Falsta (opera)

For other musical works based on Falsta, see Falsta 1.1 Conception
(disambiguation).
By 1889 Verdi had been an opera composer for more
Falsta (Italian pronunciation: [falstaf]) is an opera in than fty years. He had written 27 operas, of which
Un giorno di
three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813- only one was a comedy, his second work,
[1]
regno,
staged
unsuccessfully
in
1840.
His
fellow com1901). The libretto was adapted by Arrigo Boito from
poser
Rossini
commented
that
he
admired
Verdi
greatly,
Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes
but
thought
him
incapable
of
writing
a
comedy.
Verdi
from Henry IV, parts 1 and 2. The work premiered on 9
disagreed
and
said
that
he
longed
to
write
another
lightFebruary 1893 at La Scala, Milan.
hearted opera, but nobody would give him the chance.[2]
Verdi wrote Falsta, which was the last of his 28 operas, He had included moments of comedy even in his tragic
as he was approaching the age of 80. It was his second operas, for example in Un ballo in maschera and La forza
comedy, and his third work based on a Shakespeare play, del destino.[3]
following Macbeth and Otello. The plot revolves around
the thwarted, sometimes farcical, eorts of the fat knight,
Sir John Falsta, to seduce two married women to gain
access to their husbands wealth.
Verdi was concerned about working on a new opera at his
advanced age, but he yearned to write a comic work and
was pleased with Boitos draft libretto. It took the collaborators three years from mid-1889 to complete. Although
the prospect of a new opera from Verdi aroused immense
interest in Italy and around the world, Falsta did not
prove to be as popular as earlier works in the composers
canon. After the initial performances in Italy, other European countries and the US, the work was neglected until
the conductor Arturo Toscanini insisted on its revival at
La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera in New York from
the late 1890s into the next century. Some felt that the
piece suered from a lack of the full-blooded melodies
of the best of Verdis previous operas, a view strongly
contradicted by Toscanini. Conductors of the generation
after Toscanini to champion the work included Herbert Boito in 1893
von Karajan, Georg Solti and Leonard Bernstein. The
work is now part of the regular operatic repertory.
For a comic subject Verdi considered Cervantes's Don
Verdi made numerous changes to the music after the rst Quixote and plays by Goldoni, Molire and Labiche, but
[2]
performance, and editors have found diculty in agree- found none of them wholly suitable. The singer Victor
ing on a denitive score. The work was rst recorded in Maurel sent him a French libretto based on Shakespeares
1932 and has subsequently received many studio and live The Taming of the Shrew. Verdi liked it, but replied
recordings. Singers closely associated with the title role that to deal with it properly you need a Rossini or a
[n 1]
Following the success of Otello in 1887
have included Victor Maurel (the rst Falsta), Mariano Donizetti".
Stabile, Giuseppe Valdengo, Tito Gobbi, Geraint Evans he commented, After having relentlessly massacred so
many heroes and heroines, I have at last the right to
and Bryn Terfel.
laugh a little. He conded his ambition to the librettist of
Otello, Arrigo Boito.[2] Boito said nothing at the time, but
he secretly began work on a libretto based on The Merry
Wives of Windsor with additional material taken from
Henry IV, parts 1 and 2.[2] Many composers had set the
1 Composition history
play to music, with little success, among them Carl Ditters
von Dittersdorf (1796), Antonio Salieri (1799), Michael
1

1 COMPOSITION HISTORY

William Balfe (1835) and Adolphe Adam (1856).[6] The

rst version to secure a place in the operatic repertoire
was Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor in 1849,
but its success was largely conned to German opera
houses.[7]
Boito was doubly pleased with The Merry Wives as a plot.
Not only was it Shakespearian, it was based in part on
Trecento Italian works Il Pecorone by Ser Giovanni
Fiorentino, and Boccaccio's Decameron. Boito adopted a
deliberately archaic form of Italian to lead Shakespeares
farce back to its clear Tuscan source, as he put it.[8] He
trimmed the plot, halved the number of characters in the
play,[n 2] and gave the character of Falsta more depth by
incorporating dozens of passages from Henry IV.[8][n 3]

1.2 Composition
Boitos original sketch is lost, but surviving correspondence shows that the nished opera is not greatly dierent
from his rst thoughts. The major dierences were that
an act 2 monologue for Ford was moved from scene 2
to scene 1, and that the last act originally ended with the
marriage of the lovers rather than with the lively vocal and
orchestral fugue, which was Verdis idea.[17] He wrote to
Boito in August 1889 telling him that he was writing a
fugue: Yes, Sir! A fugue ... and a bua fugue, which
could probably be tted in.[18]

Verdi received the draft libretto a few weeks later,

by early July 1889, at a time when his interest had
been piqued by reading Shakespeares play: Benissimo!
Benissimo! ... No one could have done better than you,
he wrote back.[13] Like Boito, Verdi loved and revered
Shakespeare. The composer did not speak English, but
he owned and frequently re-read Shakespeares plays in
Italian translations by Carlo Rusconi and Giulio Carcano,
which he kept by his bedside.[14][n 4] He had earlier set
operatic adaptations of Shakespeares Macbeth (in 1847)
and Othello (in 1887) and had considered King Lear as a
subject; Boito had suggested Antony and Cleopatra.[15]
What a joy! To be able to say to the Audience: WE
ARE HERE AGAIN!! COME AND SEE US!!"

