Ch. 41

Question 1

A philosophical, scientific, and political movement that dominated. 18th century thought

Answer 1

The Enlightenment

Question 2

Group that included Rousseau, Diderot, and Voltaire…they espoused the principles of social justice, equality, religious tolerance, and freedom of speech

Answer 2

les philosophes

Question 3

musical philosopher who composed a comic opera called “ale Devin du village”

Answer 3

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Question 4

18th century music that is graceful, light in texture, and generally symmetrical in melodic structure

Answer 4

Galant style

Question 5

the prima donna of the age; married to Johann Hasse; sang the title role in “Cleofide”

Answer 5

Faustina Bordoni

Question 6

leading lady

Answer 6

Prima Donna

Question 7

the principal librettist for 18th century opera Seria

Answer 7

Pietro Metastasio

Question 8

Who composed “Cleofide”?

Answer 8

Johann Hasse

Question 9

What does Hasse’s “Cleofide” concern?

Answer 9

The life of Alexander the Great; it has thinly disguised allegories that praise the virtues of a ruler

Question 10

What were the essential characteristics of Enlightenment/Baroque opera Seria?

Answer 10

1. The libretto is a thinly disguised allegory that praises the heroic actions of the ruler
2. The opera has a happy ending, thanks to the intervention of God or a monarch
3. Elaborate scenery is required, sometimes including horses, elephants, and camels on stage
4. Castrati sing the roles of young romantic leads; tenors and basses sing male roles
5. The music consists almost exclusively of simple recitative and florid da capo arias
6. Attention is focused on beautiful melodies and the vocal skill of leads
7. The prima donna and the castrato lead

Question 11

Where in Hasse’s opera Seria work do we experience the newer Enlightenment style?

Answer 11

While the highly ornamented vocal lines do recall the elaborate decoration or Baroque opera Seria, the entire musical structure is simple.

Question 12

florid figuration/ornamented

Answer 12

coloratura

Question 13

an unpretentious, more direct type of musical theater that made use of comic characters, dealt with everyday social issues, and emphasized values more in step with those of the Enlightenment middle class

Answer 13

Comic opera

Question 14

What was the first important challenge to the opera Seria establishment?

Answer 14

John Gay’s “The Beggar’s Opera”

Question 15

What did the Beggar’s Opera poke fun at?

Answer 15

Aristocratic Italian opera and the established government

Question 16

a traditional, usually strophic, song that tells a lengthy story

Answer 16

Ballad

Question 17

A comic opera using re-texted ballads or other popular songs and spoken dialogue rather than recitative

Answer 17

ballad opera

Question 18

Italian version of comic opera

Answer 18

opera buffa

Question 19

French comic opera

Answer 19

opéra comique

Question 20

German comic opera

Answer 20

Singspiel

Question 21

a musical diversion between the acts of an opera or a play

Answer 21

intermezzo

Question 22

How does opera buffa differ from opera seria?

Answer 22

1. Opera buffa portrayed characters from all classes of society
2. Rather than lengthy da capo arias, the musical high points featured short, simple tunes
3. Instead of a high flying castrato, the male lead was usually a comic bass

Question 23

Who wrote the opera buffa “La serva padrona”?

Answer 23

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

Question 24

Typical of early opera buffa, what does “La serva Pedrona” have?

Answer 24

Two singing characters, a soprano and a comic bass

Question 25

What was the issue in “La Guerre des Bouffons”?

Answer 25

What sort of opera was appropriate for the French stage? Traditional opera of the French court or the newer lighter style opera (Italian opera buffa)?

Question 26

What did Rousseau argue in his pamphlet “Lettre sur la musique francaise”?

Answer 26

French vocal music ran the risk of being “monotonous”; the high flown language of French classical drama had too many mute syllables and too few sonorous vowels; Italian was a more musical language

Question 27

In Rousseau’s opéra comique, academic rules were…

Answer 27

…out of place; counterpoint itself was judged unnatural by him

Question 28

Who created reform opera?

Answer 28

Gluck and Calzabigi

Question 29

Reform opera sought to combine…

Answer 29

The best features of the Italian and French traditions, to yoke Italian lyricism to the French concern for intense dramatic expression

Question 30

What was the first of the reform operas?

Answer 30

Orfeo de Euridice

Question 31

As the role of the virtuoso soloist _____, that of the chorus _____ greatly.

Answer 31

Diminished, increased

Question 32

the orchestra is necessary to the desired musical effect; it plays significant musical motives on its own

Answer 32

obbligato/accompanied recitative

Question 33

What are the qualities of Gluck’s reform opera?

Answer 33

1. The overture is not an unrelated curtain raiser but a true prelude that sets the mood of the opera to follow
2. The vocal style is more restrained
3. Da capo arias are eliminated and strophic forms favored
4. Obbligato recitative is used extensively to smooth over the abrupt alternation between aria and recitative
5. The plot of the libretto is simplified, the number of characters reduced
6. The chorus assumes an important role and participates in drama
7. Dance also takes on a dramatic function
8. The orchestra enjoys more prominence and projects a greater variety of sounds

Question 34

Comic opera characteristics:

Answer 34

1. Designed to appeal to more middle-class sensibilities
2. Had characters from everyday life, even lowlife, populate the stage
3. Satirized the upper class or foreigners who threatened the simple, honest way of life
4. Preferred actors who could sing to expensive singers who could act
5. Abounded with pantomime and slapstick comedy

Question 35

What are the differences among national dialects of comic opera?

Answer 35

1. English ballad opera employed simple tunes, many of them ballad, to which new text was added as appropriate for the plot.
2. Italian opera buffa did not use spoken dialogue but fast moving simple recitative
3. French opéra comique preferred preexisting airs and popular melodies called vaudevilles
4. German Singspiel employed folk songs for the sung portions and sometimes favored magical or supernatural events