"Power &
Grace in Music, with a Note
on Sincerity"
from a Music: Aesthetic Realism Presentation
of October 26, 1975
by Paul Abel
Introduction:
In 1946, Paul Abel began his career as an
airline pilot. Several years later, in 1949, Mr. Abel received his Master's
degree in Music at Syracuse University, where he was on the faculty
and taught voice. In 1969, he began to study Aesthetic Realism in
New York City in classes with its founder, Eli Siegel. In 1975 he
taught voice, using the Aesthetic Realism point of view. This is
his point of view in the essay presented here. What he sees about
Verdi's Rigoletto, I believe, adds
importantly to its beauty and value. Also, the relation Mr. Abel
sees between the power of the famous Quartet from Rigoletto to that of
a jumbo jet will surprise, thrill, and educate those who read it now, and
in future years.--Editor
Just 40 years
ago, there appeared in my high school graduating class prophesy, this statement:
Ten years from now, Paul Abel will
be making his debut at the Metropolitan Opera House as the Duke in Verdi’s
Rigoletto.
I mention this, because it shows how long I have
been affected by and loved this opera. Until I studied Aesthetic
Realism, it would never have occurred to me to set down in any clear
way why this music affected me or why I loved it. Aesthetic Realism
says, “In reality, opposites are one; art shows this.” Music then,
tells us what opposites have to do with the structure of the world and
man as he wants to be. As The
Right of Aesthetic Realism to Be Known, number 93 says:
Because of this the world is given
an everlasting, sensible basis, for what could be more sensible than to
be calm and forceful at once, reposeful and intense at once.
I have been studying the truth of these statements
in classes with Eli Siegel
since 1969. The import of them has made for larger emotions in me
about music, people, and the world, and explains why I love the opera Rigoletto
more
than ever, and in particular the great Quartet from the last act "Bella
figlia dell'amore." The opposites of power and grace are the very
heartbeat of this music. Here is the opening melody of the quartet,
sung by the tenor Luciano
Pavarotti. (play) In the Saturday Review of October 4,
1975 Roland Gilette says of Verdi:
There is, in whatever he touches,
a strength and sincerity that cannot fail to command our admiration.
Mr. Gilette speaks of strength, but there is
no mention of grace as inseparable from it. This statement does not
include what Aesthetic Realism says is central: “All
beauty is a making one of opposites….” An instance of this was made
clear in recent class when Eli Siegel said: “Any time you hear beautiful
music, you are seeing the instantaneous presence of power and grace.
That is the main proposition. The two are always together and there
is no exception to that.”
Sincerity is
a word critics often use in speaking of Verdi. When power is together
with grace, we have sincerity. These are the hallmarks of Verdi’s
art and with Rigoletto composed in 1850, his mastery asserted itself
abundantly. It is richly so in the great Quartet, and reality loves
it.
The Opera first performed
in 1851 is based on Victor Hugo’s play, Le Roi s’amuse.
The title is usually translated as The King’s Amusement. In
the first Paris season, Rigoletto was performed over one hundred times.
Victor Hugo resented its popularity. But when he finally heard the
opera, he was forced to admit its greatness. Of the famous Quartet
he exclaimed: “If I could only make four characters in my plays speak at
the same time and have the audience grasp the words and sentiments, I would
obtain the very same effect.”
You heard the mystery
of the opposites in the opening phrases of the Duke of Mantua. He
is a cold-hearted libertine, but he sings one of the warmest, most ravishing
melodies in all opera. In what appears to be ardent assertiveness,
coldness and warmth mingle. They can be felt in the power and grace
of the first few notes as the composer combines the melodic flow with what
are technically call grace notes or ornaments. These added notes
seem to be an impediment but they really help the flow of the musical line,
which is essentially simple and economic. It is based on these three
notes of the tonic chord, A-flat, B-flat, F. Now listen, as these
notes are gathered into a rhythmic pattern with the addition of grace notes.
(play) Does this melody say something of economy with richness, making
for beauty? Here it is without grace notes. Notice that their
omission has interferes with the instantaneous presence of power and grace.
(play) In the last section of the melody, it rises a full octave
to a high sustained note, and there are no ornaments. They are not
needed. They would interfere with the power and sweetness of that
long held high note. The graceful decent of the sighing, falling
notes which follow and round off the phrase is exactly right. It
verifies what Eli Siegel has said: “Grace is the way a thing is done,
making you feel no more effort was used than necessary and all that was
needed was used.” (play)
Before we look further
at the music of the Quartet, which occurs near the beginning of the last
act, let’s see what has gone on before. Gilda, the daughter of Rigoletto,
has been seduced and abandoned by the Duke of Mantua. As the Quartet
begins, the Duke is singing to another woman, Maddalena, “Bella figlia
dell’a more,” which means “Fairest daughter of love.” Gilda and her
father are outside the Inn. Inside are the amorous Duke and the flirtatious
Maddalena. Critical comment often mentions the buried emotional expressions
of the characters that blend into a harmonious unity. Verdi, himself,
hinted at the Quartet’s greatness in this remark he made to his first Rigoletto:
“I never expect to do better than the Quartet.”
To
page 2 of Music: Aesthetic Realism, with a Note on Sincerity
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