"THE BARBER OF SEVILLE."
Rossini had engaged to supply two operas for Rome, both to be produced
during the carnival of 1816. The first, "Torvaldo e Dorliska," was duly
finished and brought out at the commencement of the carnival. The same
day, December 26th, 1815, Rossini signed an agreement with the manager,
Cesarini, by which he bound himself to furnish the second work on the
20th of January following. The brothers Escudier, in their valuable
"Life of Rossini,"[16] have published this agreement, which is worth
reproducing, if only to show under what pressure Rossini was sometimes
obliged to write--under what pressure he was able to write.
Here, then, is the contract in compliance with which Rossini produced,
almost improvised, his masterpiece, "The Barber of Seville."
"Nobil teatro di Torre Argentina.
"_Dec. 26, 1815._
"By the present act, drawn up privately between the parties, the
value of which is not thereby diminished, and according to the
conditions consented to by them, it has been stipulated as
follows:--
"Signor Puca Sforza Cesarini, manager of the above-named theatre,
engages Signor maestro Gioachino Rossini for the next carnival
season of the year 1816; and the said Rossini promises and binds
himself to compose, and produce on the stage, the second comic
drama to be represented in the said season at the theatre
indicated, and to the libretto which shall be given to him by the
said manager, whether this libretto be old or new. The maestro
Rossini engages to deliver his score in the middle of the month of
January, and to adapt it to the voices of the singers; obliging
himself, moreover, to make, if necessary, all the changes which may
be required as much for the good execution of the music as to suit
the capabilities or exigencies of the singers.
"The maestro Rossini also promises and binds himself to be at
Rome, and to fulfil his engagement, not later than the end of
December of the current year, and to deliver to the copyist the
first act of his opera, quite complete, on the 20th of January,
1816. The 20th of January is mentioned in order that the partial
and general rehearsals may be commenced at once, and that the piece
may be brought out the day the director wishes, the date of the
first representation being hereby fixed for about the 5th of
February. And the maestro Rossini shall also deliver to the copyist
at the time wished his second act, so that there may be time to
make arrangements and to terminate the rehearsals soon enough to go
before the public on the evening mentioned above; otherwise the
maestro Rossini will expose himself to all losses, because so it
must be, and not otherwise.
"The maestro Rossini shall, moreover, be obliged to direct his
opera according to the custom, and to assist personally at all the
vocal and orchestral rehearsals as many times as it shall be
necessary, either at the theatre or elsewhere, at the will of the
director; he obliges himself also to assist at the three first
representations, to be given consecutively, and to direct the
execution at the piano; and that because so it must be, and not
otherwise. In reward for his fatigues the director engages to pay
to the maestro Rossini the sum and quantity of four hundred Roman
scudi as soon as the three first representations which he is to
direct at the piano shall be terminated.[17]
"It is also agreed that in case of the piece being forbidden, or
the theatre closed by the act of the authority, or for any
unforeseen reason, the habitual practice, in such cases, at the
theatres of Rome and of all other countries, shall be observed.
"And to guarantee the complete execution of this agreement, it
shall be signed by the manager, and also by the maestro Gioachino
Rossini; and, in addition, the said manager grants lodging to the
maestro Rossini, during the term of the agreement, in the same
house that is assigned to Signor Luigi Zamboni."
Rossini, then, for composing the "Barber of Seville," received not
quite eighty pounds, together with a lodging in the house occupied by
Signor Luigi Zamboni--the future Figaro.
It may be thought that he at least got something for the copyright of
the music? He got nothing for the copyright of the music. He did not
even take the trouble to get it engraved; and two of the pieces, the
overture (for which the overture to "Aureliano in Palmira" was
afterwards substituted), and the scene of the music lesson (originally
treated as a concerted piece), were lost.
Rossini wrote his operas for stage representation, and thought no more
of their publication by means of the press than did Shakspeare and
Molière of the publication of their plays. Indeed, the first appearance
of a complete edition of Rossini's operas was to Rossini himself a
surprise, and by no means an agreeable one.
