influenced by the classical style of the French
Parnassians and the decadentism of the more famous Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio. At least
three volumes of his poetry were published during his lifetime. He also wrote one novel and a
number of short stories. Written in 1914 at the start of World War I, the poem expresses the
tenuous nature of happiness. The poem describes a time of evening when the scent of roses (the
flower of love) is carried upon the wind and the spontaneous reaction of lovers is to punctuate
the moment in time with a kiss. The lirica is only thirty-two measures in length. The tempo
marking is Largamente, ma molto elastico (broadly, but very elastic), with further instructions
sempre molto espressivo (always very expressive) written between the staves. The
accompaniment is impressionistic as the piano introduction creates a wistful atmosphere with a
descending melodic theme that is suggestive of the wind, supported by some arpeggiated chords
(example 2.1). Just as the wind would rise again on a mild spring evening, the melodic theme of
the first measure varies continuously throughout the song. The accompanist should be acutely
aware of the composer’s accent marks as the piano accompaniment is the focal point of this
composition.
EXAMPLE 2.2 measures 6-8
The voice enters più calmo (calmly) on an anacrusis in measure five, accompanied by
syncopated blocked chords as it verbally describes the piano introduction (example 2.2). The
first and third lines of the poem are musically identical with slight rhythmic variations to
26 http://Appbio.net/biographies/Pastonchi-%20Francesco-5524.html.
23

compensate for changes in the text. The rhythmic variation occurs on the words “odorano i
rosai” (“the rose bushes give scent”) (example 2.2) of the first line and “baciami tra le rose”
(“kiss me among the roses”) (example 2.3). The singer should take care to observe the
composer’s marking sospirato (sighed) above this line.
EXAMPLE 2.3 measures 21-23
The vocal line rides above the original piano theme, now transposed, on the
contemplative second (example 2.4) and fourth lines of the poem: “Godi l’ora che mia più non
ritornerà” (“Enjoy the hour that will never return”) and “Fatta di tenui cose è la felicità”
(“Happiness is made of tenuous things!”).
24

EXAMPLE 2.4 measures 9 -14
The last words of the phrase “la felicità” (“happiness”) are to be sung mormorato
(murmured). The last syllable of the word is sustained until it fades into the reprise of the
opening piano theme (example 2.5), only to be murmured again as voice and piano fade into the
night just as the wind carries with it the scent of the roses.
EXAMPLE 2.5 measures 30-32
25

Al chiarore della mattina...
G. Ricordi & Co. published Sei liriche di autori diversi (six lyrics by different poets) in
1925. The collection consists of liriche that were composed in 1919, 1920 and 1922. Limited
information could be found on the four different poets that are represented in the collection.
Giuseppe Lipparini (1877-1951) was a literary critic, poet and narrator. Although there was no
information available on Lilla Lipparini, the fact that the collection contains one poem by each of
these individuals and they share the same surname, it is probable that there is a familial
connection between the two poets. The third poet to be included in the collection is
Rabindranath Tagore, who will be discussed in more detail later in this paper. The final poet, F.
De Lupis, wrote the text for Al chiarore della mattina... the third liriche in the collection.
Sei liriche di autori diversi
No. 3, Al chiarore della mattina...
(F. De Lupis)
Al chiarore della mattina due grandi occhi, mi stavano a guardare.
Mi volevan spogliare, per farmi eterna come una forma divina!
Ma da una selva ombruta, io sentivo cantare,
sentivo canti di tristezza, i canti della giovinezza che passa,
E lascia solo il rimpianto.
Allora incontro gli corsi, gli porsi le labbra,
gli porsi la mia bocca, e in quella malia ombrosa la vita sua,
la mia vita volò.
Come un incanto di vento nato da un’occulta armonia!
At morning light...
(Translation by Luvada A. Harrison)
At morning light, two large eyes were staring at me.
They wanted to undress me, to make me eternal like a divine form.
But from the dark forest, I heard singing,
I heard songs of sadness, the songs of lost youth,
and only regret remains.
At that moment I ran into him offering my lips to him,
offering my mouth to him, and in that dark spell his life,
my life flew.
Like a wind of enchantment born from a secret harmony!
Al chiarore della mattina… means “at the diffused light of the morning.” Webster’s New
World Dictionary defines the word diffuse as: “to pour in different directions.” The diffusion of
light is illustrated through the use of polytonality. Although the key signature could represent
either B-flat major or g minor there is no clear tonal center at the beginning of the piece. The
piano enters on an anacrusis, in an ascending arpeggiated flourish to a brilliant fortissimo octave
26

tremolo in the right-hand that is accompanied by a sixteenth-note rhythmic pattern above a pedal
point in the left hand (example 3.1).
EXAMPLE 3.1 Al chiarore della mattina… measures 1-4
The tempo marking is Molto animato (very animated), and is qualified with the adjective
luminoso (luminous) in parenthesis below. The impressionistic introduction clearly illustrates the
dawning of a new day. The tremolo and sixteenth-note rhythmic pattern continue as the voice
enters. The dynamic marking for both voice and piano at this point is crescendo poco a poco
(increasing loudness little by little). In response to the realization of being looked upon the
tempo marking ritardando (growing slower and slower) appears above the phrase “occhi mi
stavano a guardare” (“eyes were staring at me”). In measure six, a tempo (in time or at the
preceding rate of speed) and fortissimo (extremely loud) are above the second syllable of
guardare, to elicit the natural vocal reaction of being startled to learn that someone (even a
lover) has been watching. It is as if one has to catch one’s breath to recover from the surprise
they had just experienced. The tempo marking at the start of the next phrase, “Mi volevan
spoliare” (“they wanted to undress me”), is stentando (halting). The narrator is slightly
uncomfortable in a moment of spied intimacy, this moment of voyeurism. It is the moment when
27

one becomes aware of another person observing your defenseless body with such intent, as if
they were attempting to permanently etch its contours into their mind. “Come una forma
divina!” (“like a divine form”) has a dynamic marking of piano (softly), along with the tempo
marking, poco trattenendo (a little held back). It is as if the narrator is searching for the correct
words to explain away the actions of the lover.
EXAMPLE 3.2 measures 15-18
Section 2 is comprised of five vocal phrases that are progressively intensified with the
addition of a layer of harmonic texture to each new phrase. The accompaniment segues into
section 2 (Example 3.2) beginning in measure sixteen with a strummed chord that is to be played
fortissimo (extremely loud). The composer has bracketed the notes of the chord to indicate how
the pitches should be distributed between the left and right hands. The tempo marking is
Indugiando (take one’s time) is written above the last two beats of the previous measure and a
28

acket is used to indicate that the strummed chord is a part of this tempo marking. The
strummed chord is immediately followed by a sixteenth-note triple figure that leads to the
sixteenth-note rhythmic pattern from the opening section now accompanied by a trill and
transferred from the left hand to the right hand. The dynamic marking sforzando indicates
sudden emphasis should be placed on the trill and then immediately played pianissimo (very
soft). The device is used to call the narrator’s attention to not yet identified sounds from the
outside that are heard in the distance. The accompaniment is now in the upper register of the
piano and written in the treble clef only. An open octave b-flat in the treble clef is heard on the
down beat of measure 18, as if to announce the start of some type of ceremony.
EXAMPLE 3.3 measures 19-20
The voice enters on beat two of measure 18 (Example 3.2) and is doubled in open
octaves xxxii below the repeated sixteenth-note rhythmic pattern. The vocal line is built on a
pentatonic scale lending an oriental flavor to the melody. Texturally the voice doubling in open
octaves draws attention to the vocal line and reinforces the melody and renders the sixteenth-note
rhythm pattern purely atmospheric. The dynamic marking in the accompaniment sempre
pianissimo, espressive come da lontanta (always very soft, expressive like from a distance). The
vocal dynamic marking for the first phrase is pianissimo (very softly) with the added instruction
for vocal coloration of cupo (covered) on “Ma da una selva ombruta, io sentivo cantare” (“But
in the forest I hear singing”) as the narrator - eavesdropping on the distant conversation - listens
intently to decipher what the singing is about (Example 3.3).
29

EXAMPLE 3.4 measures 21-22
The first time the open octave b-flat is heard in the lowest extremity of the piano range is
in measure twenty-one (Example 3.4) with come un rombo (like a roar) written below the notes.
This “roar” is repeated on the downbeat of measures 21, 24, 25 and 28, punctuating the end of
each phrase that which is extended over the bar line. The voice consistently enters on the second
beat of the next measure. The words più sonoro e molto espressivo (more resonantly and very
expressive) appear above the third phrase of text “sentivo canti di tristezza” (“I hear songs of
sadness”). The tempo marking changes in the middle of the fourth phrase “i canti della
giovinezza passa” (“songs of lost youth”). Poco indugiando (a little indulgent) is written above
the word giovinezza, which is lengthened rhythmically by notating the third and final syllables of
the word as a modified triplet. The voice returns immediately to a tempo on the last word of the
phrase, “passa” (“passes”). The tempo markings clearly illustrate the text allowing for a
momentary lingering in the remembrance of youth that quickly passes. The tempo marking for
the last phrase of this second section is un poco meno mosso (a little less fast or a little slower).
The text reads “e lascia solo il rimpianto” (“and leaves one alone with regret”). The end of the
phrase is marked ritendendo, diminuendo moltissimo (holding, growing slower and slower until
much much slower) on the last note of the phrase. The gradual slowing of the tempo to end
Section 2 insinuates a moment of reflection in which the narrator reevaluates the situation.
30