Verdi to Boito, 8 July 1889[13]

Verdi still had doubts, and on the next day sent another
letter to Boito expressing his concerns. He wrote of the
large number of years in his age, his health (which he
admitted was still good) and his ability to complete the
project: if I were not to nish the music?" He said that
the project could all be a waste of the younger mans time
and distract Boito from completing his own new opera
(which became Nerone).[13] Yet, as his biographer Mary
Jane Phillips-Matz notes, Verdi could not hide his delight at the idea of writing another opera. On 10 July
1889 he wrote again:

Amen; so be it! So lets do Falsta! For

now, lets not think of obstacles, of age, of illnesses! I also want to keep the deepest secrecy:
a word that I underline three times to you that
no one must know anything about it! [He notes
that his wife will know about it, but assures
Boito that she can keep a secret.] Anyway, if
you are in the mood, then start to write.[16]

Falsta, by Charles Robert Leslie

Verdi accepted the need to trim Shakespeares plot to

keep the opera within an acceptable length. He was sorry,
nonetheless, to see the loss of Falstas second humiliation, dressed up as the Wise Woman of Brentford to
escape from Ford.[n 5] He wrote of his desire to do justice to Shakespeare: To sketch the characters in a few
strokes, to weave the plot, to extract all the juice from
that enormous Shakespearian orange.[20] Shortly after
the premiere an English critic, R A Streatfeild, remarked
on how Verdi succeeded:
The leading note of [Falsta]'s character
is sublime self-conceit. If his belief in himself were shattered, he would be merely a vulgar sensualist and debauchee. As it is, he is
a hero. For one terrible moment in the last
act his self-satisfaction wavers. He looks round
and sees every one laughing at him. Can it be
that he has been made a fool of? But no, he
puts the horrible suggestion from him, and in
a ash is himself again. Son io, he exclaims
with a triumphant inspiration, che vi fa scaltri. L'arguzia mia crea l'arguzia degli altri. ["I

1.2

Composition

am not only witty in myself, but the cause that

wit is in other men, a line from Henry IV part
2.] Verdi has caught this touch and indeed a
hundred others throughout the opera with astonishing truth and delicacy.[21]
In November Boito took the completed rst act to Verdi
at Sant'Agata, along with the second act, which was still
under construction: That act has the devil on its back;
and when you touch it, it burns, Boito complained.[22]
They worked on the opera for a week, then Verdi and his
wife Giuseppina Strepponi went to Genoa. No more work
was done for some time.[23]
The writer Russ McDonald observes that a letter from
Boito to Verdi touches on the musical techniques used
in the opera he wrote of how to portray the characters
Nannetta and Fenton: I can't quite explain it: I would
like as one sprinkles sugar on a tart to sprinkle the whole
comedy with that happy love without concentrating it at
any one point.[24]
The rst act was completed by March 1890;[25] the rest
of the opera was not composed in chronological order, as
had been Verdis usual practice. The musicologist Roger
Parker comments that this piecemeal approach may have
been an indication of the relative independence of individual scenes.[26] Progress was slow, with composition
carried out in short bursts of activity interspersed with
long fallow periods partly caused by the composers depression. Verdi was weighed down by the fear of being
unable to complete the score, and also by the deaths and
impending deaths of close friends, including the conductors Franco Faccio and Emanuele Muzio.[26] There was
no pressure on the composer to hurry. As he observed
at the time, he was not working on a commission from a
particular opera house, as he had in the past, but was composing for his own pleasure: in writing Falsta, I haven't
thought about either theatres or singers.[26] He reiterated
this idea in December 1890, a time when his spirits were
very low after Muzios death that November: Will I nish it [Falsta]? Or will I not nish it? Who knows! I
am writing without any aim, without a goal, just to pass a
few hours of the day.[27] By early 1891 he was declaring
that he could not nish the work that year, but in May he
expressed some small optimism, which by mid-June, had
turned into:

Victor Maurel as Iago in Boito and Verdis Otello

or November 1891,[29] after which the Verdis were in

Genoa for the winter. They were both taken ill there,
and two months of work were lost. By mid-April 1892
the scoring of the rst act was complete and by June
July Verdi was considering potential singers for roles in
Falsta. For the title role he wanted Victor Maurel, the
baritone who had sung Iago in Otello, but at rst the singer
sought contractual terms that Verdi found unacceptable:
His demands were so outrageous, exorbitant, [and] incredible that there was nothing else to do but stop the entire project.[30] Eventually they reached agreement and
Maurel was cast.[n 6]

By September Verdi had agreed in a letter to his publisher

Casa Ricordi that La Scala could present the premiere
during the 189293 season, but that he would retain control over every aspect of the production. An early February date was mentioned along with the demand that the
house would be available exclusively after 2 January 1893
and that, even after the dress rehearsal, he could withThe Big Belly ["pancione", the name given
draw the opera: I will leave the theatre, and [Ricordi]
to the opera before the composition of Falsta
will have to take the score away.[32] The public learned
became public knowledge] is on the road to
of the new opera towards the end of 1892, and intense
madness. There are some days when he does
interest was aroused, increased rather than diminished
not move, he sleeps, and is in a bad humour.
by the secrecy with which Verdi surrounded the prepaAt other times he shouts, runs, jumps, and tears
rations; rehearsals were in private, and the press was kept
the place apart; I let him act up a bit, but if he
at arms length.[33] Apart from Verdis outrage at the way
goes on like this, I will put him in a muzzle and
[28]
that La Scala announced the seasons programme on 7
straightjacket.
December either a revival of Tannhuser or Falsta"
Boito was overjoyed, and Verdi reported that he was still things went smoothly in January 1893 up to the preworking on the opera. The two men met in October miere performance on 9 February.[34]

Performance history

PERFORMANCE HISTORY

During these early performances Verdi made substantial changes to the score. For some of these he altered
his manuscript, but for others musicologists have had to
rely on the numerous full and piano scores put out by
Ricordi.[39] Further changes were made for the Paris premiere in 1894, which are also inadequately documented.
Ricordi attempted to keep up with the changes, issuing new edition after new edition, but the orchestral and
piano scores were often mutually contradictory.[39] The
Verdi scholar James Hepokoski considers that a denitive
score of the opera is impossible, leaving companies and
conductors to choose between a variety of options.[39] In
a 2013 study Philip Gossett disagrees, believing that the
autograph is essentially a reliable source, augmented by
contemporary Ricordi editions for the few passages that
Verdi omitted to amend in his own score.[40]

