1 janv. 1816 - Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): Act I, No. 7, Una voce poco fa (NAWM 145)

Description:

Composer: Gioachino Rossini
Genre: Comic opera

Plot:
Rosina is the ward of old Dr. Bartolo, who wants to marry her. But she’s also being pursued by the young Spanish nobleman Count Amaviva, who plans to win her from her guardian. In una voce poco fa, she’s revealing her interest in the new Spanish suitor.

Una voce poco fa is a cavatina, which is an entrance aria that a character sings upon their first appearance. This cavatina contains only a cantible and a cabaletta.

Cantabile
Rosina recalls being serenaded by Lindoro, a poor young man (Count Almaviva in disguise), and by the end she resolves to make Lindoro her own. Though there’s no separate recitative, the first six lines are set with brief phrases, mostly syllabic text-setting, and only pizzicato chords for accompaniment (all recitative features). These suggest a tentative atmosphere that well matches the text.
Furthrmore, large jumps and coloratura (florid figuration) suggest Rosina’s passion as she resolves to win Lindoro.

Cabaletta
She beings claiming to be docile and obedient, but her music contradicts her text (elaborate embellishments suggest a willful coquette).
She then boasts that when crossed she can become like a viper. The melody text paints this with biting accented high notes and a slithering descent to her lowest note. She then vows to play a hundred tricks before giving in, and her melody text paints this range of trickery using chromaticism, playful turns, dramatic scales.
She then begins to repeat the text from the beginning of the cabaletta while the orchestra crescendos on a constantly repeating figure, creating a rising wave of excitement and juxtaposes her being obedient and docile.


The orchestra mostly stays out of the way, not yet playing the major role later operas would have for the orchestra. Rossini adapted this music from one of his previous arias (to very different words).

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