Study Guide for Opera On Wheels

 STUDY GUIDE
2015 – 2016
The Barber of Seville
ADAPTED FROM ROSSINI’S IL BARBIERE DI SEVIGLIA
BY JENNIFER CRESSWELL
Table of Contents
The Barber of Seville……………………………………………………………………….. 3
Setting
Cast of Characters
Plot Synopsis
Resident Artists………………………………………………………………………………5
Setting the Scene: Where are we? …………………………………………………………...6
FIGARO! ……………………………………………………………………………..……. 7
Maestro Rossini and his Music………………….…………………………………..……… 8
What is Opera?........................................................................................................................ 9
A Creative Team
Voice Types
Student Activities……………………………………………………………...……..…........13
Grades K-3
Grades 4-8
2 The Barber of Seville
ADAPTED FROM ROSSINI’S IL BARBIERE DI SEVIGLIA
BY JENNIFER CRESSWELL
SETTING
17th Century in Seville, Spain
CHARACTERS
In order of vocal performance
Figaro – a barber and jack-of-all-trades
Count Almaviva – a charming count who wants to find someone who will love him for
who is inside, not for his money
Rosina – beautiful ward of Dr. Bartolo, she is feisty and wants to find love
Dr. Bartolo – Rosina’s guardian, wants to marry her
SYNOPSIS
Scene 1: Count Almaviva, dressed in disguise as a poor young student named Lindoro,
is serenading Rosina outside her window. Figaro appears and the Count asks his help in
encouraging Rosina to fall in love with him. There is just one catch - he doesn't want
Rosina to know that he is a wealthy count, but wants her to fall in love with him for who
he is on the inside. Figaro agrees, since the Count is rich and can pay him for his services.
The Count runs and hides as Dr. Bartolo comes out of his house. He overhears Bartolo
telling Figaro that he is in love with his ward, Rosina, and plans to marry her by the end
of the day. Figaro comes up with a plan that will enable Count Almaviva to enter Dr.
Bartolo's house; he will disguise himself as "Don Alonso," a substitute for Rosina’s
music teacher, Don Basilio.
Scene 2: Alone in the courtyard, Rosina admits to herself that she has fallen in love with
the poor student who serenades her outside her window each morning. She resolves to
marry him and writes a note to him. Figaro passes by and she convinces him to deliver
3 the note. Just as she passes it to him, Dr. Bartolo returns and demands to know what is
going on. Rosina will not say a word and he locks her in the house as punishment.
Scene 3: Count Almaviva arrives at Dr. Bartolo's home, disguised as the substitute
music teacher, "Don Alonso." When called to her music lesson, Rosina recognizes him at
once, but plays along to fool Dr. Bartolo. Figaro shows up unexpectedly, insisting that he
must shave Dr. Bartolo that afternoon. As he distracts Bartolo, the Count and Rosina plan
their elopement. Bartolo eventually catches on and banishes Figaro and the Count
immediately. He lies to Rosina and tells her that Figaro and the Count were only tricking
her. She believes him, and offers to marry him. Dr. Bartolo runs off to draw up a
marriage contract. While he is gone, Figaro and Count Almaviva return. The Count
reveals his true identity to Rosina, who is overjoyed and the two agree to marry as soon
as possible. Dr. Bartolo returns, but he is too late, and accepts the situation. Led by
Figaro, all four characters accept their lives happily.
THE END
4 2015-2016 Toledo Opera Resident Artists
Devon Desm ond, baritone (Figaro)
A native of Toledo, baritone Devon Desmond is currently a voice student at the
University of Toledo. His credits include Toby in The Medium, Top in The Tender
Land, Bob in The Old Maid and the Thief, Tom/John in The Face on the Ballroom
Floor, and the title role in Gianni Schicchi. As an actor, Mr. Desmond has performed
as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, for which he was nominated to
compete in the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival.
