Study Guide
Romeo and Juliet
Student Nights at the Opera
Thursday, March 11, 2010
6:30pm - 8:30pm
For the Classroom Teacher
This one-page, online Study Guide is meant to supplement your lesson plan on opera
and the San Diego Opera docent's visit to your classroom. It is filled with basic
information about the opera your students are going to see at the Civic Theatre.
Click on the highlighted text with your mouse in order to see a definition of the
term, to hear an audio excerpt from the opera, or to see an image to help illustrate
the text.
For further investigation of the opera, go to Operapaedia
for more articles on Romeo and Juliet, the
San Diego Opera Podcasts for audio programs on opera, and
OperaTalk for 30-minute videos on the opera produced by UCSD-TV and
the San Diego Opera Education and Outreach Program.
Students: Welcome to the Opera!
Very soon you are going to experience opera at San Diego’s Civic Theatre. We at
San Diego Opera want to make sure that you have a great time seeing and hearing
the spectacular sets and beautiful music, sung by some of the greatest voices in
the world! In order to help you become more familiar with the opera, feel free to
use this one-page study guide. Click or scroll over the words or phrases in bold
and you will see images from the opera and hear music from it. Some of the links
will take you to our Operapaedia site where you can read more about the
opera, the composer and the period in which the opera was written. Have fun exploring
the wonderful world of opera, and we look forward to seeing you at your Student
Night at the Opera!
For the Student
The
operaRomeo
and Juliet was written by
Charles Gounod, a French composerwho
lived from 1818 to 1893. The opera was first performed in 1867 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris,
France . The story is based on the play by William Shakespeare which was
most likely first produced in London in the early 1590s.
Act I
The opera takes place in
Verona, Italy, in the fourteenth century. The Capulets are having
a masked ball in honor of Juliet (soprano), their daughter, whose
hand in marriage is promised to a young man named Paris. Romeo (tenor), a member
of the Montague family who are ancient enemies of the Capulets, arrives at the ball
with his friend
Mercutio (baritone). Romeo describes a dream he's had that
warned him of the danger of "crashing" the Capulet's ball, but Mercutio dismisses
it in a brilliant aria
about the mythical fairy,
Queen Mab, the ruler of dreams. Upon entering the palace,
Romeo sees Juliet and falls instantly in love with her. In a dialogue with her nurse
Gertrude
, she tells her in the aria
“Je veux vivre” that she's not interested in marriage to
Paris but wants to be open to love and life in all its excitement. Romeo approaches
her and they have the first of four
love duets, “Ange adorable”. Romeo is soon discovered by
Tybalt (tenor), a Capulet cousin, who challenges Romeo to a duel;
but
Lord Capulet (bass-baritone), Juliet's father, holds him
back and Romeo escapes. In the next scene, it is night in the garden of the Capulets.
This is the famous Balcony Scene, taken directly from Shakespeare's play. Romeo
approaches Juliet's balcony and
declares his love. They are interrupted briefly by Capulet
men trying to find the intruder, but soon Romeo and Juliet sing their another love
duet and Juliet tells Romeo that she will marry him.
Act II
Romeo and Juliet go to Friar Laurent (bass) who agrees to
marry them immediately in a lyrical and touching ceremony. In the next scene, Romeo's
page
Stéphano (mezzo soprano) is found standing in front
of the Capulet house. In a brief song,
“Que fais-tu, blanche tourterelle”, he taunts the family
within. This brings an immediate response from the men of the house who come out
and begin a duel as Mercutio and other Montagues approach. Tybalt and Paris also
arrive and a brawl begins. When Romeo comes upon the scene, he is unable to stop
the violence and in the battle Mercutio is mortally wounded. In a rage, Romeo turns
on Tybalt and kills
him in a duel. The violence has drawn the attention of the Duke,
who exiles Romeo from Verona.
