A Toccata of Galuppi’s Analysis: Tempus Fugit & Carpe Diem

Posted on Sep 30, 2024 in English

A Toccata of Galuppi’s by Robert Browning

Voice

The poem is written in the third person. There are three distinct voices: the scientist, Baldassaro Galuppi (deceased), and a group of people at the Venetian carnivals.

Mood

The poem’s mood is melancholic and sorrowful, although moments of joy are interspersed throughout.

Topic

The poem explores the themes of Tempus Fugit (time flies) and Carpe Diem (seize the day). It can be divided into three parts:

  • Part 1 (Lines 1-4): Focuses on Tempus Fugit.
  • Part 2 (Lines 5-10): Explores Carpe Diem.
  • Part 3 (Lines 11-15): Returns to the theme of Tempus Fugit.

Summary

The scientist, while listening to a toccata by Galuppi, reflects on death and his own mortality. The music evokes vivid visions of Venice, including a masked ball, and he imagines a conversation between two lovers.

Summary by Stanzas

  1. The scientist listens to Galuppi’s music and feels a sense of sadness.
  2. Through his music, Galuppi describes Venice.
  3. The description of Venice continues, with the scientist transported there through the music despite never having visited.
  4. The music evokes the Venetian carnival, with its masks and balls.
  5. The scientist imagines the party and focuses on a particular lady.
  6. He imagines the lady engaging in conversation with a man.
  7. The lovers contemplate mortality.
  8. The lovers discuss happiness.
  9. The lovers are left speechless by the answer to their questions and praise Galuppi’s music.
  10. The poem highlights the triviality of death after a life of enjoyment.
  11. The scientist reflects on how Galuppi’s music plays while he solves scientific problems.
  12. Galuppi, through his music, speaks to the scientist about the inevitability of death in Venice.
  13. The dialogue between Galuppi and the scientist continues, highlighting the conflict between reason (nothingness after death) and faith (the possibility of an afterlife).
  14. The people of Venice enjoyed their lives, but death eventually came for them all.
  15. Following Galuppi’s message, the scientist reflects on immortality and his inability to escape death.

Parts

  1. Stanzas 1-3: Introduction. The evocative power of music describing Venice. Joy brings sadness.
  2. Stanzas 4-10: Venetian Life. The evocation of Venetian gatherings, parties, and lovers discussing happiness. Carpe Diem is prominent, with stanza 10 introducing Tempus Fugit.
  3. Stanzas 11-15: Dialogue and Reflection. Dialogue between Galuppi and the scientist about the immortality of the soul. Tempus Fugit, the question of immortality, and the scientist’s sadness are explored.

Metrics

The poem is written in hexameters with mono-rhyme tercets.

Figures

Stanza 1

  • Line 1: Apostrophe (“Oh, Galuppi”) and alliteration (/s/ sounds).
  • Line 2: Hyperbole (“deaf and blind”) and alliteration (/d/ sounds).
  • Line 3: Simile (“with such a heavy mind”).

Stanza 2

  • Metaphor: “The Doges used to wed the sea with rings.”
  • Anaphora: Repetition of “here” to emphasize and create a vivid image.
  • Paronomasia: “old” and “all.”
  • Alliteration: Liquid /r/ sounds, mimicking the melody of music.
  • Paronomasia: “Where” and “were.”
  • Alliteration: Liquids and nasals.
  • Anaphora: Repetition of “Where” to create a vivid image of Venice.
  • Alliteration: Liquid sounds.

Stanza 3

  • Apostrophe: “Ay.”
  • Paradox: “the sea’s the street.”
  • Alliteration: /s/ sounds.
  • Line 9: Paradox (experiencing Venice through music despite never having been there).

Stanza 6

  • Parallelism: Verse 17.
  • Alliteration: /k/, /t/, /d/, and /f/ sounds.

Stanza 7

  • Alliteration: /s/, liquids, and nasals for musicality.
  • Personification: “Those commiserating sevenths.”
  • Anaphora: “Those suspensions, those solutions.”
  • Rhetorical question: “Told them something?”
  • Surprise: “What?”

Stanza 8

  • Dialogue.
  • Rhetorical question: “Did I stop them, when a million seemed so few?”
  • Personification: “the dominant’s persistence.”
  • Alliteration: /s/, nasals, and liquids.

Stanza 9

  • Alliteration: /t/ for fixity and liquids for musicality.
  • Personification: “An octave struck the answer.”
  • Paronomasia: “at grave at gay” (ambiguity in “grave”).
  • Periphrasis: “leaving off talking.”
  • Rhetorical exclamations.
  • Oxymoron: Simultaneous sadness and happiness.

Stanza 10

  • Alliteration: /t/, /d/, /w/, and nasals.
  • Anaphora: “one by one.”
  • Parallelism: “Some with lives… some with deeds…”
  • Personification: “Death stepped tacitly.”
  • Periphrasis: “Where they never see the sun.”

Stanza 11

  • Alliteration: /t/, /d/, and nasals. Periphrasis: “I sit down.”
  • Alliteration: /r/. Personification: “secret wrung.” Hyperbole: “I triumph over a secret.”
  • Alliteration: /c/ and /r/. Epithet: “cold music.”

Stanza 12

  • Alliteration: /c/. Simile: “like a ghostly cricket.” Paronomasia and onomatopoeia: “cricket/creaking.”
  • Alliteration: /d/. Personification and paradox: “Venice spent what Venice earned.” Duplication: “Venice…Venice.” Metaphor: “Dust and ashes.”
  • Alliteration: /s/ and liquids. Irony: “doubtless.” Repetition and anaphora: “soul.”

Stanza 13

  • Alliteration: /s/. Lexical set: “physics”, “geology”, “mathematics.”
  • Alliteration: /s/. Personification: “souls shall rise.”
  • Alliteration: /t/. Personification: “butterflies may dread.”

Stanza 14

  • Alliteration: /r/ and nasals. Metaphor: “merely born to bloom and drop.” Simile: “as for Venice.”
  • Alliteration: /r/. Metaphorical verse. Metonymy: “crop.”
  • Alliteration: /t/.

Stanza 15

  • Alliteration: /t/. Personification: “the heart to scold.”
  • Alliteration: Liquids /r/ and /l/. Paronomasia: “dear”, “dead.”
  • Alliteration: Nasals. Metaphor: “scold.”