Chihiro Kashiwakura MUS 339 The Journey of Barber of Seville: How was it made?

Introduction What the heck is going on now? was the thought that went through my mind as I sat through my first three hour opera of Rigoletto. There were jesters and assassins, and men seducing woman and cursing at each other. I honestly had no idea what was going on, and I definitely fell asleep drooling in my program for at least an hour. Ever since this experience, opera just seemed like a really boring musical where people sang in gibberish! So, what changed my feelings about opera 180 degrees? It was all thanks to Professor Katherine Syers class (MUS 411 Genre Studies in Musicology Comic Opera). This class boosted my interest in opera because I finally started to understand the history behind opera. How opera became a genre through different traditions was enlightening to me. On top of this reason, I decided to study this topic because I basically had no idea about how an opera production was made. This was something I wanted to learn about because I realized that there were so many aspects of art involved in one opera production. As Donald Schleicher expressed, it is thrilling to be part of a successful production that involves the compilation of all the arts: instruments, voice, theater, dance, etc. it is the only art form that puts everything together in its biggest form. What made opera so thrilling? Literature Review Donald Jay Grouts A Short History of Opera was the first book I went to in order to gain information for my research proposal. This book was helpful because it outlined how opera
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started as a music and drama combined during the sixteenth century in Greece. Then, it talked about Italian, German, and English opera in the seventeenth century to eighteenth century specifically on the works by Gluck and Mozart. Part four discussed my focus which was Italian opera and opera comique. Learning about the history of opera was helpful for me because it gave me and idea of the importance of opera to social culture. The Drama of Opera: Exotic and Irrational Entertainment by Myer Fredman was one of the most important sources for my research paper. This book outlined what kinds of people were involved in an opera production from chorus master to understudies. It also discussed what the typical opera rehearsal schedule was like starting from music coaching to Sitzprobe to piano dress rehearsal to the performance. There was also a section about who was involved in the background such as agents, board of directors, publicity/promotion, and etc. Lastly, this book closed off with what opera used to be, what opera is like now, and what opera can be in the future. This book was definitely a very helpful resource for the purpose of my research. This next book by Philip Gossett Divas and Scholars was another helpful resource concentrating mostly on how to perform a nineteenth century Italian opera. This was especially useful because my focus for this research was based off of Gioachino Rossinis Barber of Seville. From this book, I learned the importance of setting the stage and the history behind Rossinis works when he lived in Naples. There were also other helpful information about how translations were sometimes not the most accurate as Giuseppe Verdi said to Tito Ricordi: Now I know what translation means, and I have sympathy for all the awful translations that exist, because it is impossible to make a good one(Gossett, 364). It is a shame that we are missing out on the true meanings of opera because of translation will never be suffice to the actual language. I definitely felt like I got a better understanding of Italian operas through this book.
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Richard Osbornes article Babiere di Siviglia was useful for my research because he discussed the very first performance practice and the history behind this production that I was focusing on. He also went through an act by act plot synopsis which guided me in understanding the opera of its entirety. Another helpful aspect was that he connected the music into the plot synopsis which made it even more relevant for me because I played in the pit for Barber of Seville. I could hear the music in my head while I read his musical descriptions of the plot synopsis. Phillip Gossetts article on Gioachino Rossini was another useful article because I learned about Rossinis life starting from early years to the end. It also talked about his other operatic works which was helpful for me to compare these works to his Barber of Seville. I listened to some of Rossinis other works like La Gazza Ladra, and I could definitely hear the similarities in this music to the Barber of Seville. Rossini liked to use triple meter, and his famous Rossinian crescendo was also incorporated in both of these operas. Research Questions How are different sections of an opera put together to become one show? What is the preparation process of Barber of Seville at University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana like from rehearsal schedule, Sitzprobe, and to the actual performances? Research Methods For this research, I went to see the piano dress rehearsals the week before the actual performance of the shows. The rehearsals were on Thursday and Friday night from seven pm to eleven pm, and each cast did one piano dress rehearsal. At this point, the singers were fully

