Ruggero Leoncavallo

Pagliacci

The verismo opera Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo is the first work in Bärenreiter's new series 'Masterpieces of Italian Opera' (MIO). Pagliacci, which was Leoncavallo's most successful work, has remained an integral part of opera literature up until today. The role of Canio the tragic clown helped many singers achieve successful performances and iconic interpretations.

The new edition of Pagliacci, edited by Andreas Giger, is the first to follow clear editorial guidelines, documenting all amendments of the musical text in a Critical Commentary. It presents the opera in two versions, both of which were regarded as complete in their time: The version Leoncavallo presented to the Italian publisher Sonzogno (one act, without Prologue and Intermezzo) and the 'final version' (two acts with Prologue and Intermezzo), the conception of which was influenced by Victor Maurel, Sonzogno, as well as the experiences collected during the first series of performances. The new edition follows the autograph score of the composer as closely as current opera practice allows, correcting erroneous pitches, adjusting articulation markings, slurs, and offering dynamic marks that were not included in previous editions. Additionally, instrumentation issues have been addressed.

There are several secondary sources for Pagliacci that offer a substantial amount of performance suggestions, not all of which can be attributed to Leoncavallo with certainty. While previous editions mostly include these instructions, they have only been adapted into this edition as demanded by musical logic, in cases where they can be attributed to the composer with certainty, and based on practical value (such as metronome markings or puntature). In all cases, they have been offset typographically from autograph markings.
An important secondary source, namely a copy of the first printed score, contains corrections in the composer's hand. Bärenreiter's new edition is the first to offer this valuable information to performers and scholars.

The libretto for Pagliacci was written by Leoncavallo himself. Regarding vocal text and stage directions, the new edition follows the autograph as well as secondary sources authorized by Leoncavallo.
As a result of clearly stated editorial guidelines and their execution, this new edition of Pagliacci offers a consistent score that closely follows Leoncavallo's intentions.