Two arias from "Rappaccini's Daughter"

Hi all.

These are two arias from my new opera-in-progress, Rappaccini's Daughter, based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story. Full text here: "Rappaccini's Daughter" (Hawthorne)

Act I, Scene 1b - Aria: "I am old now..." The landlady Signora Lisabetta, unimpressed by Giovanni's account of the Great Exhibition of London, reminds him that the abstract ideal of "progress" is not what life is about.

rappacciniactI1aria

The melody of this aria is based on a 12-tone row, subject to a form of textual pitch-duration restriction. Every 12 syllables of the libretto for this aria (barring the first phrase: "I am old now," and the ending: "the dearest gems" onward) is mapped onto a form of the row. A note may be repeated indefinitely on subsequent syllables, but then that many notes of the row must be skipped. I'm calling the technique "implied serialism," mostly because I don't know of another word for it.

That said - the aria is not a serial piece. The use of the row is simply a means of organization for motivic constructions within the melody - so don't bother trying to track the row. It's pretty much impossible. If you're interested, though - the row-forms are (2-3-6-11-1-4-7-10-0-5-8-9) and its inverse - which is the same as its retrograde!

Composition of the aria went like this: 1) build the row out of motivic tri- and tetrachords. 2) Map the syllables onto the row-forms. 3) Build the specific melody. 4) Rhythmicize it. 5) Harmonize it.

Act I, Scene 3a - Duet: "Sister blossoms..." Technically, this belongs in the Works-in-Progress section, because it's the first part of a duet between Beatrice (the title character), and Giovanni. In this first part, Beatrice contemplates the world outside her father's garden, of which she has limited knowledge due to her unique condition: because she was raised around poisonous plants, she is herself poisonous, and the air outside Rappaccini's garden is dangerous to her health. In the next section, Giovanni contemplates the garden, which he can see from the balcony, and the duet ends with Giovanni throwing a bouquet down to Beatrice, who exits as the flowers wither at her touch.

rappaccinidraft

The pitch material for this aria is derived from "melodic octatonic" - that is, Octatonic A ascending, and Octatonic B descending. It is mirrored in the "Discovery" leitmotif that is presented in the first bar of the scene.

The common melodic element between these two arias (found in bar 32 of Act I Scene 1, and bar 47 of Act I Scene 3) is the "Dream" leitmotif, representing alternately a character's prominent memories, dreams, and aspirations. Every character in the opera will sing this theme at least once.

Both arias are led into from previous music. There will be no break between scenes.

Orchestration:

Flute/alto/piccolo

Bb/Eb/bass clarinet

Oboe/cor anglais

Bassoon/contrabassoon

Horn in F

Percussion 1: Vibes, orch. bells, cymbals, tam, cowbell, chimes...

Percussion 2: Marimba, snare, bass drum, woodblock, bamboo chimes, ratchet...

Piano

Violin 1 (2)

Violin 2 (2)

Viola (2)

Cello (2)

Bass (1)

Enjoy!

LINKS:

PIANO VOCAL:

Act I, Scene 1b: SCORE: http://www.box.net/shared/vi1bo7hpe5

Act I, Scene 1b: MIDI: http://www.box.net/shared/pxxtd23fnn

Act I, Scene 3: SCORE: http://www.box.net/shared/xy1s9sq40q

Act I, Scene 3: MIDI: http://www.box.net/shared/d7yuh81q5k

FULLY ORCHESTRATED:

Act I, Scene 1b: SCORE: http://www.box.net/shared/h21m47fn7k

Act I, Scene 1b: MP3: http://www.box.net/shared/btgg96ui4x

Act I, Scene 3: SCORE: http://www.box.net/shared/2ioqbbnrnd

Act I, Scene 3: MP3: http://www.box.net/shared/orz2efytsm

I can't say it's really my style - a bit too jarring and modern. But I'm sure that's what you were after?

I think so too. Chris, I have always enjoyed your music. You craft so well. But, for me, and my personal taste, I am put on edge from these latest pieces. Just the soundscape that you have created is too knife jabbing to me.

