Life and death— “Vissi d’arte”

I often point out grammatical errors that I heard on radio and/or TV shows to friends. One of them always responds: “Only people that had to study the language would notice these things.” It is very true that, being a non-native speaker, I try my best to use the language properly.

There is no such a thing as “verb tenses” in Chinese language. (On the other hand, there are many words and phrases that can reflect the timing of events and actions.) When I first started studying English, it annoyed me a great deal to have to learn the conjugation of strong verbs and to understand tenses. Italian is a language twice remote from my linguistic roots and, like any Romance language, it has a complicated system of verb tenses.

In Act II of Puccini’s Tosca, Scarpia, chief of the secret police, pressures the protagonist to give into his sexual advances, in exchange for the life and freedom of Cavaradossi, her lover and a supporter of revolutionary movement. At the moment of extremity, Tosca sings “Vissi d’arte.”[1]

Vissi d’arte; vissi d’amore
I used to live for arts; I used to live for love.

Non feci mai
male all’anima viva
I never did evil thing to any living soul.

Con man furtiva,
Quante miserie conobbi aiutai
With furtive hand,
I helped many people in misery as I knew.

Sempre con fè sincera
Always with sincere faith,

la mia preghiera
ai santi tabernacoli salì.
rose my prayer to the holy tabernacles.

Sempre con fè sincera
Always with sincere faith,

diedi fiori agl’altar.
I gave flowers to the altars.

Nell’ora del dolore
In the hour of sorrow

perchè, perchè, Signore,
perchè me ne rimuneri così?
Why, o why, Lord,
Why do you remunerate me so?

Diedi gioielli
della Madonna al manto,
I gave jewelries for the mantle of Madonna,

e diedi il canto
agli astri, al ciel,
che ne ridean più belli.
I also sent my singing to the stars, to the sky,
So, because with it, they would shine more beautifully.

Nell’ora del dolor
In the hour of sorrow,

perchè, perchè, Signor,
Ah, perchè me ne rimuneri così?
Why, why, Lord,
Ah, why do you remunerate me so?

When I first studied the aria, I noticed that almost all the verbs were in passato remoto (remote past).[2] It is a tense often associated with historical writing or storytelling, describing things that happened in the past and will not recur. The very first word “vissi” is first person/singular/passato remoto of “vivere” (to live). It is rarely used as it actually says, “Once upon a time, I lived.”

Tosca could have said, heroically, “Vivo d’arte; vivo d’amore” (“I live for art; I live for love”). She could even have said, “Sono vissuta. . .”[3] (“I have lived. . .”), giving a sense of how life had been and how it might continue. Clearly, she was distancing herself from the past, saying “I used to live for art; I used to live for love. . .”. Unfortunately, the desperation of cutting off one’s present realities from the past does not come through in English translation. Most singers are either ignorant of the complexity or simply setting it aside.

In all these years, I searched for the reason that the librettists[4] chose such strong tense. I addressed the questions to every soprano that passed through my door. I asked many reputable professionals. No answers.

Early last week, while working with a wonderful playwright/actress/singer on Tosca, I brought up the subject again. Her reaction was immediately different than most people. She asked a key question: “Did Tosca sing the aria before or after she caved in to Scarpia’s demands?” AFTER. Suddenly, it was clear to both of us that the moment of her surrender was a point of departure: A life of art, love, devotion and sincerity was no more. Tosca was eulogizing her own life and begging for a reason from the Lord.

I am a firm believer of the dramatic power of words, especially when combined with music. Since every language has its characteristics, in order to release such power, the interpreters must truly appreciate the choices of words as well as the construct of the text. Linguistic study could be a challenging task. Nonetheless, it is paramount for serious musicians.


[1]Vissi d’arte: Maria Callas
[2]The verb “rimuneri” (you remunerate) is in present tense.
[3]In conjugation of the verb “vivere,” auxiliaries “avere” (to have) and “essere” (to be) are both used. When associate with location, i.e. “Ho vissuto in Italia per un anno” (I have lived in Italy for a year), the auxiliary “avere” is used. When indicating being alive, “essere” should be used.
[4] Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica collaborated on the libretto of Tosca. They also cowrote the libretti of La Bohème.

年夜飯 (New Year’s Eve dinner)

It is the eve of Lunar New Year. People travel long distance by car, by train or by planes to return to their hometowns. For some families, it means to have several generations all gather under one roof—once in a year. Every family has its favorite dishes for New Year’s Eve reunion dinner 團圓飯. There are also regional specialties. However, based on traditions, a few items are must-haves on every table: chicken, fish, oranges and rice cakes.

In Mandarin Chinese, chicken 雞 is pronounced “jī” while the character for luck or auspicious 吉 is pronounced “jí.” Other than the tonal differences, they sound very similar. For New Year celebration, chicken is often paired with chestnuts 栗, which sound the same as “advantageous” 利 — “lì.” 吉利 is good fortune. Fish 魚 and overabundance 餘 are homophonous— “yú.” “Having fish” 有魚/有餘 is a reassurance of plenitudes in the coming years.

The character for citrus is “桔”: One side means “wood or plant;” the other side, “luck.” With their golden color, oranges are symbols of prosperity. The name “kumquat” derives from the Cantonese pronunciation for 金橘 “golden orange.” Candied kumquats are popular treats during this time of the year. Small kumquat plants are common celebratory decorations.

There are many varieties of rice cakes, from plain to sweet, from sticky to leavened. Regardless of the differences, they all signify “promotion and prosperity” in the new year, since cake糕 shares the pronunciation with 高 “high”— “gao.” Flour of glutinous rice is the main ingredient for these cakes. Sticky 黏 and year 年 is another set of homonyms— “nian.” White sticky rice cakes, shaped in strips and flavorless, are usually sliced crosswise into small piece and used in savory dishes. Sweet sticky rice cakes are larger in size, often in the color of brown sugar, sometimes flavored with Osmanthus or orange peels. They can be sliced and eaten cold or heated. Battered and deep-fried sweet rice cake was my favorite winter snack. The ones with orange peels were the best.

Wealth and promotions

發糕 (fa gao) is a type of leavened rice cake, popular in southern China and Southeastern Asia.[1] Although they have the appearance of cupcakes, they are steamed and not baked. One of the most popular New Year’s greetings is 恭喜發財 (“gon-xi-fa-cia”—wishing you prosperity, making lots of money). As a wish for progress and fortune in the new year, mom would buy 發糕 every year. Their rough texture and plain flavor never interested me as a child. But, after I left home, they were the one thing that I really missed.

Every year before we sat down for the feast, we would worship our ancestors. My parents were not religious. But we all took the ceremony seriously. We raised incense sticks and bowed three times. I always took it as a way to give thanks. Dad insisted that there must be nine dishes on the table. (He wasn’t very good at explaining the reason.) I remembered that, in some years, when mom came up short of nine dishes, she would divide some dishes into smaller portions—just to follow the ritualistic rules.

On any other days of the year, mom would ask us to finish everything in our bowl. On New Year’s Eve, mom would say to leave a bite, for good luck—有餘. With so much food on the table, by the time I tried a bite of everything, I would be full already. Before the table was cleared, Little Cop would already be out with his friends trying out their firecrackers. Every year, I tried to stay up till midnight, wanting to hear the huge strings of firecrackers chasing away the 年 monster. Every year, I fell asleep with my tummy full and my heart content, knowing that there would be a red envelope under my pillow in the morning. In my sweet dreams, I seemed to have heard the exciting sounds of firecrackers.


[1]Fa_goa_Wiki