Verdi and Italian Romantic Opera
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Giuseppi Verdi Opera and Requiem
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Verdi and Italian Romantic Opera
- 1. THE ENJOYMENT OF MUSIC ESSENTIAL LISTENING EDITION by Kristine Forney Andrew Dell’Antonio Joseph Machlis THIRD EDITION Lecture Slides
- 2. Chapter 40 Multimedia Hits: Verdi and Italian Romantic Opera
- 3. Earlier Opera vs. Romantic Operation • Before 1800 – A series of songs (arias and duets) – Thin plot lines – Choruses and instrumental music are fillers, introductions, or interludes – During arias, action stops • After 1800 – Performers act as characters in a tightly knit plot – Choruses and instrumental music integral to story – Opera showcases not only musical brilliance but grand spectacle of drama
- 4. Romantic Opera: Background Information • Opera was “grand.” – Musical and “extra-musical” ideas of Romanticism could be expressed fully. – The libretto, staging, acting, costumes, sets, and characters added to the expression of the instrumental music. – Audiences loved the spectacle. – Opera performers were “stars.”
- 5. Some Important Romantic Composers of Opera • Italian – Donizetti--operas in -Italian and French – Bellini--operas in Italian and French – Rossini--operas in Italian and French, The Barber of Seville, William Tell – Verdi--an innovator in Italian opera – Puccini--settings in foreign lands • German – von Weber--stage effects and mysticism – Wagner--music dramas • French – Offenbach--French comic opera style, operettas – Bizet--cool reviews by audiences and critics, but later acclaimed
- 6. Subjects of Typical Romantic Operas • Beethoven--Fidelio-- heroism, love, death • Von Weber--Der Freishcültz--magic, supernatural, mysterious • Verdi--La Traviata--love, death, beauty • Wagner--Die Walküre-- hero, supernatural, love • Bizet--Carmen--common man, love, death, exotic cultures • Puccini--Madama Butterfly and Turandot--distant lands, travel, exotic cultures, love, death
- 7. National Schools of Romantic Opera “ Opera is free from any servile imitation of nature. By the power of music it attunes the soul to a beautiful receptiveness.” —Friedrich von Schiller Rossini: The Barber of Seville
- 8. The Barber of Seville • https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ChHvK9z96cE
- 9. Italian Romantic Opera: Characteristics • Italian = dominant language • Bel canto style continues • Opposing genres of opera seria and opera buffa still prevalent in Italy • Verdi’s innovations--typical of period – Sought to develop national style – High quality librettos; arias grew out of plot and blended with action – Plot and staging discouraged interruptions of mood and story for applause – Human, believable characters – Instrumental passages integral to mood, highly expressive; not just fillers
- 10. Carmen, “Habanera” • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG- 0_p_yefg&index=74&list=PLD2FA7A1A4352F5 8A
- 11. Guiseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
- 12. Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) • Born in Busseto, Italy, where he studied music until age 18. • Couldn’t play piano well enough to study at Milan Conservatory, so studied privately. • Composed more than 25 operas, many for Milan’s famous opera house, La Scala. • Was also a politician--appointed to Italian parliament and elected to the senate. • Established a home for retired opera singers.
- 13. Giuseppe Verdi(1813-1901) • Music education funded by prosperous merchant • Married merchant’s daughter • Wife & two children died • Gave up composing for a year due to these tragedies, failed opera • Nebucco-story of Nebuchadnezzar, relaunched career • Re-married, composed opera in his eighties
- 14. Guiseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901) • Verdi lived in an unmarried relationship with a woman; this is reflected in the story of La Traviata (Pretty Woman). • Verdi sought to reform cultural and political conventions through his art and his activities. – Advocated for the unification of Italy. – Elected to the newly constituted Italian parliament in 1860. • Other important compositions – Operas Il Travatore, Rigoletto, Aïda, Otello, Falstaff – Requiem--a Mass for the Dead Verdi: Requiem, “Dies irae”
- 15. Verdi’s Requiem (Mass for the Dead) • Monumental work, appropriate for stage • Performing forces: large chorus, orchestra, and soloists • Intersection between opera and sacred tradition: controversial to the Catholic Church • 1868, began as tribute to Gioachino Rossini
- 16. • Completed after death of Alessandro Manzoli (revered poet and humanist) • 1874 premiere, one-year anniversary of Manzoni’s death • Instant popularity across Europe Verdi’s Requiem (Mass for the Dead)
- 18. Verismo • After the Romanticism of Bellini and others, Italian opera entered a “realistic”(verismo) phase, with true to life individuals and true emotions expressed • Strong emotional situations, speed of action, and contrast with plenty of opportunity for exciting, lusty, ferocious melodies and rhythms
- 19. Verismo • A typical plot involves: – X(soprano) and Y(tenor) have a project in common. They may or may not achieve it in the fact of Z(mezzo or bass antagonist). Paternal or maternal type(W) may help or interfere. X and Y are forced to make a moral choice which usually causes their downfall.