EXAMPLE 3.5 measures 34-35
The accompaniment leads the listener into Section 3 (Example 3.5). The tempo marking
reads indugiando e subito a tempo (indulgent and quickly in tempo) agitato (agitated). The piano
supplies the emotional reaction of the performer to the situation. The voice enters agitated on the
words “Allora incontro gli corsi” (“At that moment I ran into him”), the dynamic marking
expand from forte to fortissimo as the lovers come together mingling lips and mouths as their
passion explodes (Example 3.6).
EXAMPLE 3.6 measures 53-54
31

The piece concludes as dramatically as it began, with the exact music from measure one
guiding the listener to the conclusion of this sensually charged lirica. For a truly exciting climax,
if at all possible the performer should strive to sing the last phrase: “Come un incanto divento
nato da un’occulta armonia” (“Like an enchanted wind born of a secret harmony”) in one
breath.
Rabindranath Tagore
Italian musicologist Rino Maione considers Rabindranath Tagore to be “the perfect poet
for Alfano.” Alfano chose twenty-six poems from two separate Tagore collections of poetry to
set to music: eleven are from Gitanjali – “Songs of Offerings” – which can also be defined as
“Collection of Prayers,” and fifteen are from Il giardiniere – “The gardener, or the man who
cultivates his own conscience.” The Italian translations of both collections of poetry were taken
from the English translation, not the original Bengali and were published by Gino Carabba of
Lanciano. Gitanjali was published in 1914, followed by Il giardiniere in 1915.
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) known as a Kavi (seer), an intermediary between the
human and the divine, was the youngest of fourteen children born into a wealthy and religious
family. In 1901, Tagore started an open air school at Shantiniketan known today as Visva
Bharati, an international university. The university was first established as a cultural center to
promote fellowship between the East and the West in an effort to strengthen the fundamental
condition of world peace. The Prime Minister of India is the Chancellor of the University, which
graduated such luminaries as India’s former Prime Minister Indira Ghandi (1917-1984) and
Academy Award - Lifetime Achievement recipient film maker Satyajit Ray (1921-1999).
Tagore was raised in a very cultured atmosphere. His early education was administered
by private tutors who based his education in three languages: Sanskrit, Bengali and English. The
course of study included religion and arts with emphasis in literature, music and painting.
Tagore wrote plays, short stories, novels, travel diaries, and two autobiographies. He composed
musical dramas, dance dramas, and songs and at the age of sixty, took up drawing and painting.
Successful exhibitions of his art work were held in Paris. However, first and foremost, he was a
poet, writing more than fifty volumes of poetry. Tagore was the first Asiatic poet to receive the
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for Gitanjali (Songs of Offerings) which he translated into
English himself. The Irish poet, dramatist, and prose writer William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
(who would be the recipient of the Nobel for Literature in 1923) wrote the foreword to the first
32

limited edition of Gitanjali that was published by the India Society of London on 1 November
1912. Yeats had this to say about Tagore’s poetry:
“I have carried the manuscript of these translations about with me
for days reading it in railway trains, or on the top of omnibuses and
in restaurants, and I often had to close it lest some stranger would
see how much it moved me. These lyrics which are in the original,
my Indians tell me, full of subtlety of rhythm, of untranslatable
delicacies of colour, of metrical invention - display in their thought
a world I have dreamed of all my life long. The work of a supreme
culture, they yet appear as much the growth of the common soul as
the grass and the rushes.” 27
Numerous twentieth-century composers of various nationalities were attracted to the
poetry of Tagore including: Leoš Janáček (1854-1928), Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), Karol
Szymanowski (1882-1937), Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942), Ravi Shankar (1920-) and
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974), along with the Italians Alfredo Casella (1883-1947), Mario
Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968), Gian Francesco Malipiero (1882-1973), and Ildebrando
Pizzetti (1880-1968). However, Alfano set more of his poems than any of the composers listed
above. There was a transfusion of spirits in the artistic union of Alfano’s music to Tagore’s
poetry. Alfano was fascinated by Indian mysticism that combined the belief in one God
(Theism) with the tolerance of all Gods of various cults (Pantheism), with the belief that God
exists in everything. Maione in his article La lirica vocale da camera states:
“Alfano ‘fraternizes’ with Tagore in the unique quality of
the feelings in which the ecstatic joy of the senses and religion for
Nature form a single myth of love. The sensuality in Tagore’s and
Alfano’s art is a sensuality in which the contemplative expression
of the sense is shaped…a sensuality eager for poetry and music,
something astral and magical that opens itself out to the expression
of amorous, astonished lyricism.” 28
Tagore’s self entitled poems “Lyrics of Love and Life” elicited the following response
from Alfano: “Never have I felt so full of music as in the human and religious myth of India.” 29
Alfano found in the poetry of Tagore, a sensuality and eroticism that transforms human emotion
into immanence. Maione describes their union in this way: “…both the poetry and the music
27 http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/tagore/gitnjali.htm.
28 Rino Maione. La Lirica Vocale da Camera, Franco Alfano: Presagio di tempi nuovi con finale controcorrente.
231.
29 Ibid., 231.
33

urn with erotic content, with that eroticism that is so frequent in mystics of all ages and places
which, in its transcendent search for the divine expresses itself in a manner similar to sensual,
earthly love.” 30
Alfano’s first set of liriche to Tagore text was Tre poemi di Rabindranath Tagore da
giardiniere (Three poems of Rabindranath Tagore from “the Gardener”) composed in 1919. The
liriche mark Alfano’s first encounter with the Bengali poet. Tre poemi were first performed in
Paris on 1 March 1921 on a program dedicated solely to new Italian music. The six Italian
composers were likened to the French group Les Six xxxiii because they represented the new
generation of Italian composers. The six Italian composers were Alfano, Casella, Castelnuovo
Tedesco, Davido, Pizzetti, and Respighi. And like Les Six each of these composers maintained
their own unique style of composition. Some were more avant-garde and others more traditional.
Six years later, on 4 April 1927, Tre poemi di Rabindranath Tagore in its entirety (previously
only the first lirica, Mamma il giovanne principe, had been performed in Italy) along with Al
chiaror della mattina (from Sei liriche) was performed in Rome at the Reale Accademia
Filarmonica Romana with Alfano at the piano.
Giorno per giorno
Alfano composed numerous compositions in other genres over the next ten years before
returning to the poetry of Tagore. His next group of Tagore texts, Tre liriche di Tagore was
published in 1929 by Wien, xxxiv the publication includes texts in both Italian and German. The
German edition Drei Gesänge (Three Songs) was translated by R. S. Hoffmann. The songs were
orchestrated in 1937. Tre liriche di Tagore was first performed on 6 January 1929 in Lodi
following a speech entitled L’arte di Franco Alfano given by the Italian musicologist and music
critic, Domenico De Paoli. The third of the three liriche, Giorno per giorno, received the more
performances than the other two in the group. In 1941, Alfano arranged Giorno per giorno as an
arietta for cello and piano.
Tre liriche (1928)
No. 3, Giorno per Giorno
(Rabindranath Tagore)
Giorno per giorno egli viene
Egli viene, a poi sen va!
Tieni amica, dagli un fiore
Questo fior che ho tra i capelli!
30 Ibid., 232.
34

Se ti domanda chi glielo dona,
oh! no! Non dirgli, no, non dirgli
il nome mio, ti prego,
perchè egli non fa che venir...
che venire e andarsene!
Si siede in terra sotto l’albero,
fagli un sedil di foglie e fiori!
I suoi occhi son tristi
E partan la malinconia nel cor.
Ei non rivela il suo pensero
Vien soltanto, e poi senva.
No. 3, Day by Day
Translation by Ruth Lakeway
Day by day he comes,
he comes, and then goes away!
Here friend, give him a flower.
This flower that I have in my hair!
If he asks you who gives it to him
Oh! No! do not tell him, no, do not tell him my name, I beg,
because all he does is come...
he comes and then goes away!
He sits on the ground under the tree,
make him a seat of leaves and flowers!
His eyes are sad
and they bring melancholy in my heart.
He does not disclose his thoughts,
he only comes and then goes away.
Giorno per giorno describes the crush a young girl has on a young man (possibly a
student) that she sees in the park everyday. She enlists the assistance of a trusted friend to initiate
the courting ritual. The performer should be mindful of the Bengali culture regarding interaction
amongst the members of the opposite sex. A young girl would not dare to introduce herself to a
young man. Introductions of this sort are always handled by a third party. The performer should
take special care to maintain a youthful color to the voice as one is portraying a young girl. The
other vocal challenge of this lirica is to maintain a dynamic level of pianissimo (very soft)
throughout most of the piece. Alfano has clearly marked the score with phrasing indication to
create an effortless ebb and flow throughout the lirica.
Giorno per giorno is clearly ternary in form. The meter is 2/4 and the opening tempo
marking is Allegretto (quite lively) semplice (in a simple, natural, unaffected style). The ability
35

to maintain a natural unaffected style is what makes this lirica challenging. The phrases are even
and lyrical throughout the piece. Each line of poetry is set to a musical phrase that is four
measures in length. The dissonant harmonic palette that is characteristic of twentieth-century
music is clearly illustrated in the accompaniment.
EXAMPLE 4.1 Giorno per giorno measures 1-12
The introduction (Example 4.1) begins with an anacrusis on a dominant chord in first
inversion and travels through a series of ambiguous chords that finally reach the dominant chord
in root position setting up the vocal entrance on the tonic chord of A major. The dynamic
marking for the voice is sempre pianissimo (always very soft) with the additional instruction of
mezzo voce (half voice) in parenthesis. The voice is accompanied by blocked chords in the left
hand with an eight-note rhythmic pattern in the right hand. The accompaniment has the same
dynamic marking of the voice with the added instruction of dolcissimo (sweetly).The first eight
36

measures of the lirica are supported solely by tonic harmony. The melody is an elegant
representation of the innocence of youth.
EXAMPLE 4.2 measures 18-22
The harmony changes as the narrator instructs her companion to give a flower that she
has taken from her hair to the subject of her crush (example 4.2) “Tieni amica, dagli un fiore.
Questo fior che ho tra i capelli” (“Here friend, give him a flower. This flower that I have in my
hair”) and immediately instructs her friend not to tell him who sent the flower, if he should ask:
“Se ti domanda chi glielo dona, Oh! No! non dirgli, no non dirgli il nome mio, ti prego” (“If he
asks you who gives it to him, Oh! No! do not tell, do not tell him my name, I beg you.”) Section
B is twenty-four measures in length and contains more emotionally charged material than section
A which consist of thirty-three measures. Details are shared in section B “Si siede in terra sotto
l’albero” (“He sits on the ground under the tree”). The narrator wants him to be comfortable so
she instructs her friend to “fagli un sedil di foglie e fiori!” (“make him a seat of leaves and
flowers!”) Alfano clearly marks the phrasing throughout the score. Specific dynamic and tempo
directions are given for more expressive phrases, as in example 4.3: poco stentando (a little
retarding) above “occhi son tristi” (“eyes are sad”). Example 4.3, also illustrates the first time
that the dynamic marking has changed from pianissimo to mezzo forte (half-loud).
37

