Transcript bel canto

Chapter 17:
Romantic Opera
Early Romantic
Opera; Verdi and
Italian Opera
Key Terms
•
•
•
•
•
•
early Romantic opera
Italian opera
German opera
bel canto
exoticism
arioso
Romantic Opera
• 19th century a golden age for opera
• influenced by Romantic themes
– transcendence of artistic barriers
– blurring art forms
– music as the most profound art
• message and meaning taken seriously
– not just for entertainment anymore
– subjects from respected literature
Early Romantic Opera
• starting in 1820s, more serious,
even tragic operas
• French grand operas—Meyerbeer
and Rossini
• Tragic Italian operas—Bellini and
Donizetti
• German Romantic operas—Weber
Gioacchino Rossini
(1792–1868)
• best know for his opera buffa
– crisp, elegant style, not far from Mozart
– Barber of Seville
– but admired equally for serious operas
• established style and form of Italian
Romantic opera
– bel canto style—glorifies beautiful singing
– full of coloratura arias for virtuoso singers
• gave up opera entirely in 1829!
Gaetano Donizetti
(1797–1848)
• dominated bel canto opera after Rossini
– preferred simple, sentimental arias
– lots of blood-and-thunder “action” music
– most famous was Lucia di Lammermoor
• enormously prolific—more than 60
operas
• also wrote opera buffa
– Don Pasquale, L’elisir d’amore
Vincenzo Bellini
(1801–1835)
• preferred serious, tragic bel canto
• wrote in refined, elegant, melodic style
– influenced Chopin’s nocturnes
– admired by Verdi
– more Romantic than Rossini or Donizetti
• Norma his most famous work
Carl Maria von Weber
(1786–1826)
• founder of German Romantic opera
• Der Freischütz
– like a German folktale or ballad put to
music
– nature and the supernatural
– mix of spiritual Romantic arias, folk-song
choruses, and devilish conjuration
– orchestra plays significant role in
establishing mood and telling story
Verdi and Italian Opera
• greatest Romantic Italian opera
composer
• unswerving commitment to human voice
– adhered to bel canto principles
– wrote increasingly beautiful melodies
• but Verdi cared most about drama
– real people, realistic situations, strong
emotions, and exciting action
Giuseppe Verdi
(1813–1901)
• son of small town storekeeper in north Italy
• scored first hit at age 29—Nabucco
• gained fame with three 1850s operas
– Rigoletto, Il trovatore, and La traviata
• supported Italian liberation movement
• coaxed out of retirement for last two operas
• all Italy mourned his death at age 88
The Role of the Orchestra
• richer role than in previous Italian opera
– Verdi accompanies plot action and
dialogue with full orchestra
– more active and excited as it supports
voices
– especially expanded role in recitative
Verdian Recitative and Aria
• “recitative” no longer apt
– highly dramatic action music
– verges on full-fledged melody
• arias
– formally complete and distinct
– often use simple strophic forms
– exuberant Romantic melody
– rich harmonies to underpin high points
Verdi, Aida
• written for new Cairo opera house
• one of the most frequently
performed operas
– gorgeous arias and duets
– grandiose stage display
– exotic setting
– red-blooded, human drama
Characters
• Radames: Egyptian general in love
with Aida
• Amneris: Egyptian princess in love
with Radames
• Aida: Ethiopian slave (actually
Ethiopian princess)
The Plot
• tragic love triangle in time of war
• Radames tricked into revealing battle
plans to Aida
– Amneris discovers their tryst and turns him
in as a traitor
– Aida escapes in the confusion
• Amneris offers to save Radames
– He would rather die than live without Aida
– Amneris has doomed the man she loves
• Radames sentenced to be buried alive
Verdi, Aida, Tomb Scene
• opera’s final scene
• striking stage set
– below, Radames’ tomb
– above, temple with altar and colossal statues
• Radames discovers Aida in the tomb
– she hid there to die with him
• builds from recitative to arioso to duet
Verdi, Aida, Tomb Scene
• recitative begins as simple
declamation
– each one builds to intense melodic
climax
– rich orchestral and harmonic support
• ariosos more concise and tunelike
– orchestra more subdued, subservient
Verdi, Aida, Tomb Scene
• duet is an ecstatic farewell to Earth
– above, Amneris prays
– priests and priestesses sing hymn to Ptah
– love seems to transcend death
• exquisite orchestral colors and
harmonies
Verdi, Aida, Tomb Scene