Romantic Opera and Musical Theater to Mid 19th Century - Coursework Example

of the 20 April Romantic Opera and Musical Theater to Mid 19th Century Introduction Opera was one of the most importantmusical genres of the romantic period. During the first half of the era in 1820, Paris was the operatic capital of Europe, with its rise in a larger and more influential middle class. The Grand Opera concentrated on the spectacular elements of the production, crowd scenes, ballets, choruses, and elaborate scenery; it continued to be part of the musical life in France, Italy, and Germany. Opera houses sprang up all over Europe, and served as choice entertainment for the elite and a source of music that was popular with audiences of all classes and professions. Composers borrowed ideas across national boundaries following the current trends. Composers focused on the political situation and composed stories of romance and deception to provide great entertainment for the audience (Bianconi & Pestelli, 2005). The Role of Opera General Trend After the French revolution came the rise of Paris as the operatic capital of Europe. Gluck and his followers gained popularity following napoleons defeat in Waterloo. Most of the citizens who had fled returned to Paris and the musical life of the nation prospered. There was building and restoring of opera houses with building of new theatres; indeed, in Paris, we can still find the refurbished Palais Garnier. The growth of the French opera in the nineteenth century was rampant and it led to the opening of more operas in the wider Europe. Nevertheless, operas in France were grand and provided entertainment for the elite and middle class (Taruskin, 2009). Composers of operas varied subjects and settings widely during the nineteenth century, from grand historic epic to folk tales and plots of strong political overtones to stories centered on private emotions. The grand opera received a lot of attention in Paris, but the opera comiques popularity grew even more. The distinguishing feature of opera comique was its use of spoken dialogue rather than sing recitative. The plots and music tended to be simpler than in grand opera. The grand plots were mainly focused on the many issues that afflicted the citizens in more satirical and humorous ways. Using music to support political affiliations was one of the ways that opera became popular through such topics (Boyd, 2005). In Italy, opera was virtually the only important musical form being cultivated. The distinction between opera seria and opera buffa were still maintained although they were influenced by grand opera. The orchestra during this time began to play a more important and colorful role. The rise and growth of operas sprang up in their dozens in the mid nineteenth century and the increasing number of operas gave a new and drastic change to the lives of musicians, composers, and makers of musical instruments. Composers composed music for performances in the theatres while musical instrument makers produced instruments to be played by the wealthy. This was in contrast to earlier times when musicians were employed by the church or the court and were merely servants to the aristocrats (Griffiths, 2009). Opera Enjoyed a Golden Age in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century The Italian opera grew due to an established culture with grounded life of the nation. Opera was the musical life in Italy, and during this time, it experienced a golden age and the genre that spread across the European continent. It was exported all the way to Western Europe and the New World (Christensen, 2009). Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti were the most popular composers during this time; the compositions by these three composers were different from each other. The growth of the Italian opera was because of the success of Rossini whose compositions had gained popularity all over Europe. Indeed, the satirical nature of the Rossini productions has in recent times gained momentum in the musical industry. Opera composers used the different instruments to produce original versions of the opera musicals. The mid nineteenth century new opera houses were opened and witnessed a rise in different composers and musicians. Governments used their resources to fund the construction of operas in Italy and most of Europe while other privately owned companies came with their own composers. The tendency of aristocrats and the middle class attending the operas was a sign of social status. Performers in the opera used different situations to create and compose good performances. Performers in France embraced naturalism, which rebelled against the romantic tendency towards escapism and artificially poetic language. In Italy, the more comic operas gained popularity, with performers using the political situations to express their views comically. Writers such as Rossini became popular in Italy due to his sense of melody and storytelling. Indeed, Rossini’s works developed the opera family and improved the existence of the compositions of others that followed (Bianconi & Pestelli, 2005). Nationalism Composers and performers used music in the early 19th century to promote nationalism. They also used political independence movements characterized by emphasis on national elements such as the use of folk songs and rhythms adopting the nationalistic subjects. The use of nationalism subjects was a way for other European countries to act against the dominance of Italy, France and German traditions. In Italy, composers used nationalistic subjects to bring up issues that ailed the nation during Napoleons era. Most of the compositions were against his rule as others were in support of his rule. In France, the government subsidized concerts and operas, with the royal family contributing informally. However, the growing number of middle class citizens became increasingly powerful, and composers at this time changed the design of the plays to suit all classes in terms of excitement and entertainment. The new versions of the genre included romanticism, rescue plots, and huge choral scenes. Italian Opera The Italian opera had one of the most outstanding composers in the early parts of nineteenth century, Gioachino Rossini. His sense of melody and effective staging made him an instant success, especially in opera buffa, which was a better outlet for his natural talent. La Cerentola Rossini’s retelling of the Cinderella