Halina Goldberg
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195130737
- eISBN:
- 9780199867424
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195130737.003.0008
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
Led by Bogusƚawski, Elsner, and Kurpiński, the National Theater — the locale of major operatic productions — became the central cultural institution in Warsaw. It featured a rich repertory of French, ...
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Led by Bogusƚawski, Elsner, and Kurpiński, the National Theater — the locale of major operatic productions — became the central cultural institution in Warsaw. It featured a rich repertory of French, German, and Italian operas. The operatic genres of operas performed in Warsaw ranged from Singspiel, through opéra comique, tragedie lyrique, opera seria, and buffa, to grand opera. This chapter discusses the introduction into Warsaw of the newest foreign works, ushering in the Romantic aesthetic in opera. At the same time, the librettists and composers associated with the National Theater created vernacular operas, which often addressed subjects from Polish history, and conveyed patriotic sentiments though text and folkloristic music. The history and repertory of the national theater is presented, and Chopin's involvement with Warsaw's operatic scene is explained.Less
Led by Bogusƚawski, Elsner, and Kurpiński, the National Theater — the locale of major operatic productions — became the central cultural institution in Warsaw. It featured a rich repertory of French, German, and Italian operas. The operatic genres of operas performed in Warsaw ranged from Singspiel, through opéra comique, tragedie lyrique, opera seria, and buffa, to grand opera. This chapter discusses the introduction into Warsaw of the newest foreign works, ushering in the Romantic aesthetic in opera. At the same time, the librettists and composers associated with the National Theater created vernacular operas, which often addressed subjects from Polish history, and conveyed patriotic sentiments though text and folkloristic music. The history and repertory of the national theater is presented, and Chopin's involvement with Warsaw's operatic scene is explained.
Katherine K. Preston
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- November 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780199371655
- eISBN:
- 9780199371679
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199371655.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western, Opera
This chapter commences with the Panic of 1873 and its profound impact on operatic production in 1870s America. The failure of Italian- and German-language troupes facilitated the triumph of grand ...
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This chapter commences with the Panic of 1873 and its profound impact on operatic production in 1870s America. The failure of Italian- and German-language troupes facilitated the triumph of grand opera in the vernacular—especially the company of Louise Kellogg, which enjoyed extraordinary success during the worst years of the Long Deprecession. Comic opera (including operetta, light opera, and opera bouffe) was important during the period, as were the activities of several pivotal performer/managers (Emily Soldene, Sallie Holman, Alice Oates). Italian- and German-language activity during the late 1870s–1880s and the generally unsettled operatic times of the mid-1880s are covered. During this period German-language opera and its associated principle of cultural uplift first challenged and ultimately replaced Italian-language opera (temporarily) in the American foreign-language market. The chapter ends with the explosion of vernacular-opera activity in the 1880s and the enthusiasm of Americans for all types of opera performed in English.Less
This chapter commences with the Panic of 1873 and its profound impact on operatic production in 1870s America. The failure of Italian- and German-language troupes facilitated the triumph of grand opera in the vernacular—especially the company of Louise Kellogg, which enjoyed extraordinary success during the worst years of the Long Deprecession. Comic opera (including operetta, light opera, and opera bouffe) was important during the period, as were the activities of several pivotal performer/managers (Emily Soldene, Sallie Holman, Alice Oates). Italian- and German-language activity during the late 1870s–1880s and the generally unsettled operatic times of the mid-1880s are covered. During this period German-language opera and its associated principle of cultural uplift first challenged and ultimately replaced Italian-language opera (temporarily) in the American foreign-language market. The chapter ends with the explosion of vernacular-opera activity in the 1880s and the enthusiasm of Americans for all types of opera performed in English.
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226304823
- eISBN:
- 9780226304885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226304885.003.0007
- Subject:
- Music, Opera
Before rehearsals for an opera begin, the performers must decide what music to incorporate in the production that is being planned. The availability of multiple versions prepared by the composer ...
