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PUCCINI – Song ‘E Lucevan le stelle’ (from the opera Tosca) – 6 CELLOS

Other Identification:
“E lucevan le stelle” (“And the stars were shining”) is a famous tenor aria from the third act of Giacomo Puccini’s 1900 opera Tosca. Sung by Mario Cavaradossi (tenor) as he awaits execution for his love of the singer Tosca, the aria expresses his desperate lament for his vanished love and life, filled with regret and longing. It is considered a core piece of the spinto tenor repertoire, marked by its somber opening clarinet solo and poignant melody that repeats in the closing moments of the opera. Cavaradossi sings it on the roof of Castel Sant’Angelo, moments before his execution, recalling the beauty of his life and his stolen kisses with Tosca. The aria is a passionate farewell to love and life, a sorrowful reflection on what has been lost.

Movements or sections:
It is one of the most celebrated arias in the tenor repertoire and a signature moment in Tosca. Puccini himself insisted on the inclusion of the line “muoio disperato” (“I die in despair”) and later noted the thanks owed to him for the aria’s existence despite some expert advice to discard it.
Marked ‘Andante lento, molto appassionato’

Instrumentation:
SEXTET OF SIX CELLOS
Arranged by David Johnstone

4 PDFs:
1 – Cellos 1 and 2
2 – Cellos 3 and 4
3 – Cellos 5 and 6
4 – General Cello Ensemble Score

Approximate difficulty:
Medium to difficult

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David Johnstone lives near Pamplona (Navarre, Spain) with his wife Rosa and their two “Spanglish” children, close to the Atlantic Pyrenees. The nearest international airport is Bilbao.

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