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sai-national.org • WINTER 2016 • PAN PIPES 15 condition that he does not look back. But Orpheus does look back and loses her again. In the second myth, "Death of Orpheus," we learn that Orpheus has forsworn women since Eurydice's second death, much to the dismay of many who wish to be with him. A group of enraged women responds by stoning and spearing Orpheus to death. Most operatic settings take liberties with the story, especially by adding new characters. e "Orpheus and Eurydice" myth is the more common subject for operas, but elements of "Death of Orpheus" appear as well. Considering the story focuses on the power of music, it's a perfect candidate for a musical drama. Orpheus, too, as a Greek hero easily becomes an operatic hero. As Ellen Rosand wrote in her book Opera in seventeenth-century Venice: the creation of a genre, "Orpheus, the mystic musician of race, who charmed men, gods, savage beasts, the very rocks with his song, was the quintessential operatic hero. His story was an explicit demonstration of the power of music, an operatic archetype." (387) roughout its operatic appearances, the story has been analyzed many times, as has its leading male character, Orpheus. But Eurydice, by contrast, has hardly been mentioned in print. Alexandra Amati-Camperi was the first to bring to light this oversight, in her 2008 article "e First Operatic Women: Ahi Fato Empio e Crudele!" She goes on to theorize that Eurydice "set the standard for the feminine voice in opera" and for character traits of the leading lady, as well as that Monteverdi started the tradition of killing sopranos by silencing all three female characters of his setting. Although Amati-Camperi's article analyzes only the first three settings of the story, her observations generally hold true throughout the centuries. I embarked on a survey of a sample of the Orpheus and Eurydice operas written between 1600 and 2000. Guided by my professors and by the availability of scores, I narrowed down the 79 operas to just 14. I looked at libretti (or what Eurydice says), the quantity of music for Eurydice, how early she dies, and her relationships with other characters. When possible, I also used music analysis to add information about her character and her importance. With this information, I hope to show how Eurydice changed throughout her appearances and by extension, how this might have affected other female characters in opera. Orpheus and Eurydice are the epitome of the leading couple, usually cast as a tenor and a soprano, with the entire plot centering around their efforts to be together happily. eir individual characteristics and the quality of their relationship show some patterns based on nationality of the librettist. In the Italian literature, the marriage is almost always blissful and free of conflict, with Eurydice as a mindless, innocent maiden. Alternatively, the opera may open aer Eurydice's death, in which case the plot will have her reject Orpheus's attempts to rescue her. In the French literature, Orpheus and Eurydice are more likely to be ambivalent or opposed to their marriage, with Eurydice showing a proclivity towards self-preservation. e German literature is darker, with one or both romantic leads taking their revenge as ghosts. Because opera was born in Italy, the earliest Orpheus and Eurydice repertoire is all Italian. e first two operatic settings were in 1600 and 1602, by Jacopo Peri and Giulio Caching respectively. ey both used the same libretto, by Rinuccini, and titled their operas L'Euridice. Peri's compositional style exemplifies the trend of the time — namely, the seconda prattica — which places more importance on delivering text naturally than on singing a melody and is meant for use on the dramatic stage. Here is an example from Act I, Scene 1, when Eurydice tells her companions at her wedding how happy she is. (See Table 1) In this earliest presentation of Eurydice, she is one of the most minor characters, even more so than she is in the original myth. She says nothing significant and does nothing for herself. She is conspicuously absent, considering the opera is named aer her. Other characters are greatly expanded upon in the Rinuccini libretto, and Eurydice is not. Eurydice is a central character with her own conflicts for the first time in L'Orfeo by Luigi Rossi. is opera, premiered in 1647, is craed and composed in a vastly different style. More characters and subplots appear. e Greek mythological character Aristeus is written into the story as a suitor for Eurydice. Both Eurydice's nurse and an old woman (actually Venus in disguise) repeatedly try to convince her to leave Orpheus for Aristeus but Eurydice resists, even rejecting his offers of help as she slowly dies of a snake bite. is is the first time she dies on stage. Her death also occurs later in the plot than in the WOMEN IN OPERA Atto I Scena Prima Donne, ch'a' miei diletti Rasserenate si lo sguardo, e 'l volto, Che dentro a vostri petti Tutto rassembra il mio gioir raccolto, Deh come lieta ascolto I dolci canti, e gl'amorosi detti, D'amor, di cortesia graditi affetti! Act I Scene One Women, who to my delight Cheer yourselves your looks and faces, at inside your breasts Everything mirrors my joy gathered, Ah, how gladly I listen To the sweet songs, and the amorous sayings, Of love, of courtesy welcoming affection! Atto Primo Scena Prima: E che, non son io sposa d'Orfeo? A che dunque cercar altre venture? Quando un core innamorato È beato Dalla sorte e che vuol più? Ogni ben ch'a suo talento Ella può dar di là sù Non val, nò, quant'un contento D'amorosa servitù, e che vuol più. Quando un core innamorato È beato Dalla sorte e che vuol più? First Act First Scene: And what, am I not the wife of Orfeo? To what result search for other ventures? When a heart in love is happy/blessed Of fate and what want more? Every good that to its talents She can give of there up Not value, no, when a contentment Of love servitude, and what want more. When a heart in love is happy/blessed Of fate and what want more? TABLE 2 TABLE 1 EURYDICE continued on page 16

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