Throughout the years, the genre of opera, starting from Italy at the end of the 16th century and reaching across the rest of Europe, has had a very close relationship with society and its political state. Having said that, by examining the storyline of an opera, one can gage what everyday life was like at the time of composition. This essay is going to examine the opera “Le nozze di Figaro” by W.A.Mozart and its significance on the development of the operatic genre. The research for this topic was made focusing on two scholarly sources written by Mary Hunter for Yale University Press and Paul Robinson for Cornell University Press.
Mozart’s opera Le nozze di Figaro was an opera buffa (social comedic opera) set to a libretto by Lorenzo Da
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With the arrival of the opera Le nozze di Figaro this stereotype of the operatic genre changed as Mozart brought new ideas of equality and freedom to the surface. These ideas could be identified with the ideas of the act of Enlightenment which were concentrated in the triptych of freedom, equality and …show more content…
“Reconciliation is in my view the fundamental theme of “The Marriage of Figaro”.
Furthermore, in this opera the spirit of enlightenment and equality is evident from a purely musical point of view. Firstly, in the he finale of Act 2 the balance and the composure of the voices and the instruments express the acceptance of emotions and interests of persons of different social status equated in the field of expression. This is demonstrated with Mozart writing sotto voce for voices and pp for strings into the particella, having for the start envisioned this expressive effect.
Also, the second example concerns the famous opening aria of Figaro in Act 1 "Se vuol ballare”, a seriously threatening and even sarcastic outburst that establishes the battle of intelligence between Figaro and the Count that drives the whole opera.
“For example, in “Se vuol ballare” (“If you want to dance”) he enacts both an aristocratic minuet and a lower-class
In his day, Johann Adolph Hasse was at the forefront of Italian opera. Although he composed a fair amount of sacred works, he is best known for his operatic output. He was widely popular throughout Italy and Germany, and was commissioned by courts and opera houses throughout Europe. His performances were attended by cultural figures at the time, as well as some of the biggest names in common-era music today. In his later life, styles changed and so Hasse’s acclaim diminished after his death. But generations later, he was re-established as a figurehead and icon of classic ancient Italian opera, a designation he possesses even today.
"History of Castrati in the Opera." By Irini Kotroni. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014
In the mid-eighteenth century, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one of the most important French philosophers of the time, wrote Lettre sur la musique francaise (Letter on French Music) in response to the musical debate pitting French music against Italian music. In the first part of this paper, an attempt will be made to explain both Rousseau’s argument for so heavily criticizing the music of his people and what elements of Italian music he prefers; in the second half, an endeavor will be made to defend Jean-Phillipe Rameau’s opera against Rousseau’s criticism by examining an excerpt from Rameau’s Hippolyte et Arcie.
It was an early age when Monteverdi’s career began, he then published his first pieces, and this was based on as a collection of three-voice motets, at the age of fifteen. It was by 1591, when he went to Mantua as a musician for the Gonzaga court, by then he had already published books of “spiritual madrigals” in 1583, then another canzonettas in 1584, by 1587 and 1590 he published his first two books of “madrigals.” It was in Mantua he continued writing madrigals, and then in 1607 he produced his first work in the new genre of opera, the setting was of Orfeo. 1613, he was then appointed maestro di cappella at ST. Mark’s Cathedral which was held in Venice. Monteverdi had remained in Venice for the rest of his life, writing music in all different kinds of genres, including his final opera, “incoronaszione di Poppea in 1642.
One of the most interesting challenges in operatic composition , is composing for all the specific characters. A composer has to distinguish between characters through his music. Jan can’t sound like Fran , and Dan can’t sound like Stan. Each character must have his or her own traits. Mozart’s opera , Don Giovanni , provides us with many different characters to compare and contrast. One scene in particular lends itself to the comparison of Don Giovanni , Leporello , and The Commendator. Scene fifteen of Act two, places all three characters in close interaction with each other , making it easy to compare and find out how Mozart and his Librettist Lorenzo da Ponte brought them all to life.
John Warrack, author of 6 Great Composers, stated, “Any study of a composer, however brief, must have as its only purpose encouragement of the reader to greater enjoyment of the music” (Warrack, p.2). The composers and musicians of the Renaissance period need to be discussed and studied so that listeners, performers, and readers can appreciate and understand the beginnings of music theory and form. The reader can also understand the driving force of the composer, whether sacred or secular, popularity or religious growth. To begin understanding music composition one must begin at the birth, or rebirth of music and the composers who created the great change.
Christmas and Opera did not merely seem to correlate, but understanding where the two events derived from can help one to understand the similarities and differences between them. The development of Christmas was different from the creation of opera because the working class was controlling the other social classes for profit. Whereas for opera, the different social classes unified to keep opera as entertainment and not a social event. Another difference came within the writing and context throughout the article and the presentation of information conveyed by the author. Yet the events share the similarity of both being refined and reinvented.
