Maren begins a new story, Seduction’s Servant, which was written during a production of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. She discusses the impact that opera had on her childhood, and the political activism underlying the Beaumarchais play that the opera was based on.
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Transcript
(orchestra tuning)
Hello, and welcome to the Bodice Ripper Project, an exploration of sexuality, feminism, and the journey to self-empowerment through the lens of romance novels.
I’m Maren Montalbano, opera singer, coach, and writer.
In this episode, you’ll hear the beginning of Seduction’s Servant, a romance I wrote during a production of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro.
And I’ll talk a little bit about my history with that opera and the impact it had on me as I grew up.
You’ll hear about how much of a geek I am.
So make yourself comfortable, loosen your bodice, and let’s begin.
(intro music plays)
Welcome back. And for those of you just joining, welcome to the Bodice Ripper, I really hope you enjoyed listening to the Venetian Vixen.
I have a new story for you this time. It’s called Seduction’s Servant, and it was written during a production of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro.
This story was also written about seven years after Venetian Vixen, so you might notice that my writing has matured.
Now, Marriage of Figaro is my absolute favorite opera. I used to listen to The Marriage of Figaro, I had an album when I was young, I used to listen to it over and over again, while my friends were obsessing over Duran Duran and Rick Springfield, I had my favorite albums too, and they were all operas.
In fact, the pop music icons of the Eighties barely registered on my radar. Until I hit high school, honestly, I never listened to Top 40 radio. I only listened to the classical music station. So I was definitely a big old nerd in that capacity, which I am taking as a strength.
I was well versed in everything classical music. In fact, my mom and I used to play these games in the car when we were driving and we would be listening to the classical music station, and she would say, “Okay, what time period was this written in?” So I had to guess. And as I got better at it, my mom would ask me, “Who do you think wrote this?”
So I got very good at figuring out the styles of historical genres, styles of composers.
That served me really well once I got into college and had music history class.
The reason Marriage of Figaro is my favorite opera is that it is a microcosm of the human experience packed into three hours of beautiful Mozart music. There are so many issues that it deals with: harassment in the workplace, infidelity, incest, class divide, cross dressing, gender fluidity. It’s all there.
And I could geek out about this for ever.
Just some basic facts about the opera. It was composed in 1786.
So think about that. America was founded in 1776. So it was just 10 years after the Declaration of Independence.
The libretto is by Lorenzo Da Ponte. He teamed up with Mozart for several really, really famous operas. He was a very good librettist.
And it’s actually a beat for beat translation of the Beaumarchais play, The Marriage of Figaro. I didn’t realize that until I saw a production of the Beaumarchais play and I was, again, just like completely geeking out. I had the best time.
If you listen closely to the first chapter of Seduction’s Servant, Beaumarchais makes a cameo appearance because I’m such a geek.
The play is actually a huge political statement on class inequality wrapped up in a comedy. It centers around Figaro, who is the barber, he’s actually the barber of Seville. So if you know that the Barber of Seville is part one, it’s the prequel. And then you get Marriage of Figaro.
So Figaro is the barber of Count Almaviva, and he’s going to get married, Figaro’s getting married, and he’s excited. And the woman he’s getting married to is Susanna. She’s the maid of Countess Rosina. Everything’s great, except Count Almaviva, who’s a big old horn dog, wants to bring back the tradition of droit du seigneur, which is basically the lord of the land gets first dibs on any woman that lives in the realm that he owns.
So think about it: that woman who essentially is a virgin at marriage, right? Right. The lord gets to sleep with her first, gets to pop her cherry. And then of course, whatever other peasant she’s married can have her for the rest of her life.
You can see where the problem comes in, right?
That’s the main premise of this play and also the opera. It’s a political statement about class inequality because droit du seigneur gives the lord the right to the actual bodies of his subjects. And the only thing that gives him that power is the fact that he was born into nobility.
So Beaumarchais wrote the play. It was a big success – it’s a really good play – but the French version was already censored in Emperor Joseph II’s court in Vienna. Mozart was a composer there at that court.
In order to get permission to create the libretto, Da Ponte worked out a deal with the censors, basically changing Figaro’s climactic speech at the end, which rails against inherited nobility. And he replaces it with an aria that’s equally angry against unfaithful wives.
So obviously it’s easier to blame the women than the people in power. Right?
Most music and theater history classes, when they talk about this play, they talk about the political statement about classism. But I would like to point out here that droit du seigneur also gives the lord, the government, the right to do whatever he pleases with a woman’s body. That it is not her own.
This is a societal norm that has been passed down for generations over a thousand years.
No wonder people think it’s okay for the government to tell women what to do with their bodies.
Most people don’t know about the political aspect of this story. They see it as a comedy and that’s it.