Verdi directing the rehearsals of Falsta

2.1

Premieres

The rst performance of Falsta was at La Scala in Milan

on 9 February 1893, nearly six years after Verdis previous premiere. For the rst night, ocial ticket prices
were thirty times greater than usual.[35][n 7] Royalty, aristocracy, critics and leading gures from the arts all over
Europe were present.[35] The performance was a huge
success under the baton of Edoardo Mascheroni; numbers were encored, and at the end the applause for Verdi
and the cast lasted an hour.[n 8] That was followed by a
tumultuous welcome when the composer, his wife and Poster for original cast performance, Trieste, 1894
Boito arrived at the Grand Hotel de Milan.[35]
Over the next two months the work was given twentytwo performances in Milan and then taken by the original
company, led by Maurel, to Genoa, Rome, Venice, Trieste, Vienna and, without Maurel, to Berlin.[37] Verdi and
his wife left Milan on 2 March; Ricordi encouraged the
composer to go to the planned Rome performance of 14
April, to maintain the momentum and excitement that the
opera had generated. The Verdis, along with Boito and
Giulio Ricordi, attended together with King Umberto I
and other major royal and political gures of the day. The
king introduced Verdi to the audience from the Royal Box
to great acclaim, a national recognition and apotheosis
of Verdi that had never been tendered him before, notes
Phillips-Matz.[38]

The rst performances outside the Kingdom of Italy were

in Trieste and Vienna, in May 1893.[41] The work was
given in the Americas and across Europe. Antonio Scotti
played the title role in Buenos Aires in July 1893; Gustav
Mahler conducted the opera in Hamburg in January 1894;
a Russian translation was presented in St Petersburg in
the same month.[42] Paris was regarded by many as the
operatic capital of Europe, and for the production there
in April 1894 Boito, who was uent in French, made
his own translation with the help of the Parisian poet
Paul Solanges.[42] This translation, approved by Verdi,
is quite free in its rendering of Boitos original Italian
text. Boito was content to delegate the English and German translations to William Beatty Kingston and Max

2.3

Re-emergence

Kalbeck respectively.[42] The London premiere, sung in

Italian, was at Covent Garden on 19 May 1894. The
conductor was Mancinelli, and Zilli and Pini Corsi repeated their original roles. Falsta was sung by Arturo
Pessina; Maurel played the role at Covent Garden the
following season.[43] On 4 February 1895 the work was
rst presented at the Metropolitan Opera, New York;[44]
Mancinelli conducted and the cast included Maurel as
Falsta, Emma Eames as Alice, Zlie de Lussan as Nannetta and Soa Scalchi as Mistress Quickly.[45]

2.2

Neglect

5
was rst produced here on Feb. 4. 1895, has not been
given since the following season, and was heard in these
two seasons only half a dozen times in all.[46] Aldrich
added that though the general public might have had difculty with the work, to connoisseurs it was an unending
delight.[46]
In Britain, as in continental Europe and the US, the work
fell out of the repertoire. Sir Thomas Beecham revived it
in 1919, and recalling in his memoirs that the public had
stayed away he commented:
I have often been asked why I think Falsta is not more of a box-oce attraction,
and I do not think the answer is far to seek.
Let it be admitted that there are fragments of
melody as exquisite and haunting as anything
that Verdi has written elsewhere, such as the
duet of Nanetta and Fenton in the rst act and
the song of Fenton at the beginning of the nal
scene, which have something of the lingering
beauty of an Indian summer. But in comparison with every other work of the composer,
it is wanting in tunes of a broad and impressive
character, and one or two of the type of O Mia
Regina, Ritorna Vincitor, or Ora per sempre addio might have helped the situation.[47]
Toscanini recognised that this was the view of many, but
he believed the work to be Verdis greatest opera; he said,
I believe it will take years and years before the general
public understand this masterpiece, but when they really
know it they will run to hear it like they do now for Rigoletto and La traviata.[48]

2.3 Re-emergence

Bohumil Benoni as Falsta, 1894

After the initial excitement, audiences quickly diminished. Operagoers were nonplussed by the absence of
big traditional arias and choruses. A contemporary critic
summed it up: "'Is this our Verdi?' they asked themselves.
'But where is the motive; where are the broad melodies
... where are the usual ensembles; the nales?'"[41] By
the time of Verdis death in 1901 the work had fallen out
of the international repertoire. The rising young conductor Arturo Toscanini was a strong advocate of the work,
and did much to save it from neglect. As musical director of La Scala (from 1898) and the Metropolitan Opera
(from 1908), he programmed Falsta from the start of
his tenure. Richard Aldrich, music critic of The New York
Times, wrote that Toscaninis revival ought to be marked
in red letters in the record of the season. Falsta, which

Toscanini returned to La Scala in 1921 and remained in

charge there until 1929, presenting Falsta in every season. He took the work to Germany and Austria in the
late 1920s and the 1930s, conducting it in Vienna, Berlin
and at three successive Salzburg Festivals. Among those
inspired by Toscaninis performances were Herbert von
Karajan and Georg Solti, who were among his rptiteurs
at Salzburg. Toscaninis younger colleague Tullio Seran
continued to present the work in Germany and Austria
after Toscanini refused to perform there because of his
loathing of the Nazi regime.[49]
When Karajan was in a position to do so he added Falsta to the repertoire of his opera company at Aachen in
1941,[49] and he remained a proponent of the work for
the rest of his career, presenting it frequently in Vienna,
Salzburg and elsewhere, and making audio and video
recordings of it.[50] Solti also became closely associated
with Falsta, as did Carlo Maria Giulini; they both conducted many performances of the work in mainland Europe, Britain and the US and made several recordings.[51]

4 SYNOPSIS

3 Roles
4 Synopsis
Time: The reign of Henry IV, 1399 to 1413[62]
Place: Windsor, England

4.1 Act 1
A room at the Garter Inn

The conductor Arturo Toscanini, who strove to return Falsta to

the regular repertory

Falsta and his servants, Bardolfo and Pistola, are drinking at the inn. Dr Caius bursts in and accuses Falsta of
burgling his house and Bardolfo of picking his pocket. He
is ejected. Falsta hands a letter to each of his servants
for delivery to Alice Ford and Meg Page, two wealthy
married women. In these two identical letters, Falsta
professes his love for each of the women, although it is access to their husbands money that he chiey covets. Bardolfo and Pistola refuse, claiming that honour prevents
them from obeying him. Falsta dispatches his page,
Robin, to deliver the letters. Falsta delivers a tirade at
his rebellious followers (L'onore! Ladri...! / Honour!
You rogues...!") telling them that honour is a mere word
and is of no practical value. He chases them out of his
sight.

