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As documented in their extensive correspondence and with Verdi's overall detailed supervision, two completed and still extant versions of the libretto were prepared, the first in 1853 followed by the second in 1855. Only in 1996 did music historian Leo Karl
Gerhartz come across a brief paper in the
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However, in his letter to Somma of 22 April 1853, Verdi laid out some of his reasons for disliking the subjects which Somma had proposed, noting his reservations about repeating subject areas which he had already tackled and observing that "I prefer
Shakespeare to all dramatists, not excepting the
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Many of the subsequent letters from the composer (those of 29 June, 30 August, and 9 September 1853 for example), in addition to others continuing into April 1856, constantly demonstrate Verdi's detailed oversight. Subsequent correspondence with Somma up to 1859 focuses primarily on the problems
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and he re-read the play himself, then sought Somma's reactions. Their extensive correspondence has been preserved; it thoroughly documents Verdi's oversight and detailed supervision, the result being two completed and still extant versions of the libretto prepared by Somma in 1853 and 1855.
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Following
Cammarano's death, Antonio Somma, who was both a friend and a dramatist ("but also a neophyte in the libretto making trade") approached Verdi with ideas for a libretto. He was instrumental in anonymously writing the original libretto for
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Right from the beginning, Verdi had ideas as to how the play should be adapted. His 1850 letter lays out what he sees as certain strategies, including the relative importance of the characters. Specifically, he saw only five main ones: Lear,
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is so tremendous, so intricate, that it would seem impossible to make an opera of it. However, after examining it closely, it seems to me that the difficulties, great as they are, are not insuperable. You know, we need not turn
175:, Kent, and Gloucester. The others, would be very subordinate roles and the work would only 8 or 9 scenes (as compared to the play's 22). However, Verdi sent an outline of 11 scenes (the same as in
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who asked "Maestro, why didn't you put it into music?". According to
Mascagni, "softly and slowly he replied 'the scene in which King Lear finds himself on the heath scared me'".
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project is widely considered illustrative of Verdi's complex and enduring fascination with
Shakespeare. Verdi commissioned the libretto first from
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In a further letter to Somma a month later (after he had re-read the play), Verdi detailed his concept of how the opera should be constructed.
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into the sort of drama that has been customary up to now. We must treat it in a completely new way, without any regard for convention.
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Schmidgall, 1985, p. 84: He notes that the material is in the Verdi
Archive of the Bobst Library at New York University
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In his last letter to
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Werfel and Stefan 1973, pp. 178 to 190. No further letters from Verdi to Somma appear in this volume.
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After the librettist's death, the detailed sketch was handed over to Verdi; it still survives.
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Verdi's Middle Period 1849-1859: Source
Studies, Analysis, and Performance Practice
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who would be sung by a contralto. The "Secondary roles would be reduced to four:
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Greeks". Accordingly, he asked the librettist to take a look at
Shakespeare's
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remained with Verdi into the 1890s, no music for the opera was ever composed.
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project kept haunting Verdi to the end of his life. In 1896, he offered his
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In a letter of 28 February 1850, Verdi outlined his thoughts to
Cammarano:
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play with which Verdi struggled for so many years, but without success".
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Verdi to Somma, 22 April 1853, in Werfel and Stefan 1973, pp. 175—176.
35:"Lear in the Storm"; George Romney, 19th century drawing, date unk.
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Verdi to Cammarano, 28 February 1850, in Schmidgall, 1985, p. 83
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Verdi to Somma, 22 May 1853, in Werfel and Stefan 1973, p. 177.
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504:(Ed. & selected; trans. Edward Downes) (1973),
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441:Giuseppe Verdi – Antonio Somma, Per il 'Re Lear'
443:, Parma, Istituto Nazionale di Studi Verdiani.
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418:"Verdi the Man and Verdi the Dramatist (II)"
306:on opera.stanford.edu Retrieved 24 June 2013
424:, Vol. 2, No. 3 (March 1979), pp. 214–230.
247:which Verdi was having with the censors on
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22:Verdi in the 1850s around the time of
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98:on what was eventually to become
439:Carrara Verdi, G. (Ed.) (2002),
188:which will be our masterpiece."
69:for the Italian opera composer
506:Verdi: The Man and His Letters
372:Carrara Verdi, G. (ed.) 2002,
324:Carrara Verdi, G. (ed.) 2002,
104:, he proposed that Somma read
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478:Springer, Christian (2005), "
482:- Shakespeare bei Verdi" in
112:However, while the idea of
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941:BBC Television Shakespeare
622:The Mirror for Magistrates
508:, New York: Vienna House.
235:Carrara-Verdi archives at
1085:Operas based on King Lear
1045:The Prince of the Pagodas
614:Historia Regum Britanniae
460:Schmidgall, Gary (1985),
159:, the brothers Edgar and
120:Development of a libretto
61:) is an Italian operatic
1053:The Tragedy of King Lear
697:The History of King Lear
65:in four acts written by
474:(subscription required)
446:Chusid, Martin (1997),
426:(subscription required)
345:Schmidgall, 1985, p. 84
304:Antonio Somma biography
786:(Libretto only) (1896)
630:Holinshed's Chronicles
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125:Working with Cammarano
54:[ˌrelˈli(ːa)r]
50:Italian pronunciation:
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705:The Yiddish King Lear
228:, seeking his ideas.
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993:Story within a story
403:The Mascagni website
249:Un Ballo in Maschera
217:Un ballo in maschera
101:Un ballo in maschera
673:Cordelia of Britain
550:William Shakespeare
416:G. A. Mendelsohn,
150:Salvadore Cammarano
92:Salvadore Cammarano
486:, Praesens Verlag
470:19th-Century Music
422:19th-Century Music
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195:Working with Somma
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73:. It was based on
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842:Gunasundari Katha
374:Per il 'Re Lear'
326:Per il 'Re Lear'
315:Chusid 1997, p. 3
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1013:(1983 film)
1010:The Dresser
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1002:The Dresser
853:(1971 USSR)
713:Safed Khoon
682:Adaptations
237:Sant' Agata
211:Gustavo III
81:Shakespeare
1074:Categories
925:Television
906:My Kingdom
890:Gypsy Lore
563:Characters
270:References
178:I Lombardi
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973:King Lear
949:King Lear
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861:(1971 UK)
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914:Lear Rex
748:La Terre
595:The Fool
575:Cordelia
466:Project"
254:But the
157:Cordelia
63:libretto
783:Re Lear
656:Related
605:Sources
580:Goneril
480:Re Lear
434:Sources
290:" and "
256:Re Lear
186:Re Lear
173:Goneril
114:Re Lear
88:Re Lear
79:, "the
43:Re Lear
1100:Operas
1037:Tiriel
984:(2018)
976:(2008)
968:(2003)
960:(2002)
952:(1983)
944:(1982)
936:(1953)
909:(2001)
901:(1999)
893:(1997)
885:(1997)
877:(1987)
869:(1985)
845:(1949)
837:(1916)
829:(1910)
810:(2000)
802:(1998)
794:(1978)
775:Operas
767:(2009)
759:(1991)
751:(1887)
740:Novels
732:(1978)
724:(1971)
716:(1907)
708:(1892)
700:(1681)
641:(1594)
633:(1577)
625:(1555)
617:(1136)
590:Edmund
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161:Edmund
1029:Other
917:(TBA)
818:Films
689:Plays
585:Regan
275:Notes
169:Regan
791:Lear
764:Fool
721:Lear
663:Llŷr
510:ISBN
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292:Lear
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165:Fool
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86:The
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