Unit 7: Verdi and La traviata

Question 1

Dates

Answer 1

1813-1901

Question 2

Family Background and Education

Answer 2

Born in Italy
Father was a tavern-keeper who valued education
Began lessons with Porvesi, a church musician
Moved to Busseto to live in the home of Barezzi, a wealthy merchant

Question 3

Life and Musical Career

Answer 3

Married Barezzi’s daughter, Margherita
Returned to Milan where he achieved his first major success with his opera Oberto
Became involved in the rising tide of Italian nationalism

Question 4

Musical Style and Contributions

Answer 4

Acknowledged as the greatest Italian composer of opera in the 19th century
Influences range from opera seria to opera buffa
Librettos selected for dramatic possibilities and human elements: love, passion, fate, courage
Ten of his operas are based on librettos by Piave

Question 5

La traviata: Genre

Answer 5

Opera

Question 6

La traviata: Language

Answer 6

Italian

Question 7

La traviata: Structure

Answer 7

Three acts

Question 8

V: opera

Answer 8

Drama that is sung
Combines music, drama, visual arts, and often dance
Components include recitatives, arias, ensembles, and choruses
Created in Italy 1600 and remains popular today

Question 9

V: recitative

Answer 9

A speech-like style of singing used in operas, oratorios, or cantats
Follows inflections of the text, resulting in rhythmic flexibility
Usually used to advance the plot

Question 10

V: aria

Answer 10

Italian for “air”
A solo song with orchestral accompaniment heard in an opera, oratorio, or cantata
Highly emotional, often virtuosic
Often serves to reveal the characters’ most intimate emotions

Question 11

V: bel canto

Answer 11

Italian for “beautiful singing”
A style used in early 19-century operas
Demonstrated in the works of early Verdi
Emphasized purity of tone and lyrical melodies of a highly ornamented nature

Question 12

V: libretto

Answer 12

The text of an opera, oratoria, or cantata
Usually written by someone other than the composer
Writer of the libretto is referred to as the librettist

Question 13

V: ensemble

Answer 13

A musical number in an opera featuring any number of soloists, but generally a group smaller than a chorus
serves as a climax
Each person expresses their emotions directly to the audience

Question 14

V: coloratura soprano

Answer 14

Italian for “coloring”
A high female voice capable of singing florid lines in an extended range, demanding great agility and often creating virtuosic effects