OPERA AND VOCAL MUSIC IN THE EARLY CLASSIC PERIOD

I. INTRODUCTION

A. THE NEW MUSICAL IDIOM HAILED BY ENLIGHTENMENT WRITERS HAD ITS ROOTS IN VOCAL
MUSIC

B. MANY TRAITS THAT BECAME TYPICAL OF CLASSIC ERA MUSIC ORIGINATED IN ITALIAN
OPERA BEGINNING IN THE 1720S AND 1730S.

C. OPERA DURING THIS PERIOD NURTURED ELEMENTS THAT WOULD BECOME CRUCIAL IN THE
NEW STYLE OR IDIOM OF THE LATER NINETEENTH CENTURY BECAUSE OF THE VALUE THEY
PLACED ON:

1. THE BEAUTY OF MELODY

2. PERIODIC PHRASING

3. SIMPLE HARMONIES

4. SPARE ACCOMPANIMENT

5. EMOTIONAL FLUIDITY: ABILITY OF MUSIC AND MELODY TO PORTRAY COMPLEX

CHARACTERS AND RAPIDLY CHAGING EMOTIONS.

6. STRONG STYLISTIC CONTRASTS

D. A KEY DEVELOPMENT WAS THE EMERGENCE AROUND 1700 OF THE SEPARATE TRADITIONS
OF COMIC AND SERIOUS OPERA.

II. COMIC OPERA

A. AROUND 1700 RENEWED INTEREST IN VIEWS OF DRAMA FOUND IN CLASSICAL WRITERS LED
LIBRETTISTS TO ELIMINATE COMIC ELEMENTS FROM SERIOUS OPERA.

B. IN REACTION NEW INDEPENDENT GENRES OF COMIC OPERA DEVELOPED THAT:

REPRESENTED PEOPLE FROM MIDDLE OR LOWER CLASSES IN FAMILIAR, EVERYDAY
CURRENT SITUATIONS AND OFFERED SOCIAL CRITISISM AND A WIDER AUDIENCE APPEAL
THROUGH SIMPLE AND DIRECT MUSICAL EXPRESSION.

C. TRADITION WEIGHED LESS HEAVILY ON COMIC OPERA, IT WAS MORE HOSPITABLE TO

INNOVATION THAN WAS SERIOUS OPERA: EMOTIONS EXPRESSED BY CONVENTIONS IN
 SERIOUS OPERA COULD BE PORTRAYED IN MORE UNEXPECTED AND NATURALISTIC WAYS IN
COMIC OPERA.

D. REQUIRED MODEST RESOURCES

E. ALWAYS WRITTEN IN NATIONAL TOUNGUE AND MUSIC ACCENTUATED NATIONAL

IDIOMS.

F. HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE:

1. IT REFLECTED WIDESPREAD DEMAND FOR SIMPLE CLEAR AND NATURAL

SINGING

2. IT ENCOURAGED GROWTH OF SEPARATE NATIONAL TRADITIONS OF OPERA

WHICH BECAME PROMINENT IN THE ROMANTIC PERIOD

3. CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES ABSORBED INTO MAINSTREAM OF OPERATIC

COMPOSITION AND OF MOST MUSIC IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE EIGHTEENTH
CENTURY. THEY BECAME TYPICAL OF.

G. ACTION PROCEEDS IN ALTERNATING RECICATIVE AND ARIA.

H. THE POETRY AND MUSIC OFTEN SPOOFED SERIOUS OPERA OR USED OPERATIC
CONVENTIONS TO CREATE HUMOUR THROUGH INCONGROUS JUXTOPOSITIONS.

