Chapter 17: Romantic Opera Early Romantic Opera; Verdi and Italian Opera
Jan 12, 2016
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