deh vieni alla finestra
Liza’s main man Paulo Szot has some interesting and rather bold (if La Cieca may say so) opinions about the character of Leporello in today’s New York Times: “Don Giovanni needs him for everything: butt sex, to give him food, to give him drink, to share his feelings with.” (The article, fetchingly entitled “The Great Mozart Switcheroo,” poses the probing question, “So which, in the end, is the better part?”)
Guys, remember that the church-going marriage is a fairly recent invention. In the past, marriage ceremonies took place in front of witnesses and no priest.
Also, remember that the social position of women in this period. Elvira says that Giovanni declared her his wife. This is well in keeping with the tradition that a man only needed to take God or a saint as his witness and take a woman as his wife and it was all done. Women did not have a choice. If a man took you as his wife, well that was it.
Chances are the cheating bastard got in her room and when she started to scream he took the crucifix or the image of the Virgin Mary that any respectable lady had in her personal altar and using it as a witness took Elvira for wife. With that formality been over, Elvira did what she thought was her wifely duty.
Truly, that was all that was needed in these times. If it was that easy now, we would not need the Supreme court of Iowa to remind people…
Did anyone notice what Erwin said?
Musically, Mr. Schrott added, all the parts in “Don Giovanni†are wonderful. “If it were up to me,†he said, “I would sing them all, including the women.â€
“This is well in keeping with the tradition that a man only needed to take God or a saint as his witness and take a woman as his wife and it was all done. Women did not have a choice. If a man took you as his wife, well that was it.”
Where on earth do you get this stuff? True, perhaps, of slaves but not of ladies with families.
Goodness.
“Mr. Abdrazakov, who claims descent from Genghis Khan…”
This may be the single funniest thing I have read so far in 2009…
What does on expect from the Mediterranean peoples?
Un-pukke begins at Calais, after all.
Um — toss it, Vicar.
Should anyo9ne doubt the Gelb hold on the TIMES’ attention, consider that the miserable Arts and Leisure section is down to one classical feature a week: and here it was – is nothing else happening in the classical world? – devoted to this drivel by a confirmed hack which serves only one function, to bang the drum (my metaphor is drawn from PAGLIACCI) for the Met’s undersold upcoming performances of DON GIOVANNI.
Lindoro Almaviva is right, Alto. A man only had to swear before God he was married, and that was binding. At least this is the way it is presented in the Golden Age drama (16th-17th century) which was completely under the control of the crown and was therefore in the business of upholding the values of society. Honor was an essential part of identity, and the value of your word was one of the important measures of honor (together with purity of blood).
So a crossing-sweeper in the street could yell at a passing noblewoman that she was his wife and it was done? Absurd. A contract was involved.
See:
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=marriage+laws+in+renaissance&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
#24:
i was surprised at that too, but not so far-fetched. mr. borodina is from the same tartar tribe as rudolf nureyev (bashkortostan) and many of those tartar/central asian groups claim descent from the great khan or his troops.