Brandon M orales, baritone (Bartolo)
Born in San Antonio, TX, baritone Brandon Morales has performed with many
opera companies across the United States. Highlights include the title role in Don
Giovanni, Escamillo in Carmen, Polyphemus in Acis and Galatea, and Figaro in Le
nozze di Figaro. In Ohio, Mr. Morales has performed with Dayton Opera,
NANOWorks Opera, Cincinnati Chamber Opera, Queen City Chamber Opera,
Clermont Philharmonic and Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Recently,
Mr. Morales toured with Opera Saratoga, Portland Opera, and Cincinnati Opera
performing the roles of the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance and Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere
di Siviglia. Other recent roles include Dr. Malatesta in San Antonio Opera Piccola's Don Pasquale
and Friedrich von Telramund in the Wagner Society of Cincinnati's concert of Lohengrin. With
Cincinnati Opera, Mr. Morales has performed several comprimario roles and work-shopped new
operas with Ricky Ian Gordan and Terence Blanchard.
Giles Sim m er, soprano (Rosina)
Giles Simmer is a native of Atlanta who now calls Detroit her home. She has
performed with a number of regional opera companies such as Opera Grand
Rapids, Arbor Opera Theatre, Comic Opera Guild, and the Michigan Opera
Theatre. She also joined Opera MODO for their first Detroit season in the roles of
Le Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon and Julia Child in Hoiby’s Bon
Appetit. Giles has been recognized in several national voice competitions
including the William C. Byrd Competition, the Orpheus National Music
Competitions, Opera Maya Papaya Competition, and the NATS Voice Competition. Giles earned
her B.A. in Music from Hillsdale College and her M.M. in Vocal Performance at Western Michigan
University.
Sasha Noori, tenor
Tenor Sasha Noori received both his Bachelors and M.M. in Vocal Performance
from the University of Toledo where he was awarded the Barbara Rondelli Perry
award. While at the University of Toledo he sang roles that included Martin in The
Tender Land, Ferrando in Così Fan Tutte, and Orfeo in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo. Mr.
Noori has often performed at the Toledo Art Song Festival where he has
presented a variety of German Lieder, French Mélodie, and American art songs.
He sings in the chorus of both Toledo Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre.
M adeline Harts, pianist
Madeline Harts is thrilled to begin her second year as a Toledo Opera Resident
Artist; in 2014-2015 she was appointed as Soprano Resident Artist and is now
continuing as the Piano Resident Artist this season. Madeline is a coloratura
soprano from Buffalo, New York and has appeared in Toledo Opera productions
of Lucia di Lammermoor, Susannah, Faust, Aïda, Don Giovanni, and debuted as
the Shepherd Boy in last year’s production of Tosca. Ms. Harts has sung with the
Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and is a chorister at the historic Mariners Church of
Detroit. She studied piano at Buffalo Community Music School and holds degrees in Voice
Performance and Music Education from Ithaca College (BM) and Voice Performance from
Bowling Green State University (MM). Ms. Harts is also the Director of Community Engagement
and Assistant Director of Arts Education for Toledo Opera.
5 Setting the Scene: Where are we?
Seville
Has a warm climate and is the fourth largest city in Spain. Is home to the famous sport of
Bullfighting, flamenco music and dancing.
6 ! FIGARO !
The Master Barber
Listen to the aria Largo al factotum at http://www.toledoopera.org
Largo al factotum – Make way for the factotum!
This is the original title of Figaro’s aria and factotum actually means, “do everything” in Latin.
In his aria, Figaro talks about how he is a servant to the people – he does everything for them!
He is ready day and night and always on hand to help ladies and gentlemen with all their
problems – from wigging and hair cutting to writing notes and pulling teeth.
He sings the aria in a style called “patter singing” which involves lots of words in quick
succession and lots of tongue twisters. It is one of the most difficult baritone arias to perform.
Wash and cut hair Make wigs Shaving Dentist Tattoo artist Doctor/Surgeon Matchmaker Give manicures/ pedicures Mail service What did barbers do?
Today we know that barbers cut hair, but back in Figaro’s time there was a slew of other chores
that barbers were in charge of – many of which Figaro mentions in his aria!