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Before rehearsals for an opera begin, the performers must decide what music to incorporate in the production that is being planned. The availability of multiple versions prepared by the composer creates the first problem that must be addressed by modern performers of Italian opera. Surprisingly, few well-known Italian operas exist in a unique version identifiable with the composer; among them are Rossini's Il signor Bruschino and Il viaggio a Reims, Bellini's La sonnambula, and Verdi's Luisa Miller and Rigoletto. In general, the process of deciding which version to perform can be conceptualized in terms of a grid in three dimensions on which to measure the alternatives. These dimensions involve aesthetic and analytic matters, historical circumstances, and the practical conditions of modern performance.Less
Before rehearsals for an opera begin, the performers must decide what music to incorporate in the production that is being planned. The availability of multiple versions prepared by the composer creates the first problem that must be addressed by modern performers of Italian opera. Surprisingly, few well-known Italian operas exist in a unique version identifiable with the composer; among them are Rossini's Il signor Bruschino and Il viaggio a Reims, Bellini's La sonnambula, and Verdi's Luisa Miller and Rigoletto. In general, the process of deciding which version to perform can be conceptualized in terms of a grid in three dimensions on which to measure the alternatives. These dimensions involve aesthetic and analytic matters, historical circumstances, and the practical conditions of modern performance.
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226304823
- eISBN:
- 9780226304885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226304885.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, Opera
Opera was at the center of Italian culture throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. Fundamental to most Italian opera houses during the first half of the nineteenth century was the ...
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Opera was at the center of Italian culture throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. Fundamental to most Italian opera houses during the first half of the nineteenth century was the operatic season. There were ample opportunities for composers to ply their trade. However, complaints about the terrible conditions under which Italian composers were expected to function—the dreadful pressure and impossible deadlines—must be put into context. It is true that Il barbiere di Siviglia was composed, rehearsed, and performed in less than a month, and so were L'Italiana in Algeri and La sonnambula. During the eighteenth century, composers typically set the same basic libretto again and again. However, early in the nineteenth century, new librettos were generally written for most Italian operas. Italian librettos, in the latter part of the nineteenth century, were almost always written exclusively in poetry, not in prose, and the poetry was governed by specific rules.Less
Opera was at the center of Italian culture throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. Fundamental to most Italian opera houses during the first half of the nineteenth century was the operatic season. There were ample opportunities for composers to ply their trade. However, complaints about the terrible conditions under which Italian composers were expected to function—the dreadful pressure and impossible deadlines—must be put into context. It is true that Il barbiere di Siviglia was composed, rehearsed, and performed in less than a month, and so were L'Italiana in Algeri and La sonnambula. During the eighteenth century, composers typically set the same basic libretto again and again. However, early in the nineteenth century, new librettos were generally written for most Italian operas. Italian librettos, in the latter part of the nineteenth century, were almost always written exclusively in poetry, not in prose, and the poetry was governed by specific rules.
R. Allen Lott
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195148831
- eISBN:
- 9780199869695
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195148831.003.0007
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
While in the United States, Henri Herz actively established agents to sell his own pianos and explored the possibilities of building a factory, concert hall, and conservatory, none of which came to ...
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While in the United States, Henri Herz actively established agents to sell his own pianos and explored the possibilities of building a factory, concert hall, and conservatory, none of which came to fruition. Herz's claim that Americans covered the legs of their pianos because of their prudishness is not true; it was a means to protect them. During the 1848-9 season, Herz toured with the Dutch violinist Frans Coenen (1826-1904) and an Italian opera troupe. After appearances in Mexico, Herz gave concerts in San Francisco and Sacramento, California, in 1850 during the height of the gold rush. Herz's American tour reflected a more businesslike approach to musical management under Bernard Ullman, and included almost two hundred concerts in at least fifty-eight cities. His simple but elegant stage manners and his graceful music charmed the American public.Less
While in the United States, Henri Herz actively established agents to sell his own pianos and explored the possibilities of building a factory, concert hall, and conservatory, none of which came to fruition. Herz's claim that Americans covered the legs of their pianos because of their prudishness is not true; it was a means to protect them. During the 1848-9 season, Herz toured with the Dutch violinist Frans Coenen (1826-1904) and an Italian opera troupe. After appearances in Mexico, Herz gave concerts in San Francisco and Sacramento, California, in 1850 during the height of the gold rush. Herz's American tour reflected a more businesslike approach to musical management under Bernard Ullman, and included almost two hundred concerts in at least fifty-eight cities. His simple but elegant stage manners and his graceful music charmed the American public.