Fords garden
Leonard Bernstein conducted the work at the Met and the
Vienna State Opera, and on record.[52] The advocacy of Alice and Meg have received Falstas letters. They comthese and later conductors has given the work an assured pare them, see that they are identical and, together with
Mistress Quickly and Nannetta Ford, resolve to punish
place in the modern repertoire.[n 9]
Falsta. Meanwhile, Ford has been warned of the letAmong revivals in the 1950s and later, Hepokoski singles ters by Bardolfo and Pistola. All three are thirsty for reout as particularly notable the Glyndebourne productions venge and are supported by Dr Caius and Fenton, a young
with Fernando Corena and later Geraint Evans in the title gentleman. To Fords disapproval, Fenton is in love with
role; three dierent stagings by Franco Zerelli, for the Nannetta. Finding a moment to be alone, the young lovers
Holland Festival (1956), Covent Garden (1961) and the exchange banter. They are interrupted by the return of
Metropolitan Opera (1964); and Luchino Visconti's 1966 Alice, Meg and Mistress Quickly. The act ends with an
version in Vienna.[54] A 1982 production by Ronald Eyre, ensemble in which the women and the men separately
more reective and melancholy than usual, was staged in plan revenge on Falsta.
Los Angeles, London and Florence; Renato Bruson was
Falsta and Giulini conducted.[55] Among more recent
players of the title role Bryn Terfel has taken the part at 4.2 Act 2
Covent Garden in 1999, in a production by Graham Vick,
conducted by Bernard Haitink.[56] and at the Metropoli- A room at the Garter Inn
tan Opera in a revival of the Zerelli production, con- Falsta is alone at the inn. Bardolfo and Pistola, now in
ducted by James Levine in 2006.[57]
the pay of Ford, enter and pretend to beg for forgiveness
Although Falsta has become a regular repertoire work
there nonetheless remains a view expressed by John von
Rhein in The Chicago Tribune in 1985: "Falsta probably
always will fall into the category of 'connoisseurs opera'
rather than taking its place as a popular favorite on the
order of La Traviata or Aida."[58] As noted by Operabase,
during the 201213 season, the work appeared at number
32 of the 50 operas most often performed; in the 2009
10 season it ranked at number 24.[59]

for past transgressions. They announce to their master

the arrival of Mistress Quickly, who delivers an invitation to go to Alices house that afternoon between the
hours of two and three. She also delivers an answer from
Meg Page and assures Falsta that neither is aware of
the others letter. Falsta celebrates his potential success (Va, vecchio John / Go, old Jack, go your own
way). Ford arrives, masquerading as Signor Fontana,
supposedly an admirer of Alice; he oers money to the

4.3

Act 3

fat knight to seduce her. Falsta is puzzled at the request,

and Fontana explains that if Alice succumbs to Falsta,
it will then be easier for Fontana to overcome her virtuous scruples. Falsta agrees with pleasure and reveals
that he already has a rendezvous arranged with Alice for
two o'clock the hour when Ford is always absent from
home. Falsta goes o to change into his best clothes;
Ford is consumed with jealousy ( sogno o realt? / Is
it a dream or reality?"). When Falsta returns in his nery, they leave together with elaborate displays of mutual
courtesy.

4.3 Act 3
Before the inn
Falsta glumly curses the sorry state of the world. Some
mulled wine soon improves his mood. Mistress Quickly
arrives and delivers another invitation to meet Alice. Falsta at rst wants nothing to do with it, but she persuades
him. He is to meet Alice at midnight at Hernes Oak in
Windsor Great Park dressed up as Herne the Hunter. He
and Mistress Quickly go inside the inn. Ford has realised
his error in suspecting his wife, and they and their allies
have been watching secretly. They now concoct a plan for
Falstas punishment: dressed as supernatural creatures,
they will ambush and torment him at midnight. Ford privately proposes a separate plot to Caius: Nannetta will
be disguised as Queen of the Fairies, Caius will wear a
monks costume, and Ford will join the two of them with
a nuptial blessing. Mistress Quickly overhears and quietly
vows to thwart Fords scheme.
Hernes Oak in Windsor Park on a moonlit midnight

Engraving by Ettore Tito of act 2, scene 2, from the original production. Ford and the servants creep towards Fenton and Nannetta, who they think are Falsta and Alice, behind the screen,
while the women stie Falsta in the laundry basket.

A room in Fords house

The three women plot their strategy (Gaie Comari di
Windsor / Merry wives of Windsor, the time has
come!"). They are in high spirits, but Alice notices that
Nannetta is not. This is because Ford plans to marry her
to Dr Caius, a man old enough to be her grandfather;
the women reassure her that they will prevent it. Mistress Quickly announces Falstas arrival, and Mistress
Ford has a large laundry basket and a screen placed in
readiness. Falstas attempts to seduce Alice with tales
of his past glory (Quand'ero paggio del Duca di Norfolk / When I was page to the Duke of Norfolk I was
slender) are cut short, as Mistress Quickly reports the
impending arrival of Ford with a retinue of henchmen
to catch his wifes lover. Falsta hides rst behind the
screen, and then the women hide him in the laundry basket. In the meantime Fenton and Nannetta hide behind
the screen. The men hear the sound of a kiss behind it.
They assume it is Falsta with Alice, but instead they
nd the young lovers. Ford orders Fenton to leave. Inside the hamper Falsta is almost suocating. While the
men resume the search of the house Alice orders her servants to throw the laundry basket through the window into
the River Thames, where Falsta endures the jeers of the
crowd.

