Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin - Coursework Example

Drama, language, music, dance, geography, literature and history are all brought together in opera. In this sense, because opera brings together most or all forms of art, it has been said to be a blend of all the arts. Other aids used in the performance of operas are costume design, constructed and painted sets and lighting. Props in the form of arts or objects are also used in many operas GERSHWIN, & WIMMER, (1999). There are two genres of opera are grand opera and comic opera. Grand opera grew out of the seria tradition of the Italian dramatic stage.

This seria later evolved to become the Italian dramatic opera of the 18th Century. In grand opera, most of the text is set to music. It is usually a serious, tragic kind of opera. Opera Seria is usually based on a classical subject and is distinguished from the other form of opera by its far-reaching use of aria da capo and the recitative. The other form of opera is a comic opera. Comic opera consists of spoken dialogue, a humorous plot and typically has a happy ending. It is a diverting kind of opera or operetta.

Opera comique or opera bouffe are other names for this kind of opera. These two categories are used to differentiate most of the operas written before the 20th Century. Operas written today can be said to be written freestyle. This is because they are often written in whichever style the composer sees as appropriate. They, however, contain many of the elements of their predecessors. Opera in America has been performed since the 1700s. Opera houses have been in cities such as New Orleans, New York, San Francisco and Boston since the 1800s.

As Broadway evolved in the early 1900s, opera composers started to integrate elements of musical theatre into their works, therefore, blurring the lines between opera and Broadway. George Gershwin was born in 1898. He started working with his lyricist brother, Ira, as a songwriter. They composed such songs as "Our Love Is Here to stay" and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” The Gershwins found their musical home on Broadway. Their best-known work, Porgy and Bess, has continued to be one of the frequently performed opera productions in American.

Porgy and Bess are full of elements from spiritual songs, jazz and work songs that are incorporated alongside traditional operatic recitatives and aria. Scott Joplin was a well-known composer of jazz music and ragtime. He also wrote opera. Treemonisha was his main composition. It incorporates ragtime and jazz influences and also contains several traditional opera elements. Gian Carlo Menotti was one of the most prolific opera composers of the 20th Century who aimed at bringing opera to the different media outlets.

His first work written for radio was The Old Maid and the Thief. His Christmas classic, Ahmal and the Night Visitors was composed for NBC-TV, where it premiered in 1951. Several of his operas, including The Medium, The Consul and The Telephone, have been performed on Broadway. Menotti also created the Spoleto Festival that takes place in Italy and in Charleston, South Carolina every year. Kurt Weill was a German-born immigrant. He was one of the most versatile composers of the 20th century’s.

Kurt Weill created unique works which had jazz influences. Many of these works also contained dance elements. While maintaining his own original style in his compositions, Weill experienced great success both in Europe and on Broadway as an opera composer.