As the curtain falls Mistress Ford roguishly quotes a line from Falstaff's verses, the four women together add another quotation, "Come una stella sull'immensità" (Like some sweet star that sparkles all the night), and go out laughing. In fact the music for the women takes many a piquant turn.
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(Copyright, 1893, by G. Ricordi & Co.)
In Act II, the whole scene between Falstaff and Dame Quickly is full of witty commentary by the orchestra. The scene between Falstaff and Ford also derives its significance from the instrumentation. Ford's monologue, when he is persuaded by Falstaff's boastful talk that his wife is fickle, is highly dramatic. The little scene of Ford's and Falstaff's departure—Ford to expose his betrayal by his wife, Falstaff for his rendezvous with her—"is underscored by a graceful and very elegant orchestral dialogue."
The second scene of this act has Dame Quickly's madcap narrative of her interview with Falstaff; and Falstaff's ditty sung to Mistress Ford, "Quand'ero paggio del Duca di Norfolk" (When I was page to the Duke of Norfolk). From the popular point of view, this is the outstanding musical number of the work. It is amusing, pathetic, graceful, and sad; irresistible, in fact, in its mingled sentiments of comedy and regret. Very brief, it rarely fails of encores from one to four in number. I quote the following:
Quand'ero paggio del Duca di Norfolk ero sottile, sottile, sottile,
(Copyright, 1893, by G. Ricordi & Co.)