The music of Romeo and Juliet is brilliant and melodious, qualities typical
of French opera. The charm of the opera often comes from the orchestra. The orchestra
is led by the conductorwho gives the tempo with his
baton and "cues" the instruments of the orchestra (as well as the singers on stage)
when it's time for them to play or sing. Behind the stage ("backstage") there are
many
workersmoving sets and props, raising and lowering the
curtain, focusing the stage lights, helping the singers to adjust their costumes
or preparing props that will be used in the opera. Opera is about spectacleas well
as story and music. Audiences have always expected a big "show" in the opera theatre,
and that's what we try to give them!
At San Diego Opera we perform all operas in the languages for which they were written,
most often Italian, French and German, but also in Russian, Czech, and even English!
But you will understand every word of the opera because of the supertitles that
are projected over the stage and provide a complete translation into English.
The singers in our operas are opera stars from all over the world,
and who have sung in the finest opera theatres in London, Paris, Milan and New York.
The
San Diego Opera Chorusis a professional chorus made up
mostly of singers from the San Diego area, many of whom are opera soloists in their
own right.
Romeo and Juliet
The French title of the opera is Roméo et Juliette. This is a famous
painting of the Balcony Scene by a 19th century Romantic artist.
Charles Gounod
Here is a photograph of the composer Charles Gounod. He wrote a number of operas,
including Faust, based on the Faust legend and the famous poem by Goethe.
He also wrote a good deal of church music, including his well-known setting of Ave
Maria.
The Théâtre Lyrique
There were many opera theatres in Paris during Gounod's lifetime. The Théâtre
Lyrique specialized in works by younger composers, which is why Gounod had the opportunity
to present Romeo and Juliet there. The date, 1867, also coincided with
the Paris Universal Exhibition which drew thousands of people from around the world.
Seeking entertainment, they flocked to see Gounod's new opera! This is a picture
of the theatre as it looks today. The original theatre burnt down in 1871, but was
rebuilt to the exact design of the original.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, is considered the greatest poet and playwright of
the English language. He was active during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, so he
is referred to as an Elizabethan poet. His 38 plays have influenced more artists,
composers, writers and poets than perhaps any writer in history. This is one of
the best-known portraits of Shakespeare.
Romeo's Aria
Romeo’s Love Aria (“Ah! Lêve toi, soleil”)
Romeo: Ah, arise, sun! Make the stars pale who appear unveiled in the blue,
sparkling up in the heavens. Ah, arise, appear, appear! Pure and charming star!
Verona, Italy
Verona is a beautiful city between Milan and Venice on the River Adige in a northern
district of Italy called Veneto. The story of Romeo and Juliet originally comes
from an Italian source but the location of the story came rather late in the evolution
of the tale. Here is a photograph of what tourists see today as Juliet's balcony.
Juliet
The role of Juliet is sung by a soprano, the highest female voice-type in opera.
The role is demanding because it calls for light, "airy" singing at the beginning
and dramatic, heavier singing towards the end of the opera. This is a picture of
a singer in the role of Juliet.
Romeo
The role of Romeo is sung by a tenor. This role, too, is demanding because it is
very dramatic and calls for a voice with power and a high range. The tenor is the
highest of the male voice-types in opera. This is a picture of a singer in the role
of Romeo.
Mercutio
Mercutio is sung by a baritone, the dynamic voice-type that lies between the bass
and the tenor and most common of male voice-types. Mercutio has one of the most
beautiful arias in the opera, the Ballad of Queen Mab. This is a photograph of a
singer in the role of Mercutio.
The Ballad of Queen Mab
(Romeo's friend Mercutio sings this to help ease his fears about a bad dream that
he had.)
Mercutio: Mab, the queen of lies, rules over our dreams; flightier
than the breeze, deceptive; through space, through time, she flies, she flees! Her
chariot, which the swiftest specks draw through the clearest ether, was made from
an empty nutshell by an earthworm, her carriage maker! Her harness, the finest lace,
was cut from the wings of some green grasshopper by her coachman, the gnat! A cricket's
bone the handle of his whip, the lash a white moonbeam taken from the flood of light
where Diana holds court. Every night, in these trappings, Mab visits, in her flight,
the spouse who dreams of widowhood and the lover who dreams of love! When she comes
near, the flirt dreams of outfits and coiffure, the courtier bows and scrapes, the
poet makes his verses rhyme.
