This thesis examines the production and reception of Pietro Mascagni’s opera Cavalleria Rusticana in Stockholm in December 1890. The opera had been successfully premiered in Rome in May 1890. The first performance outside Italy took place at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm seven months after the premiere.  The aim of the thesis is to increase the understanding of opera as a cultural phenomenon in Stockholm at the end of the 19th century. William Sewell’s ideas about the different meanings of the word ‘culture’ are used to give content to the concept of ‘cultural phenomenon’. Culture is seen as a category of social life with both a system of symbols and a sphere of practice.   The primary sources are documents from the Archive of the Royal Theatres and Swedish newspapers in the database ‘Svenska Dagstidningar’ at the National Library of Sweden. The study shows that Cavalleria Rusticana was staged unusually quickly in Stockholm and seems to have become a role model for future short staging processes. The thesis describes and analyses parts of the production process and identifies the factors that made the rapid process possible. Ticket sales and the number of performances are examined to describe and analyse audience reception. The Swedish press coverage of Cavalleria Rusticana was extensive before and after the Stockholm premiere. The thesis describes and analyses the content of the newspaper reports. Finally, some suggestions for further research are made.

As lirico-spinto soprano commonly indicates a soprano with a heavier voice than lyric soprano and a lighter voice than dramatic soprano, there are many problems in the assessment of the voice type. Lirico-spinto soprano is characterized differently by various scholars and sources offer contrasting and insufficient definitions. It is commonly understood as a pushed voice, as many interpret spingere as ‘to push.' This dissertation shows that the meaning of spingere does not mean pushed in this context, but extended, thus making the voice type a hybrid of lyric soprano voice type that has qualities of extended temperament, timbre, color, and volume. This dissertation indicates that the lack of published anthologies on lirico-spinto soprano arias is a significant reason for the insufficient understanding of the lirico-spinto soprano voice. The post-Verdi Italian group of composers, giovane scuola, composed operas that required lirico-spinto soprano voices. These giovane scuola composers include Alfredo Catalani (1854 –1893), Umberto Giordano (1867 –1948), Pietro Mascagni (1863 –1945), Giacomo Puccini (1858 –1924), and Riccardo Zandonai (1883 –1944). Descriptions of the soprano voices that premiered these roles are included in this document to determine the suitability of the lirico-spinto soprano voice for each role.

This thesis explores the relationship between the many literary texts referring to the deaths of Ugo d'Este and Parisina Malatesta, who were executed in Ferrara in 1425 in accordance with an order by Niccolò III d'Este after he discovered their incestuous relationship. The texts are divided in three categories: (1) the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Italian novellas and their translations; (2) the seventeenth-century Spanish tragedy; and (3) the nineteenth- and twentieth-century Romantic works. Although these categories divide the various texts chronologically, they also represent a thematic grouping as the texts within each category share common themes that set them apart from those in the other groups. While the various texts all tell the same story, each approaches the tragedy slightly differently based largely on the audience for which it was intended. Thus, the time and place of each text greatly affects its telling. Still, the fact that substantial differences exist between texts that were produced in both geographic and temporal proximity suggests that these are not all-determining factors. Although scholarship exists analyzing individual texts, a comprehensive study of the literary accounts relating to the tragedy has never been undertaken. Rather than detracting from the story, the differences put forth in each of the literary texts enrich the global reading experience by offering many perspectives on the tragedy. In addition, these differences influence how the reader reacts to each of the other texts. Familiarity with one version of the story changes the way a reader approaches the others. A parallel reading of the different versions of the story also shows the power culture has on interpretation. Texts referring to a singular event from one time and place sharply contrast with those that are the product of other circumstances.