fairy-tale strengthened his popularity and a success as a comic composer. He was well known for his Italian comedies ‘the barber of Seville’ and the French play ‘William tell’. By the age of 21, Rossini had established himself as the idol of Italian opera and his continued success in both Milan and Venice finally led him to retire as he felt the reception became unsatisfactory. He was later contracted by the impresario of the Naples theatre to produce one piece a year with a month payment of 200 ducats. His commitment to the opera industry led to the improvement and development of opera compositions (Murray, 2013). Rossini’s pieces were remarkable; he had composed thirty-eight operas before his death. His music was remarkable for its freedom, marking a transition stage in the history of opera. Romantics valued the natural world, idealized the life of the common man, and rebelled against social conventions. Rossini’s music pieces used overtures to transition from the romanticism era of composing music. Rossini took up pieces by other composers and made them his own; this is what made him popular, as his witty music pieces were intoxicating to its audience. The legacy created by Rossini through his music is being felt presently for those who appreciate opera, especially in Venice and Milan. His empire was divided within the opera family and the administrator used the inheritance to build one of the well-known opera houses and theatres in Italy (Boyd, 2005). Rossini took up pieces from previous composers and made original work, and as such, he sought to cultivate the aria to the highest possible levels. Its function was to delight audiences with melodious and spontaneous music. The bel canto style emphasized beauty and purity of tone and an agile vocal technique. Rossini’s crescendo consisted of building excitement by repeating a phrase louder and higher each time with the effect of spinning out of control. His innovations through continuous advancements of plots in ensembles, arias, the bel canto singing, tunefulness, and snappy rhythms made his operas more entertaining (Dent & Dent, 1979). His scene structure included an orchestral introduction with an opening recitation with two main sections, cantabile and cabalettas - a middle section referred to as tempo di mezzo or middle movement (Murray, 2013). ‘Barber of Seville’ was Rossini’s most popular piece; its synopsis was of a count in love with a young lady, Rosa. The count disguises himself as a college student to woo the young lady with the intention of ensuring she is not interested in his money. In the plot, Rosa is locked up by her uncle doctor, who in turn wants to marry her and keep her to himself. This situation leads to count losing hope on the lady. In the presentation, Rossini uses his scene structure to bring about the truthfulness of Rosa’s love to the count. In the opening, Rosa uses a recitative tone suggesting her tentativeness with florid figurations of her passion for Lindoro. The comic part of the play is revealed through her patter song vowing to evade her guardian. In the middle section, Rossini uses emotions and crescendo to induce excitement in the audience. His comic operas are appreciated to date; these include Othello, Moses in Egypt and William tell, which was successful in France with over 500 performances (Griffiths, 2009). Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti New composers such as Vincezo Bellini came into prominence after Rossini retired. They came up with their own scene structures and types of plays; Bellini preferred more dramas of passion with gripping action. Gaetano Donizetti composed over seventy operas, with his melodies capturing the sense of character, situation, or feeling. These classics from Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti were played all over Europe, leading to more countries such a Portugal and Spain adopting opera culture. The opera culture continues to bloom in recent times, with ballet becoming popular in most institutions. The new generation opera involves the use of orchestras to fully have an effect on the stories by composers. Orchestras use the tones from low to high tones to influence particular situation on the play. In the mid century, operas provided employment which in turn improved many lives. Conclusion In conclusion, the romantic opera and music theater of the 19th century has been instrumental in influencing today’s music culture. The romantic opera also played a significant role in classical romantic countries’ entertainment industry including France, Italy, and Germany where operatic songs and performances were used to entertain the elite and the middle class. The success of romantic opera can be attributed to the competence of composers who used trends in political and social scenes to compose music atoned with romance and fairly-tale, much to the delight of audience to an extend of governments in Italy and France helping in putting up of opera houses. However, the success of opera cannot be emphasized without mentioning the individual composers who did a remarkable job in producing genres that were popular with audiences; these composers included Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. Although they were all popular in their own ways, it was Rossini who stole the show in the former years of the 19th century, especially in Italy, with his ensembles, arias, the bel canto singing, tunefulness, and snappy rhythms creating the way for the other composers to follow. The success of opera in these three countries enhanced the expansion of romantic countries to include Portugal and Spain who adopted the opera culture. References Bianconi, L., & Pestelli, G. (2005). Opera in Theory and Practice, Image and Myth. Chicago, USA: University of Chicago. Boyd, M. (2005). Music and the French Revolution. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Christensen, T. (2009). The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Dent, E., & Dent, J. (1979). The Rise of Romantic Opera. Cambridge, England: CUP Archive. Griffiths, P. (2009). A Concise History of Western Music. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Murray, C. (2013). Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760-1850. London, England: Routledge. Taruskin, R. (2009). Music in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries: The Oxford History of Western Music. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. Read More