I. NATIONAL TRADITIONS OF COMIC OPERA

ITALIAN OPERA

1. OPERA BUFFA

1.1 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

 FULL LENGTH WORK (THREE ACTS) CONSISTING OF SIX OR MORE

CHARACTERS

 MAIN PLOT REVOLVED AROUND SERIOUS CHARACTERS WHO

INTERACTED WITH COMIC CHARACTERS IT ENTERTAINED AND SERVED
MORAL PURPOSE BY CARICATURING THE FOIBLES OF COMMONERS
AND ARISTOCRATS

 FIRST STAGED IN PUBLIC THEATRES AND AIMED PRIMARILY AT MIDDLE

CLASS – ONLY GRADUALLY GAINED ARISTOCRATIC PATRONS.
 1.2 LEONARDO VINCI (CA. 1696–1730) LI ZITE ’NGALERA (THE ON THE
GALLEY)

2. INTERMEZZO

2.1 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

 OPERA IN MINIATURE: PORTRAYED TWO OR THREE CHARACTERS IN

COMIC SITUATIONS IN TWO OR THREE SEGMENTS PERFORMED
SPERATELY BETWEEN ACTS OF A SERIOUS OPERA

 CONTRAST TO AND OFTEN A PARODY OF THE MAIN DRAMA

 ACCEPTED BY ARISTOCRATS AND PERFORMED AT COURTS AS WELL AS

PUBLIC OPERA HOUSES BECAUSE THEY WERE ADJUNCT TO SERIOUS
OPERA.

2.2 LA SERVA PADRONA (THE MAID AS MISTRESS, 1733) BY GIOVANNI BATTISTA

PERGOLESI (1710–1736)

IV. OPERA IN OTHER LANGUAGUES

A. NATIONAL STYLES OF COMIC OPERA EMERGED IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

B. FRANCE (OPERA COMIQUE)

1. NATIVE FRENCH VERSION OF OPERA BEGAN AROUND 1710 AS POULAR

ENTERTAINMENT AT FAIRS

2. SPOKEN DIALOUGUE USED INSTEAD OF RECITATIVE

3. DEVELOPMENTS:

 UNTIL 1750 MUSIC CONSISTED ENTIRELY OF POULAR TUNES

(VAUDVILLES)

 1750S PRECENCE OF ITALIAN OPERA STIMULATES

INTRODUCTION OF ORIGINAL AIRS IN A MIXED ITALIAN-
FRENCH STYLE TOGETHER WITH THE VAUDVILLES.

 QUERELLES DES BOUFFONS (1752 -1754)

 o PHAMLET WAR OPPOSING STATE SUBSIDISED
FRENCH OPERA IN FAVOUR OF ITALIAN OPERA.

o JEAN JAQUES ROUSSOUW WAS ONE OF THE

MOST VEHEMENT VOICES IN FAVOUR OF
ITALIAN OPERA BECAUSE OF ITAIAN MELODIC
STYLE

 EVENTAULLY AT END OF 1760 ALL MUSIC WAS ORIGINAL

 LATER EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SERIOUS PLOTS INTRODUCED

SOME BASED ON SOCIAL ISSUES THAT AGITATED FRANCE
BEFORE THE REVOLUTION

4. LEADING COMPOSER GRETRY: RICHARD THE LION HEART

C. ENGLAND (BALLAD OPERA)

1. NATIVE BRITISH VERSION OF OPERA BEGAN AS A RESULT OF THE SUCCESS OF GAYS THE
BEGGARS OPERA IN 1728

2. SPOKEN DIALOUGUE USED INSTEAD OF RECITATIVE

3. DEVELOPMENT:

3.1 INITIALLY NEW WORDS WERE SET TO BORROWED FOLK, DANCE AND POULAR
SONGS, WELL KNOWN AIRS AND ARIAS FROM OTHER STAGE WORKS.

3.2 OVER TIME COMPOSERS BORROWED LESS AND WROTE MORE ORIGINAL
MUSIC.

D. GERMANY AND AUSTRIA (SINGSPIEL)

1. NATIVE GERMAN VERSION OF OPERA FIRST APPEARING IN 1710 IN VIENNA

2. SPOKEN DIALOUGUE USED INSTEAD OF RECITATIVE

3. DEVELOPMENT:

3.1 1750 SAW ADAPTATION OF ENGLISH BALLAD OPERAS INTO GERMAN OFTEN
WITH NEW MUSIC.