7 Maestro Rossini and his Music
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) is often referred to
as one of the greatest composers of opera that ever
lived. He was known primarily for an operatic style
of is own invention called bel canto or beautiful
singing. This bel canto singing is made up of
beautiful florid passages that contain lots of scales
and arpeggios, often moving quickly in succession.
Rossini composed 39 operas over the span of his
lifetime, and The Barber of Seville is widely
considered his most popular work. The story of the
fun and multi-talented barber, Figaro playing match
maker between the lovely Rosina and disguised
Count Almaviva is continuously performed all over
the world and has been adapted for movies, the
stage, and even a Looney Tunes cartoon.
Rossini began composing opera when he was just 13 years old and was heavily
influenced by the music of Haydn and Mozart. Other operas that Rossini is famous for
are La Cenerentola (Cinderella), The Lady of the Lake, and William Tell.
“Give me a laundry list and I’ll set it to music.”
“Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind.”
8 WHAT IS OPERA?
An Opera is a Story Told in Song
Everyone enjoys movies and musicals, but have you ever thought about what people did for fun
before these things existed? The answer is Opera!
What is an opera?
In many ways an opera is like a play or a movie. Actors tell an audience a story by pretending to
be characters in a situation, often with costumes, props, and scenery to help define the time and
place of what is happening. The big difference is in an opera the words are sung, often
accompanied by one or more instruments, like a piano or even a whole orchestra.
What’s the difference between opera and musicals?
There are two big differences between opera and musicals. Firstly, in musicals actors frequently
have scenes without singing where lines are spoken. In opera, however, nearly all the lines are
sung. Secondly, the style of singing is different. In a musical, singers work with microphones and
speakers to amplify or make their voices louder so they can be heard easily in large theaters, like
they do in pop recordings or in church. But in an opera, singers have to fill large theaters with
their voices without amplification, and they often have to sing louder, over large group of
instruments, and for longer periods of time in one breath than would be required in a musical. As
a result, opera singers tend to sing louder, and with a different tone, or sound, than you’re used to
hearing or could do yourself without years of special training. Despite these differences, operas
and musical theater shows have a lot in common, and the two art forms have existed side-by-side
throughout history.
How is an opera made?
Creating operas is done through lots of teamwork, with many people working hard to create one
work of art.
The Composer and Librettist
First, a librettist will identify a story he or she wants to tell, and write a libretto (Italian for “little
book”), like the script in a play, containing all the words that will be sung in the opera. Often this
libretto will adapt a story that is very popular among audiences in another genre, like a play, a
book, a piece of mythology, or a historical event. Just like adapting a book to a movie, the
librettist has to make choices about what to include and what to leave out so that the story will
work well in a theater. Most importantly, however, he or she has to come up with words that
work as lyrics, not just as sentences. This includes devices like rhyming, alliteration, and lines
with similar numbers of syllables.
9 A composer will then take the words and start setting them to music, deciding what notes the
singers will sing and what the instrumentalists will play, using the music to enhance the drama of
the words and situation. Once the score (a book containing all the musical notes and words
together) is finished it gets handed off to a creative team that makes the composer and librettists’
ideas a reality.
The Theatre Team
A director, set, costume, lighting, and makeup designers decide how the action will happen across
the stage, what the scenery and costumes will be, what colors and types of lights to use in
different scenes, and how the appearance of the actors will be altered to make them look like their
characters, all to draw the audience into the story. Carpenters, painters, seamstresses build the sets
and costumes, electricians hang and connect lights above and on the sides of the stage.
The Performers
Finally, all these elements come together with singers (who have to memorize their parts, just like
actors), a conductor (who leads the orchestra), and orchestra working together to present the
opera. The singers are the performers that act on stage and create the opera through song, while
the orchestra and conductor are in the orchestra pit. The team rehearses for weeks, making sure
all the actors know their parts individually and together, coordinating and balancing the sound
from the singers and the instrumentalists, and practicing the changes of scenery, costumes, and
lighting.
YOU! The Audience
Finally, after much work, the opera gets enjoyed by an audience who may find themselves rapt
with attention or cheering. To cheer for an opera, audiences use Italian words and clapping to
show how much they appreciate and like the work that the whole cast has done. “Bravo!” is used
for boy actors, “Brava!” is for girl actors, and “Bravi tutti!” is to cheer for everyone.
