CSI: Tosca

Murder, torture, suicide—Tosca has been called a thriller for good reason. Yet much of the opera’s power lies not in the blood and gore of the plot but in the subtle drama of human emotions created by Puccini’s riveting music. In this exercise, students will examine how Puccini’s music illuminates—and complicates—the multiple facets of the plot. Taking on the role of musical “detectives,” they will investigate evidence in the “case file” of Tosca’s murders and thereby develop familiarity with the plot and music of this scandalous operatic blockbuster.

In so doing, students will learn to recognize four musical motifs that occur in Tosca and analyze how recurring musical themes complicate the trajectory and deepen the drama of the plot. They will be introduced to new musical vocabulary and develop listening skills that will not only help them engage with the opera, but also with music in film, theater, and even video games.

STEP 1. REVIEW

Distribute the opera synopsis to your students and ask them to read it carefully. For younger students, the Tosca illustrated synopsis (metopera.org/tosca-illustrated) will be more accessible. Alternatively, you may choose to introduce the plot in a more active or game-based method. Regardless, it is important that students begin by having an understanding of Tosca’s plot. Next, begin an open discussion: What are some of the literary themes they see in the opera’s plot? Ask for specific moments in the action that demonstrate these themes, and make a list on the board of the themes your students have identified. Possible examples may include love, jealousy, self-sacrifice, betrayal, lust, and more.

STEP 2. EXPLORE

Write a new vocabulary word on the board: leitmotif. Explain that leitmotifs (the word means “leading motif,” from the German verb leiten, “to lead”) are short snippets of music that repre­sent specific ideas, characters, emotions, objects, or places in an opera. Composers use leitmotifs to allude to important themes, create connections between different moments in the plot, and foster a sense of musical recognition. In this way, leitmotifs add an extra dimension to the story, allowing for more subtle allusions and connections than those explicitly stated by the characters through the words of the libretto.

STEP 3. LISTEN

The students’ job is to figure out the “meaning” of the four leitmotifs in Tosca. They should think of themselves as detectives: They will listen to 12 excerpts from Tosca, each of which represents a piece of “evidence.” First, begin by playing each of the motifs (Tracks 3–6) several times, asking them to describe what they hear—but don’t give away what each represents. It may be helpful to have them sing along with the melodies. Since the remainder of this activity relies on your students’ ability to recog­nize the motifs when they occur, make sure that they feel comfortable identifying the excerpts before you move on.

Below are the four motifs, identified by number. Although musical excerpts are provided for those who wish to use them, it is far more important for your students to relate to the music in a way that will be meaningful to them: volume, speed, whether the excerpt sounds “happy” or “sad,” etc. You may wish to teach your students more technical terms (such as “major,” “minor,” and “chord”) to help them describe what they hear.

Motif 1: Scarpia Chords (Track 3)

• Three heavy major chords
• Harmonically distant chords; B-flat, A-flat, and E
• Loud dynamics
• Full orchestra, emphasis on brass
• Possible adjectives: Harsh, blaring, imposing

Motif 2: Tosca’s Theme (Track 4)

• Major key
• An arc shape in the melody: first rising, then falling
• Triplet accompaniment
• Possible adjectives: tender, elegant, sweet

Motif 3: Love Duet Theme (Track 5)

• Major key
• A large leap down, a step up, another large leap down, then a rising scale
• Ascending arpeggios in the orchestra
• Possible adjectives: soaring, ardent

Motif 4: Murder Theme (Track 6)

• Minor key
• Melody in the strings
• Very soft dynamics
• Possible adjectives: Agitated, solemn, dramatic

STEP 4. ANALYZE

Distribute the “evidence” handouts included with this guide. Explain that all of the lyrics come directly from the Tosca libretto; when no sung text is present, there are stage directions, or an explanation of the action happening on stage. Ask your students to guess where each excerpt fits in the opera’s plot. (If you like, you may give students a hint that the excerpts are listed in the order that they appear in the opera.)

Moving on to the musical excerpts that incorporate the motifs, play each of the excerpts in order. Ask your students to identify the motif they hear in the excerpt and write the number of the motif in the space provided. Also ask them to circle, underline, or otherwise mark which words the motif accompanies (for instance, the word “love”). They may need to listen to each excerpt a few times before they can confidently identify the motif; an answer key is provided below for your reference.

STEP 5. INVESTIGATE

Now distribute the “Case File” handouts included with this guide. Have your students cut out the “evidence cards” from the previous handouts and attach them to the correct “Case File” (i.e., gather together all of the excerpts that include Motif 1, all of the excerpts with Motif 2, etc.).

Placing your students in small groups, ask them to work together to figure out the meaning of each motif. You may wish to assign specific motifs to each group or ask each group to work on all four motifs. Using the board, write the following questions out for the class so that students may use them to facilitate discussion and guide their analysis:

• Does the motif seem to be associated with a particular character? If so, does it occur when that character appears? When he or she is singing? When he or she is mentioned by another character?
• Are the melodies sung by characters on stage? Do they occur as background music?
• Do the excerpts for each motif come from a single scene or act, or are they distrib­uted across the opera?
• Do the motifs ever seem to indicate that a character is remembering something from their past? Do they ever seem to foretell something that will happen in the future?

Space is provided on students’ “Case File” handouts for them to make notes on their observations and deductions.

STEP 6. REFLECT

Have each group of students present their findings. Write these on the board next to the original list of themes. Invite them to compare the two lists. Has their musical analysis added anything to their interpretation of the plot? Has it made any characters seem more interesting or complex? Has it clarified anything? Ask whether they have any final observations they’d like to make.

Leitmotifs are not only used in opera. As an additional assign­ment, ask students whether they can think of any other storytelling media that also use leitmotifs. Film is a good example (think of the theme that accompanies Darth Vader in Star Wars, the Mordor theme in The Lord of the Rings, or the tune that indicates the shark in Jaws), but students will likely also think of examples from TV shows, video games, and plays or musicals. How does a repeating theme affect their experience of those art forms and media? Finally, point out that opera is not all that different from movies and the other forms of entertainment they enjoy every day: It may be in a foreign language and feature a particular style of singing, but its methods of storytelling and demonstrating character are not all that different than the media that students engage with every day!