development of the opera (2) Flashcards
(21 cards)
opera definition
an elaborate staged drama with sets, decor, and costumes. It is set to music, being sung throughout with no spoken dialogue. Made up of vocal pieces with instrumental accompaniment and usually with orchestral overtures and interludes.
types of opera
- opera seria
- opera buffa
- singspiel
- music drama / gesamtkunstwerk
- bel canto
opera seria
Italian opera that features serious or historical subjects (e.g. romance, tragedy, heroism)
opera buffa
Italian opera that features comedy (comic character / situation), usually with happy ending
singspiel
German comic opera that includes spoken dialogue, and often includes elements of fantasy, magic, and comically exaggerated characteristics of good and evil
music drama / gesamtkunstwerk
unified work, free from formal divisions of arias, recitatives, etc. libretto and music created by same person. Birth of the leitmotiv.
bel canto
focus on singers, with many elaborate arias
elements of opera
- overture
- aria
- recitative (secco & accompagnato)
- chorus
ritornelli
recurrent instrumental passages
parlando
speaking type of singing
melisma
single syllable sung over many notes
voice types (extreme)
(coloratura soprano)
soprano
mezzo-soprano
alto
(contralto)
(countertenor)
tenor
baritone
bass
(basso profundo)
factors in development of opera
- florentine camerata
- monteverdi
- gluck
- mozart
- wagner
when florentine camerata
1600s
who florentine camerata
Italian noblemen
why florentine camerata
- renaissance
> revival of greek tragedy
> believed to be sung
how florentine camerata
- avoid renaissance polyphony
> monodies: single vocal line accomp by harpsichord/lyre
> recitative: sing text according to natural speech rhythms
what did monteverdi do
- first ‘real’ opera: L’Orfeo
- ritornelli
- basso continuo
- overture
- instrumentation for emotions
- chromaticism
- distinct recitative + aria
what did gluck do
- expression in text
- break contrast between recitative + aria
- eliminates complex romance (greek mythology)
- dramatic use of chorus
- overture presents general mood
what did mozart do
- not reformer
- Italian influence
- characters through tone, melodious
- mostly comic
- masonic
- complex plots
- parlando
what did wagner do
- music drama / gesamtkunstwerk
- thematic transformation (recurring theme transformed) - leitmotiv
