The film Philadelphia and Umberto Giordano’s opera Andrea Chénier: A Contextual Approach to Analytical Writing

Timothy A. Johnson, Ithaca College

###Paper Assignment-_Philadelphia_

Write a short paper (approximately 5-6 pages, double-spaced typed) on the aria “La mamma morta” from Umberto Giordano’s opera Andrea Chénier as used in the film Philadelphia. Your paper should focus primarily on musical analysis, but you must also put your analysis into the context of the libretto and the scene from the film in which the aria appears. You may write about broader themes in the film and/or the opera if you wish (but it is not required). In any case I will value specific observations over broad generalizations.

You should write about specific aspects of the music using appropriate terms that you have learned in theory courses. For example, you might write about harmony, key relationships, modulation techniques, phrase structure, motivic development, melodic shape, texture, orchestration, and so forth. For the scope of this paper, you should choose a few analytical approaches, rather than trying to do a complete analysis of the aria. You should link most (or all) of your analytical comments to the context of the libretto and/or the film scene. But your paper must includes aspects of both the libretto and the film scene in relation to your analysis.

This is not a research paper; there is no need to examine any of the many secondary sources about the use of this aria in the film. Many of these sources likely will lead you away from the goals of this paper; I would suggest that you not read them in conjunction with this assignment. If you do use any ideas other than your own, you must document your sources fully using a consistent style, such as MLA or APA. But I would expect that there would be no need for you to consult any sources (other than the score, recordings, and the film—none of which you need to cite for this assignment—and an English translation, which you will cite in a different way, as described below).

Please refer to the characters in the movie exactly as follows:

First use: Andy Beckett (Tom Hanks), Joe Miller (Denzel Washington)
Subsequent use: Andy, Joe (if referring to the characters); Hanks, Washington (if referring to the actors)

Please refer to the singer of the aria as Maddalena, not Maria Callas or the singer on the recording you are using.

Get a translation separate from any score that you use. Translations in most scores are “singing translations,” which are intended to follow the music, even if the exact meaning is lost. There are many sources of translations (CD liners, online, and so forth—but not Wikipedia please); you can determine if a translation is reasonably close to the meaning by comparing it with the Italian words or ideas that you recognize. In your paper when you write about the meaning of the libretto, use English. If you write about specific phrases from the libretto, use Italian. Use quotation marks when quoting directly. Please identify the source of the translation the first time you use or refer to it, which you can do informally in parentheses at the end of your sentence (trans. Hans Übersetzer, liner notes, CD 60517-2 Sony). When you refer to the opera or the film as a whole, use italics, as demonstrated in my first paragraph above.

Please see the following additional guidelines you must follow in this paper. Above all, remember, this is a musical analysis paper, and you need to be specific.

Sources

Philadelphia, Chapter 33 (1:20:56-1:29:18); watch the full clip, including the montage that continues beyond this YouTube clip (with a reprise of the aria); full film available on DVD or streaming (viewing the full film is recommended, but not required for this assignment).
“La mamma morta,” sound recording; in addition many CD recordings are available (and you should listen to more than one performance).
“La mamma morta,” piano vocal score (pp. 186-92 of the PDF, labeled as pp. 183-89 in the score); the piano-vocal score of the complete opera is not required to be examined in full for this project.

Some guidelines for format and style:

Title: Try to be as specific as possible. Refer to the actual topic your paper addresses not just the name of the piece or film. Aim for a title that captures the important feature(s) of your paper. You probably will not be able to title your paper until after you have written it.
Introduction: The introduction need not be long, but it must successfully introduce the topic and capture the reader’s interest. Begin your paper with an idea (or ideas) rather than a fact. Limit the background information you provide (if any) to material that relates directly to the points you will make in your paper. Be sure to provide structural clues that give the reader a sense of what areas you will cover in your paper and in what order.
Presentation of the analysis: Organize your paper around ideas—not based the order of the music. A measure-by-measure catalogue of a piece is unnecessary and usually boring. Instead, refer to specific features of the music as appropriate to support or explain your ideas. Be sure to provide a sufficient amount of detail to defend your ideas. The reader should be “taken by the hand” and led through the points of your paper with every point explained meticulously and supported clearly by the evidence in the music.
Conclusion: Summarize your analysis and discuss its significance. What does your investigation reveal about the piece and/or its use in the film?
Style: This is a scholarly analytical paper and should be written in a generally serious style. Be specific: avoid generalizations that are beyond the scope of the paper. Write in complete, declarative sentences. Pay attention to sentence structure; sometimes complex ideas require complex (but clear and correct) sentences. Read your work aloud. Your “audience” includes students in this course, or similar courses, at all colleges/universities in the country, as well as your instructor.
Technical Details: Refer to measure numbers by abbreviation (m. 25 for a single measure, mm. 25-27 for a range). Number the measures of the aria consecutively, rather than in combination with rehearsal numbers, as is customary. If you refer to individual chords, be consistent. Use uppercase and lowercase Roman numerals for chord numbers as appropriate for chord quality (ii, V) or use diatonic scale-degree names (supertonic, dominant). Indicate inversions with numbers or words (ii6 or first-inversion supertonic). Describe keys and generic chords using capital letters followed by the mode or quality (A major, A minor, not a minor). Label the first measure in which Maddalena sings as m. 1 (the measure with a whole note in the accompaniment).
Instrumentation: Although you are using a piano-vocal score, you should refer to the specific instruments or instrument groups employed (as heard on the recording—you do not need to refer to an orchestral score). You should not refer to the melody in the right hand. Instead, you should refer to the melody in the solo cello or the accompaniment pattern in the woodwinds. Listen.
Examples: You should not provide musical examples for this paper.
Academic Honesty: You may not discuss this assignment, any aspect of the music, or any ideas you have about the piece with any person other than your instructor for this course or the staff at the writing center. You must do your own work throughout this project. Collaboration of any kind will not be tolerated.