Enrico Caruso: La donna è mobile

The great one, unique, magnificent Enrico Caruso sings La Donna è Mobile Lyrics here) from Verdi's Rigoletto for Victor in 1907. The correct playing speed is 75 rpm which I did not know when I uploaded this record. I played it at 78.26 rpm. Some of Caruso's earlier records played at much slower speeds and I have adjusted those postings accordingly.

Lyrics and translation for Verdi's La donna è mobile could be found in this page, with the version of La donna e mobile (lyrics) by Jussi Björling.

La donna è mobile live by Jussi Björling - lyrics and English Translation

Jussi Björling's live recordings of Rigoletto: 29 December 1945 Met broadcast - conducted by Cesare Sodero. Leonard Warren, Jussi Björling, and Bidu Sayao all in their vocal primes.

La donna è mobile - arguably the most famous aria, from Act III of the Italian opera, Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto : Francesco Maria Piave

• Role : The Duke of Mantua,
• Voice Part : tenor Fach : lyric tenor
• Setting : The inn of Sparafucile
• Range : F#/Gb3 to A#/Bb5. Tessitura : F#/Gb3 to F#/Gb4
• Synopsis : The Duke, disguised as a soldier, sings that all women are fickle and that they will betray anyone who falls in love with them.

Lyrics and English translation:

La donna è mobile, qual piùma al vento,
Woman is fickle (movable), like a feather in the wind,
muta d'accento, e di pensiero.
she changes the tone of her voice (i.e., her accents), and her thoughts
Sempre un amabile, leggiadro viso,
Always a sweet, pretty face,
in pianto o in riso, è menzognero.
in tears or in laughter, (she) is (always) lying
La donna è mobile, qual piùma al vento,
Woman is fickle, like a feather in the wind,
muta d'accento, e di pensier
she changes her accents, and her thoughts
e di pensier, e di pensier
and her thoughts, and her thoughts

È sempre misero, chi a lei s'affida,
It is always miserable, he that trusts in her
(He is always miserable who trusts in her)
chi le confida, mal cauto il core!
who to her confides, his unwary heart!
Pur mai non sentesi  felice appieno
Yet nobody feels happy fully
chi su quel seno non liba amore!
who on that bosom doesn't drink love,
La donna è mobil, qual piùma al vento,
Woman is fickle, like a feather in the wind,
muta d'accento e di pensier,
she changes the tone of her voice and her thoughts
e di pensier, e e di pensier!
and her thoughts, and her thoughts!

Rigoletto by Giussepe Verdi - The Famous Quartet (Anna Netrebko, Elina Garancha)

Operatic masterpiece in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, "Rigoletto" was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo.

Full synopsis of "Rigoletto" could be found here.

Listen and watch the famous Quartet from the Rigoletto:

The Quartet:

One of the finest examples of ensemble writing in all of opera occurs in Act III of. The stage is set so that the two characters inside the inn (the Duke and Maddalena) are unaware of the two characters outside (Gilda and Rigoletto). The audience gets a side view, with a clear visual differentiation of the double scene. Maddalena, the sister of the assassin Sparafucile (who has been hired by Rigoletto to murder his nemesis the Duke) has enticed the Duke to the inn. Outside, Rigoletto has brought Gilda to see what a horrible two-timing cheater he is. They peer into the tavern from the outside. After an introductory section consisting mostly of musical dialogue over a catchy orchestral melody (Ex. #11), the quartet proper begins.

The opening segment belongs entirely to the Duke--"Bella figlia dell'amore" ("Beautiful daughter of love") (Ex. #12a). It is a soaring, legato phrase that expresses his new found love for Maddalena.

Maddalena responds coquettishly in a staccato phrase that takes no more than a measure to express (Ex. #12b).

Gilda's voice, from outside the inn, responds immediately, starting on a high note and descending rapidly, with 2 short breaks in her phrase (Ex. 12c). She is beginning to realize that she is being betrayed.

Maddalena and Gilda repeat their phrases and the 4th member of the quartet, Rigoletto, then adds his voice to the ensemble saying in effect, "I told you so" (Ex. 12d).

The 4 voices now merge, but maintain their individuality throughout. Notice in the next example (Ex. 13) how the Duke and Maddalena alternate their lines of flirtation, while Gilda and Rigoletto, the uppermost and lowermost voices sing parallel rhythms in contrary motion.

Later in the quartet, Gilda has breathless, 2-note phrases; Maddalena laughs on 1 pitch; the Duke is still soaring with a legato phrase and Rigoletto holds up the bass of the harmony with 16th notes alternating with a long sustained C (Ex. #14). The four voice parts, individual not only in melody and rhythm, but also in the type of emotion expressed, add up to a quartet which is remakable in its psychological differentiation among the characters and yet at the same time, a unity of great power and persuasiveness.

Verdi - Rigoletto / Luciano Pavarotti, Ingvar Wixell, Edita Gruberova, Victoria Vergara, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Riccardo Chailly

Elina Garancha (as Carmen), Anna Netrebko.

Should you wish to hear legendary performance of La donna e mobile by Enrico Caruso, just follow the link.