from Act III of the Italian opera
Edgar by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto: Ferdinando Fontana
Role: Fidelia, a young woman in love with Edgar, sister of Frank and daughter of Gualtiero
Voice Part: soprano Fach: lyric soprano
Setting: the front of a fortress, Courtray, Flanders, late 19th century
Synopsis: Edgar has supposedly died as a hero in battle. However, at his funeral, it is revealed that he was not quite as good as he was made out to be. In fact, he apparently set fire to his house and wounded Frank in order to run off with the courtesan Tigrana. As the mob cries out for his body to be thrown to the crows, his love Fidelia steps out and sings that, she too was from Edgar's village and knows that his heart and soul were pure even though he may have committed a few small sins.