Fenton arrives at the oak tree and sings of his happiness

(Dal labbro il canto estasiato vola / From my lips, a
song of ecstasy ies) ending with Lips that are kissed
lose none of their allure. Nannetta enters to nish the line
with Indeed, they renew it, like the moon. The women
arrive and disguise Fenton as a monk, telling him that they
have arranged to spoil Fords and Caiuss plans. Nannetta, as the Fairy Queen, instructs her helpers (Sul l
d'un soo etesio / On the breath of a fragrant breeze,
y, nimble spirits) before all the characters arrive on the
scene. Falstas attempted love scene with Alice is interrupted by the announcement that witches are approaching, and the men, disguised as elves and fairies, soundly
thrash Falsta. At length he recognises Bardolfo in disguise. The joke is over, and Falsta acknowledges that he
has received his due. Ford announces that a wedding shall
ensue. Caius and the Queen of the Fairies enter. A second couple, also in masquerade, ask Ford to deliver the
same blessing for them as well. Ford conducts the double ceremony. Caius nds that instead of Nannetta, his
bride is the disguised Bardolfo, and Ford has unwittingly
blessed the marriage of Fenton and Nannetta. Ford accepts the fait accompli with good grace. Falsta, pleased
to nd himself not the only dupe, proclaims in a fugue,
which the entire company sings, that all the world is folly,
and all are gures of fun (Tutto nel mondo burla... Tutti
gabbati! / Everything in the world is a jest...).

5 Music and drama

Verdi scored Falsta for 3 utes (third doubling piccolo),
2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2
bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 4 trombones, timpani, percussion (triangle, cymbals, bass drum), harp, and strings.
In addition, a guitar, natural horn, and bell are heard

from ostage.[63] Unlike most of Verdis earlier operatic

scores, Falsta is through-composed. No list of numbers is printed in the published full score.[63] The score
diers from much of Verdis earlier work by having no
overture: there are seven bars for the orchestra before
the rst voice (Dr Caius) enters.[64] The critic Rodney
Milnes comments that enjoyment shines from every bar in its irresistible forward impulse, its eortless
melody, its rhythmic vitality, and sureness of dramatic
pace and construction.[65] In The New Grove Dictionary
of Opera, Roger Parker writes that:
the listener is bombarded by a stunning diversity of rhythms, orchestral textures, melodic
motifs and harmonic devices. Passages that in
earlier times would have furnished material for
an entire number here crowd in on each other,
shouldering themselves unceremoniously to the
fore in bewildering succession.[26]

MUSIC AND DRAMA

employed before is the keynote of the work. McDonald argues that consciously or unconsciously, Verdi was
developing the idiom that would come to dominate the
music of the 20th century: the lyricism is abbreviated,
glanced at rather than indulged. Melodies bloom suddenly and then vanish, replaced by contrasting tempo or
an unexpected phrase that introduces another character or
idea.[67] In McDonalds view the orchestral writing acts
as a sophisticated commentator on the action.[67] It has
inuenced at least one of Verdis operatic successors: in
1952 Imogen Holst, musical assistant to Benjamin Britten, wrote, after a performance of Falsta, I realised for
the rst time how much Ben owes to [Verdi]. There are
orchestral bits which are just as funny to listen to as the
comic instrumental bits in A. Herring!"[68]
The extent to which Falsta is a Shakespearian opera
has often been debated by critics. Although the action is
taken from The Merry Wives of Windsor, some commentators feel that Boito and Verdi have transmuted Shakespeares play into a wholly Italian work. The soprano
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf believed there was nothing English or Shakespearian about the comedy: it was all done
through the music.[69] In 1961 Peter Heyworth wrote in
The Observer, Because of Shakespeare we like to think
of Falsta as a work that has a certain Englishness. In fact
the opera is no more English than Aida is Egyptian. Boito
and Verdi between them transformed the fat knight into
one of the archetypes of opera bua.[70] Verdi himself,
however, felt that the Falsta of the opera is not a conventional Italian buo character, but portrays Shakespeares
fuller, more ambiguous Falsta of the Henry IV plays:
My Falsta is not merely the hero of The Merry Wives
of Windsor, who is simply a buoon, and allows himself
to be tricked by the women, but also the Falsta of the
two parts of Henry IV. Boito has written the libretto in accordance. [2] A contemporary critic argued that the text
imitated with marvellous accuracy the metre and rhythm
of Shakespeares verse,[21] but Hepokoski notes Boitos
use of traditional Italian metric conventions.[n 11]

Another recurrent question is how much, if at all, Verdi

was inuenced by Wagner's comic opera Die Meistersinger. At the time of the premiere this was a sensitive subject; many Italians were suspicious of or hostile to Wagners music, and were protective in a nationalistic way of Verdis reputation.[72] Nevertheless, Verdis
new style was markedly dierent from that of his popular works of the 1850s and 1860s, and it seemed to some
to have Wagnerian echoes.[72] In 1999 the critic Andrew
Porter wrote, That Falsta was Verdis and Boitos anFirst edition cover
swer to Wagners Meistersinger seems evident now. But
the Italian Falsta moves more quickly.[8] Toscanini,
The opera was described by its creators as a commedia who did more than anyone else to bring Falsta into the
lirica.[n 10] McDonald commented in 2009 that Falsta regular operatic repertoire, commented:
is very dierent a stylistic departure from Verdis
earlier work.[67] In McDonalds view most of the musical expression is in the dialogue, and there is only one
the dierence between Falsta, which
traditional aria.[67] The result is that such stylistic econis the absolute masterpiece, and Die Meisomy more sophisticated, more challenging than he had
tersinger, which is an outstanding Wagnerian

