Anatomy of an Aria

Arias are usually written for principal singers in an opera.  It is rare and infrequent that a minor character is assigned to sing an aria.  Such an occurrence presents itself in Act IV of Puccini’s La Bohème in the person of the philosopher, Colline.   He is one of four friends who share a garret in mid-nineteenth-century Paris and is the least prominent.  Except for Rodolfo, he is the only one to sing an aria, ‘Vecchia zimarra’ (Venerable coat) Vecchia zimarra.  It is brief and it is seemingly out of place in the closing moments of the opera. Like “Vissi d’arte” in Tosca, some might consider it superfluous, However, if Puccini included it in the work, he had his reasons. Consider the accompaniment.  It is slow and plodding; clearly, it is a dirge.  Mimi’s death is impending. Colline wishes to be part of the effort made by Mimi’s friends, to save her life. In the aria, Colline expresses his deepest feelings, not for the old dilapidated coat he purchased in the opening moments of Act, II but for Mimi. He addresses his remarks to an inanimate object but he is really talking to Mimi.  In psychological terminology, Colline is using displacement as a comfortable way for him to express his deep and close feelings for Mimi. Puccini describes Colline as distant and remote; he is incapable of expressing feelings in a direct way.  Note that in Act II, when Rodolfo magnanimously introduces Mimi to his comrades, Marcello responds warmly and heartily; Schaunard and Colline both greet Mimi in Latin – remote and uninviting. Schaunard uses one phrase, Colline, two. Colline is twice as removed as Schaunard. In Act IV, Colline addresses the warn-out coat in the warmest of terms.  One wonders how anyone can, realistically, become so attached to a second-hand item that was purchased just a few, short months before. Pay attention to the musical line. For the phrase ‘Io rest al pian’ (I remain here), the music ascends; for the phrase ‘tu ascendere il sacro monte’ (you ascend the holy mountain), the musical line descends (0:18 – 0:24). The holy mountain is a reference to heaven and ascending it means dying.  However, if the musical lines are reversed as they are in this part of the aria, it means that there is a wish to deny death. The musical theme recurs towards the end of the aria ‘ti dico [ascending] addio’ (I bid you farewell) [descending]. However, here the musical lines appropriately reflect the text. Note too, that the elegant pacing and tempo in the aria approximates or even mimics the frolicking melody in Act II when Colline chimes in Signorina Mimi (0:48 -0:55) to the gay atmosphere created by the introduction of Mimi to the group. In other words, the heretofore remote and emotionally isolated Colline becomes animated in  Mimi’s presence. For him, Mimi’s imminent death will be a terrible loss. This is Puccini’s exquisite way of handling Colline’s deep affection for Mimi. As expressed previously, it is the only way that the shy philosopher could comfortably express his deepest feelings. Is this not genius?