| This research focuses on editorial problems associated with the operas of Giacomo Puccini, using his third opera, Manon Lescaut, as the base study. With many known revisions as well as undocumented changes, this opera has long been recognized as the most complex example of Puccini's musical scores. The goals are to identify a multi-leveled matrix of revisions and to apply evaluative criteria in order to reconsider what previous scholarship has implied is "definitive".;In cooperation with Ricordi & C. in Milan, the author examined original sources and a broad array of printed materials from various depositories and private libraries in Europe and the United States to identify the nature and source of variants in the opera. The unique contributions of this research include a comprehensive collation of biographical data with performance information alongside known points of revision. Careful examination of the annotated sources uncovered multiple levels of revision misunderstood by previous scholars. A wealth of complementary information was gleaned from an exhaustive comparison of printed sources, including two drafts for revision in French and English, piano-vocal editions in other languages, piano solo editions, selections and arrangements for various instruments, three harp parts, and the two staging manuals with their tables of costumes.;Clarification of the annotated revisions by Puccini and Toscanini overturns current scholarship. The analysis of the impact of revision on formal structure, the summary of patterns of revision, and the use of a large number of auxiliary sources (autograph and otherwise) establish new benchmarks for Puccini studies. |