Hilary Poriss
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195386714
- eISBN:
- 9780199852512
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195386714.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, Opera
One of the scenes of Donizetti’s melodrama comico, Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali, which is an opera about an opera, depicts some of the main characters asserting that all of their roles be ...
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One of the scenes of Donizetti’s melodrama comico, Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali, which is an opera about an opera, depicts some of the main characters asserting that all of their roles be given special arias. Because art is believed to imitate life, this scene poses hints of mockery and embraces the fact that singers would indeed ask composers and librettists to highlight their roles, preferably by providing them with opportunities for solo displays. Through an analysis of the play’s textual history, we observe that each version of the opera showed different interpretations. This chapter introduces the notion of a Neopolitan farse, where the original dialect had to be altered if performed outside Naples; thus, some of its meaning has been altered as well. This chapter attempts to examine the complicated discourse of aria insertion, or the lack of it, across Italian opera productions in the nineteenth century.Less
One of the scenes of Donizetti’s melodrama comico, Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali, which is an opera about an opera, depicts some of the main characters asserting that all of their roles be given special arias. Because art is believed to imitate life, this scene poses hints of mockery and embraces the fact that singers would indeed ask composers and librettists to highlight their roles, preferably by providing them with opportunities for solo displays. Through an analysis of the play’s textual history, we observe that each version of the opera showed different interpretations. This chapter introduces the notion of a Neopolitan farse, where the original dialect had to be altered if performed outside Naples; thus, some of its meaning has been altered as well. This chapter attempts to examine the complicated discourse of aria insertion, or the lack of it, across Italian opera productions in the nineteenth century.
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226304823
- eISBN:
- 9780226304885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226304885.003.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Opera
This chapter presents a report on two opera festivals on which Philip Gossett worked closely during the summer of 2000: the Santa Fe Opera and the Rossini Opera Festival of Pesaro. During the summer ...
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This chapter presents a report on two opera festivals on which Philip Gossett worked closely during the summer of 2000: the Santa Fe Opera and the Rossini Opera Festival of Pesaro. During the summer of 2000, five nineteenth-century Italian operas were on the boards: Rossini's Ermione and Verdi's Rigoletto in Santa Fe and Rossini's Le Siège de Corinthe, La scala di seta, and La Cenerentola in Pesaro. Each festival has a particular repertory niche. There is ample room for operas to be performed in repertory. This chapter suggests some of the problems faced in bringing these works before the public. These problems are representative of those that recur in opera houses throughout the world when facing this repertory. This chapter clarifies what it means to perform Italian opera.Less
This chapter presents a report on two opera festivals on which Philip Gossett worked closely during the summer of 2000: the Santa Fe Opera and the Rossini Opera Festival of Pesaro. During the summer of 2000, five nineteenth-century Italian operas were on the boards: Rossini's Ermione and Verdi's Rigoletto in Santa Fe and Rossini's Le Siège de Corinthe, La scala di seta, and La Cenerentola in Pesaro. Each festival has a particular repertory niche. There is ample room for operas to be performed in repertory. This chapter suggests some of the problems faced in bringing these works before the public. These problems are representative of those that recur in opera houses throughout the world when facing this repertory. This chapter clarifies what it means to perform Italian opera.
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226304823
- eISBN:
- 9780226304885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226304885.003.0005
- Subject:
- Music, Opera
Critical editions of nineteenth-century Italian operas make available the best texts that modern scholarship, musicianship, and editorial technique can produce. A critical edition of Rigoletto is ...
