front cover of original 1899 libretto
the first draft libretto illica produced puccini resurfaced in 2000 after being lost many years. contains considerable differences final libretto, relatively minor in first 2 acts more appreciable in third, description of roman dawn opens third act longer, , cavaradossi s tragic aria, eventual e lucevan le stelle , has different words. 1896 libretto offers different ending, in tosca not die instead goes mad. in final scene, cradles lover s head in lap , hallucinates , mario on gondola, , asking gondolier silence. sardou refused consider change, insisting in play, tosca must throw herself parapet death. puccini agreed sardou, telling him mad scene have audiences anticipate ending , start moving towards cloakrooms. puccini pressed librettists hard, , giacosa issued series of melodramatic threats abandon work. 2 librettists able give puccini hoped final version of libretto in 1898.
little work done on score during 1897, puccini devoted performances of la bohème. opening page of autograph tosca score, containing motif associated scarpia, dated january 1898. @ puccini s request, giacosa irritably provided new lyrics act 1 love duet. in august, puccini removed several numbers opera, according biographer, mary jane phillips-matz, cut[ting] tosca bone, leaving 3 strong characters trapped in airless, violent, tightly wound melodrama had little room lyricism . @ end of year, puccini wrote busting balls on opera.
puccini asked clerical friends words congregation mutter @ start of act 1 te deum; when nothing provided satisfied him, supplied words himself. te deum music, investigated melodies hymn set in roman churches, , sought reproduce cardinal s procession authentically, uniforms of swiss guards. adapted music exact pitch of great bell of st. peter s basilica, , equally diligent when writing music opens act 3, in rome awakens sounds of church bells. journeyed rome , went castel sant angelo measure sound of matins bells there, heard ramparts. puccini had bells roman dawn cast order 4 different foundries. apparently did not have desired effect, illica wrote ricordi on day after premiere, great fuss , large amount of money bells have constituted additional folly, because passes unnoticed . nevertheless, bells provide source of trouble , expense opera companies performing tosca day.
in act 2, when tosca sings offstage cantata celebrates supposed defeat of napoleon, puccini tempted follow text of sardou s play , use music of giovanni paisiello, before writing own imitation of paisello s style. not until 29 september 1899 puccini able mark final page of score completed. despite notation, there additional work done, such shepherd boy s song @ start of act 3. puccini, sought put local colour in works, wanted song in roman dialect. composer asked friend have romanesco poet write words; poet , folklorist luigi giggi zanazzo (it) wrote verse which, after slight modification, placed in opera.
in october 1899, ricordi realized of music cavaradossi s act 3 aria, o dolci mani borrowed music puccini had cut opera, edgar , demanded changes. puccini defended music expressive of cavaradossi must feeling @ point, , offered come milan play , sing act 3 publisher. ricordi overwhelmed completed act 3 prelude, received in november, , softened views, though still not happy music o dolci mani . in event time short before scheduled january 1900 premiere make further changes.
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