If you see the movie Amadeus, they do touch on it a little bit. There is one very small scene about it, but at the time it was being written, there was a lot of anti-monarchist sentiment going on in the Western world.
You have to remember, this was written 10 years after the Declaration of Independence, and three years before the start of the French Revolution.
I wanted to point all that out because I think sometimes when people think of opera, they think of just these stereotypes, and they don’t understand that opera was and still is an art form that talks about what is happening in the world.
Most people today have heard this music. I’m sure you will recognize it. I’m going to use it as part of the background to the story. It’s used a lot in television and film scores, and actually it’s featured prominently in one of my favorite films, Trading Places, which is also a commentary on class inequality.
That being said, let’s get into some romance, shall we?
Seduction’s Servant
CHAPTER 1
“Cinque. Dieci. Venti…trenta!”
The silver coins sparkled in the sunlight as the Italian peddler counted them out into the young maid’s palm. She had never seen so much money in her life, and her slender fingers closed around the coins quickly, depositing them surreptitiously into the pouch hanging from her wrist. She glanced around the crowded marketplace to see if anyone had noticed the exchange.
“Remember, signorina,” the peddler murmured, as he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. “You are to ingratiate yourself with the count, by any means necessary. That is what we are paying you for. Capisci?”
She nodded and tried not to gag as the peddler’s foul stench wafted over her. He smelled like Gorgonzola cheese that had been left in a rotting cabbage patch for a week. The deal he had offered her seemed almost too good to be true: accept a position at Count Almaviva’s estate, get into the good graces of the lord of the manor, and simply introduce him to a French clockmaker named Beaumarchais. Seemed easy enough, and she needed the money desperately enough not to ask too many questions.
Just then, someone jostled her from behind, nearly knocking her into the street. Startled, the peddler jumped away and disappeared into the crowd. She whirled around, clutching her pouch tightly, ready to hurl an epithet or two.
But as soon as she turned to face the offender, her breath caught in her throat. The first thing she noticed was a broad, muscle-bound chest in a linen shirt, the collar opened to reveal a hint of fine, golden hair. Her gaze wandered up to his face and she fought the urge to reach out and caress the stubble that was growing on his firm, square jaw. His eyes were a dark chocolate brown and she suddenly felt as if she could tell this man anything. Her heart skipped several beats.
He had been pulling a cart of various flowers and vegetables, which he now set down. “Many apologies,” he said as he reached out his hands to steady her.
His touch sent a jolt of electricity up her arm, and her bosom began to rise and fall above her corset more rapidly. He glanced down at her heaving cleavage.
Remember your mission. The peddler’s instructions percolated into her consciousness and she took several steps back, confused by the thoughts swirling around in her head. “I…you…I…yes, of course,” she stammered. He smelled like lavender and mint.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he finally tore his eyes away from her décolletage to gaze at her face. “I don’t think I have seen you at the market before. Are you on your way to Seville?”
She nodded, still at a loss for words. What in the world is wrong with you? she scolded herself. Straightening her shoulders and drawing herself up to look as dignified as possible, she summoned what was left of her wits and said, “I have business at the house of Count Almaviva.” Her heart was still racing.
His soft smile broadened into a grin. “You’re in luck! I happen to work on his estate, so I can escort you there. I haven’t had much luck selling the count’s vegetables,” He gestured to his cart, still quite full even though the sun was beginning to set. “But perhaps if I return with you, the master won’t be quite so angry.”
She frowned, looking at him dubiously.
“That was a joke.” He extended his hand towards her. “My name is Samuel. Samuel Madera. And you are…?”
She slowly accepted his hand and curtseyed. “Lily Trasero.” The touch of his hand on hers quickened her pulse even more, and she bit her bottom lip nervously. The crowd around them was beginning to swell, for many vendors were packing up their wares and heading home. She was jostled again and she took a step towards him to steady herself again. He put both his arms around her this time, almost in an embrace, and their eyes locked.
“My…my cousin also works on the estate…” she began, when a shout arose from the surrounding crowd. A gentleman on a runaway horse came galloping down the road, knocking Samuel’s cart onto them both. Lily’s head hit the ground first, and she lost consciousness.
CHAPTER 2
Lily awoke to the smell of lavender.
She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes just a tiny bit to survey her surroundings. She was in a small bed in a very cozy room. A fire was burning merrily in the fireplace at the foot of the bed, and the only window in the room betrayed the fact that it was now night.
As she sat up in the bed, the sheet fell to her waist, and she realized the only thing on her body was her chemise! Someone had undressed her while she had been unconscious…a quick glance around the room found her clothes neatly folded in a pile by the fireplace.