But, like I said, all I can offer is my opinion. I think the music ITSELF is fine. When this opera is done, I am sure I will love it. In fact, I feel that the perfectly "consonant" sections of these pieces were my favorite. Which is actually VERY cool... how all the dissonance settles every once in a while to a nice, major chord.

Cool!

Not a huge fan of "I am old now". I respect and admire 12-tone music, and plan on attempting it sometime soon, but I believe in a concrete vocal melody. And this particularly tone row usually leaves me all over the place where melody is concerned. Also your technique of skipping a tone for each repetition, though unique, it's almost like creating a new row every time you repeat a note. And, knowing you used such a technique, I'm not even sure how to trace your row, because there are so many repeated notes from the very onset of the aria, I'm not sure what is being ommitted in the first place, which just increases the seemingly random melody line for me.

"Sister blossoms", however, I found extremely enjoyable. For lack of better descriptors, I found the accompaniment to be very...plant-like, in it's twisting, winding, shoot-ing ways. I enjoyed the constant movement, to me it portrayed the teeming life of a garden, constantly growing, constantly buzzing. Like Morv, I enjoyed how the dissonances would all seemlessly wind their way into perfect consonance. I thought the dissonance and consonance shifts sort of represented the balance of the garden, and the girl. Beautiful and alive....deadly, dangerous, poisonous. Enjoyable.

Not a huge fan of "I am old now". I respect and admire 12-tone music, and plan on attempting it sometime soon, but I believe in a concrete vocal melody. And this particularly tone row usually leaves me all over the place where melody is concerned. Also your technique of skipping a tone for each repetition, though unique, it's almost like creating a new row every time you repeat a note. And, knowing you used such a technique, I'm not even sure how to trace your row, because there are so many repeated notes from the very onset of the aria, I'm not sure what is being ommitted in the first place, which just increases the seemingly random melody line for me.

I think I gave away too much about the piece's underlying structure.

The use of the tone row is simply a method of organization - it's not there to be traced. The actual row itself (2-3-6-11-1-4-7-10-0-5-8-9) is aurally unimportant (since it's not actually a 12-tone piece), though the structure of it provides a very consonant quasi-tonal feeling to the melodic lines. The purpose of the pitch-syllabic process laid on top is there to create motivic motions in the melody - you can hear it particularly in the multiple forms of the 0-1-4 (and its inverse, 0-3-4) melodic trichord that pop up repeatedly.

Try to listen to the aria as if there were no serial process - it should make more sense.

Honestly, i listened to it before I read all the stuff you posted. I listened to it while finishing reading something I had been reading. I actually stopped reading (in confusion) and started it over and listened intently. Then I downloaded the score and followed a long and then read your description. I assumed by the length of your post that there was obviously some sort of explanation, so I wanted to listen first and form my own opinion, and then see if I got it, as an audience member, what exactly you were going for. I suppose I shouldn't have written my response so heavily based on your explanation, but when i listened without following the score, it faded in and out of randomness. Sometimes the melody went where I thought it should (though I assume that's an brilliantly planned accident at times, if you were adhering to the system) and sometimes it went in such a direction that completely threw me for a loop. Perhaps it's just personal preference.

Chris -

Well, your second piece is very difficult to judge based on the midi. The vocal sound is sooo unnatural in midi. Anyway, the vocal lines are quite good, scansion looks good too (but I only scanned it). Now the piano reduction - it sounds a little messy to me - that is the harmonies seem rely on diminished chords (or variants thereof) resolving with arpeggios and other figuration into major or minor chords- something like Rachmaninoff and Scraibin, But my judgment is flawed as I don't think the piano reduction provides enough info. I'd love to hear the orchestration before I commit to my prior comments.

As for "I am old" I think the quarter note rhythm goes on too consistently - unless this was a word painting device. If so then I understand the piece better. A live performance would make this sound much better naturally.

Anyway, in sum, hard to comment on these pieces. But both have strong vocal lines - quite expressive. I just don't agree always with the accompaniments.

