Puccini and the “leitmotif”

Puccini uses a lot what is known as "the leitmotif". It is the motif, even very brief, which is recurring in the opera and identifies either a character or a situation. For example, in the first act of La Bohème, when Rodolfo and Mimì meet, in the aria “che gelida manina” one of the most important themes is the one of “cercar che giova? Al buio non si trova”, and when Mimì dies at the end of the act “Qui.. amor... sempre con te! Le mani... al caldo... e... dormire”. And then silence, a pause. This is the motif of Rodolfo's aria from Act I, the famous one with the horn and the harp (che gelida manina).