3.2 MANY TUNES ACHIEVED POPULARITY AND FOLK LIKE STATUS.

4. PRINCIPAL COMPOSER JOHANN HILLER OF LEIPZIG

 5. IMPORTANT PRECURSOR OF GERMAN LANGUAGUE MUSICAL THEATRE OF MOZART AND
WEBER.

III. OPERA SERIA

A. TREATED SERIOUS SUBJECTS WITHOUT COMIC SCENES OR CHARACTERS

B. RECEIVED STANDARD FORM FROM THE DRAMAS OF ITALIAN POET PIETRO METASTASIO
WHOSE OPERAS PRESENT CONFLICTS OF HUMAN PASSION, OFTEN PITTING LOVE AGAINST
DUTY, IN STORIES BASED ON ANCIENT GREEK OR LATIN TALES.

C. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:

1. THREE ACTS

2. ACTION PROCEEDS BY ALTERNATING:

2.1 RECITATIVE :DEVOLPS ACTION THROUGH DIALOGUE AND MONOLOGUE

SET AS EITHER SIMPLE RECITATIVE OR AT THE MOST DRAMATIC
MOMENTS AS ACCOMPANED RECITATIVE WITH ORCHESTRA

2.2 ARIA: DRAMATIC SOLILIQUTY IN WHICH PRINCIPAL CHARACTER

EXPRESSES FEELINGS OR REACTS TO PRECEDING SCENE.

3. ORCHESTRA (INITIALLY) SERVES MAINLY AS ACCOMPANIMENT

4. DUETS OCCUR OCCASIONALY, A FEW LARGER ENSEMBLES BUT SIMPLE CHORUS

ARE RARE

5. PLOTS CENTERED ON STORIES FROM MYTH OR HISTORY

D. THE ARIA

1. CENTER OF MUSICAL INTEREST IN ITALIAN OPERA

2. FAVOURED FORM IN FIRST HALF OF CENTURY WAS THE DA CAPO ARIA (ABA)

3. SOME ARIAS FOLLOWED AN ABBREVIATED DA CAPO FORM.

3.1 OPENING RITORNELLO OMITTED IN REPETITION

3.2 B. “DAL SEGNO” INDICATED PARTS TO BE REPEATED

3.3 C. SOME ARIAS LACKED CONTRASTING B SECTION

4. NEW FEATURES:
 4.1 INITIALLY ARIAS USUALLY PROJECTED A SINGLE AFFECTION OR MOOD
THROUGH DEVELOPMENT OF A SINGLE MTIVE OR CONTRASTING
AFFECTIONS IN THE A AND B SECTIONS.

4.2 LATER COMPOSER STARTED TO EXPRESS A SUCESSION OF MOODS

USING A VARIEY OF MUSICAL MATERIAL THAT RANGED FROM
LIGHTHEARTED TO TRAGIC.

4.3 TWO KEYS CONTRASTED IN FIRST VOCAL STATEMENT, MATERIAL IN

SECOND KEY RECAPITULATED IN THE TONIC

5. MELODY:

5.1 DOMINATES - THE ORCHESTRA ONLY PROVIDES HARMONIC SUPPORT.

5.2 IN SHORT UNITS (2 OR 4 MEASURE ANTECENDENT AND CONSEQUENT

PHRASES)

5.3 OCCASIONALY EXPANDED TO CTREATE TENSION OR VARIETY.

E. HASSE DIGLI CH’IO SON FEDELE (TELL HIM THAT I AM FAITHFUL) FROM CLEOFIDE
(1731)

V. OPERA REFORM

1. AFTER MIDCENTURY COMPOSERS AND LIBRETTISTS INTRODUCED REFORMS INTO SERIOUS

OPERA TO REFLECT THE ENLIGHTENMENT IDEALS.

VI. SONG AND CHURCH MUSIC

1. ALONGSIDE THE ARENA OF OPERA WHICH INCLUDED PERFORMANCES OF ARIAS IN PUBLIC

CONCERTS NEW TRENDS EMERGED IN VOCAL MUSIC FOR CHAMBER AND CHURCH.

A. A GROWING INTEREST IN MUSIC MAKING AT HOME FOSTERED NEW NATIONAL

TRADITIONS OF SONG WITH KEYBOARD ACCOMPANIMENT

B. MUSIC FOR CHURCH BLENDED OLDER STYLES, HALLOWED WITH USE, WITH
CURRENT STYLES BORROWED FROM SECULAR MUSIC.

VII. OPERA AND THE NEW LANGUAGUE