What is a clown? This is a funny character of the Italian folk Neapolitan theater, a jester that amuses the crowd, a circus clown, touted a fair booth. The clown’s humor is usually subtle, rude, to the amusement of the crowd. Therefore, most often, the public awarded him unflattering epithets - gryph, figler, crayfish. From here the word "clown" appeared in Russian.
The word “clown” itself came from the Italian pagliaccio, which literally means “a bag of straw” or “mattress”, and its meaning is directly related to the costume of this comedic hero. Together with vagrant circus troupes throughout Europe, this concept spread, was fixed in the languages ​​of different nations, including Russian. In the dictionary of V. Dahl there is an excellent interpretation of what a clown is.
History of the opera Leoncovallo
Pagliacci is an opera written by the eminent Italian composer Ruggiero Leoncovallo. The premiere took place in Milan on May 21, 1892. The plot the author borrowed from real life. As a child, he witnessed the murder that occurred in the village where the estate of his father, the district judge, was located. It so happened that the actor of one of the roving troupes after the performance mortally wounded his wife and her lover with a knife. This crime was considered by the elder Leoncovallo himself and sentenced his culprit to 20 years in prison.
In the libretto written by the composer, two worlds collide: fictional and real, theater and life, comedy and tragedy. And if everything looks funny on stage, then in reality it’s awful. And in the course of the action, the audience has to understand their emotions, deciding what the clown is. Funny or scary is a hero, a victim of circumstances or a villain.
Passion in life and on stage
Characters of the opera:
- Kanio - the owner of the troupe, performing the role of Payak on stage;
- Nedda is his wife playing Columbine;
- hunchback Tonio - clown;
- Silvio is a villager and lover of Nedda;
- Beppo is the actor who played Harlequin.
The action takes place, as in real life, in one of the Italian villages, where a troupe of stray actors comes with a performance. Kanyo invites all the villagers to attend their performance. When his wife, Nedda, gets off the wagon, the hunchback Tonio gives her a hand. The jealous Canio is very indignant at this circumstance and warns all gathered that no one dares to fall in love with his wife. Canio sets off for the village, and an unpleasant conversation takes place between Nedda and Tonio. Tonio declares her love, and the beautiful actress rejects her. The hunchback promises revenge.
Nedda meets his lover, Silvio, who lives in the village, and arranges a night date with him. Suspicious Tonio, meanwhile, goes to the village, calls Canio and leads him to Nedda just at the moment when she finishes the conversation with her beloved. Canio angrily rushes after Silvio, but, not catching up with him, returns to his wife and demands to name her lover, threatening with a knife. However, at the most terrible moment of this scene, the actor Beppo stops his master, recalling that it is time to start the performance. Canio's heart is broken, he is unbearably suffering from heartache.
The plot of the play played by the actors is very reminiscent of a real life situation. Columbine, played by Nedda, secretly meets with her lover Harlequin. This role is played by Beppo. And at the time of the meeting of these heroes, Columbine's husband, Payak, appears on the scene. Under the guise of a clown - Canio. Life and theater mixed into a single phantasmagoria. What is the Payak for Canio? This is not just a theater mask, it is a reality. He loses himself from anger and passion. Playing on the stage his role, hearing the words of Columbine about love for another, he grabs a knife and kills his wife. The dying Nedda calls Silvio, who rushes to her from the crowd of spectators, and Canio also kills him.
Laugh, clown!
The opera ends with the famous Kanio aria “Laugh, Payag!” Comedy turned into a tragedy, the clown became a killer. Funny clown makeup from the face of the hero of the show washes away the tears. Leoncovallo's music unusually strongly reflects the game of human feelings - love, passion, suffering, anger, sorrow. The opera “Pagliacci” is considered the best work of the composer and has been finding the most lively response from the public for more than 100 years. The image of the Clay Canio was magnificently performed by the most famous singers, including Caruso.