“Nessun Dorma” which is an aria from the final act of the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini can be acclaimed as one of the most outstanding tenor arias ever. Its inimitable sound harmony touches the most varied public to the very extremities of their souls. The area is especially famous for the incredible combination of the violin’s sound along with the sound of the classic organ. However, not only does the aria’s music harmony makes it so outstanding, the text with its deep meaning which is so important for the whole opera and its understanding also adds to the riches of this astounding piece of composer art. Generally, it appears that the aria “Nessun Dorma” by Giacomo Puccini has its main peculiarities in its form, style, and composition which are beautifully emphasized by a magnificent duet of the violin along with the organ.
Discussing the aria “Nessun Dorma”, the first thing to be mentioned is its plot as it will help to understand all the depth of emotions and their riches which Giacomo Puccini incorporated into this astounding masterpiece. The very meaning of the “Nessun Dorma” title seems to be very interesting. “Nessun Dorma” means “none shall sleep”, and can be seen as a very successful title for the aria describing its meaningful content (Freeman par.15). In this title, the audience may see the very depth of the singer’s love for the girl to whom it is addressed by the opera’s story plot. Freeman (par.5) describes the story plot of the opera through the prism of the following situation,
The fatally beautiful Princess Turandot receives unlucky suitors from far and wide, who must answer three riddles to win her hand—or die. Calaf, son of the exiled King Timur of Tartary, is struck with Turandot’s beauty, and ignoring protests from his father, he matches wits with the princess. Although he guesses the three riddles, Calaf offers his life to Turandot if she can discover his secret name. Searching the city in vain, the princess finally tortures faithful LiĂą, driving her to suicide. Turandot crumbles, and weeping in Calaf’s arms, she declares that his secret name is Love.
This story plot is often acclaimed as one of the most intriguing and touching ones in the whole course of the art of opera. There exist numerous opinions as to why this story plot is so winning. The following comment seems to express the general vision of this success:
Known for his slice-of-life verismo style, Puccini went off the beaten path in Turandot, setting to music the story of a mythical Chinese princess who’s secretly starved for love. But she’s deeply afraid of it and the subservience she thinks it will bring. So, like an early gender feminist, she exorcises her inner demons by decapitating every suitor who attempts to win her hand.
Of course, to meet such high expectations which are conditioned by this exalted story plot Puccini was at stake to create something astounding, and he did. The aria “Nessun Dorma” can be without a doubt evaluated as the brightest final point for the whole play. It leaves its indelible trace in the mind and soul of its listeners for decades, and the more skilled is the tenor and the violin performer the brighter and stronger this trace appears. So, the question is how such an amazing result can be achieved. The impact of this area is majorly explained by its form, style, and composition (Corliss 4).
Composition Tools
With regards to the instruments used in this composition, it should be stated that they are a lot. However, the violin along with the organ appears to form the basis of the aria’s incredible sound. It is simply amazing when the violin begins to play. This inimitable sound goes deep into the listener’s mind and heart, causing the strongest emotions and feelings. Still, when an organ, is added it is even more striking. One’s teeth are just set on the edge as a result of this sound. And this is no wonder as such a combination is more than a miracle of sound. These instruments make this aria alive, touching, moving, affecting people’s minds, hearts and souls.
Thus, the audience appears to accept this music on a different level; not merely with one’s ears and brain. Much more than this – the very heart and soul of the listeners are affected. The other important instruments participating in this aria are trumpet, bass-viol, and violoncello. Speaking about the aria’s style, it appears that it is a calm classic with the address to a certain measure of mystery and gloominess, at times. Turandot’ a Grand Finale Dark Tone Tells Tale of a Shallow Love (par. 12) comments on the style and the sound of the aria with the following words: “Puccini ‘s music is appropriately dark, loaded with ominous but colorful percussion”. This adds to the exotic sound of the aria and appears as something incredibly sumptuous and magnificent.
Conclusion
Finally, speaking about the special influence the aria has had, it should be stated that the value of “Nessun Dorma” by Giacomo Puccini can be hardly underestimated. The aria opened a new vision on tenor areas giving away a row of similarly magnificent masterworks. Though the area can be seen as something very unusual and simply incredible, there exist some more great works by Puccini and the other composers which can be compared with it. For example, many listeners compare it with “Madama Butterfly” and its main arias (Richards 39). In addition, this inimitable piece of music art is often compared to La Traviata and its “Lunge da lei” – “De’ miei bollenti spiriti”, La Bohème with its “Che gelida manina”, Carmen and its “La fleur que tu m’avais jetĂ©e”, Aida and its “Se quel guerrier io fossi!” – “Celeste Aida”, and La Gioconda and its “Cielo e mar”.
Concluding on all the information related above, it should be stated that the aria “Nessun Dorma” by Giacomo Puccini can be acclaimed as an inimitable piece of the art of music with its main peculiarities of form, style, and composition which are beautifully emphasized by a magnificent duet of the violin along with the organ. It touches every listener to the very extremities of one’s soul. And this is no wonder as the combination of the violin along with the classic organ is more than a miracle of sound. They make this aria alive, touching, moving, affecting people’s minds, hearts and souls. In addition, the story plot of this aria is often acclaimed as one of the most intriguing and touching ones in the whole course of the art of opera.
Works Cited
Corliss, Richard. “Opera for the Inoperative”. Time Magazine 12 (1988):4. Print.
Freeman, John. n. d. Turandot. n. d. Web.
Richards, Denby. “Puccini: a Biographical Kaleidoscope.” Musical Opinion. 2009: 39. Questia. Web.
“‘Turandot’ a Grand Finale Dark Tone Tells Tale of a Shallow Love.” The Washington Times 2009: B08. Questia. Web.