"L'Ormindo"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the musical piece, "L'Ormindo" by Francesco Cavalli. The paper begins by describing the change in musical writing from the Classical and Renaissance periods to what we know as opera and uses this particular piece as an example. The writer explores the characters in the scene, the temperament and tone of the music, and the meaning of the entire opera.

From the Paper:

"It is not only to the opening lament, and to the basso continuo to which we owe the general sense of forlorn pathos that pervades this scene. Erisbe has two lovers, both princes, Ormindo and Amida. No sooner than Erisbe has concluded her echoed lament, Amida appears on the scene. For the first time in this scene, the music accompanying a vocalist is cast in minor key. Amida's "Whither, whither my sweet Aurora," carries with it the sense of a lover's isolation. A lone voice in a wilderness of poignant emotion, his seeks out his lost sun "in Latin Aurora. Underlining this sense of loneliness and despair is the music itself, clear single notes" not chords. It is as if the surrounding world sympathizes with the broken-hearted Amida. Too, the basso continuo becomes heavier and more strident."

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