Il tabarro is set in Paris in the 1900's on a barge that is tied to land on the Seine. Michele is the owner of the barge and Giorgetta is his wife. Luigi, a stevedore, finds his way to win over Giorgetta's heart and they proclaim their love for each other. The lighting of a match is a sign from Giorgetta to Luigi that means it is safe for him to return to her on the barge. When Michele notices something strange going on with his wife, he questions her and keeps a close watch on her. One night, Michele strikes a match to light his pipe and Luigi mistakes this for Giorgetta's signal. He appears on the deck, running into Michele who strangles Luigi to death for getting involved with his wife. Giorgetta hears the madness and as she approaches the scene, Michele throws the dead body at her feet and presses her face into it as a punishment to her.
Their are two distinct styles of music present in Il tabarro. The first half is devoted to the musical description of the atmosphere, which quickly changes when the drama begins with a style that is extremely effective. The second half of the drama is exciting and has no letdowns, which makes up for the rather dull action in part one. Il tabarro makes a thrilling opening to the Il trittico and is said to be a great piece ofverismo theater.
The second one-act to this performance is Suor Angelica . This takes place in a convent at the end of the 17th century. It is a story of a nun, Angelica, who was sent to the convent by her family as a punishment for some unknown crime or sin. One random day, her aunt comes to visit her and brings news of the family, which Angelica has been wishing for. However, little did she know that the news brought to her would soon lead to her own death. Angelica learns that her only son, whom she has seen only once, has died since she was sent away. Once Angelica signs a document that her aunt puts in front of her, she is abandoned to deal with this grief all on her own. She can only feel the need to be with her son in heaven, which leads to her creating and drinking of a poison. A feeling of remorse suddenly comes over her as she quickly prays to Virgin Mary. However, it is too late, as Angelica is approached by a group of angels pushing her son towards her.
Suor Angelica's opening scene offers a sharp contrast to the violent end of Il tabarro . The music styles in this one fit the action quite well and is the same throughout. The best audience for Suor Angelica can probably be found among religious communities. Puccini was not a religious man himself, but it is believed that this has particular meaning to him since his early training had been in a church.
Gianni Schicchi, the last of the three, makes a very pleasant ending for Il trittico. This well-known piece is set in 1299 in Florence at the house of Buoso Donati, a wealthy landowner. After Buoso's death, all the relatives are concerned with what they will inherit, and madly search for the will. As it turns out, Buoso left everything to the Monks and this infuriates his family. As a desperate solution for their greed, they call Gianni Schicchi, whom they know will have an answer to their problem. After hearing the wishes of the family, Schicchi contacts a notary and acts as Buoso to dictate a new will. In doing this, he has the opportunity to leave whatever he wants to whomever he wants. Schicchi undoubtedly takes advantage of this and leaves everything Buoso has to himself, which angers the family even more but they are under oath and can not complain. Gianni Schicchi is a fast moving piece with rapid changes of dramatic mood. However, it is a bright and entertaining piece, which provides relief after the violent Il tabarro and sentimental mood of Suor Angelica.
Il trittico was born during a time of crisis, when the world was drastically changing. This performance did not win much acceptance by most of the audiences. Il tabarro and Suor Angelica were considered complete downfalls, but the success of Gianni Schicchi made up for what the other two lacked. Il tabarro is criticized for lacking sympathy for all characters and Suor Angelica is shot down because of its all-female cast and the lack of music variation. Gianni Schicchi could only be praised by all audiences, but was most accepted in Vienna. Giannotto Bastianello, a Florentine critic, considered Il tabarro to be "a failure with patches of genius." As for Suor Angelica , he states that it is "a dream that does honor to Puccini and the librettist Forzano especially for the novelty of its intentions if not for the taste and musical quality of the result." Gianni Schicchi gives the impression of "being the last and loftiest result in the history of Italian opera buffa." The three little one-act operas that make up Il trittico supposedly represent a sense of crisis during Puccini's later life.
Bibliography
Marek, George R. Puccini
. Simon and Schuster: New York, 1951.
Osborne, Charles. The Complete Operas of Puccini
. Atheneum: New York, 1982.
Puccini, Simonetta and William Weaver. The Puccini Companion
. W.W. Norton & Company: New York, 1994.