Research On The Finale Fugue In Falstaff By Verdi

Falstaff is an comic opera that Verdi has waited for more than half a century. Through a more concise technique of music, Verdi created a typical figure that is happy and true, and created a relaxed, humorous and unique comedy world which is full of wisdom and laughter. After he had agreed to write the opera for the libretto by Boito, Verdi designed a comic fugue for it at first, and put it in the end of the opera to reveal the secret of Falstaff's happiness.The subject, "All in the world is laughter. Man's created for clowning", sang by Falstaff first, is a mock at Falstaff himself and everybody in Windsor. Meanwhile, it implicated senses of endless bleakness behind the light laughter. To echo with the fugue subject, in fact, Verdi seemed to make an academic joke in the fugue, which is strict and bold, linking the music and drama closely. With one wordless autobiography of the author contained, Falstaff is Verdi's last musical drama in his composing career. The confident pursuit of happiness is Falstaff's nature, while regret at aging is his deepest feeling.In Falstaff, one opera he wrote for himself for the first time, Verdi created a really Shakespearean classical comedy depicting human nature, combining the fruits generated from his engaging amelioration of the musical tradition of Italian opera with the wisdom coming from his devious life; through it he bade farewell to the stage of Music and Drama, closing his life and career of composition with wise smile."But he who laughs the best is he who laughs last" in the Fugue is not only the victory of Falstaff, but also a true portrayal of the composer himself.This thesis is divided into four parts. Chapter One introduces the opera Falstaff in general. Verdi would never abandon the wish of re-writing a comic opera after the failure of Un giorno di regno, his first comic opera which was present in 1840. On the contrary, and he has accumulated more wisdom and composing skills during past years, and put all his ideals and wishes into the comedy which he has been looking forward to more than half a century. Only a really Shakespearian libretto can meet the essential requirement of Verdi. In chapter Two, there is a detailed musical analysis of the Finale Fugue itself and its place in the whole comic opera. To compose musical drama, Verdi had been studying fugues since youth. In the Finale Fugue, he combined the traditional and original methods to arrive at a victory of polyphony. The Fugue is not only the starting point but also the ending point of the opera, and the tactful design of this kind brings unique musical effect to the opera. In Chapter Three, there is a social and historical analysis of the period when Falstaff was composed, so as to comprehend the profound significance of the Fugue in the composer's life and composing career. In the musical techniques there are many similar aspects between Falstaff and Wagner, which does not prove that Verdi has surrendered to Wagner. On the contrary, it is the natural result of his engaging amelioration of the traditional opera of Italy that the composer intended to reveal. Falstaff is not only an evidence that Verdi can compose comic opera, but also one of masterpieces in Italian comic history that comes down in its continuous line. In the last chapter, the conclusion of the thesis is given. From the whole analysis we can know that the Finale Fugue in Falstaff is the soul of music and drama which presides in the opera. As a finale of an opera or of the composer's life, whichsoever, it both has a profound significance: it is not only a brilliant revelation of the opera's meaning, but the generalization and sublimation of its composer.