Transcript P Opera a - HRSBSTAFF Home Page

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Opera a
You Know More Than You Think
You Know
Opera in...
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Commercials → British Airways, Chocolate,
Spaghetti Sauce/Pizza
British Air
Chocolate
Opera in...

Movie Soundtracks → Pretty Woman,
Philadelphia, Apocalypse Now
Philadelphia
Apocalypse Now
Opera in...
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Lord of the Rings → Ring Cycle (Allpowerful ring, invisibility, gods fighting,
leaving home at the end)
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Television → soundtrack, kids shows,
learning
Rabbit of Seville
Pigoletto
Renee Flemming
Habanera
What’s Opera, Doc?
Admission:
If you don’t know what’s
going on, opera can be
boring.
So...be prepared!
Read synopsis before
you begin
 Perhaps listen to the
recording or at least
some of the major
pieces
 Read the libretto
 Dress comfortably

Get a good night’s
sleep
 Pee first!
 Allow extra time
 Read the program
(extras: libretto book
& souvenir)

Opera Terminology
Libretto – Italian for
“little book” (same as
script/screenplay)
 Opera Seria – serious
opera
 Opera Buffa – comic
opera

What’s With All The Languages?
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Italian → original language of opera, easiest to
sing
German
French
Translation → doesn’t convey subtle emotions,
doesn’t line up with melody or accents, rhymes
don’t fit, word painting is off
Supertitles very useful! Originated on TV,
graduated to opera houses
Example (Weber’s Der Freischütz)
“Leise, leise, fromme Weise, schwig’dich auf
zum Sternenkreise!”
means:
“Soft, soft devout melody; vibrate up to the
circle of stars!”
closest translation in English:
Holy, holy meek and lowly, Rise my soul,
where stars swing slowly.”
Stars swinging?
So how do you pronounce these
things?
It’s not over ‘till the fat lady sings.

Looks secondary to
voice type when
casting an opera

Big helps!
Big ≠ Fat

Larger instrument

More sound

More resonation (chest cavity, large
bones)
“The Voice”

Breath control

Chest & Head voice

Vocal breaks
Voice Types

Soprano

Contralto (Alto)

Tenor

Baritone

Bass
Soprano ($)

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Coloratura → highest, most agile
Lyric → sweet, young
Soubrette → cutie pies or streetwise servants
Spinto → like lyric but more powerful
(“pushed”), suffering, victimized
German Dramatic → horns & helmets, stamina,
powerful, warm
Mezzo → “half”, spicier roles: tramps, vamps,
witches (dramatic); britches (lyric). Sometimes
music is just as high as soprano
Contralto

Rarest

Maids, mothers, grandmothers

Castrati
Alessandro Moreschi (1858-1922)
Tenor ($)

Lyric → sweet, pure, vunerable

Spinto → heroic, emotional, juicy

Heldentenor → German roles

Countertenor → falsetto
Baritone
Medium
 Lyric → fun, comic
 Italian Dramatic → (rare!) villainous
 Heldenbaritone → German roles
 Bass-baritone → depth of bass, quality of
baritone (he-men!)

Bass

Lowest notes the human voice can reach

Priests, fathers, Devil
Terminology!
Recitative

“Sung speech’

Advances action

Doesn’t rhyme

No beat
Aria
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“Air” or “song”
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Showstopper
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Great emotion, no action
Arietta
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“Little aria”
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Short
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Lighthearted
Cadenza

Vocal fireworks at the end of the aria

Show off!
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Orchestra silent, singer out of time
Arioso

Cross between aria and recitative

melodic advancing of plot
Duet
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Aria for two (awwww....♥)
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Also duo, duetto
Trio

Aria for three, not necessarily to each
other

Also terzetto, terzett
Quartet → 4
Quintet → 5
Sextet → 6
Etc...
Chorus

Big number with everybody
Finale

Last number of the act
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Usually everyone
Fin