Ave Maria adapted to intermezzo of opera "Cavalleria Rusticana"

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Ave Maria

ca. 1900

Music by: Pietro Mascagni
Lyrics by: P. Mazzoni
Cover artist: unknown

The Mascagni opera Cavalleria Rusticana premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome. This opera is an example of verismo, operatic realism. Verismo is Italian for ``realism,'' and is a term applied to operas about real life. They're also operas about the more mundane side of life, perhaps even the worst life has to offer. Instead of the captains, kings, heroes and gods of operas from Monteverdi to Giuseppe Verdi, verismo operas often concern peasants, con men and itinerant actors and their dirty, petty lives.

The opera deals with a tale of love and jealousy in a Sicilian village, the drama ending in the death of Turiddu, the young Santuzza's faithless lover, whom she betrays to a man whom he has deceived. The Ave Maria, began, not as a song but as an interlude in the opera. The melody was so touching and memorable that it became a stand alone popular work and one that surely evokes the verismo emotion.  

Pietro Mascagni (born Livorno, 7 December 1863, died, Rome, 2 August 1945.) is one of the most important Italian composers of the turn of the century primarily based on his contribution to verismo. The formidable success of his first masterpiece in 1890, Cavalleria Rusticana, unfortunately eluded many of his following works and as a result, his reputation is almost entirely based on this one work.  

The son of a baker who wanted Pietro to follow in his footsteps, Pietro's life was changed by an uncle who helped him receive music lessons. He studied in Livorno and Milan where he was admitted to the conservatory in 1882. He was dismissed for "lack of application" in 1884 and thereafter made a meager living as a bassist at the Theatro dal Verme. Later, he toured with several third rate opera companies as conductor. He married and settled down as a music teacher in Cerignola where he also began composing. His first opera, Pinotta was set aside and misplaced by him for 50 years. In 1888 there was a contest for one act operas which he considered entering but failed to do so. However, behind his back, his wife submitted his score for Cavalleria Rusticana which he had composed several years earlier, and it won. The opera was enthusiastically received and virtually overnight, Mascagni was a star. In less than a year he became world famous.  

Mascagni never again meet the standard he had set with Cavalleria. Though it would not be fair to call his later works failures, audience expectation was so high that none of his later works ever met with much success. His later years were spent conducting and touring. In 1929 he assumed the duties as conductor at La Scala when Toscanini departed in protest against the Fascist regime. As a result Mascagni's name became increasingly associated with the regime of Mussolini which did nothing to help his reputation. In 1940 he made one last tour of Cavalleria and enjoyed his last taste of public adulation. He died in a shabby hotel in Rome in 1945, discredited and disillusioned.
 

	view the score of this touching song (scorch format only)
	The MIDI file playing is from this website.

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