Chapter 28 - Opera and Musical Theatre in the Later 19th Century Flashcards
Europe in 1848-9 was rife with political tumult and revolutions. Though these ultimately failed what did they help to bring about later in the century?
These revolutions ate away at the power and influence of the old monarchies and aristocracy and sowed the seeds for democratic progress later
Nationalistic themes increased as the century went on. Depictions of the styles of a particular country or place did not necessarily have to be what?
Depictions of national styles did not necesarilly have to be authentic; the goal was dramatic effect and uniqueness.
As opposed to fantasy in the arts, what is realism?
Realism is the realistic depiction of common people in the modern day, often for an artistic purpose such as critiquing society
Explain industry changes that resulted in composers spending more time on a particular work.
Composers were now able to spend more time crafting opera due to their starting to work for themselves more often than being contracted by impresarios. Fewer new operas were staged each year with the spread of information on what works people liked, and should restage.
List a few changes to opera in the late 19th century
- Orchestras became louder and larger
- More powerful singers were required
- Electric lighting made available more stage effects
- More varied plot lines
In order to distinguish themselves form competition, 19th century opera composers were more likely to do what?
Opera composers began to shun the tried and true marketable formulas in order to stand out as something to go see
Birth and death dates: Richard Wagner
1813-1883
Explain Gesamtkustwerk
“All encompassing or total art” was a style/ idea of opera as incorporating all the arts, with music at the center. “Acts of music made visible”
Explain the relationship between the orchestra and voice in Wagner’s works
The orchestra serves to be the dramatic core while the voice is part of the texture, conveying the context/ scene and situation.
Who wrote the librettos to Wagner’s operas?
Wagner himself wrote the librettos
What is Der Ring des Nibelungen?
This is a cycle of 4 operas written by Wagner from 1848 to 1874
Name the operas in the Ring cycle
- Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold)
- Die Walkure (The Valkyrie)
- Siegfried
- Gotterddammerung (Twilight of the Gods)
Rather than the usual meter and rhyme, Wagner’s poetry in the Ring cycle and later works feature what device?
Alliteration and vigorous changing speech sounds
What are Leitmotivs?
In Wagner’s operas, these are the “leading themes” in the music that often recur. They represent a particular character, mood, object, etc, and help to give dramatic color and meaning to a scene
Ex: A love scene between a man and his mistress while the wife’s Letimotiv plays
How are Leitmotivs different from earlier reminiscence motifs?
They are different through their mutability, their constant use, and their role as the main themes of the opera.
