E Lucevan le Stelle, from "Tosca"

Giacomo Puccini

General Information

  • Year of Composition: 1900
  • Difficulty: Grade V
  • Duration: c. 5:30
  • Original Medium: Opera
  • Form: Aria

Instrumentation

  • Piccolo
  • Flute I-II
  • Oboe I-II
  • English Horn
  • Bassoon I-II
  • Solo B-flat Clarinet
  • B-flat Clarinet I-II-III
  • Alto Clarinet
  • Bass Clarinet
  • Alto Saxophone I-II
  • Tenor Saxophone
  • Baritone Saxophone
  • B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
  • Horn in F I-II-III-IV
  • Trombones I-II
  • Bass Trombone
  • Euphonium
  • Tuba
  • String Bass
  • Harp (or piano)
  • Timpani
  • Percussion I-II (bass drum, crash cymbal, snare drum, tam tam)

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Program Note

E Lucevan le Stelle ("...and the stars were shining...") from the opera Tosca is one of Puccini’s most beautiful and haunting arias. Sung by the male lead Mario, a painter in love with Tosca, it is a reflection on life and love while awaiting his execution on the roof of Castel Sant’Angelo. The aria is introduced by a somber clarinet solo.

The opera, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramatic play, La Tosca, is a melodramatic piece set in Rome in 1800, with the Kingdom of Naples's control of Rome threatened by Napoleon's invasion of Italy. It contains depictions of torture, murder and suicide, as well as some of Puccini's best-known lyrical arias, and has inspired memorable performances from many of opera's leading singers.