dressed with their costumes and make up, and the dress rehearsal started with the curtain opening up to scene one. When one cast was on stage, the members of the other cast were sitting in the audience watching what was going on. Ronald Hedlund, who sang the role Bartolo, sat in the back of the audience practicing his recitatives and arias as Joseph Arko (Bartolo from the other cast) performed on stage. Generally, the singers on stage and off stage both seemed relaxed, but they were also very concentrated on their part. During the breaks, I saw many of them talking to each other and laughing at jokes. There were also the stage director, electricians, light board operators, and sound board operators sitting in the audience with monitors going over each technical instruction with the scenes. On stage, there were moments where the cast was on hold because of either technical issues or because of wrong stage movements. There were also Deck Crew members and Prop Crew members with headsets running across stage franticly trying to fix whatever that went wrong in different occasions. Not only did I collect data by observing these piano dress rehearsals, I interviewed Donald Schleicher who was the conductor of the pit orchestra. I also interviewed Daniel Judd who acted as the Notary in this opera to get the perspective from someone who played a minor role in the chorus of this opera. I recorded the interview I had with him and transcribed into written words. In addition to these interviews, I informally interviewed Ronald Hedlund (Bartolo) and Colin Levin (Figaro) at the rehearsals about their experience with opera. Along with these interviews, I collected artifacts such as programs from the show and plot synopsis packet that Donald Schleicher passed out during one of our orchestra rehearsals.

I analyzed these datas I acquired by physically writing out ideas and words on a sheet of paper. Using these words, I looked for similarities amongst the interviews and observations and created a mind map. In this mind map, I organized the different themes that appeared into several different bubbles and figure out how one idea connected with the other. Trustworthiness of my project is supported by my prolonged engagement with the production of Barber of Seville. Since I was a pit orchestra member of this production, I was at all the orchestra rehearsals, amongst the piano dress rehearsals, Sitzprobes, and the actual performances. Throughout these rehearsals, I took careful notes through observations. By triangulating these observations and interviews with the knowledge that I already had from my five sources of data, I discussed my preconceived bias on opera with my peers in class. Presentation of Themes One major theme that popped up in my data collections was the element of experience. All my participants who I talked to all had experience with opera before in one way or another. Ronald Hedlund leaned over me and asked me during the piano dress rehearsal, Can you hear all the coloratura out here? I had no idea what he was talking about. Then he goes on to explain, Oh, coloratura is all the fancy ornamentations the singers do in their arias. Its their way of showing off their skills! According to the program profile, Ronald Hedlund made his professional debut in 1965 and his Metropolitan Opera national company debut in 1966 Hedlund has a repertoire that includes more than 70 opera roles and more than 30 orchestral, oratorio, and chamber works. From reading his biography, I immediately asked him about his experience with opera and how he remembers all his lines and stage directions. Ronald answered me with a simple answer, I remember my recitative and lines by thinking about the musical

hook. If I hear this music, I need to be here at this time and sing thisI also think of the music beforehand and go over the music every day. Although Ronald had not performed in an opera for several years now, he did a fantastic job each night! His experience helped him become Bartolo one last time on stage again because he played this same role twenty years ago! Donald Schleicher was also another experienced musician in this opera setting. I was music director of a professional summer opera festival for many years. During that festival, I did Barber of Seville a few times. I also conducted a number of UI productions in my early days on the faculty. When I asked him what most satisfied him as a conductor he replied, Making a save. That is, when a singer loses a line, skips a measure, or drops a prop; or, a stage hand forgets to turn on a light, or make a cue, etc. then, the conductor must find a way to instinctively save the situation without notice --- this is most satisfying! Experiencing the thrill of conducting an opera production led Mr. Schleicher to many instances where he had to be quick about saving the opera from falling apart! When he conducting his first opera, Cosi fan tutte by Mozart, he had absolutely no experience with good voices. He had to learn by experiencing mistakes and asking lots of questions to other experienced opera conductors. Having experience was definitely an important factor to an opera production because without these individuals the opera could have never been completed. Another reoccurring theme that I noticed from my data analysis was the idea relating to time. In any opera production, time was of great importance. Donald Schleicher expressed during my interview, the amount of actual time required is a big difference- even in the professional world, someone can guest conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and be in and out of town within a week, but if someone guest conducts at the Met, they will need to be in New

