Verdi and the

Opera

OPERA

Opera is a drama set to

music. It includes poetry,

scenery, costumes, acting

and dancing on addition to

vocal and instrumental music.

C O M P O N E N T S O F T H E O P E R A

Libretto

- the text of an

opera

Overture

- instrumental

composition which serves

as an introduction to the

opera.

Recitative

- a sung dialogue; a

vocal part that is

declaimed following the

pattern of speech rather

than melody.

Aria

- a song which poetically and musically reflects dramatic feeling

Duo, trio and other

small ensembles

-a group of

musicians, actors, or

dancers who perform

together.

Chorus-Broadly speaking, a chorus is any

substantial group who act more or less as one.

They can give the history to an event so the

opera does not have to elaborate by showing the

event. They are usually set as a group -

examples being - Beethoven's Fidelio as the

prisoners, Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana as the

villagers, Bizet's Carmen as the factory girls etc.

Orchestra-An orchestra is a large instrumental

ensemble that contains sections of string,

brass, wood wind, and percussion

instruments.

-. A smaller-sized orchestra for this time

period (of about fifty musicians or fewer) is

called a chamber orchestra. A full-size

orchestra (about 100 musicians) may

sometimes be called a "symphony orchestra"

or "philharmonic orchestra"

The Jalisco Philarmonic Orchestra is an example of a musical ensemble.(Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico)

Ballet

- dance of formal and

stylized nature

Acts and scenes

- sections of an opera

GUISEPPE VERDI (1813-1901)

Giuseppe Fortunino

Francesco Verdi

(Italian: October 1813 –

27 January 1901) was

an Italian Romantic

composer primarily

known for his operas.

Verdi dominated the

Italian opera scene

after the eras of Bellini,

Donizetti and Rossini.

Guiseppe Verdi was known as the

greatest composer of Italian opera

who composed 27 operas. His

operas are, perhaps, among the most

frequently performed operas around

the world. No matter what nationality

you are, his music, his libretto s,

penetrate the soul and profoundly

affect the human psyche. Operas were

not written to be marveled for their

technical prowess or how well they

stuck to the rules (though it certainly

helps if the opera posses such

qualities). They were written to

express feelings and human emotion.

Verdi's operas did just that. Below is a

listing of operas by Verdi.

C H R O N O L O G Y A N D B R I E F S Y N O P S E S O F T H E V E R D I O P E R A S : Period I: The Rossini Influence1840: Un giorno di regno, ossia il finto Stanislao (A One-Day

Reign, or the False Stanislaus)

This was the first and only Verdi opera to be hailed as

“comedy” until his final work, Falstaff. Verdi composed this

opera in the midst of losing his two children and his wife and,

as a result, it was a total flop when it premiered at La Scala on

September 5, 1840. The opera’s story takes place in Poland,

and involves of a tangle of romances in the midst of war. The

only real battle here is the battle of wits that takes place as

catty women seek to snag the men of their dreams.

1847: Macbeth

Verdi’s rendering of the

Shakespearean favorite was

premiered at the Teatro della

Pergola in Florence on March

14, 1847. The storyline involves

the corrupt Macbeth and his

desire to become King, which

eventually leads to his downfall

at the hands of supernatural

forces and his equally corrupt

wife.

Period II: An Emphasis on Character

Development

1851: Rigoletto

Rigoletto became an immediate sensation

when it was first performed at La Fenice Theatre

in Venice on March 11, 1851. It tells the story of

the court jester, Rigoletto, who seeks vengeance

on his lord, the Duke of Mantua for seducing his

daughter. Justice is not served, as the jester’s

daughter dies and Duke lives on.

1853: La Traviata (The

Woman Who Strayed)

In a long list of Verdi

operas, La Traviata is often at

the forefront of peoples’

minds. It was first performed

in Venice at the Teatro La

Fenice on March 6, 1853 and

involves the courtesan,

Violetta, sacrificing her love

for Alfredo to help preserve

his family’s good name.

Period III: The Meyerbeer Grand Opera/Italianate

Amalgem

1871: Aida The first (and undeniably

atmospheric)

performance of Aida was given on Christmas

Eve, 1871 at the Khedivial Opera House in

Cairo, Egypt. Aida follows the tale of the

Egyptian commander Radames and his

clandestine love for Aida, an Ethiopian slave

girl.

Aida is called as an

grand opera because

it is sung. The famous

march played during

graduation rites is the

Grand March from the

opera “Aida”.

Period IV: Verdi Coming Into His Own

1887: Otello

Verdi turned once again to Shakespeare

for the inspiration behind this work which

premiered at La Scala on February 5, 1887.

In the tale, the villainous character Iago

spreads vicious rumors about Otello’s wife,

Desdemona, which inflames his jealousy and

results in tragic consequences.

1893: Falstaff

Ironically, Falstaff, Verdi’s

final opera, was in a genre he had

never really experimented with

beyond his failed second opera.

Far from failing, Falstaff was

hailed as a work of genius after

its La Scala debut on February 9,

1893. It weaves a Shakespearean

tale in which the rotund Sir John

Falstaff is taught an important

lesson after attempting to

romance two women

simultaneously..