The second aria is almost entirely based around the octatonic scales, which by nature are pretty heavy on diminished sounds; I just pushed them around a little for resolutions and whatnot.

Use this: Box.net | Simple Online Collaboration: Online File Storage, FTP Replacement, Team Workspaces ~ Free Version

Thanks! Files uploaded to Box.net - links in the original post, and also

HERE:

Act I, Scene 1b: SCORE: rappacciniI1aria.pdf - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Act I, Scene 1b: MIDI: rappacciniI1aria.mid - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Act I, Scene 3: SCORE: rappaccinidraft.pdf - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Act I, Scene 3: MIDI: rappaccinidraft.mid - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

The first one... I am not gonna lie to you, has GROWN on me SOOOO much. I am kinda in love with it. I am also going to go out on a limb here and say this reminds me of something Adam Guettel would do... It reminds me of his tense, ever-modulating harmonies. Which is AWESOME.

I don't know if you see it, but I do. haha.

I won't lie (*listened to the second now*) It reminds me of Adam again... But, that's not to say it isn't VERY original and very different FROM him... I just FEEEL the impact WAYYYYY back in your musical subconscience. lol. And, what's best... I think I am in LOVE with these pieces. It's so different and unexpected. I hear the tonality in it, which makes me feel anchored, but it's surrounded almost by chaotic thunder of musical lightning and pleasure! It's like.. an "aurgasm". haha.

Thanks for sharing, I cannot WAIT to hear the rest.

And, BTW- I finished the First three scenes of my opera today. ;) (libretto, I mean)

Morv just said aurgasm....the epitome of a music nerd.

After another listen. I am old now works really well. Someone said earlier, it has a simplicity to it that is so perfectly characteristic of what she is saying in the song itself. It helps set the general mood of the character, even if you can't understand what she's saying (as is often the case with opera, either in another language, or in your own tongue, with poor diction), you can grasp the idea of the character through the way the song is written. Kudos!

I love what you've done with sister blossoms. I was anxious to hear what you would do with the piece, as you initially said it would eventually be a duet. I really like the idea of them, meshing themes. She wants to go out, he wants to go in, and both of them, not knowing what is beyond the wall, without seeing it for themselves. Lovely plot building. Just lovely.

UPDATE:

The orchestrated version of the Act I, Scene 1 aria: "I am old now..."

rappacciniI1ariafull.pdf - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

rappacciniI1ariafull.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Apologies about the low playback volume of the .mp3. Make sure your speakers are turned up high!

Chris - What a difference hearing even a midi of the orchestration - NOW it makes lovely sense I am old now. Fits perfectly and comes off much more subdued than the piano accompaniment. It'll be beautiful and haunting.

ACT I, Scene 3, fully orchestrated!

Links here to the score and .mp3:

THE SCORE: rappaccinidraftfull.pdf - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

THE MP3: rappaccinidraftfull.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Once again, apologies for the low volume. In addition, I didn't go through the .mp3 and balance out the "vocal" part - and some of the dynamics carry to extremes that they shouldn't be in - but you'll get at least a rough picture.

The score has a few collisions that I'm still working out, and I need to clear away the unused staves; since the winds double other instruments, I'm going to use a cutaway for them. There are also a few missing divisi markings for the strings. But other than that, this is the complete score!

Chris -

I enjoy the instrumental lines - but yes the playback of the voice throws off the balance. I think you have much good stuff going on - in fact at times a little too much it seems but as you said this is a rough picture. You may want to just check your dramatic arch of the music as it doesn't seem clear to me - yet maybe with a good conductor and orchestra you'd have the balances worked out nicely and it would be clearer to me. Bravo on the ending though - nice little climax there with the voices in juicy 2nds and the orchestra commenting briefly (horns esp nice) before drifting off.

But I hear a Britten influence (not a big fan of his works but I love his orchestral songs and choral stuff) and Hindemith in his late chamber operas (I recommend going through some of them as there is a ton of beautiful music for chorus, soloist and orchestra though the one work I have - The long Christmas Dinner doesn't seem to hold together as a whole while the individual numbers are great)