According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the Italian word was first used in the sense “composition in which poetry, dance, and music are combined” in 1639 the first recorded English usage in this sense dates to 1648.ĭafne by Jacopo Peri was the earliest composition considered opera, as understood today. The Italian word derives from the Latin opera, a singular noun meaning “work” and also the plural of the noun opus. The Italian word opera means “work,” both in the sense of the labour done and the result produced. ![]() The terminology of the various kinds of operatic voices is described in detail below. By the nineteenth century, accompagnato had gained the upper hand, the orchestra played a much bigger role, and Richard Wagner revolutionised opera by abolishing almost all distinction between aria and recitative in his quest for what he termed “endless melody.” Subsequent composers have tended to follow Wagner’s example, though some, such as Stravinsky in his The Rake’s Progress have bucked the trend. During the Baroque and Classical periods, recitative could appear in two basic forms: secco (dry) recitative, sung with a free rhythm dictated by the accent of the words, accompanied only by continuo, which was usually a harpsichord and a cello or accompagnato (also known as strumentato) in which the orchestra provided accompaniment. Melodic or semi-melodic passages occurring in the midst of, or instead of, recitative, are also referred to as arioso. In some forms of opera, such as Singspiel, opéra comique,operetta, and semi-opera, the recitative is mostly replaced by spoken dialogue. Duets, trios and other ensembles often occur, and choruses are used to comment on the action. Traditional opera, often referred to as “number opera,” consists of two modes of singing: recitative, the plot-driving passages sung in a style designed to imitate and emphasize the inflections of speech, and aria (an “air” or formal song) in which the characters express their emotions in a more structured melodic style. Some composers, notably Richard Wagner, have written their own libretti others have worked in close collaboration with their librettists, e.g. The words of an opera are known as the libretto (literally “little book”). Today the most renowned figure of late 18th century opera is Mozart, who began with opera seria but is most famous for his Italian comic operas, especially The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze Di Figaro), Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte, as well as The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte), a landmark in the German tradition. ![]() Opera seria was the most prestigious form of Italian opera, until Gluckreacted against its artificiality with his “reform” operas in the 1760s. ![]() In the eighteenth century, Italian opera continued to dominate most of Europe (except France), attracting foreign composers such as Handel. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. It started in Italy at the end of the 16th century (with Jacopo Peri’s lost Dafne, produced in Florence in 1598) and soon spread through the rest of Europe: Schütz in Germany, Lully in France, and Purcell in England all helped to establish their national traditions in the seventeenth century. ![]() The Palais Garnier of the Paris Opéra, one of the world’s most famous opera houses
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