9
opera. Just think for a moment how many musical means beautiful ones, certainly Wagner must make use of to describe the Nuremberg night. And look how Verdi gets a similarly
startling eect at a similar moment with three
notes.[73]

dio recording was that conducted by Toscanini for broadcast by NBC in 1950, released on disc by RCA. The rst
stereophonic recording was conducted by Herbert von
Karajan for EMI in 1956.[79]
Among the singers whose performances of the title role
are on live or studio recordings, Italians include Renato
Bruson, Tito Gobbi, Rolando Panerai, Ruggero Raimondi, Mariano Stabile, Giuseppe Taddei and Giuseppe
Valdengo; Francophone singers include Gabriel Bacquier, Jean-Philippe Lafont and Jos van Dam; Germans include Walter Berry, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and
Hans Hotter; and UK and US singers include Geraint
Evans, Donald Gramm, Bryn Terfel, Leonard Warren
and Willard White.[53]

Verdi scholars including Julian Budden have analysed

the music in symphonic terms the opening section a
perfect little sonata movement, the second act concluding with a variant of the classic slow concertante ensemble leading to a fast stretto, and the whole opera ending
with the most academic of musical forms, a fugue.[74]
Milnes suggests that this shows a wise old conservatives
warning about the excesses of the verismo school of Italian opera already on the rise by the 1890s.[75] Among
the solo numbers woven into the continuous score are 7 Notes, references and sources
Falstas honour monologue, which concludes the rst
scene, and his reminiscent arietta (Quand'ero paggio)
about himself as a young page.[76] The young lovers, Nan- Notes
netta and Fenton, are given a lyrical and playful duet
[1] Authorities dier on the date of Maurels oering. Alger(Labbra di foco) in Act I;[75] in Act III, Fentons imnon St John-Brenon in The Musical Quarterly in 1916 put
passioned love song, Dal labbro il canto estasiato vola
the date at 1886, before the premiere of Otello.[4] Karen
[75]
briey becomes a duet when Nannetta joins him. She
Henson in 19th-Century Music in 2007 quotes letters from
then has the last substantial solo section of the score,
1890 that show Maurels oer of the French libretto as
the fairy aria, Sul l d'un soo etesio, described by
dating from that year, while it was still a secret that Verdi
Parker as yet another aria suused with the soft orcheswas working on Falsta.[5]
[26]
tral colours that characterize this scene.
The score is seen by the critic Richard Osborne as rich
in self-parody, with sinister themes from Rigoletto and
Un ballo in maschera transmuted into comedy. For Osborne the nocturnal music of Act III draws on the examples of Weber, Berlioz and Mendelssohn, creating a
mood akin to that of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights
Dream. Osborne views the whole opera as an ensemble piece, and he comments that grand soliloquy in the
old Verdian style is reserved for Fords jealousy aria in
Act II, which is almost tragic in style but comic in eect,
making Ford a gure to be laughed at.[77] Osborne concludes his analysis, "Falsta is comedys musical apogee:
the nest opera, inspired by the nest dramatist, by the
nest opera composer the world has known.[78]

Recordings

Main article: Falsta discography

There are two early recordings of Falstas short arietta Quand'ero paggio. Pini Corsi, the original Ford,
recorded it in 1904, and Maurel followed in 1907.[79] The
rst recording of the complete opera was made by Italian
Columbia in March and April 1932. It was conducted
by Lorenzo Molajoli with the chorus and orchestra of
La Scala, and a cast including Giacomo Rimini as Falsta and Pia Tassinari as Alice.[80] Some live stage performances were recorded in the 1930s, but the next stu-

[2] Boito eliminated the characters Master George Page,

William Page, Justice Shallow, Slender, Sir Hugh Evans,
Nym, Peter Simple and John Rugby. He turned Fenton into a conventional juvenile lead, rather than Shakespeares less romantic and more mercenary character.
Mistress Quickly became simply a neighbour of the Fords
and Pages, rather than Caiuss servant.[8] Subplots involving these characters were cut, including Caiuss discovery
of Simple in his closet (I.iv), his duel with Evans (III.i),
Williams Latin lesson (IV.i), and the theft of a German
dukes horses (IV.v).[9]
[3] There is a tradition that Shakespeare wrote The Merry
Wives of Windsor at the command of Elizabeth I, who
expressed a wish to see Sir John in Love.[10] The character was familiar to Elizabethan audiences from both parts
of Henry IV and there was disappointment when Shakespeare omitted him from Henry V.[10] The Merry Wives
was written in haste, and most critics in the 18th century and afterwards found the character of Falsta crudely
drawn by comparison with the more ambiguous gure in
the two earlier plays. In 1744 Corbyn Morris wrote that
in The Merry Wives, Falsta is in general greatly below his true character.[11] In later studies of the character by Maurice Morgann (1777) and William Richardson
(1789) the Falsta of The Merry Wives is almost completely ignored.[12] After Boitos time many critics continued to share the views of Morris and his successors; John
Dover Wilson (1953) was dismissive,[12] and W H Auden
called The Merry Wives Shakespeares worst play.[10] A
L Rowse (1978) took a more favourable view: It is the
same old reprobate, with the same virtuosity of language
in recounting his misadventures as that with which he had
regaled Prince Hal.[10]

10

7 NOTES, REFERENCES AND SOURCES

[4] The house, near Busseto, remains in the possession of the

Verdi family. The composers rooms are preserved intact
and are open to the public. Verdis volumes of Shakespeare remain by his bedside.[14]

[10] Rowse, p. 444

[5] Some editions of Shakespeare give the name as

Brainford.[19]