EXAMPLE 4.3 measures 52-55
The harmonic coloration and change in dynamic illustrate the melancholy feeling that is
expressed in the next phrase, “e portan la malinconia nel cor” (“and they bring melancholy in
my heart”).
EXAMPLE 4.4 measures 60-63
The same dynamic changes and enharmonic treatment are employed on the next
emotionally expressive phrase, “Ei non rivela il suo pensiero” (“He does not disclose what he is
thinking”) in example 4.4.
38

EXAMPLE 4.5 measures 68-71
When section A returns (example 4.5) there are two exceptions to the beginning of the
lirica. The dynamic and tempo markings for the voice are the same, but there is the added
direction of dolcissimo (sweetly) as opposed to mezza voce (half-voice) as in the beginning. The
rhythmic activity of the accompaniment has quickened – the eighth notes from the opening are
now sixteenth-notes – and the dynamic marking is pianississimo (very, very soft) requiring both
the damper and soft pedals.
EXAMPLE 4.6 measures 88-91
When the voice states for the last time “oh! no! non dirgli, no non dirgli il nome mio, ti
prego,” (“oh! no! do not tell him, do not tell him my name, I beg you”) the tempo markings are
very explicit, molto più espessivo poco a poco Ritardando (much more expressive little by little
39

oadening) (example 4.6.) The phrase should be sung very expressively, and the performer
should take note to acknowledge the breath mark before “ti prego” (“I beg you”) that also has a
fermata above the last syllable. Immediately return to a tempo for the next phrase, “perchè egli
non fa che venire” (“because all he does is come”). The last phrase: “che venire, e andarsene!”
(“he comes and then goes away”) must broaden.
EXAMPLE 4.7 measures 98-101
The tempo marking is poco a poco Ritandando (little by little broadening), then
moltissimo (extremely broad) (example 4.7.) The singer should acknowledge the breath mark
after venire so that the final note of the vocal line can dissipate into the final chord of the
accompaniment that should trail away to nothing. The trailing away of sound to nothing
illustrates the slow disappearance of the narrator’s infatuation as he disappears out of her view.
“È giunto il nostro ultimo autunno„
Streicher states in his chronology of Alfano’s life that Alfano left Rome in March of 1943
and went to Sanremo to work on some liriche. However, there was a more pressing reason for
Alfano to return to the place that brought him peace. His wife and the mother of his children, had
long struggled with an illness that she would succumb to in the next month. Could their
relationship, their life time spent together, surviving wars and the death of a child have been the
imputus for Alfano’s choosing this next lirica?
Autumn is a season of transition, a season of maturity when nature begins the decent into
the chill and dormancy of winter so that foliage may be reborn again in the Spring. È giunto il
nostro ultimo autunno (Our last autumn has arrived) elegantly expresses the transition of life to
40

death, the parting of two people who anticipate the reunion of their souls in the Elysian Fields.
Although the key signature implies G minor, the tonal ambiguity of this lirica clearly illustrates
the transition and instability of life and love. Functional chords are used in a non-functional way
for the purpose of coloring the text. The lirica is a piece of continuous harmonic development
incorporating the use of pentatonic scales and modal harmonies typical of the impressionist
compositional style. Alfano uses pedal tones to establishe the various tonal centers transversed
throughout the lirica. Each verse of poetry transcends from one season to the next on this
journey of uncertainty in an implied future of life after death.
“È giunto il nostro ultimo autunno„
(Mirando Bona)
È giunto il nostro ultimo autunno!
Tieni le mie mani nell’ultima stretta terrena
E dimmi dove andrai.
Non guardarmi con occhi tristi...
Dopo l’estate della mia vita
ci ritroveremo nell’eterna Primavera!
Fuggi l’inverno quando io non ci sarò più
per fondere il ghiaccio intorno al tuo cuore...
Conserva il tuo cuore fra le rose profumate...
E cingila con un arete di spine, chè nessuno lo tocchi...
Quando verrò a te dopo l’ultimo estate
Ne conterò i palpiti.
Nessuno dovrà mancare...
Andranno a due a due coi miei palpiti
Camminando con ritmo uguale.
Cantiamo il nostro ultimo duetto d’amore...
Raccogliamo le ultime rose
Per coronare sogno...
Io resterò ferma... presso la fontana del bosco
E ascolterò i tuoi passi allontanarsi.
Ti volgerai per l’ulitima volta verso di me
E diremo insieme.
“Arrivederci nella eterna Primavera.”
Our last autumn has arrived!
(translation by Ruth Lakeway)
Our last autumn has arrived!
Hold my hands in this last earthly embrace
and tell me whereyou will go.
Do not look at me with sad eyes...
After the summer of my life
41

we will meet each other again in the eternal Spring!
You escape the winter when I will not be there any longer
in order to melt the ice around your heart...
and gird it with a net of thorns,
so that no one may touch it...
When I will come to you after the final summer
I will count its beats.
Not one must be missing...
they will go two by two with my own heartbeats
pacing with equal rhythm.
Let us sing our final duet of love...
Let us gather the last roses to crown our dreams...
I will remain steady near the fountain in the forest
and I will listen to your steps as they turn away.
You will turn for the last time towards me
and we will say together:
“Goodbye, (until we meet again) in the eternal spring!”
EXAMPLE 5.1 È giunto il nostro ultimo autunno measures 1-4
È giunto il nostro ultimo autunno can be divided into five sections. The first section
begins on a G minor 7 chord, immediately establishing the tonal ambiguity of the piece. Example
5.1 illustrates the four measure motive that is repeated verbatim when the voice enters and
returns at the end of the lirica (measures 96-102) to complete the circle of life. Notice that the
eighth-note figure moves in opposition of each other in the left and right hand scores of the piano
accompaniment and that both hands are written in the bass clef. This recurring four measure
motive lends a minimalist character to the lirica. The voice enters in measure 5, “È giunto il
nostro ultimo autunno!” (“Our last autumn hs arrived!”), the dynamic marking is pianissimo
(very soft) with the added vocal direction più calmo (very calm). Alfano is very explicit in his
vocal directions throughout the lirica. Fervidamente (fervently or passionately) is written above
“Tieni le mie mani nell’ultima stretta terrene” (“Hold my hands in this last earthly embrace”).
42

The simple physical gesture of holding hands symbolizes the bond between two people. It is the
narrator’s way of getting his/her lover to accept what is happening. The holding of hands
signifies that they are in agreement about how to confront this issue together.
EXAMPLE 5.2 measures 13-19
When the voice moves to the final vowel sound of the word andrai the accompaniment is
divided into three staves. The notes sung to the words “dove andrai” (“where will you go”) are
echoed as the first three notes of an ascending modal scale written in the treble clef - sandwiched
between two bass clefs - supported by a subdominant chord in the lower bass clef staff (example
5.2.) The accompaniment once again is written in the bass clef as the narrator demonstrates
emotional strength in words of consolation sung dolce e molto espressivo (sweetly and very
expressive): “Non guardarmi con occhi tristi… Dopo l’estate della mia vita” (“Do not look at
43

me with sad eyes… After the summer of my life,”) A dynamic marking of forte (loudly) is used
for the first time as the voice rises above the staff ci retroveremo (we will meet each other again)
only to diminuendo (diminishing in loudness) “nell’eterna “(“in the eternal”), arriving at
pianissimo (very softly) on “Primavera!” (“Spring!”)
EXAMPLE 5.3 measures 37-40
Winter is upon us in Section B (example 5.3) which begins with the accompaniment in
the treble clef. The voice enters piano (softly) with the additional instruction sempre assai dolce
(always very sweetly) “Fuggi l’inverno quando io non ci sarò più” (“You escape the winter
when I will not be there any longer in order to melt the ice around your heart”). The eighth-note
rhythmic pattern no longer consists of single eighth-notes but is made textually denser with a
virtual rainbow of harmonies. The vocal line is buried within the harmonies of the
accompaniment just as the narrator instructs the subject: “Conserva il tuo cuore fra le rose
profumate e cingilo con una rete di spine ché nessuno lo tocchi” (“Preserve your heart among
the fragrant roses and gird it with a net of thorns, so that no one may touch it.”)
44