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Critical editions of nineteenth-century Italian operas make available the best texts that modern scholarship, musicianship, and editorial technique can produce. A critical edition of Rigoletto is necessarily an interpretation of Verdi's Rigoletto. The difference is that a critical edition makes its substantive interventions graphically explicit and explains them in ample critical notes. Users of the score can ascertain where “Verdi's Rigoletto” ends and editorial intervention begins. A critical edition also differs from other editions in its insistence that the criteria for editorial interventions are clear and that such interventions are restricted to those that derive from Verdi's explicit indications or meet the levels of consistency and logic that reflect Verdi's notational practice. The critical editions continue to recognize the composer as the central figure in the Italian operatic landscape and seek, where possible, to reproduce his or her voice as fully and accurately as possible.Less
Critical editions of nineteenth-century Italian operas make available the best texts that modern scholarship, musicianship, and editorial technique can produce. A critical edition of Rigoletto is necessarily an interpretation of Verdi's Rigoletto. The difference is that a critical edition makes its substantive interventions graphically explicit and explains them in ample critical notes. Users of the score can ascertain where “Verdi's Rigoletto” ends and editorial intervention begins. A critical edition also differs from other editions in its insistence that the criteria for editorial interventions are clear and that such interventions are restricted to those that derive from Verdi's explicit indications or meet the levels of consistency and logic that reflect Verdi's notational practice. The critical editions continue to recognize the composer as the central figure in the Italian operatic landscape and seek, where possible, to reproduce his or her voice as fully and accurately as possible.
Vincent Giroud
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300117653
- eISBN:
- 9780300168211
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300117653.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter explores the history of French opera from its early origins to Jean-Baptiste Lully. It explains that before opera was introduced to France there was already a genre which included mixing ...
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This chapter explores the history of French opera from its early origins to Jean-Baptiste Lully. It explains that before opera was introduced to France there was already a genre which included mixing dance and singing, and suggests that the ballet de cour should be considered as a forerunner and not as a rival of French opera. The chapter describes the early beginning of Lully as a composer and the role of Cardinal Mazarin in bringing Italian opera to Paris. It also considers the works of other composers, including Isaac de Benserade, Pierre Perrin, and Robert Cambert.Less
This chapter explores the history of French opera from its early origins to Jean-Baptiste Lully. It explains that before opera was introduced to France there was already a genre which included mixing dance and singing, and suggests that the ballet de cour should be considered as a forerunner and not as a rival of French opera. The chapter describes the early beginning of Lully as a composer and the role of Cardinal Mazarin in bringing Italian opera to Paris. It also considers the works of other composers, including Isaac de Benserade, Pierre Perrin, and Robert Cambert.
Donald Burrows
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199737369
- eISBN:
- 9780190268152
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199737369.003.0008
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter examines George Frideric Handel's career as the general manager of The King's Theatre, where he made his first attempts at transition from writing Italian opera to English oratorio. ...
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This chapter examines George Frideric Handel's career as the general manager of The King's Theatre, where he made his first attempts at transition from writing Italian opera to English oratorio. Handel's first English oratorio, Esther, was performed in 1732 where he indicated in advertisements that there was to be a lack of stage action. This element, combined with the music of the opera stars and the grand anthem style used in the coronation anthems sung in English, created the recipe for his future theatre career. The chapter concludes by describing his rivalry with the Opera of the Nobility group and his programme at Covent Garden in 1737 which was a repertory of twelve works: eight operas and four oratorios. The programme proved to be the end for the Opera of the Nobility but was also dangerous as Handel's health gave way towards the end of the season.Less
This chapter examines George Frideric Handel's career as the general manager of The King's Theatre, where he made his first attempts at transition from writing Italian opera to English oratorio. Handel's first English oratorio, Esther, was performed in 1732 where he indicated in advertisements that there was to be a lack of stage action. This element, combined with the music of the opera stars and the grand anthem style used in the coronation anthems sung in English, created the recipe for his future theatre career. The chapter concludes by describing his rivalry with the Opera of the Nobility group and his programme at Covent Garden in 1737 which was a repertory of twelve works: eight operas and four oratorios. The programme proved to be the end for the Opera of the Nobility but was also dangerous as Handel's health gave way towards the end of the season.
Peter Franklin
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780520280397
- eISBN:
- 9780520958036
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520280397.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
Moving from the concert hall to the opera house (familiarly associated with elitism and expense), this chapter aims to uncover the character of opera as popular theater, not least Wagner’s. An ...
