GIOCONDA, La, a tragic opera by Amil care Ponchielli (1834-861, with libretto by A. Boito, first produced in Milan in 1876, in New York 20 Dec. 1883 and London 7 June 1886. Adapted from Hugo's 'Tyrant of Padua,' the plot is intensely dramatic, with a plentiful sprinkling of criminal deeds relieved by delight ful music. The heroine, La Gioconda, is a beautiful ballad singer on the streets of Venice, with a blind mother, La Cieca, and a noble Genoese ship captain named Enzo Grimaldo as her loverr. The villain, Barnaba, is a police spy of the Inquisition, and also in love with La Gio conda, whom he is determined to possess. The opening scene represents a Venetian regatta, in the course of which Barnaba declares his love to the girl and is repulsed by her. Barnaba in cites the defeated regatta champion, Zuane, to kidnap La Gioconda s blind mother, whom he accuses of witchcraft: Enzo, however, comes to the rescue. Laura, a former love of Enzo, is now the wife of Alvise, one of the chiefs of the Inquisition Council. She throws her pro tection over La Cieca when Enzo recognizes her, and his old love revives. Barnaba informs him that Laura intends to visit his (Enzo's) ship that night, which sends the captain hurry-. ing back on board. Barnaba now writes to Alvise telling him that his wife plans to elope with Enzo on the latter's vesseL That night Enzo is on deck awaiting Laura; Barnaba, disguised as a sailor, is near in a boat, having notified his police to be on hand. Laura ap pears, and Enzo prepares to set sail when La Gioconda enters; she quarrels with Laura and is about to stab her when her eyes fall on Laura's rosary. Repenting of her rashness, she
aids her rival to escape and tells Enzo that Barnaba's war galleys are approaching to seize the ship. Enzo sets his ship on fire. Alvise, in his palace, orders his wife to take poison and leaves the room. Gioconda suddenly appears and gives Laura a narcotic to produce a trance, which the latter takes. Her husband, return ing, thinks she has taken the poison, seeing her apparently lifeless body. Alvise later is giving a gorgeous masked ball in his palace, at which Enzo is present. Barnaba whispers to him that Laura is dead. Enzo denounces Alvise and is seized; the latter draws a curtain and exhibits the body of Laura to the horrified guests, ac knowledging his crime. La Gioconda with help succeeds in carrying the unconscious Laura to a lonely island in the Adriatic and, having sent for Enzo, intends to restore the lovers to each other and to commit suicide herself. On the arrival of Enzo — who expects to see Laura's grave — he goes through a bitter scene with Gioconda. Laura returns to consciousness; Gioconda helps them to escape together and is then about to take the poison when Barnaba ap pears and fiercely asks why she broke her word to him. The girl pretends to yield; as Bar naba moves toward her she stabs herself to the heart exclaiming, "Gioconda is thine l° Bend ing over the corpse, Barnaba shrieks into her ear that he had strangled her blind mother the night before.