Il Signor Bruschino (english)

The genre of Italian farce provided the young Rossini with an ideal format with which to prove himself since it was a well established musical tradition at that time. In fact, between November 1810 and January 1813 Rossini composed five such farces: La Cambiale di Matrimonio (Bill of Exchange of Marriage) which signalled his operatic debut, L’Inganno Felice (The Happy Strategem), La Scala di Seta (The Silken Ladder), L’Occasione fa il Ladro (Opportunity Makes the Thief) and Il Signor Bruschino.
The Italian concept of a farce (farsa) is a short opera, almost always in one act, with specific characteristics and it became popular in Venice during the last decades of the 18th Century and the first 20 years of the 19th. The size of a company presenting farces was typically small – from five to seven – in a recurring configuration. Among the fixed roles there were always two lovers: a prima donna – soprano – and the juvenile lead (primo mezzo carattere) – tenor (in Il Signor Bruschino these are the roles of Sofia and Florville). There were always at least two comic parts (buffi) (in our case, three: Bruschino senior, Gaudenzio and Filiberto). One or two other singers would complete the company, playing minor roles (Marianna, Bruschino junior and a policeman).
The comic elements were visual stage business, often left to the actors to improvise, and some obsessive/compulsive linguistic ‘tic’ (Bruschino senior continually repeats the phrase «Uh, it’s so hot!») distributed throughout the libretto. The ability of the artists to act was even more important than their ability to sing.
Structurally, the farsa is similar in every respect to traditional opera, being composed of a series of arias and duets with an introduction and finale, divided in the middle by the usual ensemble feature (in Il Signor Bruschino this is achieved with the trio «Per un figlio già pentito»). On the other hand, Rossini’s farces are often already modelled on dramatic forms associated more with the 19th century: a particularly relevant aspect is the component of pathos which really belongs to the development of the melodrama. Right from the first scene this element is particularly evident in Il Signor Bruschino with Florville’s cavatina and his duet with Sofia, both profoundly sentimental.
Anyway, as Rognoni noted, Bruschino «separated itself from the musical language and the taste in staging and music of its time. Apart from the innovative use of vocal mechanics and rhythmic instrumentation even the melodic phrasing differed markedly from 18th century conventions, especially in terms of lyrical sentimentality which was already taking on that romantic intonation which would be developed still further decades later in the musical language of Donizetti and Bellini».
Among the ‘peculiarities’ which caused a sensation at its premiere was the daring experiment in search of new tonal effects occurring in the overture, during which the second violins are required to tap their bows on their music stands.
Jacques Offenbach so admired Il Signor Bruschino that he partially revised the text and music with a view to a new production in Paris in December 1857. Having been invited to attend, Rossini replied to the French composer with typical irony: «I gave you permission to do as you wanted, but I certainly do not intend to become your accomplice.»
Carlo Piazza