Crisantemi

Crisantemi (Chrysanthemums)
Instrumental composition by Giacomo Puccini
Catalogue	SC 65
Occasion	In memory of Amedeo di Savoia
Language	Italian
Performed	26 January 1890 (1890-01-26)
Scoring	string quartet

Crisantemi, (Chrysanthemums), SC 65, is an instrumental prelude for string quartet written by Giacomo Puccini in 1890 as a tribute to the late Amadeo I of Spain who was a son of the Italian King, Vittorio Emanuele II.

History

Puccini had already composed Le Villi in 1884 and the opera Edgar in 1890. The opera was not a success (Puccini repeatedly revised it until the last performance in Buenos Aires, in 1905, before declaring the work irredeemable). A few months after the failed debut of Edgar, Puccini started writing his masterpiece Manon Lescaut. Suddenly in 1890 at just 44 years old, Amadeo I of Spain died due to lung disease. Deeply moved by Amadeo I of Spain's death, Puccini wrote this work in a sudden burst of inspiration, just in a night. White chrysanthemums (in Italian Crisantemi) are used in Italy only for funerals or on graves. Crisantemi was first played on 26 January, 1890. After its successful performance, Puccini incorporated themes from Crisantemi into Manon Lescaut.

Composition

Giacomo Puccini's Crisantemi is a single movement prelude in ternary form. This work is a haunting musical lament, rooted in the somber key of C# minor. The piece unfolds in a single, mournful movement, characterized by two primary themes. The first theme, a slow, chromatic descent, builds intensity through contrary motion. The central section reaches a poignant climax as the violin soars over a gentle viola pattern, while the cello provides a steady, melancholic bass line. A series of intense climaxes, marked by unison playing, punctuate the work. The elegy concludes with a reprise of the opening theme.

Further reading

• Magri, Giorgio (1974). Puccini e le sue rime (in Italian). Milan: Borletti.
• Dieter Schickling: Giacomo Puccini – Catalogue of the Works (= BVK 01582). Bärenreiter, Kassel 2003, ISBN 3-7618-1582-4.
• Michael Wersin: Reclams Führer zur lateinischen Kirchenmusik. Reclam, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-15-010569-2 p. 274.

External links

• Requiem, SC 76 (Puccini, Giacomo): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Free scores of Crisantemi in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Giacomo Puccini Requiem aeternam SC 76, 1905, Carus-Verlag
• Giacomo Puccini: Requiem (w. Score) on YouTube