FEMALE CHARACTERS FROM G. PUCCINI’S WORKS – AN EMBODIMENT OF ITALIAN VERISM

Abstract

Giacomo Puccini, along with his great compatriots – G. Rossini, V. Bellini, G. Donizetti and G. Verdi, made a significant contribution to the development of the opera theatre around the world. A large number of Puccini’s works are attributed to the highest achievements of Italian verism, especially Manon Lescaut, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly. Characteristic of veristic works, and thus of Puccini’s works, is the replacement of the characters’ drama with a situational drama, substituting an aria with a laconic arioso, the avoidance of ensembles, as well as the predominance of female characters (Manon, Mimi, Cio-Ciosan, Minnie, Sister Angelica, slave Liu). Puccini’s veristic works successfully combine the richness of the vocal part, the leading role of the singer, specific to G. Verdi’s operas, with a significant complexity of the orchestra arrangements, similar to R. Wagner’s works and the composition principles from the beginning of the 20th century.

Keywords

• g. puccini
• opera
• verism
• female characters
• arioso
• vocal part
• symphonizing