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Moving from the concert hall to the opera house (familiarly associated with elitism and expense), this chapter aims to uncover the character of opera as popular theater, not least Wagner’s. An evocation of the experience of Parsifal in Bayreuth in 2012 leads to a discussion of Italian opera, often scorned in Germany in the nineteenth century for its vulgarity and crowd-pleasing aspects. Puccini's Suor Angelica is considered as an emblematic late-romantic opera, whose subtlety, tragic power, and magical climax might help us better understand and reevaluate its composer's claim to want to “make the world weep.”Less
Moving from the concert hall to the opera house (familiarly associated with elitism and expense), this chapter aims to uncover the character of opera as popular theater, not least Wagner’s. An evocation of the experience of Parsifal in Bayreuth in 2012 leads to a discussion of Italian opera, often scorned in Germany in the nineteenth century for its vulgarity and crowd-pleasing aspects. Puccini's Suor Angelica is considered as an emblematic late-romantic opera, whose subtlety, tragic power, and magical climax might help us better understand and reevaluate its composer's claim to want to “make the world weep.”
Reinhard Strohm
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199558551
- eISBN:
- 9780191808432
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199558551.003.0009
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Plays and Playwrights: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter considers the integration of classical drama into the public operatic world in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. It identifies three aspects of seventeenth-century ...
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This chapter considers the integration of classical drama into the public operatic world in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. It identifies three aspects of seventeenth-century theatre culture which may be said to have influenced this process. It also discusses the first Oedipus-based opera — a tragedia per musica entitled Edippo by Domenico Lalli, given with music by Pietro Torri in Munich on 22 October 1729.Less
This chapter considers the integration of classical drama into the public operatic world in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. It identifies three aspects of seventeenth-century theatre culture which may be said to have influenced this process. It also discusses the first Oedipus-based opera — a tragedia per musica entitled Edippo by Domenico Lalli, given with music by Pietro Torri in Munich on 22 October 1729.
Donald Burrows
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199737369
- eISBN:
- 9780190268152
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199737369.003.0009
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter considers George Frideric Handel's career after the famous Covent Garden programme where he stood triumphant against the Opera of the Nobility. The period 1737–41 saw Handel switching ...
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This chapter considers George Frideric Handel's career after the famous Covent Garden programme where he stood triumphant against the Opera of the Nobility. The period 1737–41 saw Handel switching between Italian opera and English oratorio in his work. He seemed to want to keep both options open, from season to season, developing one line or the other according to the opportunities that presented themselves. After writing and performing The ways of Zion do mourn for the funeral of Queen Caroline, Handel performed Faramondo and Serse, to prove to himself that he could repeat the intensity of the previous year's creative energy The chapter also describes how this period proved to be a turning point in his reputation with the London public. Although he would continue to have ‘enemies’ among influential opera patrons, he was becoming an accepted part of London life.Less
This chapter considers George Frideric Handel's career after the famous Covent Garden programme where he stood triumphant against the Opera of the Nobility. The period 1737–41 saw Handel switching between Italian opera and English oratorio in his work. He seemed to want to keep both options open, from season to season, developing one line or the other according to the opportunities that presented themselves. After writing and performing The ways of Zion do mourn for the funeral of Queen Caroline, Handel performed Faramondo and Serse, to prove to himself that he could repeat the intensity of the previous year's creative energy The chapter also describes how this period proved to be a turning point in his reputation with the London public. Although he would continue to have ‘enemies’ among influential opera patrons, he was becoming an accepted part of London life.
Hilary Poriss
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195386714
- eISBN:
- 9780199852512
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195386714.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Opera
This study seeks to explore the role and significance of aria insertion, the practice that allowed singers to introduce music of their own choice into productions of Italian operas. Each chapter ...
