Summary of “The Basics: Opera” by Denise Gallo

This book covers opera from its start in the 17 th century to the 20th century in Europe. Opera is
regarded as a musical “genre” that combines itself with a dramatic performance.

This book has been divided in two parts; “terms (vocabulary) and topics” in part one and the “style
and variation” of opera in part two.

Opera is said to have evolved from folk poetry, comedy and church pageants (choirs). Opera sought
to combine drama and comical performances with music, whereby vocals and instruments are used
to “enhance” the performance. The first significant opera was Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi; a
Baroque musician and the “maestro della musica”1 of the Gonzaga family2. Although other
composers had contributed to opera, it was Monteverdi who stood out from the rest, which is why
he is considered to be the first “significant” opera composer. The genre gained much popularity
among the aristocracy and even exceeded other musical and dramatic genres in terms of popularity,
firmly establishing itself as the dominant form of entertainment for centuries to come. Francesco
Gonzaga even commissioned an opera for his own wedding with the daughter of the Duke of Savoy.

I have written down the most important terms:

 Aria: A long accompanied song for a solo voice. E.g Mozart Don Giovani

 Auditorium:t he part of a theatre, concert hall, or other public building in which the
audience sits.

 Baroque: A style of European music of the 17th and 18th centuries. Most famous include
Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Bach and Handel

 Box: More exclusive seating arrangements in a theatre, usually occupied by the most
important and influential members of society.

 Castrato: A male singer who is castrated at a young age, in order to keep their high (soprano)
range forever. Now female singers often sing the castrati parts. Farinelli is the most famous
example

 Classical: Music written in the European tradition during a period lasting approximately from
1730 to 1820. E.g Mozart and Rossini.

 Director/ Schauchpieldirektor: A person who supervises the singers and general production

 Encore: A repeated performance at the end of a concert, usually requested by the audience

 Finale: The end of the scene, act, opera where often the entire ensemble gathers for the last
musical scene

 Gesamtkunstwerk: Term introduced by Wagner meaning a ‘Total work of art’

 Libretto: Explained in the next section

 London Coliseum: the biggest theatre, were Opera is performed in London.

1
Master in charge of music
2
The ruling family of Mantua (predecessors of the house of D’Este)
  Oratorio: A chorus performer or soloists whose words is usually religious, serious or
philosophical.

 Pit: The part of a theatre where the orchestra plays, usually at the lowest point of the venue.

 Prelude: An introductory piece of music, most commonly an orchestral opening to the first
act of an opera

 Producer: A person responsible for the financial and managerial side of making of an opera.

 Queen of the Night: One of the most famous female characters in an opera.

 Romantic: An era of Western classical music that dates from 1780 to 1910. Wagner, Verdi,
Puccini and Tchaikovsky are the major opera composers from this era.

 Seria: An opera on a serious, usually classical or mythological theme

 Set: A construction on a stage that are intended to suggest a particular scene

 Singers/Singspiel: The people who sang the opera

 Singing Ranges: Soprano, Alto, Tenner and Bass (Highest to lowest)

 Unison: Singing or playing at the same time.

 Vibrato: A fast and slight variation in pitch in singing or playing an instruments, producing a
stronger sound. A technique that was used excessively by Wagner.

Written Opera: Libretto

Libretto is a written document that is created for opera, usually by a person who is not the
composer. A libretto can either explain the narrative of the opera or expand on the story and include
additional information about the piece. Information such as: The entire story, inspired literature, and
musical aid to non-musicians. (simple words and repetitions of phrases that aid the listener)
Alessandro Striggio’s for example, wrote the libretto to Claudio Monteverdi’s Orfeo. It is important
to know, that the interpretation of the opera was to a certain extent, left for the viewers as there
was no clear narrative to the performance. Librettists made a living by giving their own
interpretation of the performance3, much like how art critics and scholars give their own versions of
a work of art, especially when the creator has not done much explaining of his own regarding the
piece. According to music scholars, this is how “musical theatre” can be distinguished from opera, as
opera prioritises music over anything else, the plot is a secondary component. Most Opera’s,
however, have a single librettist, and their account of the opera is usually regarded as the most
theaccurate version. Composers such as Wagner and Verdi, even wrote their opera librettos
themselves.

In the late 18th century librettists began to turn away from mythology and antiquity. Opera and its
storylines became more about contemporary events and no longer of history and myths. An
example of this approach is Mozart’s 1791 Die Zauberflöte, to Emanuel Schikaneder’s libretto.

3
Which usually involved mythological tales and stories from the antiquity
Nineteenth-century Romanticism encouraged texts dealing with medieval history and legends of the
supernatural, such as Friedrich Kind’s libretto for Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischutz. Exotic
subjects and themes drawn from folklore and regional culture found their way into 19 th and 20th
century librettos. This became very prominent in the Wagnerian and Verdean era of opera, were
folklore was used to create a sense of national pride.

Opera as a mirror of society and the social impact of opera

Opera was a cultural phenomenon that was constantly changing to suit its desired audience.
Composers and librettists sometimes revised their operas if the audiences weren’t satisfied with it
during the premier. Other ways in which opera writers amended pieces was to revise and emulate
past composers: e.g Ernst Guiraud amended Georges Bizet’s famous Carmen to appear less
“comical”, as this better suited the contemporary viewers. During the 17 th and 18th centuries, opera
was used as a pure form of entertainment, however, with the rise of Romanticism and political
change in Europe, opera had to adapt.

With the economic, social, and political downfall of the aristocrats, wealthy members of the middle
class invested in the creation of a new age of opera. These new audiences demanded works that
reflected their interest in current affairs and contemporary literature. The opera houses themselves
became a symbol of economic prosperity, as the places were audiences could sit, reflected their own
economic status. Operas, therefore, became an ideal place for socialites, as one was clearly able to
identify those of the higher social statuses, simply by looking at their “sit”.

The social nature of the opera changed during the late 19 th century as people such as Wagner
encouraged audiences to sit in complete silence and to fully absorb what was being shown in front
of them.

Wagner also had a great influence over nationalism in opera. Wagner encouraged German
nationalism by writing works that idealised the Middle Ages and the “golden age” of Germanic
heroes such as Lohengrin and other characters from the Nibelungenlied.4

Wagner and Verdi5 also inspired the Nazi culture of opera. Hitler’s famous visits to Bayreuth were
part of a plan to encourage a new age of Germanic “Aryan” opera, rather than the popular Jazz and
“Jewish” musical trends that were also occurring in Germany. Similarly, the Soviet Union used opera
as a means to spread “propaganda” and to be a representative of the “masses”. They did this by
creating opera houses and theatres that had equal seating arrangements for everyone, as well as
subject matter that appealed to the “socialist” ideals. In order to achieve this cultural monopoly,
both the Nazis and the Soviet Union had to resort to extreme censorship. In Germany, Jazz and
Jewish musicians were sent to concentration camps and in the Soviet Union all music was controlled
and approved by the state.

4
Epic poems dating back to 1200, written in the regions of Passau
5
An Italian opera writer who also encouraged nationalism