Description
In the first scene of Act II of La Traviata, after her interview with Germont, Violetta resolves to leave Alfredo and sits down to write him a letter. Alfredo, who knows nothing, returns, and a short duet follows in which she can no longer hold back her feelings. The number stands between the long duet of No. 7 and Germont's aria in No. 9.
The file gives B-flat major in 4/4. The first part moves with few words, the accompaniment carrying Violetta's agitation as she writes. Near the end she breaks out with “Amami, Alfredo”, and the melody foreshadowed in the Prelude appears here at full strength for the first time. It is one of the best-known moments in the opera, and the drop from the quiet opening to this outburst is what to listen for.
About six minutes and 1,657 notes, it is rated intermediate, and its range from C-sharp 2 to F6 fits a 61-key keyboard. The key is planning the whole: keep the accompaniment down so the melody floats in the first part, and save enough to open up fully at the climax. Loop the climax with A-B repeat, and use the score view to see how melody and accompaniment overlap there.
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About the Composer
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was Italy's foremost opera composer of the 19th century. Masterpieces such as 'La Traviata,' 'Rigoletto,' and 'Aida' represent the pinnacle of Italian Romantic opera. This site includes 19 piano arrangements drawn from 'La Traviata.'
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