Opera title: | Rigoletto |
Composer: | Giuseppe Verdi |
Language: | Italian |
Synopsis: | Rigoletto Synopsis |
Libretto: | Rigoletto Libretto |
Translation(s): | English Deutsch |
Type: | quartet |
Role(s): | Gilda / Maddalena / Duke of Mantua / Rigoletto |
Voice(s): | Soprano / Contralto / Tenor / Baritone |
Act: | 4.04 |
Previous scene: | Un di se ben rammentomi |
Next scene: | Venti scudi hai tu detto |
Historic recording from 1914 featuring John McCormack and Lucrezia Bori
Giuseppe Verdi penned one of the greatest vocal quartets ever in the third act of Rigoletto. The heroine Gilda, daughter of the court jester Rigoletto, has fallen in love with the duke of Mantua, much to her father's chagrin. To disabuse her of any illusions about the duke's good intentions, Rigoletto takes Gilda along to watch the duke's actions with Maddalena, a woman of easy virtue. The duke and Maddalena appear inside a dilapidated shack, Gilda and Rigoletto outside. How can a quartet where the characters react to one another possibly occur in this set? As it happens, the duke is not overly fussy about the venues for his trysts: the walls of the house are so full of holes that Gilda and Rigoletto can see in. In the quartet Maddalena playfully rebuffs the duke's advances. Gilda asks herself how she could have fallen for such a man, and Rigoletto promises revenge.
DUCA
Bella figlia dell'amore,
Schiavo son dei vezzi tuoi;
Con un detto sol tu puoi
Le mie pene consolar.
Vieni e senti del mio core
Il frequente palpitar.
MADDALENA
Ah! ah! rido ben di core,
Che tai baie costan poco
Quanto valga il vostro gioco,
Mel credete, so apprezzar.
Son avvezza, bel signore,
Ad un simile scherzar.
GILDA
Ah, così parlar d'amore
A me pur intame ho udito!
Infelice cor tradito,
Per angoscia non scoppiar.
RIGOLETTO
a Gilda
Taci, il piangere non vale...
Ch'ei mentiva sei sicura.
Taci, e mia sarà la cura
La vendetta d'affrettar.
Sì, pronta fia, sarà fatale,
Io saprollo fulminar.
M'odi! ritorna a casa.
Oro prendi, un destriero
Una veste viril che t'apprestai,
E per Verona parti.
Sarovvi io pur doman.
GILDA
Or venite...
RIGOLETTO
Impossibil.
GILDA
Tremo.
RIGOLETTO
Va'.
DUKE
Fairest daughter of love,
I am a slave to your charms;
with but a single word you could
relieve my every pain.
Come, touch my breast and feel
how my heart is racing.
MADDALENA
Ah! Ah! That really makes me laugh;
talk like that is cheap enough.
Believe me, I know exactly
what such play?acting is worth!
I, my fine sir, am quite accustomed
to foolish jokes like this.
GILDA
Ah, these are the loving words
the scoundrel spoke once to me!
O wretched heart betrayed
do not break for sorrow.
RIGOLETTO
to Gilda
Hush weeping can do no good...
You are now convinced he was lying.
Hush, and leave it up to me
to hasten our revenge.
It will be quick, it will be deadly,
I know how to deal with him.
Listen to me, go home.
Take some money and a horse,
Put on the men's clothes I provided,
then leave at once for Verona.
I shall meet you there tomorrow.
GILDA
Come with me now.
RIGOLETTO
It's impossible.
GILDA
I'm afraid.
RIGOLETTO
Go!
Sheetmusic for quartet | ![]() |
Sheetmusic for opera | ![]() |
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