York for months. From this initial interview, the idea of time became something of an interesting aspect that I wanted to research more on. During my interview with Daniel Judd, I got a better sense of how much time commitment was needed for the singers on stage starting at the very beginning: Wellwhat happens here at U of I is thatthey give us music at the beginning of the summer for an audition at the beginning of the year. So, you do that at the very beginning of the year. Then you start your rehearsal we had our music rehearsal before winter break then staging rehearsal after winter break This is the first two month or so. Then you get to the tech run throughThere was one day where I never even went on stage but I was calledthose rehearsals take three and a half hourthen its all week everyday opera! Opera production preparation takes months. Even from observing the piano dress rehearsals, time was a very important aspect. The curtain went up and Count Almaviva started his awkward love song for Rosina on stage, then all of a sudden the stage directors voice is blaring, John, come out! Come out! As the stage turned clockwise and the chandelier came down for the next scene, there was another interruption, Okay, we need to stop and do that transition over again. Everyone needs to go back to your location from the previous scene! For all the props to go back and start over again took another five minutes of waiting. These sorts of stops and interruptions happened several times during the four hour piano dress rehearsals. There was definitely a battle between trying to learn how to get things done versus trying to finish before eleven pm. Discussion/Implications

One question that my findings raised was: why do these people commit themselves in performing in an opera if it was so time consuming? My research questions focused more on learning about the procedure of an opera production, but by the end of my research I wanted to know more about why people did opera. To be quite honest, I was surprised to hear his answer from Donald Schleicher when I asked him why, I am simply a sub for a sabbatical replacement, and doing it as a favor to the Director of the School; the time commitment is huge, thus, although I enjoy the musical challenge, it is not my favorite way to spend my time. I appreciated him for being so honest with me, but I also felt an underlying love for opera and music when he stated this: There is no magic to learning the aspects, mostly trial and error, and asking lots of questions At its core, the voice is a far more expressive instrument than strings, winds, or percussion. Thus, I enjoy working with the human voice because of its close proximity to the heart, therefore the expression. Although becoming the pit conductor for Barber of Seville was not something Donald Schleicher wanted to volunteer to do, I still felt his passion that he had for music arise as he talked about his experience with opera. When I asked Daniel Judd why he did all this when it was so time consuming, he answered, you know thats always a good question. Sometimes I ask myself that. Its one of those unexplainable things where you love something, but youre not really sure whyif I have to say anythingits a thrill to performand at the curtain call, youre like yeaaaaaah! My findings led to people to talk about what was most close to their heart. I listened to people talk about what they felt at the moment of performing in an opera. I learned that opera was committing oneself a hundred percent to create something that was unique and exciting. All

the work these participants put into the production was for different reasons, but everyone came back on the same stage at the end and took a bow together as the crowd applauded and cheered on. I felt a great sense of unity after performing a show each night. Everyone had a smile on their face either because the show went well, or because he/she was just glad it was over. I know that I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment by the end of the fourth show because I knew I did something great that people appreciated. So, more questions arise as I wrap up my research paper that needs to be addressed in a subsequent research. Why is opera still amongst our world when it started in the sixteenth century? What is so appealing about these classic works like Barber of Seville that makes people want to come back over and over again to perform and watch? How does something that was popular five hundred years ago stay alive? Now I feel so fortunate that I was a part of this production of Barber of Seville because I know more than just the performing aspects of this opera. I know what people were thinking, and how they felt when they were performing on stage. Researching how an opera production was made definitely opened up a whole new realm for my musical career. Resources Gossett, Philip. Divas and Scholars: Performing Italian Opera. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2006. Print. Gossett, Philip. "Rossini, Gioachino." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 13 Feb. 2012<http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/23901>. Grout, Donald J. A Short History of Opera. Second ed. New York: Columbia UP, 1965. Print. Fredman, Myer. The Drama of Opera Exotic and Irrational Entertainment. Portland: Sussex Academic, 2003. Print.

Osborne, Richard. "Barbiere di Siviglia, Il (ii)." The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Ed. Stanley Sadie. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 13 Feb. 2012<http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O900429>.

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