his article is for you if fan, I bet you've heard of the
you're a behind-the-scenes composers Verdi, Bizet, Mozart,
kind of person - the admin Strauss, Gounod, Handel,
assistant who gets the Donizetti and Puccini. And I'm
presentation ready for the guys sure you've heard of some of
in marketing but doesn't get to their operas - Aida, Carmen, Cosi
go to the meeting; the PR pro who fan Tutte, Madame Butterfly,
writes all their speeches and Faust, and Don Giovanni, for
answers all the complaint letters instance.
for the president or CEO; the
at-home mother who makes sure the Did you know that these composers
concert pianist practices; the wrote the music for their operas
deputy chief whose job but not the lyrics? Solear,
description is doing all the Ghislanzoni and the other
things the chief doesn't like to individuals in the list are
do or can't do; or the paralegal what's called "librettists." It
who prepares all the pleadings, is they who wrote the words to
knows all the codes, and does all the music that tell the story,
the licking and stamping. without which you would be
listening to a symphony, not an
Temistocle Solear, Antonio opera. And we never hear their
Ghislanzoni, Henri Meilhac, Jules names!
Barbier, Michael Carre, Guiseppe
Giacosa, Luigi Illica, Renato They're called "librettists"
Semoni, and Nicola Haym all know because the words to the songs,
what this is like. which basically comprise the
script of the opera, is called a
Who on earth are these people?? "libretto." It's Italian for
little book.
Well even if you're not an opera
Like Gilbert and Sullivan, the the work these unsung heroes did.
pairs worked together. The The words are so integral to the
inimitable Richard Wagner was the opera they are never translated.
only one to compose all his Subtitles run across the big
operas entirely by himself, screen on stage, or the little
creating both music and lyrics, screen on the chair in front of
which may account for why they yours at the opera. We read them
are so powerful, so "Wagnerian." in our native tongue while they
are sung on stage in the original
This is quite a feat because German, Italian, or French. (For
composing music and writing words aficionados, anyway. Beginners
require different parts of the may enjoy translations, such as
brain. The Chandos Opera In English
series, which translates the
Sometimes the composer and lyrics into English.)
librettist met in person, while
other times the work was done by What an incredible collaboration
correspondence. Strauss worked an opera is. It takes costume
exclusively with one librettist, designers as well, because an
after writing his own lyrics for opera is as much visual as it is
his first opera and finding out auditory. The Grand Opera is
he wasn't good at it, but most known for its elaborate sets and
other composers switched around, costumes. In "Turandot," when the
finding the right librettist for mob turns surly and the moon
the job, or one who was appears, she is personified and
available. It's not unlike the costumed in a magnificence
way a lot of us work these days - dominated the stage for what
long distance and by contract. seems like half an hour, that
will keep you transfigured.
Again, grasp the significance of
One opera I hope to see one day two years for a suitable plot for
is Verdi's "Aida," excuse me, an opera, and at the age of 61
Verdi and Ghislanzoni's "Aida" at began "Turandot," instructing his
the Bath of Caracalla in Rome, librettists, Adami and Semoni to
where the Triumphal March of "pour great pathos into the
Rhadames features live elephants drama." Puccini was known,
and horses on stage. Now that's incidentally for being extremely
entertainment! demanding, requiring endless
rewrites from his librettists.
What we don't see at an opera is
the orchestra, perhaps the most From his point of view however,
important element of all. They're the librettists were difficult.
listed in the program, of course, We can read his letters begging
and given their bows at the them to do their work. He wrote
curtain calls, but we only hear frantically to Simoni, in charge
them, seated down below in the of Act III, "The third! The
orchestra pit as they are. third! The third!"
Many elements go together to At one point, he confessed to a
produce the opera we see that friend "Music disgusts me...", as
bears the name of one man only. he evidently had periods of
Take "Turandot" for instance. It self-doubt and composer's block.
was librettist Semoni who gave Toscanini paid him a visit and
Puccini the suggestion for the gave him the encouragement to
opera in the first place, telling keep going. Every team has their
about "Turandotte," a play Toscanini; or should.
written by Gozzi, based on a
fable from the Arabian Nights. Puccini was justified in urging
completion of the opera as he
Puccini had been searching for died before the team had
completed the third act. The challenges. Finances are a daily
collaboration continued on, as and yearly challenge, but no one
Toscanini found a composer named person ever accomplishes anything
Franco Alfano, whose name is alone. We have excellent
rarely mentioned, to complete it. department heads and town boards
The world premier took place on that help keep the town moving in
April 25th, 1926, the work of one the right direction."
guiding genius and many hands,
hearts and minds. Isn't it nice to hear someone
publicly acclaim the team that
It isn't that teamwork and makes him shine? I hope your boss
collaboration is new, it's that or manager does this for you, and
it's newly being recognized. Most that if you're the boss or
of us realize we couldn't manager, you appreciate and
accomplish anything alone, while acknowledge - and sing - the
those behind the scenes who work unsung heroes in your midst.
long and willing hours, long for
some recognition. Appreciation, But how do you praise everyone?
after all, is what tops the There are always so many.
surveys when employees talk about
what they want at their job, and Here's a leadership trick I
it's so consistently there, it's learned from a pro. At the
a wonder it isn't heeded more. culmination of an anniversary
banquet, engineered by many, and
Richard Montuori, town manager of funded by many more, the director
Bellica, Massachusetts, knows and of the benefited-agency rose and
appreciates his team. "I love thanked "everyone who helped make
[my] job," he said a newspaper it possible to raise the
interview. "Every day is $50,000." Then he added, looking
different and presents new around the room, "And I'd
especially like to thank someone asked him whom he had in mind,
whose name I won't mention, but because his glance around the
they will know who I mean." room was professionally
ambivalent.
I thought it was me! So did a
dozen other people, I'm sure, and It works, and it's always, always
that was what the director had in true.
mind, he told me later when I
About the Author:
"©Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandun.cc. Providing coaching, Internet courses and ebooks around emotional intelligence for your personal and professional success. I train and certify EQ coaches internationally. Email for info on this fast, affordable, comprehensive, no-residency program. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free EQ
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