# Opera songs sung by the dead or dying (perhaps of consumption) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 13, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opera-songs-sung-by-the-dead-or-dying-perhaps-of-consumption/647040 "2013-01-13T05:41:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opera-songs-sung-by-the-dead-or-dying-perhaps-of-consumption/647040/1 "2013-01-13T05:41:07Z")
In [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=678055), **cjepson** asks about songs sung by the dead or dying; most of the responses are from “popular” music, from folk to death metal, but there’s several mentions of opera’s fondness for people to be singing from their deathbed or worse. Some mentions from that thread: **commasense** , _Tristan und Isolde_’s _Liebestod_ **ElvisL1ves** , Aida and Radames while entombed alive, in _Aida_. **panache** mentions the genre but doesn’t name either operas or songs. Me, _La Traviata_, no specific songs named, with Mimí theoretically dying from consumption while hitting notes out of the theater… To those Dopers with better classical music culture than mine, mind giving us some specific examples of deathbed songs from opera? Preferably with a bit of context, both of the opera and the song itself. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2013, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opera-songs-sung-by-the-dead-or-dying-perhaps-of-consumption/647040/2 "2013-01-13T05:55:43Z")
There’s always Gilda’s last whimpers from _Rigoletto_. Nice girl, but a real twit. Also Margarite (sp?) from _Faust_. Dies and goes to heaven singing. Antonia literally sings herself to death in _Tales of Hoffmann_. I’m sure others will chime in. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2013, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opera-songs-sung-by-the-dead-or-dying-perhaps-of-consumption/647040/3 "2013-01-13T06:03:38Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Me, _La Traviata_, no specific songs named, with Mimí theoretically dying from consumption while hitting notes out of the theater… Mimí, while she indeed dies of consumption, appears in _La Bohéme_, not _La Traviata_. _La Traviata_ features Violetta. Mimí’s death is considerably more realistic. To actually contribute: Desdemona’s final words in _Otello_. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2013, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opera-songs-sung-by-the-dead-or-dying-perhaps-of-consumption/647040/4 "2013-01-13T10:16:28Z")
Thank you, evidently I had the wrong literary reference. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opera-songs-sung-by-the-dead-or-dying-perhaps-of-consumption/647040/5 "2013-01-13T17:14:03Z")
Here are some famous deaths in opera; there are a whole lot more. I’m pretty sure all of these sing as they are about to die, but I may be mistaken. Carmen’s death in _Carmen_ Floria’s death in _Tosca_ Gilda’s death in _Rigoletto_ Liu’s death in _Turandot_ Cio-Cio San’s death in _Madama Butterfly_ Manon Lescaut’s death in _Manon Lescaut_ Mario’s death in _Tosca_ Mimi’s death in _La Bohème_ Nedda’s death in _I Pagliacci_ Romeo’s death in _Roméo et Juliette_ Scarpia’s death in _Tosca_ Valentin’s death in _Faust_ Violetta’s death in _La Traviata_ ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opera-songs-sung-by-the-dead-or-dying-perhaps-of-consumption/647040/6 "2013-01-13T18:18:00Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Carmen’s death in _Carmen_ > Liu’s death in _Turandot_ > Cio-Cio San’s death in _Madama Butterfly_ By the rules of the originating thread, I’m not sure these count. None of them sing after the fatal blow is struck; they are not actively dying while they’re singing.