EXAMPLE 5.4 measures 51-54
Section C (example 5.4) begins in measure 53. The dynamic marking is pianissimo (very
softly); the vocal instruction is lontano (far away); and the tempo marking is ancòra più calmo
(still more calmly.) The tempo marking can serve a dual purpose, instructing the performer as to
the mood of this section as well as slowing the tempo. The narrator accepts death. However
he/she must remain calm and reassuring in an effort to ease the grief and sense of abandonment
being felt by the lover: “Quando verrò a te dopo ultimo estate ne conterò i palpiti” (“When I
will come to you after the final summer I will count its beats.”) The right hand of the piano
accompaniment now plays blocked chords, creating a bell-like effect that illustrates the passing
of time. The use of D-flat major, E-flat major and F-minor chords, are an example of functional
chords being used in a non-functional way, and a common feature of Impressionistic music.
45

EXAMPLE 5.5 measures 68-70
The passion of this relationship is expressed in Section D, example 5.5. The vocal
instruction is con abbandono (with abandonment). The eighth-note rhythmic pattern is replaced
with harp-like arpeggios in the accompaniment that begins on a B-flat major 7 chord. The vocal
line is disjunct as each phrase begins with an intervalic series of leap. The first phrase begins
with an augmented fifth on “Cantiamo” (“Let us sing”) that is followed by a perfect fourth on “il
nostro ultimo duetto d’amore” (“our last duet of love”); the second phrase begins with a major
sixth on “Raccogliamo” (“Let us gather”), the interval immediately following this word is a
perfect fifth on “le ultime rose” (“the last roses”.) As the ascending intervals increase by a whole
step in each of these two phrases, the descending intervals decrease by a half-step. The
descending interval in the first phrase is an octave, while the descending interval of the second
phrase is a minor seventh. Each of the two phrases ends with the ascending interval of a perfect
fifth. The last phrase of the vocal line is echoed accompaniment signifying the pact that the
couple hs made with each other to crown their dreams with the last roses of the season. The
melancholy mood of the phrase is colored with a diminished seventh chord.
The accompaniment in Sections E consists of a series of functional chords that are spelled
using enharmonics supported by a G tremolo in the left hand as the descending vocal line is now
conjunct and parlando: “Io restorò ferma... presso la fontana del bosco” (“I will remain steady
near the fountain in the forest”). The dynamic marking in the accompaniment is pianissimo with
46

the added direction of lontano (distant) representing the lover’s departing footsteps. The voice
enters pianissimo, gradually becoming a whisper molto sottovoce (much under the breath) as the
performer sings “e ascolterò i tuoi passi allontanarsi” (“and I will listen to your steps as they
turn away”).
EXAMPLE 5.6 measures 96-100
For the remainder of the lirica, the vocal line is conversational. The text is set on many
repeated notes, in a very narrow range, written in the lower-middle register of the singer’s voice
and should be sung in a parlando style. The lirica comes full circle with the return of the
opening motive in the accompaniment (example 5.6.) Now, however the initial tempo is
modified by the added direction ma sempre più tranquillo (but always more tranquil) at the
beginning of the final statement “Arrivaderci nella eterna Primavera!” (“Until we meet again in
the eternal Spring!”) The voice must clearly display the sense of calmness that comes with the
act of acceptance without fear. The final vocal direction dolce e molto espressivo (sweet and very
expressive) appears above the word “Primavera!” (“Spring!”), the season of rebirth. The lirica
ends as it began with the harmonic instability of an unknown future.
Luce
Unlike most of Alfano’s other liriche, which were originally composed for voice and
piano, Luce is one of four liriche composed for voice and orchestra. Quattro liriche per canto e
orchestra (Perché il giorno è finito – Cento e cento – Tu camminavi – Luce) was composed in
Rome and premiered at the Teatro Argentina in 1947. Zerboni, G. Ricordi’s biggest publishing
47

ival in Milan, published the lirica in 1948 and extended the rights to include Sweden, Norway
and Denmark. The orchestral score was made available through Boosey and Hawkes. The
following year. in August of 1949, the piano/vocal score reduction of Luce was performed in
Torino with Alfano at the piano. It is unclear as to whether or not the other three pieces from this
group of liriche are available.
Luce
(Rabindranath Tagore)
Luce ...luce mia...luce che illumini il mondo...luce
che rischiari gli occhi...luce che addolcisci il cuore...
Amore mio, la luce palpita e danza nel cuor della
mia vita. La luce tocca le corde della mia vita,
amore mio!
Il Ciel si schiude...I venti folleggiano...Il riso
risuona sulla Terra!...
Le farfalle aprono le loro ali in un mare di luce...
E gigli, gelsomini, schiudono le lor corolle in una
gloria di luce...
Ad ogni nube la luce si frange in polvere d’oro e
di gemme...
Amore mio...Amore mio...
La letizia si stende di foglia in foglia in una gioia
sconfinata. Il fiume del Cielo ha inondato i suoi
argini, e un immenso giubilo invade il mondo.
Light
(translation by Luvada Harrison)
Light ...my light...light that illuminates the world...
Light that lights up the eyes ...light that soothes the heart...
My Love, the light pulses and dances in the heart of my life.
The light touches the strings of my life, my Love!
The heavens are open... the winds exclaim...the laughter
resounding upon the earth!
The butterflies open their wings in a sea of light...
and lilies, jasmines open their petals to the glory of the light…
on the fringe of every cloud the light places dust of gold and jewels…
My Love…My Love…
Spreading happiness leaf upon leaf in boundless joy.
The stream of heaven has flooded our embankment and boundless shouts of joy flood the world.
48

EXAMPLE 6.1 measures 1-4
Luce begins on an anacrusis with an ascending chromatic scale leading to a tremelo. This
opening motive is repeated three times with each repetition of the scale the tremelo rises in
increments of a half-step. Both the left and right hand of the accompaniment are written in the
treble clef (Example 6.1.) The dynamic marking is forte – fortissimo- sforzando for each of the
three scale patterns.
EXAMPLE 6.2 measure 5-6
The dynamic is suddenly reduced to pianissimo (example 6.2) as the voice enters on
“Luce...luce mia” (“light...my light.”) The accompaniment is rhythmically active with harp-like
arpeggiated chords heard above an E-flat pedal point. The dynamic marking for the voice
entrance is piano and the performer should maintain a good legato line, in contrast to the active
49

hythmic accompaniment. The rhythmic pattern of the accompaniment changes with each new
description of how the light illuminates the world. The vocal line is doubled in the inner voice of
the accompaniment. The final phrase of section A, “luce che addolcisci il cuore...” (“light that
soothes the heart...”) is accompanined by cascading chromatic arpeggios.
EXAMPLE 6.3 measures 14-15
The rhythmic texture of “Amore mio, la luce palpita e danza nel cuor della mia vita”
(“My love the light pulses and dances in heart of my life”), composed of triplet subdivisions in
the vocal line and blocked chords in the accompaniment, assists the performer in establishing the
feeling of anelante (yearning) needed to deliver this phrase (expample 6.3). As the voice finishes
the phrases that conclude in measures 20 and 23 respectively, there is a fermata with the word
corta (short) written above it. Both performer and accompanist should acknowledge this short
pause, which allows the previous chord to dissapate before a new harmonic color is introduced
with the text “Il Ciel si schiude... I venti follegiano...Il riso risuona sulla Terra!...” (“The
Heavens are open... the winds exclaim the laughter resounding upon the earth!...”) The
resounding laughter is illustrated rhythmically in the accompaniment with a flourishing arpeggio
that is immediately followed by a whole tone then half tone turn played in the left hand.
50

EXAMPLE 6.4 measures 24-25
The accompaniment is more rhythmically active in Section C (example 6.3) as the
harmonic texture becomes more dense as it describes the flutter of butterfly wings “Le farfalle
aprono le loro ali” (“the butterflies open their wings in a sea of light.”) The accompaniment is
raised into the upper half of the piano’s range with both the left and right hands written in the
treble clef, signifying the mid-air flight of the butterflies. The accompaniment returns to its
regular division of the left hand in the bass clef and the right hand in the treble clef on the words
“in una gloria di luce” (“to the glory of light.”) This last phrase is then echoed in the
accompaniment as one imagines the butterflies spreading their wings as lilies and jasmine open
in full bloom to greet and absorb the warm energy of the light.
EXAMPLE 6.5 measures 32-33
Section D (example 6.5) returns our attention towards heaven with the words “Ad ogni
nube la luce si frange in polvere d’oro di gemma” (“On the fringe of every cloud the light places
dust of gold and jewels…”) The vocal line is doubled in the right hand of the accompaniment. In
51

measure 34 the vocal direction of appassionato (passionately) is written above “Amore
mio…Amore mio…” (“My love…My love…”) accompanied by the ascending four-note
chromatic motive from the opening, now rhythmically broaden to dotted quarter notes. In
measure 36, the voice begins, “la letizia stende di foglia in foglia in una gioia sconfinata”
(“Spreading happiness leaf upon leaf in boundless joy”), in the middle range
EXAMPLE 6.6 measures 42-43
The vocal line ascends steadily by half steps, prior to an ecstatic leap of a fourth “e un
immenso” (“and boundless”) to the first climax on high B-flat in measure 43 (example 6.6.)
Immediately the performer must prepare for the second climatic phrase “giubilo invade il
mondo” (“shouts of joy flood the earth”) that ends on a sustained high A natural that descends to
G on the word “mondo” (world.) The lirica concludes as it began, in the key of E-flat major. The
accompaniment incorporates the highest and lowest ranges of the piano to signify the numerous
qualities of light described in the poem. The depths of the earth which are warmed by light are
represented by an open octave pedal point on E-flat heard in the lowest range of the piano. The
light that illuminates the surface of the world is represented by the tonic chord played in the
middle-range of the piano. And finally, a shimmering trill played in the upper most range of the
piano represents the brightest illumination of all that of heaven and a heart filled with love.
52

