Ex. 8-14: O mio babbino caro

From Puccini's one-act opera Gianni Schicchi (1918), the third and final part of Il trittico, premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on 14 December 1918. Libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, based on an episode from Dante's Inferno (Canto XXX).

This is Puccini's only completed comedy. In the story, the wealthy Buoso has died, leaving his fortune to a monastery. The relatives, who want the fortune for themselves, send for a clever man named Gianni Schicchi to fake a new will. When Schicchi refuses, his daughter Lauretta sings this aria to persuade him — threatening to throw herself off the Ponte Vecchio bridge into the River Arno if she cannot marry her beloved Rinuccio. Puccini made the melody deliberately sweet — almost too sweet — to match the dramatic way Lauretta begs her father.

Because of the First World War, Puccini could not travel to New York for the premiere. He could only send his directions to the conductor, and the opera opened without him. On the opening night, Gianni Schicchi was the most popular of the three operas, and this aria was the high point of the evening. The audience loved it so much that the singer had to sing it again on the spot — even though encores had been forbidden that night.

Puccini himself had mixed feelings about this success. He preferred Suor Angelica — the middle opera of the three — and was disappointed that the lighter Gianni Schicchi drew all the attention away from it.

Despite its comic context, the aria is widely performed as a standalone concert piece. The title means roughly "Oh my dear daddy" — babbino is an affectionate, childlike form of babbo (father).

Track 9 from the album Classics by Sarah Brightman (2001)
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