* * * * *
He had, in fact, enough to do in producing his works; and, practically,
had obtained for them all he could get when he had once been paid by the
theatre. What he sold to the manager was the right of representation for
two years; after which he had no right of any kind in his works. Any
one might play them, any one might engrave them.
One year after the production of a new opera, the composer had the right
to take back the original score from the theatre; and this Rossini
sometimes neglected to do, or, in the case of the "Barber," the two
missing pieces would not have been lost.
From the publishers who engraved his works, and made large sums of money
by selling them, he never, as long as he remained in Italy, received a
farthing.
* * * * *
When Rossini signed his agreement with Cesarini he had not the least
idea what the libretto furnished to him would be. The manager had to
arrange that matter with the censor before consulting the composer at
all. Rossini had bound himself to set whatever was given to him, "new or
old;" and it was, perhaps, fortunate that he had not left himself the
right of refusing the admirable subject which Cesarini proposed to him a
few days afterwards.
The statement that Rossini wrote the whole of the "Barber of Seville" in
thirteen days belongs originally to Stendhal. Castil-Blaze[18] says one
month. It is certain the work did not occupy the composer near a month,
and he really seems to have completed it in about a fortnight.
On the 26th December, when the agreement was signed, there was no
libretto, and Rossini had not yet finished with "Torvaldo e Dorliska,"
which was produced on the evening of the 26th. On that evening, and the
two following ones, Rossini had to direct the execution of his new work.
He was not free then until the 29th; but he was not bound to supply the
first act--more than half the opera, allowing for the length and musical
importance of the finale--before Jan. 20th. The second act was to be
furnished to the manager "at the time wished," and he certainly would
not have desired to have it many days later than Jan. 20th, inasmuch as
the opera had to be presented to the public on Feb. 5th.
Rossini, then, may have worked at the "Barber of Seville" from December
29th to January 24th, which would allow for the rehearsals just the time
ordinarily required at the Italian theatres--twelve days. He must have
composed the opera in less than a month, and he may, as Stendhal says,
and as M. Azevedo repeats, apparently on Stendhal's authority, have
finished it in thirteen days' time, for it is certain that some days
were lost in choosing a subject, or rather in getting the choice
approved by the Roman authorities.
At last, when the "Barber of Seville" had been decided upon by the
manager and the censor, Rossini would only consent on condition that an
entirely new libretto should be prepared for him. The construction of
the new libretto was entrusted to Sterbini, the poet of "Torvaldo e
Dorliska," and as no time was to be lost, the composer suggested that he
should take up his quarters in "the house assigned to Luigi Zamboni."
In this remarkable establishment, the composer, the librettist, and the
original Figaro lived together for, say a fortnight, while the
masterpiece was being manufactured.
For materials Rossini and his poet had Beaumarchais' comedy and the
libretto of Paisiello's opera; and this time, by way of exception,
instead of composing the music piece by piece as the words were
furnished to him, Rossini commenced by asking Sterbini to read to him
Beaumarchais' comedy from beginning to end.
"Il Barbiere" has quite the effect of an improvisation corrected and
made perfect; and it was, indeed, produced under the most favourable
circumstances for unity and completeness. Rossini had made Sterbini
promise to remain with him until the opera was finished, and as rapidly
as the latter wrote the verses the former set them to music.
Paisiello's distribution of scenes was not adopted--was purposely
avoided; though the great situations in the comedy are of course
reproduced in both the operas. In the new version of the "Barber" the
grotesque episodical figures of "la Jeunesse" and "l'Eveillé" which
Paisiello had retained, are very properly omitted. Where recitative
would have been employed by the old master, Rossini has substituted
dialogue sustained by the orchestra, the current of melody which flows
throughout the work being here transferred from the voices to the
instruments. There are more musical pieces, and there is twice or three
times as much music in the new "Barber" as in the old.
Fortunately Sterbini was an amateur poet unburdened with literary pride,
and prepared to carry out the composer's ideas. Rossini not only kept
up with the librettist, but sometimes found himself getting in advance.
He then suggested words for the music which he had already in his head.