CONCLUSION
As one of the most important composers of the Generazione dell’ottanta, Franco Alfano
has been credited as the regenerator of Italian Vocal Chamber Music. The five songs presented in
this treatise are evidence of the vocally expressive and impressionistic compositional quality of
his liriche that for too long has been neglected in English language research. The author hopes
that this treatise will generate greater interest in programming, as well as further research into the
liriche of Alfano.
i Alfano’s birth certificate lists his first name as Frank, the Americanized version of Franco. Alfano would legally
Italianize the spelling of his first name in 1910.
ii Tosti served as the singing-master to Queen Margherita of Italy before moving to London in 1880 to become the
singing-master of the royal family; a position for which he was knighted for in 1908. He composed a vast number
of songs to Italian, English and French texts, many of which were quite popular during the Victorian era.
iii Famous advertising slogan: “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen”
iv Elgar began his career as a violinist and dominated the British music scene for the first three decades of the 20 th
century.
v The English translation for the French term Les Apaches is the Hooligans. The group consists of French musicians,
writers, poets and artists and was formed aroung 1900. The group caused some controversy when they rallied behind
and supported Debussy following the premiere of his opera Pelléas et Mélisande.
vi The veristic composers Cilea and Giordano were alumni of the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella.
vii Cilea’s most successful opera Adriana Lecouvreur remains in the repertoire of many opera houses today. The
famous aria “Io sono l’umile ancella” from Adriana Lecouvreur is a standard encore presentation for many operatic
sopranos. Enrico Caruso is credited with helping to establish Cilea as a prominent Italian operatic composer of the
Giovane Scuola (‘young school’) with his rendition of ‘È la solita storia’ (Federico’s “Lament”) from his opera
L’arlesiana
viii Giordano’s most famous operas are Andrea Chénier and Fedora.
ix Leoncavallo worked as a librettist with Puccini for his opera Manon Lescaut. As a composer his only operatic
success was the one act opera Pagliacci.
x Martucci a composer of chamber music; 2 symphonies; songs and an oratorio began his career as a concert pianist.
He taught at the Naples Conservatory from 1880-86, when he left to become director of the Bologna Conservatory
from 1886-1902. While in Bologna he conducted the premiere of Wagner’s Tristan. His life came full circle when
he left Bologna to become director of the Naples Conservatory, a post he held until 1909.
xi The Mannheim School was a group of composers that served at the court of the Elector Palatine Carl Theodor at
Mannheim, who contributed to the development of the pre-Classical symphony. They formed what was at the time
the largest orchestra in Europe.
xii The Italian title of the opera is La fonte di Enschir. When G. Ricordi & Co. refused to publish the score, the opera
received is premiere in Breslau under the An den Quellen Enschir. The opera most have achieved some success in
Germany because G. Ricordi & Co eventually published an Italian edition of the work.
xiii Alfano was introduced to Luigu Illica by Dr. Samarelli, a friend and fellow Neapolitan. It was Illica who
introduced Alfano to Giulio Ricordi.
xiv Gian Carlo Menotti based his opera, The Consul, on an article published in the New York Times on 12 February
1947, entitled Immigrant: A Suicide.
xv Mary Garden was responsible for introducing the music of Alfano to the American public when she convinced the
Chicago Opera Company to premiere Resurrection on 31 December 1925. Magda Olivero, Olivia Stapp and
Virginia Zeani have also performed the role of Katiusha. These ladies were all known for singing with vocal
abandonment. Each possessed a voice of unique quality and was willing to sacrifice beauty of tone for the ultimate
emotionally communicative vocalism. The aria has been commercially recorded by Garden, Olivero and Mirella
Freni.
xvi Verismo literally means realism. A literary movement that affected Italian opera composed at the end of the 19 th
century and the beginning of the 20 th century. The story lines usually portray rural and impoverished characters that
53

are true-to-life and often have a strong regional character. Although Italy is credited with creating versimo opera,
there are those who believe that the first veristic opera was Bizet’s Carmen (1875) and not Mascagni’s Cavalleria
rusticana (1890).
xvii Bataille wanted 10,000 francs and a percentage of the box office, should the opera be successful.
xviii Hanau also provided the libretto for Il grillo del focolare by Riccardo Zandonai (1883-1944), after Charles
Dickens’ The Cricket in the Hearth.
xix Puccini’s Madama Butterfly premiered at Teatro alla Scala on 17 February 1904, nine months prior to the
premiere of Risurrezione.
xx The music examples that are inserted here were taken from a reproduction published by Classical Vocal Reprints.
That publication was then compared to the 1944 reprinted edition of Carlo Carignani’s piano vocal score reduction
of Risurrezione published by Ricordi.
xxi An additional instruction con la massima calma (with maximum stillness) is given in parenthesis in the piano
vocal score reduction so that the focus shifts from the noisy activity of patrons in the train station to the solitary
figure of Katiusha.
xxii Il principe Zilah, is a lyric drama consisting of a prologue, two acts and an epilogue. The opera based on Le
prince Zilah, a romance novel written by the French literary figure, Jules Clarétie (1840-1913). The libretto was
written by Luigi Illica. The opera was premiered at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa on 3 February 1909.
xxiii Irving Schwerke (1893-1975), was a pianist and music critic who wrote for the New York Times. The above
quote was taken from an article that was published in Musical Digest. The dateof publication is unknown.
xxiv Sanremo is the capital of Riviera dei Fiori, on the Italian Riviera. Originally named Matuzia (gift of Matuta,
goddess of the sea), Sanremo is bordered on the east by Capo Verde and on the west by Capo Nero. The vacation
capital was made famous in the 1800’s by Russian princesses and English barons. Noted scientist and creator of the
Nobel prize, Alfred Nobel resided in a Sanremo from 1890 to his death on 10 December 1896.
xxv The Partito Popolare Italiano (PPI- Italian Popular Party) was organized in 1919 by a Sicilian priest. The
political party marks the entrance of Roman Catholics into the political life of Italy after being alienated following
the seizure of papal lands during the Risorgimento. The party was inspired by Christian Socialist principles.
xxvi The Partito Socialista Italiano (PSI) was founded in 1892 in Genoa as the Italian Workers’ Party. It formally
adapted the name Italian Socialist Party in 1893.
xxvii In a 1983 article that appeared in the New York Times famed German Soprano Elizabeth Schwarzkopf (1915-
2006) made the following statement in response to her affiliation to the Nazi Party during World War II: “We
thought nothing of it. We just did it. It was akin to joining a union, and exactly for the same reason: to have a job.”
xxviii Dr. Sciannameo is the Distinguished Scholar in Multidisciplinary Studies and Interim Director of Bachelor of
Humanities & Art and Bachelor of Science & Art programs at Carnegie Mellon School of Music.
xxix Cyrano de Bergerac is based on the Edmondo Rostand play of the same name. The libretto was written by
Enrico Cain with the Italian translation by Cesare Meano (whose poetry Alfano has set) and Filippo Brusa. Cyrano
de Bergerac premiered at the Teatro Reale dell’Opera in Rome on 22 January 1936. Most recently the opera
received its U.S. premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City with Placido Domingo in the title role.
xxx The term was coined by Massimo Mila, a music historian and critic. It denotes the group of Italian composers
that were born between 1875 and 1885. The group included Casella, Malipiero, Respighi, Zandonai and Pizzetti.
Each in their individual way, some more radically than others, broaden the musical consciousness of the Italian
people by creating a new Nationalistic style of Italian music that incorporated vocal, instrumental, and symphonic
compositions.
xxxi When Alfano uses the word “lyric” it is with reference to the words he set to music, as in song lyrics in popular
music.
xxxii Doubling the vocal line in open octaves in the lower voices of the accompaniment is a stylistic trait attributed to
Giacomo Puccini.
xxxiii Les Six was a group of six French composers working in the Montparnasse district of Paris in the 1920’s. Their
music was primarily a reaction against Wagnerism and Impressionism. The group was given their name by Cocteau.
xxxiv Wien also published a number of Alfano’s instrumental and chamber works, including his Quartetto in re per
due violini, viola e violoncello composed in 1918.
54

APPENDIX
ART SONG CATALOGUE
The following numbered list of art songs is arranged chronologically. Sets of songs are
listed in the order indicated by the composer or publisher. The individual song of a set
has a letter to indicate that it is a subdivision of the main entry.
Unfortunately, none of Alfano’s songs are currently available in printed publication.
During the process of researching materials for this treatise, the author acquired the last
printed publication of most of the songs. Others were acquired from libraries or private
sources. If available this appendix will list the libraries where specific songs can be found
or state that the location is unknown.
The annotations consist of the following information:
TITLE
POET, when more then one poet is used within a set of songs, the poet is
listed after the title of the individual song
PUBLISHER and EDITION (when given)
PUBLICATION DATE (publisher and copyright date, or collection
number (#))
DATE OF COMPOSITION, if differs from Publication Date
DEDICATION, if to a specific individual (patron, singer or friend)
KEY (tonality or lack of tonality)
RANGE of vocal line
METER SIGNATURE
TEMPO INDICATION (as indicated by the composer)
LENGTH in pages
DIFFICULTY LEVELS for
(1) Vocal line
(2) Piano score
VOICE TYPE(s)
MOOD (and/or subject) of song
VOCAL LINE (description and character)
SPECIAL DIFFICULTIES, if any
LOCATION, gives the name of the library or libraries where one may obtain the
music
RECORDING, if commercially recorded
Any incomplete annotations are due to the fact that the author was unable to acquire a copy of
the song through libraries or commercial music publication sources.
54

