Among countless stories and folktales that exist in the literary universe, there are some works that manage to teach important lessons in an innovative and engaging manner. One outstanding example of this is none other than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s final opera, Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), paired with a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. Interestingly enough, Mozart both composed and premiered this opera in 1791, twenty years after he visited the Temple of Isis, which gave him inspiration for a few scenes incorporated into the play. SHOULD I PRINT THIS MUDDA EFFA
The opera also happens to be written at the closing of the 18th century, which coincides with the German Enlightenment period. This is a significant observation when considering the outlook Mozart may have possessed during his composition of this major work,
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For starters, operas are able to express and teach fundamental lessons regarding themes such as virtuousness, wisdom, and strength of character in a highly engaging, interactive manner. This is incomparable with the experience that comes from reading a book, not to undermine the quality of information that comes from a novel, but simply because the live action that can be seen, heard, felt, and absorbed through the senses and the mind is an experience virtually unobtainable by reading words off of a piece of paper. Not only that, but the raw performance of talented musicians and masterful compositions that accompany the already engaging storylines creates a new level of depth for understanding the plot and the emotions that are expressed straight from the singer’s mouth and the violinist’s fingers—right into the viewer’s
This very much represents the physical crossing from the ‘normal’ world into a world which is not seen from the outside, and pushed to the edge of society, and further resembles a glimpse of hope for the patients’ recovery. In the later scenes of the play, during the performance of Mozart’s opera, the entire theatre has been transformed into something completely different, with its white walls, the bright, colourful costumes, and Mozart’s “music of the spheres” echoing within the once dark and dismal place. The new theatre in all its splendour metaphorically resembles the transformations of the characters themselves, and from this, the audience is encouraged to realise the significance and therapeutic nature of art, in this case theatre and music: “the music of this opera will keep the world in harmony”, especially in contrast to hopeless treatments such as shock therapy. Through his play, Nowra also encourages the audience to agree with his personal view that war is unnecessary, and in a way is a kind of madness itself, due to its chaotic and uncontrollable nature.
5. Smart, Mary Ann. Mimomania : music and gesture in nineteenth-century opera. Berkeley : University of California Press, 2004.
In any musical drama, be it opera, oratorio, or even musical theatre, it is possible for a composer to convey the personality of their characters through compositional and musical techniques. Doing so heightens the audience’s understanding of the characters, their motivations, and the relationships between them. Monteverdi, as a pioneer of opera, was one of the first to capitalize on this opportunity to heighten the audience’s understanding of the characters. This is highly apparent in his last opera, L’Incoronazione di Poppea. The music for two of the characters, Poppea and Nerone, is especially well composed to demonstrate personality, and this is no more apparent than in the dialogue which introduces the audience to them, Signor, deh
Louie Zamperini was a famous runner in his young ages. He made it all the way to the Olympics. When the time came to run in the Olympics, The stadium in Finland was partially collapsed. After his running career was over, he worked as an aircraft welder. He felt drawn to flying planes after watching them being flown during war. “Watching fighter planes soaring over his work hangar, Louis felt a pull.” (Zamperini 45) He enlisted and joined the Army Air Corps. I believe that our thoughts and actions influence our future greatly. Louis was a great runner but he had to move on. He joined the Army Air Corps and he made many good friends there. Without the Air Corps, he never would’ve met those people. But, he does go through many challenges that he never would’ve gone through if he didn’t enlist. This shaped his future and how he was going to live the rest of his life. He was going to have to live with the scares but also got the privilege of having good memories.
