Gianni Schicchi

The wealthy aristocrat of Florence Buoso Donati has just died, and a gang of his relatives is hanging vulturously about his bed. One of those, Rinuccio, is in love with Lauretta, a daughter of the plebeian Gianni Schicchi. Rinuccio’s hopes for the future with his beloved Lauretta depend on his uncle’s will. Everybody is busy with searching for the will: they are worried, as they have heard that Buoso has left everything to the monks of a monastery. The will is found; Buoso Donati has willed his fortune to the monastery! Donati’s relatives are appalled. Puccini’s remarks are worth citing here: “An old woman is in the centre, holding a will in her hand. The others are crowded behind her, but are trying to nip on. Marco and Betto get on the chairs seeking a better view. Everybody is absorbed in reading. Their lips are moving — as it happens with the people who read silently to themselves. Suddenly their facial expressions start changing, their faces turn tragic. The old woman falls down on to the chair and drops the will. Everybody freezes. Only Simone doesn’t turn around, he looks at the candle and snuffs it out. He draws the bed curtain and extinguishes the other candles. All the relatives disperse in search of a chair or a bench and sit down silently, motionless, wide-eyed.” Their worst fears are realized: Buoso has willed everything to the monks! Shock of the news give way to their indignation. “Little by little anger and resentment of the relatives rise to the utmost pitch, — Puccini continues his annotation in the score. — They jump to their feet, frantically run around the room, threaten with their fists and swear at the same time; they burst into sardonic laughter — nothing less than shrieks of the damned from here to eternity.”

Secretly Rinuccio has sent for Gianni Schicchi, and the artful young fellow urges his relatives to consult his prospective father-in-law, who is famous for his infinite resourcefulness. He ends his argument with an eloquent paean in praise of Florence (Firenze è come un albero fiorito — “Florence is like a blooming tree”), but they protest right up to the arrival of this pleb, Schicchi.

Lauretta, whom her father loves very much, urges him to find a solution to the troubles of the Donati so that she may marry Rinuccio. She knees before Schicchi singing O, mio babbino caro (“Oh, my dear father”), and thus Schicchi contrives a plan.

Gianni Schicchi and Lauretta arrive. They are welcomed in a hostile way: the Donatis don’t want to have a shrewd peasant relative. But they are ready to use his resourcefulness in order to get the heritage. Hardly has Lauretta left the room that Gianni asks Buoso’s relatives, if anyone knows that the old man has died. When they say that nobody does, they agree that they won’t let anybody know about his death. Gianni Schicchi orders to remove the body of the old Buoso, and takes his bed. Suddenly there is a knock at the door: it is Master Spinelloccio the doctor. Gianni tells the relatives to keep the doctor from entering, to tell him that Buoso is better and is resting. Gianni hides himself behind a curtain on the opposite side of the room, Gianni greets the doctor to assures him that he is feeling better and wishes to rest. The doctor leaves. The relatives are amazed: Gianni Schicchi sounded just like Buoso. Now Gianni is willing to befool the notary. He wants not only to imitate Buoso’s voice, but also to transform into him. Gianni describes his plan to the relatives: they will call a notary, telling him that Buoso Donati is dying and wants to draw up a will. Meanwhile he asks the relatives how the estate is to be divided. A great octet praises Gianni Schicchi.

Suddenly Gianni warns the relatives. “First, a warning! You know the proclamation?” he says. Anyone who substitutes names in wills and bequests is to be punished by having their hand chopped off, and then exiled. This applies to accomplices as well. “Think well, if we should be discovered,” he warns them, but nobody rejects the plan. A knock at the door is heard: the notary has arrived. He takes parchment and seals from his bag and places them on the table. He laments that the old Buoso has changed so much and one can recognize him only by his voice. The notary then begins to read the new will in Latin (and the relatives applaud his forethought). And the Gianni Schicchi leaves all the money, as well as the house in Florence to his ’’devoted friend Gianni Schicchi!"

The relatives cannot contain their fury, crying out against the scoundrel Gianni Schicchi, but now they can do nothing about it. Schicchi reminds of the proclamation, and at this sharp reminder of their legal situation the relatives are subdued. The moment the notary is out of the door, the relatives turn on Gianni Schicchi with repressed fury, screaming that he is a thief and a scoundrel. But Gianni seizes Buoso’s stick, raining blows on the relatives and chases them out of what is now his house. There are only Rinuccio and Lauretta left, who sing their duet. Gianni Schicchi gives them Buoso’s documents, which he got hold of.

Henry W. Simon