Composer and Painter in one Pod

Just as an author paints a landscape with words, so does the composer when he attaches music to a libretto. He draws the listener into a drama of his choosing by engaging our auditory sense. It sounds so obvious and yet we often forget that this phenomenon exists. Let’s see how this concept plays itself out in opera – Rigoletto for example. The aristocrat Monterone has cursed Rigoletto; the latter is mortified. In the following scene, Rigoletto is on his way home. He cannot shake the curse from his mind; he is pre-occupied by it. Sparafucile, a professional assassin, approaches Rigoletto and the scene becomes a duet. [https://youtu.be/A9CIr6vhsq0]. Two men are engaged in conversation. Are they standing or walking? At the same gait? Most people would say that Rigoletto and Sparafucile are stationary. But the second question is suspicious; why raise it at all? The lilting music that accompanies the scene makes the listener cautious as to the intent of the composer. [00:47 – 01:45]. This musical figure, which is used as an accompaniment, is prominent for nearly a full minute. It has four beats to a measure where the rest is equal to the sound oom and the note is equal to the sound pah. When the figure is played together, and in a continuum, the result is oom-pah, pah-oom, oom-pah-pah-oom, oom-pah-pah-oom etc. If we were to pace this out, we would realize that we are limping or, at best, shuffling along. Verdi is telling us that in addition to being a hunchback, Rigoletto also limps. That and more. The conversation between Rigoletto and Sparafucile takes place as both men are moving. The flowing quality of the melody itself, at the very least, suggests Sparafucile’s gait which, of course, is different than that of Rigoletto. It is a brilliant piece of writing that shows Verdi’s outstanding ability to describe human interaction with sensitive accuracy and, in a sense, painting a vivid picture in musical terms.