She quickly got up and tiptoed across the room to the fireplace. She bent over to retrieve her clothing when the door opened. She dropped the bulk of her clothes and vainly tried to cover herself with her fichu.
It was Samuel, entering with one hand covering his eyes. “So sorry, again,” he said, the smile on his face contradicting his apology. “Lily, was it? After you fell, I didn’t know what to do so I brought you to the master’s hunting lodge.”
Lily frowned. “Is that where I am?” She stepped back to the bed and tried to pull a blanket off to cover herself. The blanket was stuck, and in her efforts to provide modesty, the neckline of her chemise fell rather low, exposing most of her creamy breasts.
Samuel, peeking between his fingers and seeing her distress, moved into the room and closed the door. “Here, let me help,” he offered, as he walked into the room, his hand still over his eyes. He had to take his hands off his face in order to find and pull on the blanket. Although he made a great show of keeping his eyes averted, he couldn’t help but notice how alluring she looked in dishabille. The fire cast a warm light over her skin, and he could see right through her chemise. His smile grew wider.
At last, she pulled the blanket free of the mattress and wrapped it around her. The material was heavy, and it kept falling off her shoulders.
“What…what happened to my clothes?” She busied herself with the blanket in order to not look into his eyes. He was moving closer and closer to her, and with each step he took, her heart beat faster.
“Ah yes, my apologies. You were having some trouble breathing so I had to loosen your corset. But I wasn’t sure how to do that without taking everything else off, so…” He reached out and adjusted the blanket across her shoulders.
She tried to summon some anger, wanting to be indignant at the way she had been manhandled, but the only fiery feeling she could feel was a heat building between her legs. She kept her gaze lowered to the floor.
“I kept my eyes closed the entire time.”
Lily looked up at him with surprise. He was watching for her reaction and he grinned. His face was so close to hers, she could feel his breath on her cheek. “I might have peeked once or twice, but I promise I did nothing else.”
“And…won’t someone come looking for you?” Her breathing was becoming more shallow now.
“No,” he said, bringing his face even closer to hers. “They expect me back in the morning.”
He put his fingers under her chin to nudge her face up, then lowered his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.
Every nerve in her body was tingling. He pulled away briefly, his eyes searching hers, gauging her response. Unbidden, her arms let go of the blanket and wound themselves around his neck. She pulled his head back down to hers, wordlessly demanding another kiss, and another and another.
And I will leave it there. Join me next time for part two of Seduction’s Servant, in which Lily has an adventure by the riverbank.
Last week’s episode about racism and opera struck a chord with many of you. And I’m so happy that you have reached out to talk more about it. You know, the best thing we can do is keep that conversation going. I absolutely love hearing from you. So please reach out to me the easiest way to get a hold of me is on Instagram.
I’m @supermaren that’s S U P E R M A R E N. Just slide on into my DMs and I will be happy to chat with you.
And I’m really excited to let you know that I’m announcing a giveaway. I’m going to give away some free tickets to my Fringe Festival show. In my first episode, I mentioned that I’m performing a one woman show, also called the Bodice Ripper Project. It’s a part of the Philadelphia Fringe and it is going to be a digital event, but it is actually happening live.
So it’s a livestream, it requires audience interaction. I’m super excited for the way that it is shaping up. And I can’t wait to bring it to you.
You get a chance to win free tickets to your choice of the performances. That will be October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
What you have to do in order to be eligible is: number one, go to bodiceripperproject.com and sign up for my mailing list. That’s going to give you one chance, just being on my mailing list gives you one chance.
Then, if you want more chances and you want your name to be entered in multiple times, comment or share any of my social media posts.
So that’s on Instagram or Twitter @supermaren or Facebook, I’m listed as Maren Montalbano, Mezzo-soprano plus Coach. You’ll get one extra chance for each comment or share, but make sure that you tag me if you’re sharing the post so that I know that it happened, or you can also screenshot the post and send it to me.
For five extra chances, give me a five star review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts, you can do that on Stitcher. I think you have to log in to Apple Podcasts in order to leave a review. But either way, send me a screenshot before you hit submit, because sometimes it takes a while for the review to get approved.
Send me a screenshot of your review, and I would be happy to enter you in five more times.
I’m going to hold the drawing on August 30th. I will announce the winner on the show and I will also notice it on social media and all of that kind of stuff. I’m really excited about this little giveaway game. I’ve never really run something like this before, so it’s all a grand experiment and I hope you play along.
Okay. I think that’s it for now.
The Bodice Ripper Project is a production of Compassionate Creative, and was conceived, written, and edited by me, Maren Montalbano. The background music during the story were excerpts from a public domain version of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro – and the theme music was also written by moi. Be sure to give this podcast a 5-star rating, and I’ll see you next time.