Orfeo ed Euridice by Gluck, was written in 1762 and The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart was written in 1786. It is interesting to analyse the changes and developments from opera seria to these two examples.
During the eighteenth century, composers wrote in a style of opera called opera seria.' Opera seria had the following characteristics:
They used similar plots involving a hero and usually some sort of conflict of human passions, and these operas were often based on a story from an ancient Greek or Latin Author. The opera always consisted of three acts with alternating recitatives and arias. To show the virtuosic skill of the singer, cadenzas were used within arias. The action was created from the dialogue within the recitatives, which were accompanied by continuo and had little musical importance. There were no orchestral pieces, except for the overture and the accompaniments of the singer. It was also very common in the early part of the eighteenth century to write arias in da capo form which was a type of ternary form (ABA) which consisted of the last A section being ornamented.
Opera Reform began with the rise of the expressive style, and at the same time, there were signs of growing influence of middle-class ideas on the aristocratic standards of the early 18th century. The needs of opera were directed towards making a more natural design that had more flexibility within the structure. The content also needed to be deeper and more expressive, less laden with coloratura and more varied. Although the da capo aria was not abandoned, it was expanded and modified with more added forms. The recitatives and arias became more flexible and needed to carry on the action quickly, but realistically. The recitatives had more ac...
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... a separate chorus, Mozart uses the ensemble with a chorus-like effect. See example below.
Mozart moves further away from the opera seria da capo arias, which are very rare. However he does occasionally use Ternary form, as seen in the famous aria `Dove Sono.' See example below. Mozart, unlike Gluck, completely left behind the opera seria recitative accompagnato. Mozart made use of the recitative secco (accompanied with harpsichord and sustaining instruments). However, similarly to the Gluck's Orfeo, Mozart uses no spoken words within his recitatives.
It is simple to see from the two operas, how opera changed throughout the eighteenth century. By using these two operas, it makes it clear to see the stages in change that opera went through throughout the eighteenth century and to mark the differences and similarities of the two different forms of entertainment.
Zaslaw, Neal. Mozart’s Symphonies: Context, Performance Practice, Recteption. United States: Oxford University Press. 1989, Print.
In his day, Johann Adolph Hasse was at the forefront of Italian opera. Although he composed a fair amount of sacred works, he is best known for his operatic output. He was widely popular throughout Italy and Germany, and was commissioned by courts and opera houses throughout Europe. His performances were attended by cultural figures at the time, as well as some of the biggest names in common-era music today. In his later life, styles changed and so Hasse’s acclaim diminished after his death. But generations later, he was re-established as a figurehead and icon of classic ancient Italian opera, a designation he possesses even today.
In the dedication of Henry Purcell’s opera, Dioclesian, to the Duke of Somerset, he declared, "As Poetry is the harmony of Words, so Music is that of Notes; and as Poetry is a rise above Prose and Oratory, so is Music the exaltation of Poetry. Both of them may excel apart, but sure they are most excellent when they are joined, because nothing is then wanting to either of their perfections: for thus they appear like wit and beauty in the same person." Henry Purcell was a prolific English composer of Baroque opera, church music, cantatas, instrumental works, and more. Not only did he have a vast understanding of music and composition, but he also understood the obligation to form a connection between the music and the text. Purcell’s compositional ability is demonstrated in his opera Dido and Aeneas, which contains common Baroque characteristics that define his style. Even though he used distinct “Purcell-isms” in Dido and Aeneas, there is still a definite connection to the structure of Venus and Adonis by John Blow.
In order to understand the changes which occurred in music and which affected the Liturgy in the Renaissance period, it is necessary to give a brief sketch of music in earlier times. The first notable aspect of Renaissance music and musical thought is the pace at which it developed. This rapidity stands in contrast to all previous music history. The history of Western art music properly begins with the music of the Christian Church at the end of the ancient world (circa 400AD). This was a world in which music alwa...
"The Mozart Project- Biography." The Mozart Project. mozartproject.org, 25, Apr 1998. Web. 22 Jun 2010. .
For the musical composer essay, I have chosen to write about a man who I felt made the greatest impact on Romantic opera in the 19th century this master of a man was given the name Giuseppe Fortunio Francesco Verdi but was commonly known as Giuseppe Verdi by all who knew and loved him. This great man was born on either October 9, or 10 in the year 1813 in the community of Le Roncole, near a small town called Busseto in the province of Parma, Italy his astrological sign is that of a Libra. His mother and father were both of Italian descent and their names were Carlo and Luigia Verdi respectively. Now this is where it gets complicated Verdi told every person that talked to him about his background that his parents were illiterate peasants. Despite this lie that Verdi told them they later discovered that his parents were not illiterate peasants as he had claimed but were very smart individuals tha...
Opera is a unique genre of spoken word and song accompanied by music. The music takes one through ascending and descending ranges of emotions. Mozart's Don Giovanni is a perfect example of how this genre emits a wide variety of feelings and attitudes. This "dark comedy seems to convey Mozart's feeling that events have both comical and serious dimensions…" (Kerman, 205). The opera, as a whole, is neither exclusively comedic nor entirely tragic.
Before discussing the future of opera, it is imperative to examine traditional opera and some modern trends. The primary focus of traditional is on the actors’ and actresses’ singing and acting. Apart from vocal performance, opera also puts emphasis on movement and expression. Movement and expressions are exaggerated so that audiences sitting far away can see. The movements are theatrical. Opera is performed on live stage with sets and costumes designed especially for the performance. For example in Tosca, The actors and actresses all dressed in the costume of the Napoleon era. Males have waxed hair, and they wear breeches and long coats with tall standing collars. Females wear dresses that ar...
Grout, Donald Jay, and Williams, Hermine Weigel. A Short History of Opera: 4th Edition. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003
... made it last a long time. The work that they did paved the road for the people that are going to come down the road that they have done. The principles that they have put down make opera a genre of classical music. Nineteenth century was a century that marks its time in the history books for the rest of time. From the composers to the events that happen that this century was the best one that happened for opera.
One of the most interesting challenges in operatic composition , is composing for all the specific characters. A composer has to distinguish between characters through his music. Jan can’t sound like Fran , and Dan can’t sound like Stan. Each character must have his or her own traits. Mozart’s opera , Don Giovanni , provides us with many different characters to compare and contrast. One scene in particular lends itself to the comparison of Don Giovanni , Leporello , and The Commendator. Scene fifteen of Act two, places all three characters in close interaction with each other , making it easy to compare and find out how Mozart and his Librettist Lorenzo da Ponte brought them all to life.
John Warrack, author of 6 Great Composers, stated, “Any study of a composer, however brief, must have as its only purpose encouragement of the reader to greater enjoyment of the music” (Warrack, p.2). The composers and musicians of the Renaissance period need to be discussed and studied so that listeners, performers, and readers can appreciate and understand the beginnings of music theory and form. The reader can also understand the driving force of the composer, whether sacred or secular, popularity or religious growth. To begin understanding music composition one must begin at the birth, or rebirth of music and the composers who created the great change.
Strozzi, Barbara. Cantate, ariete a una, doce, e tre voci, Opus 3. Ed. Gail Archer. In Recent Researches in the Music of the Baroque Era. vol. 83. Ed. Christoph Wolff. Madisono: A-R Editions, Inc., 1997.
Stango, C. (n.d.). A Study of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, His Requiem, and Its Influence on Conducting. Retrieved from https://www.misericordia.edu/honorus/CStangoPaper.cfm