In the last decade, the problem of Mozart’s Requiem has divided itself into three categories which most of the scholars have majored on in an attempt to come up with a clear analysis of the arguments and various evidence. The three main problems include the authenticity problem viewed in a narrower sense, the instrumentation problem and the dating problem. According to Friedrich Blume, the question of authenticity comes in when the question of which parts were completed by Mozart and the other parts that were completed by the another composer. It is hard to determine if the other composer followed the concerns that Mozart would wish to be addressed. The issue of instrumentation also becomes of concern in the sense that whether the Sussmayr’s manuscript of the whole Requiem uses the instrumentation that Mozart had indicated or whether it is out of the creativity of the master. The dating problem was whether Mozart finished the work when he was on his deathbed or whether he had composed the Requiem before he fell ill. Such problems of the Requiem could only be answered by his close friends who died before the controversy arose. Looking further into this investigation this document will analyze the problems of the Requiem based on arguments from the five scholars: Thomas Bauman, Paul Moseley, Simon Keefe, Christoph Wolff, and Richard Maunder.
Since the days of the ancient Greeks, music has been an integral part of drama and theatre. Many composers wrote music to accompany plays, and sometimes the music became more well-known than the play it was written for … It
The Holocaust was one of the biggest genocide in the world. Over 17 million people died in it mostly Jews. There where more things to The Holocaust World War 2, Hitlers rise to power, and Anne Franks Diary. These events all happened at the same time reflecting on one another. The Holocaust was one of the worlds worst events in history.
Within the assigned reading, it was John Fiske, who said “the concept of critical discrimination has been applied exclusively to high culture in its constant effort to establish its superiority over and difference from mass or popular culture,” (John Fiske 2005: 216). This supports the belief that opera is aimed towards those of a higher class. Those who are well off financially and educated above the ordinary know that opera is not popular amongst popular culture, but I suspect that they are okay with this because it adds an element of exclusivity. I believe that the masses of the ordinary are okay with this as well because they enjoy being a part of what is popular now rather than being a part of what is considered unpopular, even though it is also seen as elite and of a higher system to participate
The voice is considered as the most important element in the Italian Opera. On top of the polyphonic accompaniment for the orchestra, melody
No longer was the orchestra the main component to listen to when attending an opera. Librettists and composers worked extremely close to get the right feel for arias and other pieces in the story.
Thesis: Wolfgang Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor has been admired and analyzed numerous times. Although it has been criticized by many, I believe deeply interpreting this piece will aid in a better understanding of the music during the Classical
Even though the two pieces were composed in different centuries – Mozart’s piece in the 18th century and Strauss’ piece in the 20th century – some of the musical elements that they share transcend both time periods. The characteristics of music in the classical period had to do with the new view of human psychology. Mozart was one to introduce contrasting moods within movements or even within a theme. He was able to infuse strong contrasts of moods within the style of his music (Burkholder, Grout, & Palisca 475). In Figaro, Mozart includes an overture which is a piece in sonata form despite its lack of a development section. In Act I cavatina, “Se vuol ballare”, Mozart whimsically makes changes to the character of his music so as to correspond to Figaro’s machinations (Hambrik n.p). By doing so, he musically
Operatic dramas are usually serious, but there are several comic operas and funny scenes in tragic operas. The music is usually complicated and difficult to sing well. Only the most skillful
Orchestra concerts are an example of music being presented in an emotional and artistic manner. Often people, mainly think of contemporary music when they hear about orchestra concerts. Music composed in the late 1970s to 1990s. But its music extends to much further than that. Scores have been performed from many composers in grand concerts that originate from many sources. These sources include movies, television shows, and even video games. The level of emotion that these concerts express varying from excitement, sadness, intensity, and many others. As a listener, you feel absorbed in the dramatic conducting of the composer and the unity of the orchestra as a whole. Even the setting of the concert can be cinematic as other displays show the grandeur of an orchestra. Our bodies were meant to take in the sounds of music more so than the images. What we derive happens automatically as we drown in the mixture of emotions orchestra has to offer.
The most prevalent problem in this case is whether Zespri is doing what is necessary to maintain its leadership position to increase New Zealand kiwifruit exports to $3 billion by 2025. In order to accomplish this, an additional problem they need to address is that they have to triple their global sourcing needs to satisfy demand when New Zealand fruit is out of the market. Zespri also needs to expand to more producers to develop vast amounts of kiwifruit during the off-season so that they are able to obtain their $3 billion dollar export goal.