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
accomp. = accompani(ment)(ed)
anon. = anonymous
© = copyright
cmp. = composed
comp. = compliled
Diff = difficulty
V = voice (V/d)
P = piano (P/d)
ed. = edition/editor
m = minor
M = Major
maj = major key
meas. = measure
min = minor key
orig. = original/originally
pub. = published/publisher
recit. = recitative
Tess. = tessitura
trans. = translated/translator
Difficulty Level Indication:
m
md
d
dd
= medium
= moderately difficult
= difficult
= very difficult
Octave Placement Indication:
C-B = (great octave, bass clef)
c-b = (small octave, bass clef)
c'-b' = (first octave, treble clef)
c"-b" = (second octave, treble clef)
c"'-b"' = (third octave, treble clef)
NOTE: c' is middle c
Tessitura & Key Indication:
HH = very high
H = high
mH = moderately high
M = medium
mL = moderately low
L = low
LL = very low
1. Cinq Mélodies, op. 1. Ed. Hug,
Zürich 1896.
a. Sonnet – Quand par un jour de
pluie (Alfred de Musset)
b. Pourquoi! – Pourquoi réveille-tu
(Lamartine)
c. Rondeau – Fut-il jamais douceur
(Alfred de Musset)
d. Envoi à *** - Roses et papillons
(Victor Hugo)
e. Sonnet – Je vous ai vue enfant
(Alfred de Musset)
Location: unknown
2. Deux mélodies; Ed. Quizard 1900
Location: unknown
3. Felicità *(Francesco Pastonchi).
cmp1914 G. Ricordi & Co., Milano
123621 © 1936, reprinted in 1953,
copyright renewed 1963, reissued in
1979 as no. 1 of Tre liriche. Bmaj; c-
sharp'-f-sharp"; Tess-M; 6/8;
Largamente, ma molto elastico; 4pp;
Diff-V/m, P/d
For: soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor
Mood: tranquil, wistful
Voice: conjunct, wide leaps, speech rhythms
Piano: arpeggiated chords, blocked chords,
impressionistic
Diff: ability to color the voice, balanced
coordination between voice and
piano
55

Location: University of Alberta, Canada
4. Tre Poemi di Rabindranath
Tagore da “Il Giardiniere.” (Three
Poems of Rabindranath Tagore from
“The Gardner”.) cmp1921. “Alla
memoria di Maria Pedrazzi.” (“In
memory of Maria Pedrazzi.”) G.
Ricordi & Co., ©1919, 117480-(A).
Version for voice and orchestra
1930. “Il Giardiniere” with
authorization of the editor/translator
G. Carabra di Lanciano (Abruzzi).
Reprint: Classical Vocal Reprints,
Catalog No. CVR 3255. Italian Text.
Original Keys; d'-g"; Tess-m-mH;
4/4, 6/8; varied tempos; 20pp; Diff-
V/d, P/d.
For: soprano or mezzo soprano
Mood: various facets of love
Voice: conjunct, some skips and leaps,
chromaticism; some mono-syllabic;
recit.-like; syllabic with some two
note slurs; triplets and sextuplets;
varying dynamic levels; some
dramatic outbursts
Piano: various accomp styles, rhythmic,
incl. after beat, rolled chords, some
blocked chords, pianistic, solid
technique in solo literature
demanded
Diff: requires dramatic and descriptive
skill, some enharmonics, rhythm,
ensemble, for advanced musician
and mature singer
Location: Piano/vocal score: University of
North Carolina, Greensboro
Orchestral score: Newberry
Library; Cornell University
Rec: Liriche da Tagore: Songs of
Rabindranath, Nuova Era
a. Mamma, il giovane Principe.
(128167); Emaj; d'-g"; 4/4, 6/4;
Mosso (ma flexible); 11pp.
b. Egli mormorò: “Amor mio,
alza tuoi occhi (128168); Emaj;
d'-g"; 4/4, 2/4, 6/4; Calmo; 4 pp.
c. Parlami amor mio. 1 (128169);
French trans. Louis de Morsier.
Gmaj; d'-e"; 6/8, 3/8; Lento e con
dolce languore; 5 pp.
5. Sei lirche di autori diversi. G.
Ricordi & Co., Milano 1925
For: soprano, tenor
Mood: sensual abandonment
Voice: conjunct, leaps, needs legato,
sustainability, varying dynamic
Piano: pianistic, tremolos, wide finger
spread, rolled chords, extreme
tessitura, rhythmic 16 th note patterns
Diff: chromaticism, strong ensemble, for
advanced musician and mature
singer
Location: unknown
a. Dormiveglia (Guiseppe
Lipparini) (119716); “Alla
Signors Agostini-Bitelli e alla
Signorina D’Ajùtolo” (1921)
(“To Mrs. Agostini-Bitelli and
Miss. D’Ajùtolo”)
b. I tuoi occhi…(F. De Lupis)
(119717); “Alla Signorina
Myriam Zago” (1919) (To Miss.
Myriam Zago)
c. Al chiarore della mattina *(F.
De Lupis.) cmp.1919. G. Ricordi
& Co. © 1925, 119718-22. “Al
Prof. Mario Vivarelli.” (To Prof.
Mario Vivarelli) B-flat
maj/Gmin; c'-a"; Tess-mH; 4/4;
Molto animato (luminoso); 10pp;
Diff-V/d, P/d
d. Perché piangi? (F. De Lupis)
(119719). “Al Gr. Uff. Tomaso
Bencibenga” (1919)
e. Malinconia (Lilla Lipparini)
(119720); “Alla Signorina
Margherita Cicognari” (1920)
(To Miss Margherita Cicognari)
1 This piece is available through San Francisco State
University and the Milwaukee County Federated
Library Systems
56

f. Non partire, amor mio
(Rabindranath Tagore) (119721)
“Alla Signorina Mafalda Favero”
(1922) (To Miss Mafalda Favero)
6. Vocalise-Études pour voix élevées
(Neapolis) Alphonse Leduc, Paris
1928/Hettich
Location: unknown
7. Tre liriche/Drei Gesänge di
Tagore. “Alla gentile Signora Lia
Jolco” (“To the kind Mrs. Lia
Jolco”) Universal Edition, WEIN
©1929 (U.E. 9683) (Drei Gesänge,
Deutsch von R. S. Hoffman. Carisch,
Milano, for voice 1937 and orchestra
1941. Assia lento; Italian and
German text; original keys; c'-g#";
Tess-m-mH; 4/4, 2/4; Lento,
Allegretto; 15pp; Diff-V/md, P/m
For: soprano, mezzo soprano
Mood: mysterious, sad, melancholy,
questioning
Voice: conjunct, some skips and leaps,
repeated notes; mono-syllabic, recit.-
like, 16 th -note triplet figure; some
dramatic outbursts; dynamics
Piano: repeated eighth-note pattern in left
hand; blocked chords; some doubling
of the vocal line; five-note chords
Diff:
communication of text; middle voice
singing; slow tempo; some
compound rhythms
Location: University of Arizona; University
of Colorado at Boulder;
Northwestern University; SUNY
at Buffalo; Kunitachi College of
Music (Tokyo, Japan.) Wien,
Universal-Edition: University of
North Carolina, Greensboro,
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh;
University of Wisconsin,
Madison; University of Auckland
(New Zealand.) Orchestral Score
is housed at the Eastman School
of Music
a. Perchè, allo spuntar del
giorno/Warum kam in des
Abends Dämmern.... (Alla
gentile Signora Lia Jolco (Torino
1928)” (“To the kind Mrs. Lia
Jolco”) Cmin; c'-g"; 4/4, 2/4;
Assai lento; 5pp.
b. Finisci L’ultimo canto/ Dein
letztes Lied.... “A Graziella
Valle” (“To Graziella Valle”)
Cmaj/Emin; c'-g#"; 4/4, 6/4;
Lento e grave; 4pp.
c. Giorno per giorno/Tag für Tag.
“A Nenné Vivarelli” (cmp1928
at Bordighera); this piece was
also arranged as an arietta for
violoncello and piano. Carisch
S.A., Milano 1941 (C. 19827)
Amaj; e'-g"; 2/4; allegretto
semplice; 6pp.
8. Messaggio (Domenico de Paoli,
from the Greek of Nossi). cmp1932.
G. Ricordi & C., Milano (© 1936,
reprinted 1953, © renewed 1963,
reprinted 1993 as no. 2 of Tre
liriche: h 123622) Emin.; e'-g"; Tessm;
4/4, 2/4, Lento, non troppo; 3pp;
Diff-V/m, P/m.
For: all voice types
Mood: love song
Voice: melody disjunct, vocal line
sometimes double in inner voice of
piano accompaniment, monosyllabic.
Piano: block chords, some fingering
indications, extreme range
Diff: triplet figure, changing meters, use
of sotto voce.
Location: University of Alberta, Canada
9. Vecchia ninna-nanna partenopea
or Antica ninna-nanna Partenopea
(anonymous) (harmonized by Alfano
cmp1935). G. Ricordi & Co., Milano
1936 (no.3 of Tre liriche; n. ed.
57