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This study seeks to explore the role and significance of aria insertion, the practice that allowed singers to introduce music of their own choice into productions of Italian operas. Each chapter investigates the art of aria insertion during the nineteenth century from varying perspectives, beginning with an overview of the changing fortunes of the practice, followed by explorations of individual prima donnas and their relationship with particular insertion arias: Carolina Ungher’s difficulties in finding a “perfect” aria to introduce into Donizetti’s Marino Faliero; Guiditta Pasta’s performance of an aria from Pacini’s Niobe in a variety of operas, and the subsequent fortunes of that particular aria; Maria Malibran’s interpolation of Vaccai’s final scene from Giulietta e Romeo in place of Bellini’s original setting in his I Capuleti e i Montecchi; and Adelina Patti’s “mini-concerts” in the lesson scene of Il barbiere di Siviglia. The final chapter provides a treatment of a short story, “Memoir of a Song,” narrated by none other than an insertion aria itself, and the volume concludes with an appendix containing the first modern edition of this short story, a narrative that has lain utterly forgotten since its publication in 1849.Less
This study seeks to explore the role and significance of aria insertion, the practice that allowed singers to introduce music of their own choice into productions of Italian operas. Each chapter investigates the art of aria insertion during the nineteenth century from varying perspectives, beginning with an overview of the changing fortunes of the practice, followed by explorations of individual prima donnas and their relationship with particular insertion arias: Carolina Ungher’s difficulties in finding a “perfect” aria to introduce into Donizetti’s Marino Faliero; Guiditta Pasta’s performance of an aria from Pacini’s Niobe in a variety of operas, and the subsequent fortunes of that particular aria; Maria Malibran’s interpolation of Vaccai’s final scene from Giulietta e Romeo in place of Bellini’s original setting in his I Capuleti e i Montecchi; and Adelina Patti’s “mini-concerts” in the lesson scene of Il barbiere di Siviglia. The final chapter provides a treatment of a short story, “Memoir of a Song,” narrated by none other than an insertion aria itself, and the volume concludes with an appendix containing the first modern edition of this short story, a narrative that has lain utterly forgotten since its publication in 1849.
Flora Willson
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190916749
- eISBN:
- 9780190916787
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190916749.003.0008
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
Willson’s chapter explores how opera inflected listening for British officers and tourists in and near Crimea: in particular it discusses operatic perceptions in the Pera district of Constantinople, ...
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Willson’s chapter explores how opera inflected listening for British officers and tourists in and near Crimea: in particular it discusses operatic perceptions in the Pera district of Constantinople, the site of the city’s first opera house, as well as ways of listening to traveling military bands connected with the Ottoman imperial court. It also examines European elites’ perceptions of foreign battlefields and cityscapes, with the aim of examining a larger shift in the history of listening: that of middle-class audiences falling silent in theatrical spaces during the nineteenth century, supposedly to devote more concentrated attention to elite music. The chapter argues that these listening habits, formed in part in the opera house, persisted well beyond its hallowed enclosures when war came to extend the complex geographies of attentive listening.Less
Willson’s chapter explores how opera inflected listening for British officers and tourists in and near Crimea: in particular it discusses operatic perceptions in the Pera district of Constantinople, the site of the city’s first opera house, as well as ways of listening to traveling military bands connected with the Ottoman imperial court. It also examines European elites’ perceptions of foreign battlefields and cityscapes, with the aim of examining a larger shift in the history of listening: that of middle-class audiences falling silent in theatrical spaces during the nineteenth century, supposedly to devote more concentrated attention to elite music. The chapter argues that these listening habits, formed in part in the opera house, persisted well beyond its hallowed enclosures when war came to extend the complex geographies of attentive listening.
Wendy Heller
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199558551
- eISBN:
- 9780191808432
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199558551.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Plays and Playwrights: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter explores the tension between theory and practice in mid-seventeenth century Italian opera, characterized by an apparent lack of interest in the literary substance of ancient tragedy and ...
