Opera Essay

defines opera in his text, A Short History of Opera, as “a drama in music: a dramatic action, exhibited on stage with scenery by actors in costume, the words conveyed entirely or for the most part by singing, and the whole sustained and amplified by orchestral music” (4). A literal translation of the word opera is simply work, and although the term opera was not coined until 1634, one of the first known operas was performed in 1597 (Grout 1). Grout explains that there are two types of opera. The first

to attending the concert Swingin’ In The Opera House at Moores Opera House, I had very little experience attending concerts. Aside from few band performances I attended back in middle and elementary school, I was never exposed to the world of concerts and performances. Going into this concert, I was expecting great things since it was my first college concert. To my expectations, everything seemed perfect when I first walked in. The lighting of the opera house was set just right and I could see all

400 Years of Opera: Journal When I began reading 400 Years of Opera, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Of course, I assumed it would cover what we went over in the first day of class with a little added extra, but I am surprised with how much I learned within fourteen pages. I did not know opera had so many inspirations and models it fitted before evolving into what it is today! While studying the novel, I was shocked (and a little horrified) when going over mysteries. Although accuracy is important

Baroque opera are extremely different from the musical elements of the Classical opera. Baroque opera is more elaborate and complex in comparison to the balanced style of classical music. While there are many similarities between the two, there are also a significant amount of differences. Baroque opera made use of harmonic progressions and chord progressions, as well as basso continuo which was less common in the classical era of opera. Baroque had a more pleasing sound, while classical opera emphasized

The name, opera, comes from the Italian language meaning “work.” The opera is music and drama. Opera is something that many generations listen too because it is a little over 400 years old. Opera is a visible as well as an audible art. Throughout history, opera has reflected trends during the current time period when it is composed. A feature that is unique in opera isn’t the drama though, it’s the music. It is written for several levels of the human voice. This helps express emotions. Today

leitmotif that can be heard in the opening of the opera can be described as longing. The notes are drawn out and sound unhappy and there is this sense of anticipation. Through my skipping about in this opera I have deduced that this leitmotif can be found through the entire opera, at least the drawn out and unhappy notes can, especially towards the end. The romantic era style operas differed from that of the baroque style in that the romantic operas emphasized emotions in a far superior way. This emphasis

Russian Opera The seeds of a distinctively national art music in Russia are usually dated from the first half of the 19th century. The performance of the opera A Life for the Tsar (1836), by Mikhail GLINKA, is usually cited as the turning point for Russian music (Russia's national anthem is taken from this opera). In this historical opera, as well as in his subsequent opera Ruslan and Ludmila (1842), the orchestral fantasy Kamarinskaya (1848), and numerous songs, Glinka successfully fused

Opera buffa or “buffoon” opera, the opposite of opera seria, was not introduced in opera houses until the late eighteenth century. In contrast with opera seria, opera buffa did not serve to trouble the audience, but instead, it was created to promote a feeling of happiness. Characters who performed the opera buffa style had to be funny and encourage laughter in the audience while simultaneously singing. This took incredibly skilled individuals to be able to successfully accomplish this goal. In order

Don Giovanni is a three-hour long opera composed by Mozart and scripted by Da Ponte that had its premiere in Prague in 1787 (the final version premiered in Vienna in 1788). It is and it has always been highly popular, as it stands now as the 10th most performed opera in history1 and it is notorious for its smooth superposition of comical and tragical elements as well as for its appealing redesign of Don Juan2 as an embodiment of freedom (as shown by his refusal to adhere to social norms and his arrogant

It is frequently stated that opera is a dying, if not dead, artform: irrelevant to the cultural scene of the twenty-first century (Morris, 2003). However, it is arguable that much of what society rejects comes from a learnt sense of prejudice or lack of education and exposure (Murphy Paul, 1998). In response to this, it becomes important to understand the relevance of operatic themes and the techniques in which they are presented in order to challenge the mass perceptions of outdatedness. Similarly