123623). Gmin (modal quality); g'-
d"; Tess-m; 2/4; 3pp; Diff-V/m,
P/md
For: all voice types
Mood: threatening lullaby
Voice: conjunct, some skips, some
disonance, identical melody line for
each two-line verse
Piano: accompaniment changes thorughout,
block chords, extreme reach and
range, arpeggiated chord, some
dissonance
Diff: text written in old Neapolitan dialect,
phrasing between singing and
accompaniment are not always
insinct
Location: Oberlin College; Kuntitachi
College of Music
10. Nuove liriche Tagoriane 2
(Rabindranath Tagore Il giardiniere)
“Alla Signora Graziella Gazzera
Valle” (To Mrs. Graziella Gazzera
Valle) G. Ricordi & C., Milano
1936; orchestral version 1938
For: medium voice
Mood: anticipation; calm, inquisitive;
frustration, longing.
Voice: conjunct; some skips and leaps;
parlando singing; long tones on c",
e b ", and a".
Piano: eighth-note motion dominates l.h.,
two-note rolled chords in r.h., threenote
chords in r.h., blocked chords,
sustained note with eighth-note
motion above it
Diff: ensemble; strict adherence to
dynamic markings; speech rhythms,
interpretation; strong middle voice;
repeated leap of maj 7th that is
sustained longer with each repetition.
Location: University of Colorado at
Boulder; University of Kansas;
Oberlin College; University of
2 The orchestral score is held at the Newberry Library
in Chicago.
Alberta (Canada); University of
British Columbia (Canada);
Ferris University (Michigan);
Kuntachi College of Music
(Tokyo, Japan) 3
a. Perché siedi là (123618). Emin;
b # '-e"; Tess-mL; 4/4, Moderato
(in 4), quarter-note =116-120;
Diff-V/m, P/m.
b. Non nascondere il secreto del
tuo cuore 4 (123619) .
Cmin; c'-g"; Tess-mL; 9/8, 12/8,
Lentamente (in 9), eighth-note =
63; Diff-V/m, P/m.
c. Corro come il cervo muschiato
(123620). Dmaj; e'-b b "; TessmH;
¾, Molto allegro (in1)
dotted half-note=66; Diff-V/md,
P/md.
11. Giorno per giorno, arietta for
violoncello and piano. Carisch S.A.,
Milano 1941 (C. 19827)
12. É giunto il nostro ultimo autumno
(Miranda Bona) “A Giorgio
Faravetto (recte: Favaretto)”. G.
Ricordi & C., Milano 1943 (n. ed.
125532). Gmin; d' -a"; Tess-mH;
6/8, Lentamente; ancòra più calmo;
fervidamente; dolce e molto
espressivo; 9pp; Duration: approx. 6
min; Diff-V/d, P/d
For: soprano or tenor
Mood: melancholy, reminiscent, optimistic
Voice: parlando singing, sustained notes,
skips and leaps, chromaticism,
repeated notes, rarely conjunct,
dramatic places
Piano: eighth-note motion dominates; threenote
chords in r.h. with tremolo in
l.h., extension of finger position,
3 Only the third song of this group Corro come il
cervo muschiato is available at the above listed
locations.
4 This piece is available through the Milwaukee
County Federated Library System
58

locked chords, three staves writing,
altered chords, arpeggiated chords,
tremolo
Diff: maintaining ensemble; tempo
marking vary throughout;
maintaining consistent pulse against
rhythmic fluctuations of
accompaniment; mood fluctuates
Location: University of Alberta, Canada;
Kunitachi College of Music,
Tokyo, Japan
13. Tre Nuovi Poemi 1939. G. Ricordi
& C., Milano 1943, reprinted 1949
For: soprano
Mood: various moods,
Voice: repeated notes, chromatic, leaps,
disjunct, triplets, chromatic, dramatic
outbursts
Piano: some blocked chords, rhythmic
Diff: rhythm, chromaticism, intervallic
skips
Location: Melodia only: San Francisco
State University; Oberlin
College; Aichi Arts Center;
Kunitachi College of Music;
Mityazaki Educational
Institution, Japan; Ferris
University
a. Ninna-nanna di mezzanotte (C.
Meano) (125747). “Alla Signora
Mlada Meano Lipovetzka.”
Bmaj; d # '-b b "; 3/4; Lento;
5 pp.
b. Melodía * 1936, (C. Meano)
(125748); “Alla Contesta Aida
Bragadin.” Emaj; e'-g # "; 6/8;
Largo, alquanto elastico; 4pp
c. Preghiera alla Madonna * (L.
Orsini) (125749). Fmaj; c'-a";
4/4, 2/4, 6/8; animato; 11pp
14. Due canti napoletani for voice and
orchestra (Alberto Colantuoni) 1944
© Suvini Zerboni, Milano, 1946 (s.z.
4131); 7pp.
For: soprano, tenor
Mood: light
Voice: rhythmic, some leaps
Piano: blocked chords, syncopation, some
arpeggiated chords, rhythmic
Diff: easy
Location: University of Central Florida;
University of Colorado at
Boulder; Texas A&M
University; University of Iowa;
Harvard University. Piano Vocal
Score: Grinnell College;
University of Maryland at
College Park; SUNY at Buffalo;
University of North Texas;
University of British Columbia
a. Nennella 1946, (Alberto
Colantuoni) (S. 4178 Z.) D-flat
maj; d b '-a b "; Tess-mH; 6/8;
moderato; strophic; 2pp
b. Assunta 1946, (Alberto
Colantuoni). Amin; a'- g"; TessmH;
2/4; Allegro con spirito;
strophic; 4pp
15. Tre liriche. cmp1943. (Mirando
Bona) Suvini Zerboni, Milano 1946
(s. 4262 z.); for mezzo soprano and
orchestra; Milano 1948 (s. 4410 z.);
D-flat maj/B-flat min tonal abiquity;
many altered chords; Tess-mL, mH;
compound meters; slow tempo for all
three; 11.5min; Diff-V/d,P/d; 16pp.
For: mezzo-soprano
Mood: new love; weariness; suplication
Voice: conjunct, use of repeated notes, some
skips, chromaticism, mono-syllabic,
take care to read text away from
music score due to some odd
accentuations
Piano: triple staves at times, block chords,
sustained pedal at times, rhythmic,
repeated note in l.h. in section b,
extreme arpeggiation, extreme use a
range of piano
59

Diff: fluctuation of tempo markings,
varying dynamic levels,
chromaticism
Location: Orchestral score: Grinnell
College; University of Iowa;
Southern Illinois University;
Harvard University; Piano/Vocal
Score: University of Kansas
a. Lungo la via del mare “Alla
Contessa Adele Moroso Della
Rocca” (“To the Contessa Adele
Moroso Della Rocco”). b'-g";
6/4, Largo (in 2), half-note = 40 e
meno (40 or less); 3+min; 5pp.
b. I miei piedi son stachi.. “Alla
Signora Bianco Magnani” (“To
Mrs. Bianco Magnani”). d b '-f";
¾, Largo (quarter-note=46);
3min; 4pp.
c. Scrivimi, amor mio... (“Alla
Signora Mariuccia Pigorini”)
(“To Mrs. Mariuccia Pigorini).
c'-g"; 6/4, 9/4, ,3/4, Larghetto
(quarter-note = 80-84); 5min;
5pp.
16. Sette liriche. (Rabindranath Tagore
except for the last song, the poet is
Rilke-Errante). cmp1945 Rome.
Curci Edition, Milano © 1947;
renewed 1975 (e. 4422 C.)
For: soprano or tenor
Mood: varying degrees of love
Voice: disjunct; independent of
accompaniment;
Piano: blocked chords, rhythmic eighthnote
motion mainly in l.h.; repeated
sixteenth-note pattern, harp-like
motion, triplet pattern in l.h.;
crossover action; tremolos; six-note
chord progressions
Diff: compound meters, rhythms;
phrasing; breath control, ensemble
Location: SUNY at Buffalo; Kunitachi
College of Music
a. Si addensano le nubi…(R.
Tagore) (E. 4422 C.) b b '-a b ";
4/4,6/4, Grave (quarter-note =
56-58); 4pp.
b. Venne e mi sedette accanto…
(R. Tagore) (E. 4423 C.) e b '-g";
4/4, Mosso (quarter-note =132);
6pp.
c. Scendesti dal tuo trono… (R.
Tagore) (E. 4424 C.) d'-f#"; ¾,
4/4, Lento (quarter-note = 92),
when voice enters: Più Lento
(quarter-note = 88); 4pp.
d. Se taci… (R. Tagore) ( E. 4425
C.) c'-g#"; 6/4, 9/4, Lentamente
(quarter-note=84); 4pp.
e. Non so… (R. Tagore) (E. 4426
C.) d'-a b "; 4/4, Tranquillo; 6pp.
f. Non hai udito i suoi passi…
((R. Tagore) (E. 4427 C. ) d#'-
a b "; 4/4,6/4, Lento; 6pp.
g. La notte e l’anima (Rilke- trans.
Errante) (E. 4428 C.) d b '-a b ";
Lento, non troppo (quarternote=50
circa); 2/4; 4pp.
Location: SUNY at Buffalo; Kunitachi
College of Music Library
(Tokyo, Japan)
17. Cinque Nuove Liriche Tagoriane
(Rabindranath Tagore da Gitaniali
(Songs of Offerings))”Alla gentile
signora ANNA BACCHELLI” (To
the gentle Mrs. Anna Bacchelli.)
cmp1947. Ed. G. Ricordi & Co.,
Milano © 1948 (n.ed. 127653)
For: mezzo soprano
Mood: various degrees of love
Voice: disjunct, leaps and skips; meter
changes, triplet figures; fluctuating
tempo markings, difficult rhythms;
dynamics; ability to color the voice
Piano: fingering indication, rhythmic,
independent of vocal line, triplet
figures, syncopation, some two-note
harmonies, some blocked chords, use
of extreme ranges of piano, broken
chords, arpeggiated chords; degree
of skill needed
60