Queen Mab
Queen Mab was a character in literature and mythological tales. Here is the beginning
of Mercutio's speech from the Shakespeare play:
"O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies" midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone
On the fore-finger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies
Athwart men's noses as they lie asleep;
Her wagon-spokes made of long spinners" legs,
The cover of the wings of grasshoppers,
The traces of the smallest spider's web,
The collars of the moonshine's watery beams,
Her whip of cricket's bone;
Gertrude
The role of Gertrude is small, but very important. It is sung by a mezzo-soprano,
the lowest in range of the female voice-types in opera. Here is a typical costume
for the role.
Juliet's Waltz
(“Je veux vivre”) (Juliet, at her birthday party, tells her nurse Gertrude that
she doesn't want to settle down with Paris…she wants to live and love and be carefree!)
Juliet: Ah…I want to live in this dream that delights me today!
Sweet flame, I keep you in my soul like a treasure! This intoxication of youth lasts,
alas, but an hour, then comes the time one starts to cry, the heart falls in love
and happiness is gone forever. Far from gloomy winter, let me dream and smell the
rose before the petals drop. Ah, sweet flame, stay in my heart like a sweet treasure
a long time still!
Romeo and Juliet Duet
(“Ange adorable”) (Romeo approaches Juliet at the Capulet's party and strikes up
a conversation with her.)
Romeo: The saints have rosy mouths…
Juliet: Only to pray with!
R: Do they not hear the voice that counsels them to a more merciful
verdict?
J: The prayers of love leave their hearts unmoved even in granting
them!
R: Then grant my prayers and let no blush appear upon your rosy
cheeks. (He kisses her hand)
J: Ah, I could not defend myself! I have taken your sin upon me!
R: If it would make you feel better, would you like to give it
back?
J: No! I have taken it! Leave it with me!
R: You have taken it! Give it back to me!
Tybalt
The role of Tybalt is a tenor role and is one of the few tenor roles written as
a villainous character. Here is a photograph of a singer in the role of Tybalt.
Lord Capulet
Lord Capulet is a role written for a bass, the lowest male voice-type in opera.
Here is a photograph of a singer in the role of Capulet.
Night
Click above to listen to an excerpt of the opening of the "Balcony Scene". The orchestra
creates the feeling of night in a fragrant garden.
Friar Laurence
The role of Friar Laurence is written for a bass, the lowest male voice-type in
opera. This is a photograph of a singer in the role.
Stéphano
The role of Stéphano is unusual. It is a "pants" or "trouser" role, a mezzo-soprano
(female voice-type) singing the role of a male character. This was quite common
on the opera stage in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. Here is a photograph
of a mezzo-soprano in the role of Stéphano.
Stephano's Aria
(“Que fais tu, blanche tourtourelle”) (Stephano, a page of Romeo, stands outside
the Capulet's house and pokes fun at them, likening Juliet to a turtledove and her
family as vultures.)
Stephano: What are you doing, white turtledove, in this nest of
vultures? Someday, spreading your wings, you will fly after love! For vultures,
they must fight, to strike, cut and thrust, their beaks are sharpened! Leave the
birds of prey there, turtledove, who finds your joy in loving kisses! Guard the
beauty well! Who lives shall see! Your turtledove will escape you!
Romeo and Tybalt Duel
(Romeo comes upon a terrible scene: his friend Mercutio has been badly wounded in
a duel with the Capulets. He turns on Tybalt angrily and duels with him.)
Romeo: Ah, now fly back up to heaven shameful caution! And you,
fury with eyes of flame, be the only law of my heart! (draws his sword)
Tybalt…there is no coward here but you! (they duel) Have at you!! (Romeo
stabs Tybalt who is mortally wounded and staggers to the ground. Capulet enters,
runs to him and holds him in his arms.)
Capulet: Good God! Tybalt!
Benvolio: His sound is fatal! (to Romeo) Run! Don't lose
an instant!!