BRAVO!!!
10 A Creative Team
Buongiorno! I am Rossini! Composer – writes the music
for the operas
Director – directs the
opera, tells performers
where to go
Musicians – play the
musical score for the opera
Singers – Perform and sing
the operas
Conductor – leads the
orchestra and singers
It takes an entire team of people to put together an opera for performance. These are
some members of the creative team that make an opera possible.
11 Voice Types
High
Soprano:
Rosina
Mezzo
Soprano
(Alto): Berta,
she is not
featured in our
show
Tenor:
Count Almaviva
Baritone:
Figaro
Bass:
Bartolo
Low
12 STUDENT AND CLASS ACTIVITIES
GRADES K-3
Before the Opera:
1. Listening Activity: Listen to the audio example of opera voices, can you hear a
difference between the voices? (Visit www.toledoopera.org/clips for all audio
clips and videos.)
2. What is an opera? This question can be answered in one sentence.
3. What does Figaro do as a factotum? (after watching the video of Figaro’s aria,
Largo al factotum by visiting www.toledoopera.org/clips) In the opera, Figaro is a very
busy man! He cuts hair, makes wigs, pulls teeth, and even delivers mail. What tasks do
you do every day that make you busy?
After the Opera:
1. Personal Response to the Performance: Describe in writing and/or drawing what
you liked best about the performance of The Barber of Seville. For example:
My favorite character in the opera was:
My favorite part or scene in the opera was:
13 2. Circle Story: Using the Circle Story template, draw and write about four events
that happened in sequence in The Barber of Seville, putting the first event in section #1
and continuing with the second event in section #2. You may think of the sections as the
beginning of the story, two middle events and the end. Kindergarten students can focus
their drawing on only one event and their individual drawings can then be sequenced as a
whole class activity.
14 GRADES 4-8
Before the Opera:
1. Listening Activity: Listen to the audio example of opera voices, can you hear a
difference between the voices? Visit www.toledoopera.org/clips for all audio
clips.
2. Semantic Map: What Is Opera?
A short definition of opera would be “a story told in song.” However an opera is so much
more. Complete the map by writing Opera in the circle and then naming the different
elements that go into developing and performing an opera. You can also put items under
an element (different types of singers such as sopranos or tenors; story types such as
comedy and tragedy).
15 3. Watch the video of Figaro’s aria, Largo al factotum (located at
www.toledoopera.org/clips). Based on what you heard in the aria, what does
Figaro do in his job as a factotum? Today’s equivalent of a factotum might be a
person who has many roles to play in his or her work and family life or someone who
multi-tasks! Can you think of someone in your life that is a factotum? Write a few
sentences about who this person is and name the different roles that they fulfill.
After the Opera:
1. Listen to each audio selection of artists from the opera. Match the voice type to
the character and picture. (Visit www.toledoopera.org/clips for audio examples.)
Tenor
Figaro Soprano
Bartolo Baritone
Count Almaviva Bass
Rosina 16 2. Comprehension Strategy
Plot Relationships Chart
Completing a Plot Relationships Chart helps you identify the major parts of the opera’s
story and develop an understanding of the relationships among characters, goals,
problems and solutions. For The Barber of Seville, complete charts for two of the
characters: Figaro, Rosina, Bartolo or Count Almaviva. You can write a summary using
the information in each chart.
.
Plot Relationships Chart
Somebody
Wanted (Goal)
But (Problem)
So (Solution)
Summary:
Teaching Comprehension Copyright © Thinking Works ® This page may be reproduced for classroom use only.
3 17 3. Those who write reviews of live performances of an opera consider various
aspects of the particular production that they experienced. Write your own review
of The Barber of Seville by responding to the following items.
-Give the music (vocal and piano performance) a grade, providing support for your grade.
-Give the dramatic elements (staging and acting) a grade, providing support for your
grade.
-Give the visual elements (scenery and costumes) a grade, providing support for your
grade.
18