BEg chapter 10 opera lore

[Michael Bailey]

I’m not up on opera at all.
I like that Charles Ives song about the opera house though.

https://youtu.be/pcH8c42anaE (Marine Band)

https://youtu.be/V6Of9vcT80s (with vocal)



Frank Loesser as an operatic composer - this would maybe devolve from their
thoughts about Guys and Dolls which they just saw & for which he wrote the
music - Broadway musical to opera not so distant - all the articles online
say Loesser used elements of opera in “The Most Happy Fella” which I think
is because there are 40+ songs.



Nessun Dorma - a tenor aria, but 2 of the 3 choices are sung by women.

Jussi Björling -
https://youtu.be/xT09SI0LAjg

Deanna Durbin -
https://youtu.be/9FYLr2wqLbk

Aretha Franklin -
https://youtu.be/k33sINjn9o0



Squillo - Squillo is easily recognizable by a distinctive brilliant,
ringing quality in the timbre of the voice. This perception is caused by
the presence of a peak in the 2 - 5 kHz frequency range, to which the human
ear is particularly sensitive. (reddit)


Jussi Björling as a California campus (demonstrating Maxine’s oblivity to
opera)
— along the lines of “subverting the diegesis” both of these jokes are
wonderful mnemonics for their respective butts. Butt of the joke, that
is…is there a better term?



Later in chapter, Tosca is invoked as a cautionary tale for Maxine before
becoming involved with an FBI agent.


Tosca - is the heroine

Scarpia is the chief of police under Napoleon when he takes over Rome in
1800

Cavaradossi is the painter with whom Tosca is in love

Angelotti is the political fugitive hiding from Scarpia in the chapel where
Cavaradossi is painting (they are old friends) He kills himself (if he had
only done this earlier it would have saved a lot of trouble for Tosca!)

Scarpia is still going to execute Cavaradossi, unless Tosca lets him do her
- the cad!

After agreeing and getting assurance of a phony execution, & a letter of
safe passage for herself and Cavaradossi, Tosca stabs that rat bastard
Scarpia to death.

But he betrayed them so Cavaradossi’s execution is not fake, but real.

& Tosca throws herself off the parapet.


Egads - cherchez la polizia segreta, Maxine!