[12] Melchiori, p. 89

[6] Maurels compliance stopped short of playing the title role

in the original companys tour when it played in Germany.
As a Frenchman, with the German victory in the FrancoPrussian War still an oence to French national pride, he
refused to perform in Germany.[31]
[7] Reserved seats on the platea (main oor) were raised from
5 lire to 150 lire, with similar increases in other parts of
the house.[35]
[8] Although most of the music is through-composed, with no
obvious breaks where an encore could be taken, Verdi had
agreed in advance that the womens quartet Quell'otre!
quel tino!" and Falstas brief song Quand'ero paggio
could be encored. Hepokoski speculates that the conductor may have slowed and then briey stopped the music to
allow the audience to applaud.[36] At later performances
Verdi allowed other sections of the score to be encored,
including Nannettas Sul l d'un soo etesio.[36]
[9] Among leading conductors of later generations who have
been associated with Falsta are Claudio Abbado and Sir
Colin Davis, both of whom recorded the work twice.[53]
[10] Although the term translates literally into English as lyric
comedy, Leoncavallo used it for his version of La bohme
(1897), which ends tragically, and Puccini used the term
for his bittersweet La rondine (1917).[66]
[11] Thus, the young lovers generally sing to one another in
quinari (ve-syllable lines), the merry wives do their plotting in senari (six-syllable lines) and Ford and his cohorts
are given ottonari (eight-syllable lines).[71]

References

[9] Hepokoski, p. 26

[11] Vickers, p. 122

[13] Verdi to Boito, 6 and 7 July 1889, in Phillips-Matz 1993,

p. 700. (Capital letters and punctuation used here are as
in the book)
[14] Gallo, Denise (2010). Repatriating 'Falsta': Boito,
Verdi and Shakespeare (in Translation)", NineteenthCentury Music Review, November 2010, pp. 734
[15] Steen, p. 453
[16] Verdi to Boito, 10 July 1889, in Phillips-Matz, pp. 700
701
[17] Hepokoski, p. 22
[18] Verdi to Boito, 18 August 1889, in Phillips-Matz, p. 702
[19] Shakespeare and Alexander, Act IV, scene ii
[20] Wechsberg, p. 229
[21] Steatfeild, p. 111
[22] Boito to Verdi, 30 October 1889, in Phillips-Matz, p. 703
[23] Hepokoski, pp. 2226
[24] Boito to Verdi, in McDonald 2009, p. 8
[25] Hepokoski, p. 35
[26] Parker, Roger. Falsta (ii)", The New Grove Dictionary
of Opera, Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press.
Retrieved 17 May 2015 (subscription required)
[27] Verdi to Maria Waldmann, 6 December 1890, in PhilipsMatz, p. 707: Waldmann was a young singer with whom
Verdi corresponded

[1] Budden, Vol. 1, pp. 6974

[28] Verdi to Boito, 12 June 1891, in Philips-Matz, p. 709

[2] Klein, John W. Verdi and Falsta", The Musical Times,

1 July 1926, pp. 605607 (subscription required)

[29] Hepokoski, p. 36

[3] Baldini, p. 220

[4] St John-Brenon, Algernon. Giuseppe Verdi, The Musical Quarterly, January 1916, pp. 130162
[5] Henson, Karen. Verdi versus Victor Maurel on Falsta,
19th-Century Music, November 2007, pp. 113130 (subscription required)

[30] Verdi to Teresa Stolz, 9 September 1892, in PhillipsMatz, p. 712

[31] Verdis Falsta at Berlin, The Times, 2 June 1893, p. 5
[32] Verdi to Ricordi, 18 September 1892, in Phillips-Matz,
pp. 714715
[33] Verdis Falsta, The Times, 8 December 1892, p. 5

[6] Melchiori, pp. 9091

[34] Phillips-Matz, p. 715

[7] Rice, John A. Falsta (i)", and Brown, Clive. Lustigen

Weiber von Windsor, Die, The New Grove Dictionary of
Opera, Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press.
Retrieved 2 March 2014 (subscription required)

[35] Hepokoski, pp. 5556

[8] Porter, Andrew. Roll Up! Here We Come Again!", programme booklet, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 6
December 1999, pp. 1014

[38] Phillips-Matz, pp. 717720

[36] Hepokoski, pp. 126127

[37] Hepokoski, p. 56

[39] Hepokoski, p. 83

11

[40] Gossett, Philip. Some Thoughts on the Use of Autograph Manuscripts in Editing the Works of Verdi and
Puccini, Journal of the American Musicological Society,
Spring 2013, pp. 103128 (subscription required)
[41] Hepokoski, p. 129

[67] McDonald 2009, p. 7

[68] Grogan, p. 169
[69] Osborne, p. 406
[70] Heyworth, Peter. Falsta and the Verdi canon, The Observer, 14 May 1961, p. 26

[42] Hepokoski, pp. 7677

[43] Performance History, programme booklet, Royal Opera
House, Covent Garden, 6 December 1999, p. 43

[71] Hepokoski, p. 31
[72] Hepokoski, pp. 138139

[44] Kimbell, p. 461

[45] Verdis great Falsta, The New York Times, 5 February
1895
[46] Aldrich, Richard. To be Given at a Special Saturday
Night Performance at the Metropolitan, The New York
Times, 7 March 1909

[73] Toscanini, Arturo, quoted in Lualdis L'arte di dirigere

l'orchestra (1940) reprinted in Sachs, p. 247
[74] Milnes, pp. 78
[75] Milnes, p. 8
[76] Osborne, pp. 16 and 18

[47] Beecham, p. 178

[77] Osborne, p. 13

[48] Civetta, Chapter 3: Falsta section.

[49] Osborne, pp. 150151

[78] Osborne, p. 15

[50] Osborne, pp. 406, 409, 420, 655 and 815.

[79] Walker, Malcolm.

176177

Discography in Hepokoski, pp.

