MUSIC 27 Study Guide - Final Guide: Aria, Il Trovatore, Jester
Document Summary
During the romantic era, opera seria died out singspiel and opera buffa remained. Verdi was a very intelligent and also kind-hearted man. Verdi had a gift of appealing to the gut, but also understood theater. Rigoletto is the court jester to the duke of mantua the duke of mantua is a rapacious womanizer (think don giovanni on steroids) Rigoletto is quite the cynical chap, but he loves his daughter gilda the duke has decided that gilda is to be his next conquest the duke disguises himself as a stranded young scholar. Rigoletto takes gilda to eavesdrop on the duke as he meets with a prostitute. Gilda realized that the duke disguised himself as the young student following a quartet, rigoletto tells gilda to return home to verona. Rigoletto has hired an assassin to kill the duke of mantua the duke sings an aria in which he expresses his contempt for women.