Diff: compound meters, rhythms; phrasing
Location: San Francisco State University;
Eastern New Mexico University;
Cornell University; SUNY at
Buffalo; Aichi Arts Center Public
Library (Higashi-Ku, Japan)
a. Sì, lo so…d'-g"; 2/4, 4/4, 6/4,
Calmo (quarter-note = 69-72);
4pp.
b. Cogli, prendi questo fiorellino.
c'-e"; 4/4, Larghetto, (quarternote
=63-66); 3pp.
c. Tu sei in cielo. b b '-g b "; 3/4,
Lento non troppo, quarternote=80,
voice enters Largo,
quarter-note=58; 4pp.
d. Colsi il tuo fiore, o mondo! b b '-
e b "; 3/4, 5/4, Lento e triste,
quarter-note=58-60; 2pp.
e. Il mio cuore, uccel del
deserto… d'-a b "; 3/4 Allegretto
moderato (elastico) quarternote=144-152;
4pp.
18. Luce (Rabindranath Tagore) for
voice and orchestra (soprano or
tenor) Suvini Zerboni, Milano 1948
(S. 4424 Z.). “Sole Selling Agent” in
the United States was Boosey &
Hawkes, Inc. for the orchestral
score.Piano and Vocal reduction (S.
4425 Z). Tonality fluctuates between
E-flat major and Cmin tonality; e b '-
b b "; Tess-H; 4/4, 2/4, 12/8, Mosso
(quarter-note = 104 and more); 6pp;
duration of approx. 3 minutes; V/dd,
P/dd.
For: soprano or tenor
Mood: ethereal
Voice: disjunct, many skips and leaps;
irregular changing meters, triplet
figures, duple figures; long phrases
Piano: rapid scales, doubling of vocal line
rare, broken chords, arpeggiated
chords, and four-voiced chordal
texture, tremelos, cross-hands, very
rhythmic, thirty second-note patterns
mainly in r.h., some blocked chords,
sixteenth-note patterns mainly in l.h.,
extreme use of range, syncopation;
great skill and sensitivity are needed
Diff: pitch, rhythm, use of sotto voce,
ensemble; requires dramatic skill,
interpretation; for an advanced
musician and mature singer
Location: Orchestral score: Harvard
University, University of British
Columbia; Piano/Vocal score:
University of Texas at Austin
19. Due liriche for voice, cello and
piano Suvini Zerboni, Milano 1949
(S. 4513 Z.)
a. Preludio primaverile (Luisa
Cevidalli-Cavalieri)
b. Il giorno non è più… (Tagore)
Location: unknown
61

Articles
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gattti, Guido M.; Theodore Baker, translation. “Franco Alfano,” Musical Quarterly, Vol. 9, No.
4 (October, 1923): 556-577.
Gatti, Guido M. “Some Italian Composers of Today. II. Franco Alfano (Continued),” Musical
Times, Vol. 62, No. 937 (March 1921): 158-161.
Gervais, Terrence White, “An Italian Musical Renascence,” Music & Letters, Vol. 27, No. 2
(April 1946):108-114.
Hall, Raymond, “Rome ‘Cyrano’ Premiere,” New York Times, February 23, 1936.
Sciannameo, Franco. “Aspects of Alfano,” Musical Times, Winter 2002.
Schwerke, Irving. “A Puccini Aide,” Musical Digest.
Sen, Nabaneeta, “The “Foreign Reincarnation” of Rabindranath Tagore,” Journal of Asian
Studies, Vol. 25, No. 2 (February 1966), 275-286
Viagora, G. “Franco Alfano: An Interview,” Musical Courier, August 25, 1927.
“An Opera and Mary Garden,” Boston Evening Transcript, February 6, 1926.
Books
Berrong, Richard. Grammar and Translation for the Italian Libretto. New York: Excalibur
Publishing, 1996.
Dryden, Konrad Claude. “Franco Alfano and Risurrezione.” Master’s Thesis, California State
University, 1996.
Dutta, Krishna and Andrew Robinson, editors. Selected Letters of Rabindranath Tagore.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Ghose, Sisrkumar. The Later Poems of Tagore. London: Asia Publishing House, 1961.
Hamilton, David, ed. The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia. New York: Simon & Schuster,
1987.
Harrison, Donna Esselstyn. Poetry in Song Literature: A Handbook for Students of Singing.
Sister Bay: W M Caxton Ltd. 1989.
Hogan, Patrick Colm and Lalita Pandit, editors. Rabindranath Tagore: Universality and
Tradition. Madison: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2003.
Holden, Amanda, Nicolas Kenyon and Stephen Walsh. The Viking Opera Guide. London:
Penguin Group, 1993
Kripalani, Krishna. Rabindranath Tagore: A Biography. London: Oxford University Press, 1962.
Lakeway, Ruth C. and Robert C. White, Jr. Italian Art Song. Bloomington and Indianapolis:
Indiana University Press, 1989.
Maione, Rino. Di Musica Franco Alfano: Presagio di tempi nuovi con finale controcorrente.
Milan: Rugginenti Editore, 1999.
62

Naravane, Vishwanath S. An Introduction to Rabindranath Tagore. Missouri: South Asia Books,
1978
Rebay, Luciano, ed. Introduction of Italian Poetry: A Dual-Language Book. New York: Dover
Publications, Inc., 1969.
Streicher, Johannes. Ultimi Speldori: Cilea, Giordano, Alfano. Roma: Istituto Nazionale per lo
Sviluppo Musicale nel Mezzogiorno, 1999.
Stevens, Denis, ed. A History of Song. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1960.
Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane. Puccini A Biography. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2002
Slonimsky, Nicolas. Baker’s Biographical Dictionary: 20 th Century Classical Musicians. New
York: Schirmer Books, 1997
Scores
Alfano, Franco.
Tre Poemi di Rabindranath Tagore da “Il Giardiniere.” Milan: G. Ricordi & Co., 1919.
La Leggenda di Sankuntala, piano vocal store reduction by Raffaele Delle Ponti. Milan:
G. Ricordi & Co., 1921.
Sei liriche di autori diversi. Milan: G. Ricordi & Co., 1925
3. “Al chiarore della mattina…”
Tre Liriche di Tagore. Wien: Universal Edition, 1929 (Drei Gesänge, Deutsch von R.S.
Hoffman)
Tre Liriche. Milan: G. Ricordi & Co., 1936.
Nuove Liriche Tagoriane. Milan: G. Ricordi & Co., 1936.
Tre Nuovi Poeme. Milan: G. Ricordi & Co., 1943; reprinted 1949, 1953.
È giunto il nostro ultimo autunno. G. Ricordi & Co., 1943
Risurrezione, piano vocal score reduction by Carlo Carignani. Milan: G. Ricordi & Co., 1944.
Due Canti Napoletani, piano vocal score. Milan: Zerboni, 1946.
Tre Liriche. Milan: Zerboni, 1946
Sette Liriche. Milan: Curci, 1947; renewed 1975.
Cinque Nuove Liriche Tagoriane (da “Gitaniali„). Milan: G. Ricordi & Co., 1948
Luce, piano vocal score reduction. Milan: Zerboni, 1948
63

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Luvada A. Harrison’s academic and performance background
is both distinguished and varied. Undergraduate matriculation occurred at Towson State
University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Vocal Music Education. After some time
establishing early performing credentials, she returned to achieve a Master of Music in Vocal
Performance from the well regarded opera program at Binghamton University. Most recently,
she has completed the course work and treatise requirements for a Doctorate of Music degree in
Opera Performance from the College of Music at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
Advanced professional performance study has included the Verdiana Concorsa in
Busetto, Italy sponsored by the Bel Canto Foundation of Chicago, where she studied with worldrenowned
tenor, Carlo Bergonzi. As recently as summer 2004 she was a scholarship participant
and performer on the Italian Art Song Program at the Barga Institute in Barga, Italy. Other Arts
in Education performances include work for the New York City Opera Company, the
Metropolitan Opera Guild and the “Meet the Artist” series at Lincoln Center.
Top honors in Vocal Competitions sponsored by the Bel Canto Foundation of Chicago,
the Mary O’Hare Vocal Competition of Washington, D.C., Opera Renaissance Guild of
Brooklyn, N.Y., and Baltimore Symphony Young Artists Competition are evidence of her craft
and vocal prowess. Particularly noteworthy was a semi-finalist ranking in the prestigious
Luciano Pavarotti/Opera Company of Philadelphia Competition.
In New York City she has performed as soloist at both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln
Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Her orchestral and oratorio performances encompass the ranges and
styles typified by a repertory which includes: Handel’s Messiah; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
and Missa Solemnis; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Rossini’s Stabat Mater; Honegger’s Le Roi David;
and the Requiems of Brahms, Dvorak, Mozart and Verdi. She has delighted operatic audiences
with roles such as First and Second Lady in Mozart’s Magic Flute; Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi
fan Tutte; Lady Billows in Britten’s Albert Herring and Magda in Menotti’s The Consul. Other
roles in her repertory that highlight her vocal and theatrical gifts include Rosalinda in Strauss’s
64

Die Fledermaus, Verdi’s Leonora in Il Trovatore, and Aida in Aida, Maddelena in Giordano’s
Andrea Chenier, Suor Agelica in Suor Angelica, and Mimi in La boheme of Puccini. She has
also been heard in modern opera with performances as Mrs. Johnson in Dorothy Rudd Moore’s
Frederick Douglas, and as the Mother in Scourge of Hyacinths by Tania Leon. Extensive
national and international exposure was achieved in performances as both Serena and Clara in
Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess.
To further highlight the breadth of Luvada Harrison’s talents, off–Broadway patrons
enjoyed her performances in Prelude and Liebstod by Tony Award winner Terrence McNally
and she enjoyed broad career exposure when television audiences saw her performance as Aida
in the episode entitled ‘Drama Queens’ on HBO’s unqualified smash hit Sex and the City.
Ms. Harrison currently holds the position of Visiting Assistant Professor of Voice at
Florida A&M University where she taught as an adjunct professor during her matriculation at
Florida State University.
65