LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR " Lucia di Lammermoor " or " Lucy of Lammermoor " is a tragic opera in three acts, the music by Gaetano Donizetti and the text by Salvator Cammerano, derived from Scott's novel, " The Bride of Lammermoor," It was first produced in Naples in 1835. It is generally acceded that it holds first place among the composer's sixty-six operas.
Edgar of Ravenswood.
Henry Ashton, Lord of Lammermoor, brother of Lucy. Norman, his chief retainer.
Raymond, tutor to Lucy.
Lord Arthur Bucklaw, betrothed to Lucy.
Lucy of Lammermoor. Alice, her attendant.
Friends, relatives and retainers of Henry Ashton.
The scene, as in Scott's novel, is laid in Scotland in the latter part of the Seventeenth Century. Sir Henry Ashton of Lammermoor has arranged to marry his sister Lucy to Lord Arthur Bucklaw for the two-fold purpose of mending the family fortunes and getting exemption for certain political indiscretions. To his horror, he discovers that Lucy has already engaged her affections to his hereditary enemy, Sir Edgar Ravenswood, who has saved her from the attack of an enraged bull. The lovers have met many times secretly and have come to an understanding on the eve of Edgar's departure for France on an embassy. Edgar generously has sworn to Lucy to forego his oath of vengeance upon her brother for his evil deeds against him and they are pledged to each other.
Henry resorts to desperate methods to gain his end. He intercepts Edgar's letters and, finally, when Lucy's mind is fit to harbor suspicions, he shows her a forged letter to prove her lover's infidelity. With this, his plea that only her marriage with Bucklaw can save him from the execu tioner, falls with greater force and she consents to offer herself as a sacrifice. The marriage papers are scarcely signed, however, when Edgar suddenly appears to claim his bride and Lucy confesses what she has done. In a fury of grief and anger, he tears his ring from her finger, tramples the marriage contract under foot and having challenged her brother, leaves with many imprecations upon the traitorous house of Lammermoor.
At night an ominous sound is heard in the apartment of Lucy and her husband and the attendants rushing in, find the bride, still in her wedding robes, with a dripping dagger in her hands. She has gone mad and has stabbed
Lord Arthur, who is dying. After a little while the reali zation of her dreadful deed comes to her and the weight of her remorse kills her. Edgar, waiting among the tombs of his ancestors for the time of his duel with Henry to arrive, hears the tolling bells from the castle and learns of the tragedy from a mournful company of departing wed ding guests. Disconsolate through the death of Lucy, he commits suicide.
" Lucia di Lammermoor " is the only one of Donizetti's operas that can be said to retain permanent place today in the operatic repertory of countries outside of Italy. It is the beloved of colorature sopranos, the role of Lucy afford ing unequaled opportunities for the display of vocal agility and tonal beauty. The first aria " Regnava nol silenzio " (" Silence lay sleeping ") sustained and serene in charac ter, followed by the " Quando rapita in estasi " (" When all my heart in ecstasy "), which is florid and showy, the duet with Henry in the second act and the great " Mad Scene " which makes the highest possible demands upon a singer's technical abilities and permits the most unbounded display of voice and facility, these are numbers which put to the test the powers of the soprano singing the role of Lucy and which alone suffice to keep the opera perma nently in the repertory. The final scene for Edgar sup plies a similarly grateful chance for the tenor, while arias in the first and second acts give the baritone who sings Henry an opportunity to prove his worth. The sextet which follows the reappearance of Edgar after the marriage contract has been signed is acknowledged to be the master piece of the entire work. It is of unfailing beauty through out and is of real dramatic intensity. It rings true and has few equals in the range of opera, whether the opera be Italian, German or French. Donizetti's music has been liberally criticized because it frequently is light and cheery when the text to which it is set is strikingly somber and lugubrious. The wealth of melody in the score and the freshness and beauty of that melody have kept the opera ever acceptable to the public, however, and its retention in the standard repertory seems assured for a long time to come.