Abstract

This paper is a foray into the variations of the PAGE pattern, as a quasi-present supporting character in the lyric theatre. Investing this generic character with multiple facets ranging from mere decorative, conventional presences to significant roles in the overturn of the dramatic action, opera composers and librettists have presented him as a positive satellite-element in the musical dramaturgical equation. The second part is a "case study" that offers a detailed analysis of Cherubino`s character in Mozart`s masterpiece Le Nozze di Figaro.

Keywords: page, character, opera, theatre, chivalry, Cherubino, Mozart, Beaumarchais

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