Romantic Opera

The Golden Age of Opera

Many of the biggest titles and composers in opera are from the Romantic era– 20 of the 25 most performed operas in the

world were Romantic era pieces (2012/13 season) according to operabase.com

Early Romantic Italian opera emphasized a beautiful melody for the soloist

Bel canto refers to this vocal emphasis

Bel Canto

Literally means “beautiful singing” Orchestra provides simple harmonic

support Vocal lines are soaring and virtuosic This vocal emphasis created stars

– The prima donna or diva– Diva means “goddess”

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Studied in Milan, not accepted into Conservatory Family tragedy almost stopped his career Huge success at age 29 – Nabucco Wrote masterworks & served in Parliament Long lived and prolific composer

– Aida at age 57– Otello at age 73– Falstaff at age 79

Dies at age 87 a national hero

Verdi’s Style

Similar to bel canto with added intensity Master of the memorable tune “La donne è mobile” was rehearsed in

secret because he knew it would be a hit Use of recitativo accompagnato to smooth

transition between recit and aria

Rigoletto

Story centers on a cruel court jester, Rigoletto, and his tragically unsuccessful effort to protect his daughter Gilda from the womanizing duke he serves

“La donna è mobile,” the most famous aria from the opera, is sung by a tenor

Listening Example

Title: La donna è mobile Composer:Giuseppe Verdi Genre: Opera

Notes on La donna è mobile

Tenor aria Extremely memorable melody Simple, vamp style orchestral

accompaniment Simple, binary form

German Opera

Prior to 19th century primarily Singspiel Singspiel were German comic operas

– Light themes– Spoken dialogue

Many earlier composers, including Mozart, strove to elevate Singspiel genre

Wagner’s innovations create a new style of German opera

Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883)

Controversial figure to this day Inspired in youth by Beethoven and Mozart Opera director in small German towns Had success in Dresden with Rienzi Fled to Switzerland after failed revolution Deep in debt, he wrote music philosophy

and began composing epic scale operas

Richard Wagner

King Ludwig II of Bavaria rescued Wagner financially and artistically– Paid debts and staged his operas– Eventually built theater for Wagner’s works

A yearly festival of Wagner’s operas is still performed at the Bayreuth Festival Theater

8 of his operas ranked in the 50 most-performed operas in the world (2012/13)

Wagner’s Operatic Style

Called his works music dramas Gesamtkunstwerk (total art work) refers to

the bringing together all operatic elements to produce a powerful dramatic experience

He did away with separate numbers in favor of an endless melody

In absence of bel canto approach the orchestra becomes more important

Leitmotifs

Short melodic ideas that represent a dramatic element in the story– Characters– Objects– Ideas

Leitmotifs help advance the drama musically Orchestra plays major role using leitmotifs

Tristan und Isolde

Story based on a medieval German epic poem set in England

A love potion causes Tristan and Isolde to fall in love despite her betrothal to the king

Tristan’s sorrow over obstacles to their love causes him to allow himself to be wounded

Isolde arrives at his side as he dies, she sings of their eternal love and then dies

Listening Example

Title: Liebestod Composer:Richard Wagner Genre: Opera

Notes on Liebestod

Liebestod is combination of two words– Liebe = love, Tod = death

Use of leitmotifs to represent feelings– Love/death, ecstasy, desire, transcendent bliss– Leitmotifs are in vocal and instrumental parts

Wagner uses rising chromatic lines to build to an incredibly powerful climax

Sung by a soprano soloist

Realistic Opera

An attempt to portray real life, especially life of the lower classes, on the opera stage

An outgrowth of the social realities, often unpleasant, of the industrial revolution

Realistic opera seeks to find beauty in the mundane, even gritty, aspects of life

Verismo

“Verismo” means realism The later Italian version of realistic opera Similar treatment of gritty, seedy,

sometimes violent subject matter Puccini generally considered the most

prominent verist composer

Giacomo Puccini (1858 – 1924)

Born to a musical family in N. Italy (Lucca) Struggled after graduation from Milan conservatory First major success at age 35 – Manon Lescault La Boheme is deemed his most popular opera A chain smoker, Puccini died of throat cancer At news of his death, a performance of La Boheme

was stopped and Chopin’s Funeral March played

La Boheme

Verismo in the sense that the characters are impoverished artists, not due to violence

Features romance between Rodolfo, a poet, and Mimi, a seamstress with tuberculosis

Rodolfo’s jealousy ends the relationship They reunite just before Mimi’s death

Puccini’s Style

Influenced by Wagner– Much less division into separate recits and arias– More expansive use of orchestra than Verdi– Use of leitmotifs

Puccini’s music more lyrical than Wagner He is expert in using different orchestral

colors to fit the mood of the scene

Listening Example

Title: Che gelida manina Composer:Giacomo Puccini Genre: Opera

Notes on Che gelida manina

Shift from recit to aria goes almost unnoticed– Begins with syllabic text setting– Grows in warmth, range, and intensity

Rich orchestral color as vocal intensity grows No showy virtuosity, just soaring melody Sung by a tenor soloist

Listening Example

Title: Si, mi chiamano Mimi Composer:Giacomo Puccini Genre: Opera

Notes on Si, mi chiamano Mimi

Similar in general style to Che gelida manina Very little distinction between recit and aria Rich orchestral color as vocal intensity grows Note the independence of the orchestra –

Wagnerian influence Sung by a soprano soloist