Vecchia zimarra, senti

Vecchia zimarra, senti ("Old coat")

Colline's aria (4th picture) also called coat-aria. Colline praises his coat and also his bohemian life before he give it to the pawn shop. This aria, an arietta actually, plays an important role in the fourth picture. It anticipates the end of the opera with regard to content an music. Colline, who doesn't have a sense of romance, is passionate about arts and philosophy. He symbolically splits up with these passions and also with his previous life with is friends.

the auditory, who has witnessed the purchase of the coat, fells this loss, too. At the very end of the opera, the bass theme of the coat aria is repeated.