Big Blog 2: One Last Music Culture

 More than 400 years ago, a new style of music was born in Florence, Italy. 

In Florence, in the mid to late 1500s, there was a small group of artists, writers, statesmen, and musicians known as the Florentine Camerata. They decided to recreate the storytelling of Greek drama through the use of music. Many people consider the first opera to be "Dafne" by Jacopo Peri. After the creation of this opera, two types of opera began to emerge: Opera Seria, and Opera Buffa. Opera Seria was considered to be formal and dignified, as it was sponsored and overseen by royalty. Opera Buffa was more comedic and entertaining for a less formal audience. So similar to Greek drama, there were the two sections of tragedy and comedy. 

By the time of the Baroque era (1600-1750), the new music form known as opera had overtaken the performance scene all throughout Europe. There was something new and inspiring about it to its surprised audiences. It was an expensive, spectacular affair full of arias and gorgeous onstage sets that were movable. In the Italian Baroque opera scene, there was a German composer who was one of the most influential composers during this time: George Frederic Handel. Handel wrote many works that are still commonly heard today. While the stories in which operas were modeled after contained both male and female characters, the operas during this time took on males for generally EVERY role. Therefore, some men, known as the castrati, would have to be castrated in order to preserve their soprano verses long term. Today, those roles are sung by countertenors, or women. 

Here is an operatic piece composed by Handel:

Overtime, Opera continued to evolve and change. During the Classical period (1750-1830), the Opera changed due to the social movement known as the Enlightenment. During this time, there were more realistic plots put into place with fewer Gods and more humans. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is probably the most well known Classical opera composer. He composed works such as The Marriage of Figaro, in which servants outwit their aristocratic masters. It was based on a play by a French writer known as Beaumarchis. It is fast, funny, and full of amazing music. Mozart was very well known for his mastery of high drama. Mozart's pieces are still used in modern movies and entertainment. 

Here is a Mozart piece that was used in the movie, "Shawshank Redemption":

Opera continued to grow and flourish, as it got louder, longer, and more prominent in the Romantic period (1830-1900). Grand opera became the THING to talk about and see. An important style during this time was the Italian bel canto movement. Bel Canto literally means "beautiful singing". It was all about vocal ornamentation and brilliance. It also had a more simple underlying instrumentation. This is so there was more attention for the singer. 

By the late 19th century, the world was dominated by two main opera composers: Giuseppe Verdi, and Richard Wagner. Verdi wrote various popular operas, including Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, and Aida. His most popular opera is perhaps La Traviata. One of Wagner's most popular works is his 15-hour, four-opera Ring cycle: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung.

Here is a video containing a piece from La Traviata by Verdi:

Another really well known opera from the 19th century is "Carmen" by George Bizet. This opera may even be one of the most recognizable operas of all time. The opera is about a Gypsy woman who strongly values free will and doing as she pleases. A soldier eventually becomes obsessed with her, as he is infatuated with her free spirit. There are some beautiful melodies throughout this opera. 

Here is one of the most popular pieces from "Carmen": "Habanera"

The early 20th century was also very influenced by another Italian with a great gift for creating melodies, Giacomo Puccini. Puccini composed many extremely popular works in the Italian grand opera tradition. These traditions were usually very dramatic and featured the sad death of a heroine. There was a new form of realism being emphasized, and it was known as verismo. Some of Puccini's most famous works include La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot.

I know there are many beautiful auditorial aspects of opera, but there are also many wonderful visual factors as well. There are many records of costumes with gold brocades covered with lace, diamonds, emeralds, ribbons, and immense trains. Most of the costumes were based on contemporary court dresses that were very noble and serious in style. The tight bodices and basque shirts had extremely decorative trains and overskirts. Most costumes would follow a uniform silhouette. There was even a carefully designed headdress that was a formal arrangement of lace or feathers. When it comes to the male garments, they were in Roman style. The tunic was very fitting and tight to the chest. They sometimes wore a tonneler, which is a short skirt, and high boots, with a cape to finish off the look. There was an avoidance of monotony when it came to the design of the different costumes. Therefore, there was an astonishing variety of indigenous trimmings, embroideries, fringes, slashings, puffs, paddings, inlaid ornamental motifs, pastes, and precious stones to punctuate the look even further. Each aspect of the scenic decor was equally as industrious and elegant as the taste of the costume design. These designs were past down for centuries and continue to inspire performance attire to this day. 

Here are a couple of wondrous examples of Opera costuming:

Today, Opera is still flourishing and being incorporated in many societies. It is not listened to in the same way it was many years ago. However, it is often found in many movies and other forms of entertainment. Many individuals will recognize multiple pieces of operatic music just from hearing it in the background of something. The subconscious is a powerful thing! Throughout my life, I aspire to show more people the beautiful opera style through my performances one day! I sing opera, and I am so thankful that Italy formed this wonderful genre of music. 

Bibliography:

A brief history of opera. (n.d.). Retrieved February 03, 2021, from https://sfopera.com/discover-opera/intro-to-opera/a-brief-history-of-opera/#:~:text=Born%20in%20Italy%20more%20than,been%20inspiring%20people%20for%20ages.

Costume in Baroque Opera and ballet. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/art/stagecraft/Costume-in-Baroque-opera-and-ballet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu7zWrIMV_g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4DpYgG3FyM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwSNMibfaRg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EseMHr6VEM0