Your first lesson should always be the Mandatory Lesson or a review of that lesson. If you have time for only one other lesson, please make that a review of the synopsis (or plot line) of the play. The Swallow is singing theatre. For the history of this art form, go to this link. If you have time for more than one lesson, or if your students already understand the rules of live theatre, please feel free to choose one of the additional lessons. They are divided roughly by general subject matter, e. g. language arts, social studies, et cetera.

Language Arts
The Swallow (La Rondine) was originally Meant to be an operetta but Puccini’s intent was to write a light comic opera. Have your students investigate each of these musical forms and decide which they consider The Swallow to be. Be sure they are able to support their opinions with evidence.

Much of the opera centers around a discussion of love. Have your students define love and describe how a person knows they are in love. When they have completed that task, have them compare the behavior of one of the characters in the opera (Lisette, Ruggero, etc.) and decide if that character is in love. Be sure they provide evidence to support their opinion.

Character Study
This could evolve into a study of the principal characters of the opera. If you choose to have your students complete a character study, have them gather in groups and discuss each others' opinions about the characters. Have them attempt to come to a consensus.

The title The Swallow was chosen carefully. Have your students read the legends about swallows and see if they agree that this is a well-chosen title. If not, what would they have named this? Be sure they justify the change they would make.

Compare and Contrast
This opera deals in large part with the demi-monde in the French Second Empire. A very popular American movie also dealt with people in that life-style, Gigi. If your students are familiar with the movie, have them compare and contrast the two different authors handling of the issues. Be sure they are able to identify what the life-style entailed for the men of the monde and the women of the demi-monde. They need to identify the two different life-styles of Magda (the inner circle) and Lisette (the grisette).

If your students were able to see The Merry Widow last season, have them compare and contrast the two. They should be able to find musical similarities, similar settings and dancing. Also, both were written in turbulent political times and are viewed by many as escapism.

Rewrite/revise
After reading about Puccini’s struggles with this manuscript, have your students revise and re-write a portion of this that they did not like (see the synopsis). Have at least one other student read the revision and comment. If there is time, have a class discussion about the possible revisions and determine if the class as a whole would revise any one part or if the body of work stands well on its own.

Critique
Have your students write a column of criticism of the play. Be sure they support their opinion with data from the performance. Be sure to make this assignment before they attend so they can be thinking about it as they watch it. Choices could include the music as performed by the orchestra, the music as performed by the vocalists (either collectively or individually), the sets, the staging and the directing. Have your students read several newspaper columns before they attend the performance so they can be familiar with the professionals' manner of critiquing.

Author Study
Your students should understand that singing theater is a collaboration between a composer (who writes the music) and a librettist (who writes the words). In this case, there are three librettists, Guiseppe Adami, Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert. Once your students understand the role of librettist, have them research these three men. They could write about one, compare two of them or simply write about the difficulties of collaboration. If you choose to have the students write about collaboration, you might choose to have them assigned a partner with whom to submit a paper after collaborating.

A great deal has been written about Giacomo Puccini, the composer. Have your students research his life, or his music or his family background or any other area of his life they are interested in. Be sure to require them to utilize several sources to complete the paper.

Social Studies
This opera was written during turbulent times and was written about another turbulent time. Have your students research Paris in the Second Empire and Italy during the last days of the Kingdom of Italy (see Puccini) and the times immediately following. Have them compare the two times. Also, have them consider what impact the social and political conditions when The Swallow was written may have had. Did they affect Puccini’s choices of subject? Of time frame? Of characters? Is there a way to be sure? Can the students provide evidence to support their opinion?

The Grisettes were a phenomenon of their time. Have students research them and determine, if they can, how they came into being and what caused them to disappear. Have students write about a present day social phenomenon and discuss how it came into being. Have them predict the end of the present day one and give their reasons for such a prediction.

Music
Have your students take one of the songs from The Swallow and rewrite the lyrics or the music. This is easier if the student is not already familiar with the piece. That should give them a feeling for the difficulty of collaborating to write a song. Have each student decide which is easier for him/her and provide the reasons for this.

Have your students take a song they are familiar with and rewrite the words. Have them decide in advance if they are going to change the purpose of the song or are attempting to keep it the same. Have them state which way they think will be easier. Have them report on which was actually easier and why they think so. Be sure they provide evidence to support their opinion.

Art
Have students closely observe the sets for The Swallow and write papers describing their opinions of the scenery as presented. Be sure they provide evidence to support their opinions. As a follow-up activity, have students design a set they would like to see used for this production. Have them tell why they think the set they have designed would improve it.

Have students closely observe the costumes for The Swallow and write a papers describing their opinions of the costumes as presented. Be sure they provide evidence to support their opinions. As a follow-up activity, have students design costumes they would like to see used for this production. Have them tell why they think the costumes they have designed would improve it.

Have your students create a playbill to advertise this musical production. Decide in advance if they should use the performance you are to attend (or have attended), or if they should create one from the past, a possible date in the distant future, or other options. Another option would be to create a handbill.

Career and Technical Education
There are many people other than performers involved in this kind of production. Here are two links to help you. The first Creating an Opera will tell your students about creating the performance itself. There are a number of people who are involved in this process. The second link Unsung Heroes will introduce you to the people who are rarely, if ever, seen. Have your students look at this list and determine an area that interests them. Have them research the opportunities in that area and write a report on it.

Return to Swallow Home Page

Revised November 2007
Please credit Lyric Opera San Diego when using this material.