LAB-51 – Fall 2006
TF: Exner
Name: ANSWER KEY
Quiz #1: Orfeo
1. A few minutes into Act II, a chorus of shepherds and nymphs entreats Orfeo to
sing. He obliges with, “Shady woods, do you remember ...”. What is the track
timing at which this occurs, and what is the first line in the original Italian?
3:24 (approx.). Text = “Vi ricorda o boschi ombrosi”
2.
How would you describe the meter of this song?
Shifting between triple and duple.
3. What is the Messaggiera’s (Messenger’s) actual name? Who is she and what
message does she bring?
Sylvia. She tells Orfeo and the shepherds, nymphs, etc., that Eurydice has
been bitten by a snake while gathering flowers and is dead.
4. What is the track timing of her message?
Appx. 3:23.
5. Orfeo’s reaction is “Tu se’ morta.” What instruments accompany him here?
An organo di legno and a chitarone
6. What is the collective name for a group such as this and what is their function?
Basso continuo. Their function is to provide foundational rhythmic and chordal
accompaniment more or less continuously throughout the opera.
7. What (arguably) cheesy pun does the librettist insert into Speranza’s text in Act
III preceding “Possente spirto”?
“Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate” – or “Abandon all hope, ye who
enter.” This is a pun on Speranza’s (Hope’s) name, since she has to
abandon Orfeo.
8.
What famous Florentine author is the librettist quoting here?
Dante
9. Name the three different solo instruments (or pairs of instruments) that are
featured during “Possente spirto.”
violins
cornetti
arpa doppia
10. How does Orfeo finally get across the river? How do you know?
Apollo, Orfeo’s father, intervenes and puts Caronte to sleep. We know
because the instrumental sinfonia that follows this scene is repeatedly
associated with Apollo.
Bonus: What is the name of the librettist?
Alessandro Striggio