The popular aria "La calunnia", which has taken, as usual, its title from its first verse "La calunnia è un venticello", is an aria belonging to the first act of Rossini's 1816 opera buffa The Barber of Seville, based on Beaumarchais' work. It has also been present in the versions of Giovanni Paisiello and other authors – with another melody, naturally – but the one that has become famous is Rossini's.
It is one of the many pieces for bass voice written throughout the history of opera. It has been used to portray the most diverse characters, be they venerable elders, priests, great lords, rulers of all kinds, laughable veterans, or sinister ones. These are the roles that are destined for this deep, tremendously dark voice, which can also be comic, and of course, amazingly beautiful.
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| Common bass voice register |
The contrivance of a calumny
The character who sings Rossini's La calunnia belongs to the category of sinister old man. The text, shameless, should be sung by a villain, even in a buffo tone. The chosen one is Don Basilio, musical tutor of the young and beautiful orphan Rosina, to whom her preceptor, Don Bartolo, pretends despite the age difference.
But the girl has fallen in love with the Count of Almaviva, who goes around prowling for her. Don Basilio then recommends the invention of a slander, a great slander, which eventually will irremissibly damage Almaviva, driving him away from Bartolo's domain.
The words
Superbly enhanced by Rossini's music through its applauded crescendos, the words describe from its beginning the unseemly process of slander: a little wind that barely moves until its transformation into the thunderous firing of a cannon, without even hiding the disastrous consequences for the poor slandered wretch.
Premiere
The bass who premiered it, on February 20, 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome, was the Italian Zenobio Vitarelli. Since then, countless famous basses have played it, among them the legendary Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin.
The bass who premiered it, on February 20, 1816 at the Teatro Argentina in Rome, was the Italian Zenobio Vitarelli. Since then, countless famous basses have played it, among them the legendary Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin.
Originally written in D major, in modern times there has been a tendency to transpose the aria to C major. This is the case of the version presented here, by British artist Robert Lloyd.
Don Bartolo (Carlos Feller), present in the scene, listens suspiciously to the infamous recommendation.