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This chapter explores the tension between theory and practice in mid-seventeenth century Italian opera, characterized by an apparent lack of interest in the literary substance of ancient tragedy and an almost excessive preoccupation with its theoretical underpinnings. The first part examines some of the contemporary writings about theatrical genres, including several of the oft-cited comments of Venetian librettists, in which the persistent self-deprecating and apologetic manner has been taken by scholars as evidence of the librettists' awareness of the literary inferiority of their creations. It demonstrates how these comments coalesced into a surprisingly coherent aesthetic — one in which the trappings of tragedy were readily translated into spectacle and comedy. The second part of the chapter considers how this aesthetic manifested itself in several operas that adopted elements from Greek tragedies. It examines in particular the performance of Fedra incoronata (‘Phaedra Crowned’, 1662), the first part of an elaborate trilogy presented in Munich to celebrate the birth of Maximilian II Emanuel (1662–1726), son of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria, and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy.Less
This chapter explores the tension between theory and practice in mid-seventeenth century Italian opera, characterized by an apparent lack of interest in the literary substance of ancient tragedy and an almost excessive preoccupation with its theoretical underpinnings. The first part examines some of the contemporary writings about theatrical genres, including several of the oft-cited comments of Venetian librettists, in which the persistent self-deprecating and apologetic manner has been taken by scholars as evidence of the librettists' awareness of the literary inferiority of their creations. It demonstrates how these comments coalesced into a surprisingly coherent aesthetic — one in which the trappings of tragedy were readily translated into spectacle and comedy. The second part of the chapter considers how this aesthetic manifested itself in several operas that adopted elements from Greek tragedies. It examines in particular the performance of Fedra incoronata (‘Phaedra Crowned’, 1662), the first part of an elaborate trilogy presented in Munich to celebrate the birth of Maximilian II Emanuel (1662–1726), son of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria, and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy.
Donald Burrows
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199737369
- eISBN:
- 9780190268152
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199737369.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
Handel's compositions form one of the peaks of creative achievement in the Baroque period, and cover a remarkable range. His compositional processes were often complex, but could result in accessible ...
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Handel's compositions form one of the peaks of creative achievement in the Baroque period, and cover a remarkable range. His compositional processes were often complex, but could result in accessible and memorable 'hit tunes'.His life and career were as remarkable as his music. Born in Germany to a family that reputedly tried to discourage his initial interest in music, he broke away to seek his fortune in Italian opera. A series of career moves brought him via Hanover to London, where he settled and dominated the city's musical life for half a century. He quickly made his mark in English church music as well as Italian opera, and eventually created two new musical genres — English theatre oratorio and the organ concerto. Handel is important also because, as a musician, he also became a significant public figure. This biography provides an account of the man and his music. This new edition incorporates new material. The last half century has seen a great renewal of research on the circumstances of Handel's life, and a major expansion in performances and recordings of his music. The book brings together the results of this scholarly activity, and is informed by wide experience of modern performances of Handel's music, including the revival of his operas and experimentation with ‘authentic’ performance practices.Less
Handel's compositions form one of the peaks of creative achievement in the Baroque period, and cover a remarkable range. His compositional processes were often complex, but could result in accessible and memorable 'hit tunes'.His life and career were as remarkable as his music. Born in Germany to a family that reputedly tried to discourage his initial interest in music, he broke away to seek his fortune in Italian opera. A series of career moves brought him via Hanover to London, where he settled and dominated the city's musical life for half a century. He quickly made his mark in English church music as well as Italian opera, and eventually created two new musical genres — English theatre oratorio and the organ concerto. Handel is important also because, as a musician, he also became a significant public figure. This biography provides an account of the man and his music. This new edition incorporates new material. The last half century has seen a great renewal of research on the circumstances of Handel's life, and a major expansion in performances and recordings of his music. The book brings together the results of this scholarly activity, and is informed by wide experience of modern performances of Handel's music, including the revival of his operas and experimentation with ‘authentic’ performance practices.
Richard Osborne
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195181296
- eISBN:
- 9780199851416
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195181296.003.0019
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
In 1810, Italian opera was in serious need of a rebirth. Such emergent talent as there was generally lacked personality, vision, and the power to innovate. Gioachino Rossini, who possessed all three ...
