Editing Ernani (section)

=== Setting the play as the opera, ''Ernani'' ===
[[File:Hernani.gif|thumb|Act 1, sc. 1 of ''Hernani'': the king steps from the cupboard to confront Hernani and Doña Sol (Elvira)]]

However, Piave was not at all pleased by this turn of events and felt that an opera based on ''Hernani'' could not be staged because of censorship. For instance, the King's first appearance in the play is from a cupboard where he has been hiding since some time after his arrival and before he meets Elvira. Thus he overhears much of the interaction between Elvira and Ernani before finally revealing himself. Verdi must have realized that no king "would ever be allowed to hide in a cupboard", according to Budden.<ref name="BUDD2"/>

But the La Fenice directorate did approve the concept and the librettist was offered compensation, although he saved his ''Allan Cameron'' in reserve in case of mishap. As it evolved, the opera – originally titled ''Don Ruy Gomez de Silva'' in synopsis form – came more and more "to reflect the unique character of the parent drama"<ref name="BUDD2"/> as Verdi wished to stick as closely as possible to the original play. For Budden, this "marks a new outlook in Italian opera", because this would never have occurred to either [[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]] or [[Donizetti]], for whom plots were interchangeable.<ref name="BUDD2">Budden (1984), p. 143</ref>

Although Verdi had agreed to try to accommodate the contralto Carolina Vietti when the opera was ''Allan Cameron'', he was against making the leading character of Ernani a musico contralto. However, he compromised somewhat and, by the end of October, it appeared that the four voice types were to be soprano (Elvira), contralto (Ernani), tenor (Don Carlo), and baritone (de Silva), but after the acceptance of the libretto by the Venetian police, Verdi was able to hold firm and ultimately get what he wanted: a soprano, a tenor, a baritone, and – although Rosi was not an experienced enough singer – a bass in the role of de Silva. Thus it became a [[comprimario]] role, one to be sung by a second-rung singer in the company. But, as Budden notes, Verdi's "difficulties with singers were not yet over".<ref>Budden (1984), p. 145</ref>

The season opened with ''I Lombardi'' in December 1843. It was a disaster, with terrible singing from the tenor Domenico Conti. Two other operas early in the 1843/44 season were equally poorly received. Having heard one other potential tenor, Vitali, as a possible replacement, the composer presented an ultimatum: either be released from his contract or the company would engage [[Carlo Guasco]] in the role of Ernani. With a premiere set for March, two final glitches were overcome: the bass Rosi had disappeared from consideration as de Silva but was replaced by Meini, who then withdrew because he found the part too low. Verdi then engaged a member of the chorus, the bass [[Antonio Selva]] who went on to a distinguished career. And, in spite of complaints from the soprano, [[Sophie Löwe]], that she was not to be front and centre for the finale, she became part of the final trio.