Syncretic Strategies of Representation of Transcendence in Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma”

The present article aims to discuss the construction of the effect of meaning of transcendence in Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma”. Methodologically, the research draws upon Eero Tarasti’s existential semiotics, Luiz Tatit’s song semiotics, the Greimassian analytical framework and traditional musicological resources. By analyzing the aria’s melodic, harmonic, and orchestral dimensions, the study reveals how some musical elements establish homologies with categories of content related to secrecy and transcendence. The findings detail how the syncretic text is structured by the intertwining of verbal and musical elements and highlight the aria’s role in symbolizing the unfolding of secrets and the protagonist’s journey, ultimately conducting to a synthesis materialized by the Platonic triad of the Good, the Beauty, and the Truth. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of syncretic texts, demonstrating “Nessun Dorma” as a quintessential example of thematic and musical transcendence.