Some of the best pieces in "Il Barbiere," notably that of "La Calunnia,"
seem to have been directly inspired by Beaumarchais' eloquent, impetuous
prose.
On the other hand, the famous "Largo al Fattotum," though equally
replete with the spirit of Beaumarchais, may be said to owe something of
its rhythm, and therefore something of its gaiety, to Sterbini's
rattling verses. The librettist was in a happy vein that morning, and
thought he had over-written himself. He told Rossini to take what verses
suited him and throw the rest aside. Rossini took them all and set them
to the rapid, elastic light-hearted melody, which at once stamps the
character of _Figaro_.
* * * * *
In the room where the two inventors were at work a number of copyists
were employed, to whom the sheets of music were thrown one by one as
they were finished. Doubtless the chief lodger, Luigi Zamboni, looked in
from time to time to see how the part of _Figaro_ was getting on.
Probably too the spirited impresario called occasionally to inquire how
the work generally was progressing.
But whether or not Rossini received visits he certainly did not return
them. Without taking it for granted, as M. Azevedo does, that the joint
authors for thirteen days and nights had scarcely time to eat: and
slept, when they could no longer keep their eyes open, on a sofa (they
would have saved time in the end by taking their clothes off and going
to bed), we may be quite sure that "Il Barbiere" is the result of one
continuous effort--if to an act of such rapid spontaneous production the
word effort can be applied.
Rossini is said to have told some one, that during the thirteen days
which he devoted to the composition of the "Barber" (if Rossini really
said "thirteen days" there is of course an end to the question of time),
he did not get shaved.
"It seems strange," was the rather obvious reply, "that through the
'Barber,' you should have gone without shaving."
"If I had got shaved," explained Rossini, very characteristically, "I
should have gone out, and if I had gone out I should not have come back
in time."
While Rossini was working and letting his beard grow, Paisiello was
quietly taking measures to insure a warm reception for the new opera.
According to Stendhal, Rossini had received a distinct permission from
Paisiello to reset "Il Barbiere," though, as a mere matter of etiquette,
no such permission was necessary. M. Azevedo denies that Rossini wrote
to Paisiello at all, though he also represents the old maestro as
perfectly well informed on the subject of Rossini's labours, and very
anxious to frustrate them.
One thing is certain, that Rossini, in sending his libretto to press,
prefixed to it the following--
"ADVERTISEMENT TO THE PUBLIC.
"Beaumarchais' comedy, entitled the 'Barber of Seville, or the
Useless Precaution,'[19] is presented at Rome in the form of a
comic drama, under the title of 'Almaviva, or the Useless
Precaution,' in order that the Public may be fully convinced of
the sentiments of respect and veneration by which the author of
the music of this drama is animated with regard to the celebrated
Paisiello, who has already treated the subject under its primitive
title.
"Himself invited to undertake this difficult task, the maestro
Gioachino Rossini, in order to avoid the reproach of entering
rashly into rivalry with the immortal author who preceded him,
expressly required that the 'Barber of Seville' should be entirely
versified anew, and also that new situations should be added for
the musical pieces, which, moreover, are required by the modern
theatrical taste, entirely changed since the time when the renowned
Paisiello wrote his work.
"Certain other differences between the arrangement of the present
drama and that of the French comedy above cited were produced by
the necessity of introducing choruses, both for conformity with
modern usage, and because they are indispensable for musical effect
in so vast a theatre. The courteous public is informed of this
beforehand, that it may also excuse the author of the new drama,
who, unless obliged by these imperious circumstances, would never
have ventured to introduce the least change into the French work,
already consecrated by the applause of all the theatres in Europe."
Beneath the title of the libretto was the following sub-title: "Comedy
by Beaumarchais, newly versified throughout, and arranged for the use of
the modern Italian musical theatre, by Cesare Sterbini, of Rome;" and
the publication was sanctioned by the indispensable _imprimatur_ of J.
Della Porta, Patriarch of Constantinople. This patriarch _in partibus_
was invested with the actual functions of theatrical censor.