- 20. Verdi • Verdi’s ideas are of unswerving fidelity to themes, certain emotions, and morals (behavioral, political, social, sexual) • Glorifies honor, patriotism, and father-daughter relationships • Exhibits hatred of oppression, inequality, and tyranny • Through all, judges his characters with understanding, compassion, and indulgence
- 21. Verdi: Rigoletto • Victor Hugo’s The King Is Amused (Le roi s’amuse) • Libretto by Francesco Piave • Seduction and deceit, with a tragic end • Popular moment from Act III: – tenor aria, “La donna è mobile” – Duke’s aria, expresses pleasure-seeking personality – Knew it would be popular, waited until opening night to rehearse it
- 22. La donna è mobile • https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=k8UerodV2n0&index=72&list=PLD2FA7A1A 4352F58A
- 25. Ensemble Vocal Music in the Nineteenth Century • Ensemble and choral vocal music grew in popularity – social singing and concert performance – secular ensemble song • one-to-three singers to a part • influenced American “barbershop quartet” • part songs: secular choral pieces, three or four parts • Large-scale choral genres – mostly sacred: Mass, oratorio – moved to concert hall
- 26. Romantic Composers of Choral Music • Schubert • Berlioz • Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn • Clara and Robert Schumann • Liszt • Verdi • Brahms
- 27. by Kristine Forney Andrew Dell’Antonio Joseph Machlis Lecture Slides THIRD EDITION THE ENJOYMENT OF MUSIC ESSENTIAL LISTENING EDITION http://wwnorton.com/web/enjoyess2
Editor's Notes
- ■ Romantic opera developed distinct national styles in Italy, Germany, and France, and women singers excelled in all styles. ■ Both opera seria (serious opera) and opera buffa (comic opera) were favored in Italy; they marked the peak of the bel canto (beautiful singing) style. ■ Giuseppe Verdi is best-known for his operas, which embody the spirit of Romantic drama and passion. His Rigoletto, based on a play by Victor Hugo, is one of the most performed operas today.
- “ Opera is free from any servile imitation of nature. By the power of music it attunes the soul to a beautiful receptiveness.’’ —Friedrich von Schiller Opera was one of the most important and best-loved theatrical genres of the nineteenth century. It served to foster different national styles in three European countries: Italy, Germany, and France. Musical example: Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. [link to excerpt]
- Verdi’s Requiem (Mass for the dead) is a monumental work, appropriate for stage. Performing forces are comprised of large chorus, orchestra, and soloists. The Requiem is an intersection between opera and sacred tradition, a blend controversial to the Catholic Church in Verdi’s day. Started in 1868, the Requiem began as a tribute to Gioachino Rossini.
- The Requiem was completed after death of Alessandro Manzoli, the revered poet. The 1874 premiere occurred at the one-year anniversary of Manzoni’s death and achieved instant popularity across Europe.
- A play by Victor Hugo, The King is Amused, which was banned in France, served as Verdi’s inspiration for Rigoletto. The librettist was Francesco Piave. Rigoletto is an opera in three acts, set in Renaissance Mantua. It tells a tale of seduction and deceit, with a tragic end. One of the most popular operatic moments is the tenor aria, “La donna è mobile” (Woman is fickle), from Act III, followed by the quartet “Un Di.” Tenor aria: listen for a soaring tenor line with accented notes and a lilting triple meter with some rubato. The form is strophic framed by an orchestral ritornello that serves to unify the aria. The musical expression is a result of stirring music with broadly contrasting dynamics. Quartet: Listen for a dialogue between the characters, then a simpler square melody (Bella figlia). The tempo is allegro, with agitated movement in the rhythmic figures. Each of the four characters (Duke, Maddelena, Gilda, and Rigoletto) is able to reveal his/her emotion.
- Listening Guide 28—Verdi: Rigoletto
- Listening Guide 28—Verdi: Rigoletto
- In the nineteenth century, ensemble and choral vocal music grew in popularity. Both social singing and concert performances expanded in number. Secular ensemble songs call for one to three singers to a part, a tradition that influenced American the “barbershop quartet.” Large-scale choral genres were mostly sacred, such as Mass and oratorio, however, performances often moved from church to the concert hall.
- Among the important Romantic composers who wrote choral music are: Schubert, Berlioz, Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara and Robert Schumann, Liszt, Verdi, and Brahms.