Musical Analysis
Boieldieu's enjoyable score is highly expressive and full of striking numbers. Of particular note are Jenny's ballad, Brown's entrance aria and, the music sung by Anna, which is highly florid and preceded by harp arpeggios whenever the White Lady appears. The central dramatic focus of the opera is the auction scene, an ensemble in the Italian style, which has an intensity not equalled or surpassed by any other opéra comique of that period, either by Boieldieu or his contemporaries. The aria from the opera that is most often performed today in recital is the tenor aria, "Viens, gentille dame" ("Come, Gentle Lady"). The opera also interestingly makes use of Scottish folk tunes.
Read more about this topic: La Dame Blanche
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