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In 1810, Italian opera was in serious need of a rebirth. Such emergent talent as there was generally lacked personality, vision, and the power to innovate. Gioachino Rossini, who possessed all three qualities, was 18 when he made his professional debut at the Teatro San Moisè with La cambiale di matrimonio. As he later recalled, conditions in shrewdly administered theatres such as the San Moisè were ideal for an apprentice composer. The cast usually consisted of six singers. There was no chorus. Working to a strictly limited budget, with minimal scenery and limited rehearsal time, the company would stage two or three new one-act operas per season. The designation of these operas was farsa, a term which has little to do with the English word “farce.” Some of them are funny but not all.Less
In 1810, Italian opera was in serious need of a rebirth. Such emergent talent as there was generally lacked personality, vision, and the power to innovate. Gioachino Rossini, who possessed all three qualities, was 18 when he made his professional debut at the Teatro San Moisè with La cambiale di matrimonio. As he later recalled, conditions in shrewdly administered theatres such as the San Moisè were ideal for an apprentice composer. The cast usually consisted of six singers. There was no chorus. Working to a strictly limited budget, with minimal scenery and limited rehearsal time, the company would stage two or three new one-act operas per season. The designation of these operas was farsa, a term which has little to do with the English word “farce.” Some of them are funny but not all.
Robert C. Ketterer
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199558551
- eISBN:
- 9780191808432
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199558551.003.0008
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Plays and Playwrights: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The period between 1690 and 1710 saw a predilection for violence and tragic denouement in Italian opera, which produced plots nearer to what we think of as tragedy. A part of this shift towards a ...
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The period between 1690 and 1710 saw a predilection for violence and tragic denouement in Italian opera, which produced plots nearer to what we think of as tragedy. A part of this shift towards a classical ideal of tragedy in musical drama was Venetian librettist Agostino Piovene, who showed an imaginative approach and attractive versatility in adapting his source materials. This chapter examines Piovene's translations of Greek tragedy. It places them in the context of his libretto production to illustrate how direct experience with the performance of Greek tragedy in combination with his familiarity with neoclassical theory had a formative effect on his dramaturgy.Less
The period between 1690 and 1710 saw a predilection for violence and tragic denouement in Italian opera, which produced plots nearer to what we think of as tragedy. A part of this shift towards a classical ideal of tragedy in musical drama was Venetian librettist Agostino Piovene, who showed an imaginative approach and attractive versatility in adapting his source materials. This chapter examines Piovene's translations of Greek tragedy. It places them in the context of his libretto production to illustrate how direct experience with the performance of Greek tragedy in combination with his familiarity with neoclassical theory had a formative effect on his dramaturgy.
Donald Burrows
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199737369
- eISBN:
- 9780190268152
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199737369.003.0005
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter analyses some of the musical compositions of George Frideric Handel during his first decade working in London opera. It begins by examining Rinaldo, where Handel first attempted to adapt ...
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This chapter analyses some of the musical compositions of George Frideric Handel during his first decade working in London opera. It begins by examining Rinaldo, where Handel first attempted to adapt Italian opera to English taste. In terms of music, Handel improved his stock of effective and memorable operatic melodies, for example, the sarabande tune, which derives from Almira. The chapter then examines Il pastor fido which stands as a complete contrast to Rinaldo, being a pastoral drama on almost a chamber scale with longer arias. Handel's third work, Teseo, became a French opera, due to the influence of Nicola Haym who brought to it the French tradition of having a five-act structure. This French trend continued in Handel's following works, the most notable being Giulio Cesare, Ottone, Flavio, Tamerlano, and Rodelinda.Less
This chapter analyses some of the musical compositions of George Frideric Handel during his first decade working in London opera. It begins by examining Rinaldo, where Handel first attempted to adapt Italian opera to English taste. In terms of music, Handel improved his stock of effective and memorable operatic melodies, for example, the sarabande tune, which derives from Almira. The chapter then examines Il pastor fido which stands as a complete contrast to Rinaldo, being a pastoral drama on almost a chamber scale with longer arias. Handel's third work, Teseo, became a French opera, due to the influence of Nicola Haym who brought to it the French tradition of having a five-act structure. This French trend continued in Handel's following works, the most notable being Giulio Cesare, Ottone, Flavio, Tamerlano, and Rodelinda.
