Mozart Operas and Pre-Revolution Chinese Operas Contain Surprising Relationship - Article Example

Mozart Operas and Pre-Revolution Chinese Operas Contain Surprising Relationship A recent development has shown that there are surprising similarities between operas that were composed by the great Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the 1700s and operas that were composed during the pre-revolutionary period in China. While there have not yet been any reasons discovered for this relationship developing, it has been proven that both styles of opera are politically driven by what was occurring in those particular places during those time periods. In Mozart’s time, he would make political commentaries about things that he did not agree with in society, while the Chinese operas are often used to infuse patriotism in the viewing audience. Also, the music takes greater importance in these works than the acting or singing, which is obvious in Mozart’s operas, but much less so in Chinese operas. Each of these styles is driven by the music, rather than by the story or even the vocal performances. Finally, both styles of opera have an understated simplicity, making the viewer of the opera believe that he or she could have come up with the plot, which allows for more enjoyment of the music and the experience as a whole. This is not to say that the plots of these operas do not have their complexities, but the basic plot is usually easy to follow, allowing for the casual viewer to simply enjoy the experience. The works of Mozart are widely regarded as some of the greatest in history. Even individuals who do not follow the opera or classical music closely have most likely heard his name and have also heard his music at some point during their lives. What these individuals probably do not know, however, is how politically driven much of Mozart’s work was. An example of this was Mozart opera entitled The Marriage of Figaro, which was originally banned in Vienna because it is a satirical look at aristocracy. Mozart had some very famous battles with the upper class over the course of his career, which got him into trouble because of his volatile personality. Mozart’s gain goal was to be able to write these compositions and operas for himself, rather than simply writing whatever those with money wished for him to write. Likewise, many Chinese operas contain politically charged or patriotic events, which is what originally led to their popularity in the country. In China, it was initially illegal to perform in public. Therefore, operas were originally performed in tea houses. The owners of these houses had to be paid off in order to keep these performances a secret, although they quickly became popular and, soon thereafter, legalized. Since Chinese operas began in such humble beginnings, they were not used to be the lavish production values that Mozart’s operas were given. They did, however, take some of the values that Mozart brought to the genre of opera. Many times, these operas were also meant to say something significant about society. Since China has always been a less tolerant society, even in its pre-revolution days, many of these operas portrayed the country in a positive manner. While this is much different than how Mozart went about his business, there is a relationship because the subject matter would often say something about the political landscape of the country in each case. Since Mozart was first and foremost a composer, he chose to focus much of his opera around the actual instrumental music. This is not to say that the acting and singing did not have importance in these operas, but since Mozart was such a brilliant composer, it would make sense that the audience would want to hear his music. The music in The Marriage of Figaro is scored for two each of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, timpani, as well as a variety of stringed instruments. There are also eleven solo vocal roles and a chorus that is done by the pheasants. These instrumental portions of the opera were meant to act as a driving force behind the story. Many of the instrumentals that Mozart used in these operas are now used as stand alone pieces of music, which would be similar to a song from a motion picture soundtrack becoming a classic song in contemporary society. Mozart was already well-known as a composer, so many of his operas were highly anticipated because of the instrumental music that they would contain. This holds a significant similarity to the role that music plays in Chinese operas as well, as the music is the basis for most of the actions in the Chinese opera. Chinese operas are centred around the movement of the characters. These movements are done in a way where they take care of much of the acting as a whole, as these movements are highly interpretive. This acting is based on allusion and it moved forward by the music. The actors move to the music as they act out what is occurring in the opera. For example, music would play as an actor acts out riding a bike. If the music does not sound like bike riding music, the audience will be left wondering what was happening. What this means is that the music in these Chinese operas takes an increased importance because it sets the mood with which the audience will interpret the actions of the characters. The music is responsible for creating an atmosphere where the audience is able to tell what is happening, with minimal props or production values. Therefore, if the music is not correctly in time or if the right composition is not chosen, the opera as a whole will lose its credibility because it will not be interpreted properly. In the Beijing opera in particular, Chinese string and percussion instruments are used in order to act as a rhythmic accompaniment to the rest of the performance and acts as a framing agent for the performance as a whole. From a purely visual standpoint, these two genres of opera have a great deal of similarities as well. Aesthetics are very important in each of them, as they set the mood for the opera as a whole. The opera Don Giovanni has been said to have “thrown open the gates of heaven, and served as a superlative example of aesthetic perfection” (Naugle, P.2), which shows how many different things must come together in order to make this opera work. It must be a combination of the music, the costumes, the vocals, the acting and everything must be perfectly in time in order for the opera as a whole to work. This is another situation where there is a relationship between the Chinese opera and the work of Mozart, as costumes are very important to the Chinese opera as a whole. One reason why these costumes are so important is because women were not permitted to be a part of the Chinese opera until very recently. Therefore, men were forced to play the roles of women in these plays in order to fill the roles completely. Since men were often found in the roles of women, costumes and makeup were of the utmost importance. Elaborate makeup is also used in certain scenes so that the audience would know which character to focus on. The character who the audience is most naturally drawn to would be the one who the audience was meant to be watching at that point of the performance. This gave the makeup an increased level of importance because ineffective use of the makeup could confuse the audience even further. Finally, Mozart’s operas had a certain level of simplicity to them that made them appeal to a wide ranging audience. The majority of people would not want to see an opera where they could not follow the plot, so Mozart’s plays were very accessible for less sophisticated audience members. At the same time, however, they also have a secondary side to them where interpretation is necessary, making them dynamic enough for the more experienced opera attendee, which could be why these operas are still performed today. Pre-revolutionary Chinese operas are also recognized for their simplicity. There are only a few sets of singing patterns that are used in them, making the actual performances much more simplistic than those of Mozart. What this does, however, is make the singing easily doable for anyone, rather than a trained opera singer being needed for the performance. Therefore, access to the Chinese opera is much more about body movement and dance than it is about singing ability. On the surface, Mozart and pre-revolutionary Chinese operas do not have much of a relationship, but there is definitely a relationship present when the two genres are looked at carefully. Mozart is much more recognizable in contemporary Western society, but the traditional Chinese way of doing things is becoming more popular as individuals begin to explore Chinese culture more thoroughly. This relationship is not defining of the other in either case, but it is present and should not be discounted. Works Cited Naugle, David. "Soren Kierkegaard’s Interpretation of Mozart’s Opera Don Giovanni: An Appraisal and Theological Response". Viewed 2 April 2008. http://www.dbu.edu/naugle/pdf/kierkegaard_dongiovanni.pdf Read More