[51] Solti, pp. 79 and 191; and Hepokoski, p. 134

[80] Notes to Naxos Historical CD 8.11019899 (2002)
[52] Hepokoski, pp. 135136
[53] Falsta Discography, Opera Discography. Retrieved 21
July 2013
[54] Hepokoski, pp. 136137
[55] Higgins, John. Autumnal mastery of Verdis emotional
range, The Times, 16 April 1982, p. 9
[56] Milnes, Rodney. In the belly of the best, The Times, 8
December 1999, p. 44
[57] Clark, Robert S. Music Chronicle, The Hudson Review,
Winter, 2006, pp. 633634 (subscription required)
[58] Rhein, John von. Solti, CSO brilliant in spirited Falsta", The Chicago Tribune, 27 April 1985
[59] 201213 season, Operabase.com.
September 2013

Retrieved 23

[60] List of singers taken from Budden, Vol 3, p. 416.

[61] Budden, Vol 3, p. 430
[62] Kimbell, pp. 461462; and Latham, Alison. Synopsis,
programme booklet, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden,
6 December 1999, p. 43
[63] Boito and Verdi, introductory pages
[64] Boito and Verdi, pp. 12
[65] Milnes, p. 7
[66] Maehder, Jrgen. Bohme, La (ii)" and Budden Julian.
Rondine, La, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2
March 2014 (subscription required)

Sources
Baldini, Gabriele (1980). The Story of Giuseppe
Verdi: Oberto to Un ballo in maschera. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521-22911-1.
Beecham, Thomas (1959). A Mingled Chime. London: Hutchinson. OCLC 470511334.
Boito, Arrigo; Giuseppe Verdi (1980) [1893]. Falsta in Full Score. New York: Dover. ISBN 9780-486-24017-6.
Budden, Julian (1984). The Operas of Verdi, Volume 1: From Oberto to Rigoletto. London: Cassell.
ISBN 978-0-304-31058-6.
Budden, Julian (1984). The Operas of Verdi, Volume 3: From Don Carlos to Falsta. London: Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-30740-1.
Civetta, Cesare (2012).
Falsta The Real
Toscanini Musicians Reveal the Maestro. New
York: Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-57467-241-1.
Grogan, Christopher (2010) [2007]. Imogen Holst:
A Life in Music. Woodbridge, UK and New York:
Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-599-8.
Hepokoski, James (1983). Giuseppe Verdi Falsta. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN 978-0-521-23534-1.

12
Kimbell, David (2001). Falsta. In Holden,
Amanda. The New Penguin Opera Guide. New
York: Penguin Putnam. ISBN 978-0-14-029312-8.
McDonald, Russ (2009). To astonish the world,
Notes to Glyndebourne DVD recording. Waldron,
Heatheld, UK: Opus Arte. OCLC 610513504.
Melchiori, Giorgio (1999). Introduction. The
Merry Wives of Windsor. Arden Shakespeare. London: Thomson. ISBN 978-0-17-443561-7.
Milnes, Rodney (2004). Falsta: notes to LSO Live
recording. London: London Symphony Orchestra.
OCLC 57210727.
Morris, Corbyn (1744). An Essay Towards Fixing
the True Standards of Wit, Humour, Raillery, Satire,
and Ridicule. London: J Roberts and W Bickerton.
OCLC 83444213.
Osborne, Richard (1989). Karajan conducts Falsta. London: EMI. OCLC 42632423.
Osborne, Richard (1998). Herbert von Karajan: A
Life in Music. London: Chatto and Windus. ISBN
978-1-85619-763-2.
Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane (1993). Verdi: A Biography. London and New York: Oxford University
Press. ISBN 978-0-19-313204-7.
Rowse, A L (1978). The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Annotated Shakespeare, Volume 1. London: Orbis. ISBN 978-0-85613-087-8.
Sachs, Harvey (1988). Toscanini. New York:
Harper and Row. ISBN 978-0-06-091473-8.
Shakespeare, William (1994). The Merry Wives
of Windsor. In Peter Alexander. Complete works
of William Shakespeare. Glasgow: HarperCollins.
ISBN 978-0-00-470474-6.
Steen, Michael (2003). The Lives and Times of the
Great Composers. New York: Icon Books. ISBN
978-1-56159-228-9.
Streatfeild, R A (1895). Masters of Italian Music.
London: Osgood McIlvain. OCLC 2578278.
Vickers, Brian (2002). William Shakespeare: The
Critical Heritage, Volume 3: 17331752. London:
Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-78355-7.
Wechsberg, Joseph (1974). Verdi. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-76818-0.

EXTERNAL LINKS

8 Further reading
Osborne, Charles (1969). The Complete Operas
of Verdi. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN
0306800721.
Toye, Francis (1931). Giuseppe Verdi: His Life and
Works. London: Heinemann. OCLC 462427571.
Werfel, Franz; Paul Stefan (1973). Verdi: The Man
and His Letters. New York: Vienna House. ISBN
0844300888.

9 External links
[http://operabase.com/oplist.cgi?from=01+01+
2001&is=Falstaff&by=Verdi&sort=D List of
performances of Falsta by Verdi] on Operabase.
Falsta (Verdi): Scores at the International Music
Score Library Project
Libretto at giuseppeverdi.it
Kingston, W. Beatty (translator), Falsta: A Lyrical
Comedy in Three Acts. Libretto with original English
translation at archive.org.
Detailed information on the key arias at ariadatabase.com
Detailed Falsta discography at operadis-operadiscography.org.uk
Victor Maurels 1907 recording of Quand'ero paggio, at the Bibliothque nationale de France

13

10
10.1

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Falsta (opera) Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falstaff_(opera)?oldid=697714487 Contributors: -- April, Someone else, Edward,

, Charles Matthews, Viajero, Steinsky, Bearcat, JackofOz, Ivan Svircevic, Mu, Antandrus, Byrial, Bender235, El C, Pearle,
Arthena, BaronLarf, Xover, Tabletop, Missmarple, Nandesuka, Squeemu, DrG, DrGeoduck, Joonasl, Gareth E. Kegg, Chobot, Quentin X,
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concerning the lyric drama in New York from its earliest days Henry Holt and Co., New York 1911 Original artist: Aime Dupont Studio,
which was a well-known New York photographic studio, see here. Accordingly the United States is this photographs place of origin.
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