"The Mozart Project- Biography." The Mozart Project. mozartproject.org, 25, Apr 1998. Web. 22 Jun 2010. .
For the musical composer essay, I have chosen to write about a man who I felt made the greatest impact on Romantic opera in the 19th century this master of a man was given the name Giuseppe Fortunio Francesco Verdi but was commonly known as Giuseppe Verdi by all who knew and loved him. This great man was born on either October 9, or 10 in the year 1813 in the community of Le Roncole, near a small town called Busseto in the province of Parma, Italy his astrological sign is that of a Libra. His mother and father were both of Italian descent and their names were Carlo and Luigia Verdi respectively. Now this is where it gets complicated Verdi told every person that talked to him about his background that his parents were illiterate peasants. Despite this lie that Verdi told them they later discovered that his parents were not illiterate peasants as he had claimed but were very smart individuals tha...
40 is an effective composition that allows one’s mind to imagine vivid pictures. While listening to the piece by Mozart, I felt a sense of urgency throughout the piece while eliciting strong emotions of passion and grief. Composers like Richard Wagner and Peter Tchaikovsky were greatly influenced by Mozart’s musical capabilities of conveying intense feelings. The listener is affected by the different measures of commonalties between the musical periods, the composers of those periods and the pieces they compose. Mozart’s music pulled away from the norms and constraints of period style music. This composition enhances my knowledge because he has created compositions that employ the sonata, rondo, aria as well as other forms to exude strength, beauty, and grace with every
The complexity of this opera is witnessed straight away with the first few leitmotifs that are introduced. The most notable thing about these leitmotifs is that they are very strong both melodically and rhythmically. Each motif serves a purpose, and there is almost no musical phrase used without context.He successfully portrays emotion through musical development.
At the age of the Enlightenment, Antonio Salieri becomes the most triumphant musician in the city of Vienna, however, without any warning his harmonious universe comes to an utter halt. Salieri’s absolute faith in the world, in himself, and in God is all at once diminished by this spontaneous child composer. When the two opposite ends meet, there emerges a fury, a rage, and a passion in Salieri to sabotage the boy that has secured Salieri’s deserved God given talent; to destroy the one pubescent child that has made him so mute and naked now in a world of discordance. Salieri’s entire reputation and boyhood prayer to attain fame thus rests on his ability to annihilate that child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.In analyzing the two composers, Salieri and Mozart, there is a distinct line that clearly divides them. Salieri’s operas receive astounding receptions, making them the “talk of the city,'; shaking the roofs, buzzing the cafes, and even the name Salieri “sounds throughout all of Europe'; (2,3). The reason for Salieri’s success, as well as many musicians of the eighteenth century, is because they have become enslaved by the well-to-do and hence are “no better than servants'; (1,3). This applies especially to the king. For example, in Amadeus, His Majesty forbid any ballet in his operas. Imperial commands such as this are not to be interpreted in any way, in other words, they are to be merely obeyed without any dispute. Since operas tend to the needs of the high society in order to obtain recognition, the operas must communicate through the language of the nobility, that is, Italian. In addition, since the majority of the audience is made up of the upper class, the subject matter of the operas must consist of elevated themes. Such as, mythological heroes, kings, and queens, and so forth. According to the eighteenth century view, operas are supposed to be a sublime and an aggrandizing art. The elevated subject matter is then chosen in order to venerate and honor the nobility. It’s purpose is to “celebrate the eternal in man'; says Van Swieten (2,4). Meaning that there is an element in a noble person that lasts without any end, like God who is immortal. God represents the everlasting and the eternality of existence, thus God gives inspiration to operas that...
My book report is from the biography of Mozart written by Robert W. Gutman. It was illustrated by the Jacket art courtesy of Music Lovers Society and was published by Harcourt Brace and Company. It was printed in New York City and the year of publication was 1999.
Opera is a unique genre of spoken word and song accompanied by music. The music takes one through ascending and descending ranges of emotions. Mozart's Don Giovanni is a perfect example of how this genre emits a wide variety of feelings and attitudes. This "dark comedy seems to convey Mozart's feeling that events have both comical and serious dimensions…" (Kerman, 205). The opera, as a whole, is neither exclusively comedic nor entirely tragic.
Singing is one of the most highly enjoyed and respected forms of art for Italians. Opera began in Italy around 1600, and it is still an enormous part of the Italian spirit. Italians are zealous about opera and about good singing in general. Pictures of composers appear on national stamps, and streets in every town are named for musicians. Almost every small town has its own lyric theatre, and opera is programmed regularly on Italian radio and television. Music’s renown in Italy did not burst into bloom overnight. It progressed over time through the innovative minds of brilliant Italian composers and a developing social hierarchy. The development of Italian song is best traced through the composers who brought it into existence.