LESSON 2

ROMANTIC OPERA
G: Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text (libretto) and musical score,
usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting,scenery, and costumes and
sometimes includes dance.

B: Romantische Oper (German for "romantic opera") was a genre of early nineteenth-century German opera, developed not from
the German Singspiel of the eighteenth-century but from the opéras comiques of the French Revolution. Musically, German folk
music also served as an inspiration.

DIFFERENT SINGING STYLES WERE DEVELOPED FOR THE FOLLOWING SUCH AS:
B:
A.Recitative
- imitating the pattern and rhythm of the speech
B.Aria
- when a character expresses feelings through a flowing melody
C. Bel Canto
- Italian term for “beautidul singing”
D. Castrato
- Young boys were castrated before they reached puberty to avoid the deepening of voice. Main roles of the opera were written for
the castrato.
G: The opera fostered different national styles in three of Europe’s leading musical countries- France,Germany and Italy.
Most operas are written in French, German, and Italian. 

G:
1.Comic Opera
- also called Light Opera, general designation for musical plays with light subject matter and happy endings. The dialogue is usually
spoken, rather than sung. In addition to operetta and musical comedy, types of comic opera include Italian opera buffa (which has
sung dialogue), German Singspiel, English ballad opera, and Spanish tonadilla and zarzuela. The French opéra-comique originated
as comic opera but later dealt with serious subject matter.
2.Serious opera
-  (Italian: “serious opera”), style of Italian opera dominant in 18th-century Europe. It emerged in the late 17th century, notably in
the work of Alessandro Scarlatti and other composers working in Naples, and is thus frequently called Neapolitan opera. The
primary musical emphasis of opera seria was on the solo voice and on bel canto, the florid vocal style of the period. Chorus and
orchestra played a circumscribed role. High voices were cultivated, both in women and in the castrati, or eunuch sopranos.
-Music and text were divided into recitative (simply accompanied dialogue sung with speech rhythms), which advanced the
dramatic action, and arias, solos that reflected a character’s feelings and also served as vehicles for vocal virtuosity. Arias
characteristically took the da capo form (ABA), the first section (A) being repeated after the B section, but with improvised
embellishments.
3. Opera Semiseria
- Opera Semiseria is a type of opera that was popular in the early and middle 19th century. It originally described mainly the Italian
equivalents of pièce de sauvetage, the French post-revolutionary "Rescue operas".
- Similar to Opera seria, it is "serious" in the way that is heavily based on the appeal to emotion, otherwise known as pathos.
However, it contains some elements of comedy akin to Opera buffa, the popular rival of Opera seria. It is most distinguished by the
presence of basso buffo, and generally features a wider variety of characters and vocal types than opera buffo .

B:

4. Opera Cornique
- Is a type of French opera wherein instead of singing, the lines are spoken. In its early form, it was satirical but would, later on,
have serious storylines such as Carmen by Georges Bizet.
5. Grand Opera
- Refers to the type of opera which emerged in Paris during the 19th century. It's an opera of a larger scale, from the flamboyant
costumes to the choruses; it also includes ballet. An example of this type is Robert le Diable by Giacomo Meyerbeer.
6.Opera Verismo
- Verismo is Italian for "realism;" it's a type of opera that emerged during the later part of the 19th century. Characters were often
based on everyday people you may meet in real life, and the plot is often melodramatic. An example is Pagliacci by Ruggero
Leoncavallo.

Euridice by Jacopo Peri is known as the earliest opera that's been preserved. One great composer who wrote operas was Claudio
Monteverdi, specifically his La favola d'Orfeo (The Fable of Orpheus) which premiered in 1607 and thus known as the first grand
opera. Another famous opera composer was Francesco Cavalli especially noted for his opera Giasone (Jason) which premiered in
1649.