Early Half of Opera

Question 1

1st hald of 19th century

Answer 1

golden age of opera, the classics

Question 2

opera houses run by

Answer 2

impresario (upper middle class)

Question 3

opera audience

Answer 3

typically high culture, but plots showed common people

Question 4

singer culture

Answer 4

singers became like celebs, focus on beautiful singing

Question 5

subjects and settings

Answer 5

overlying political themes with ordinary characters, along with the heroic and aristrocratic

Question 6

rossini 6

Answer 6

mostly comic/buffa opera
wrote for particular singers
bel canto singing highly embellished, elagent and “effortless”
rossini crescendo - repeating phrase louder each time, often at a higher pitch
barbiere de seviglia
guillaume tell

Question 7

bellini 4

Answer 7

came to prominence after rossini
action built into arias
lyrical moments in recitatives (more aria-like)
casta diva from Norma

Question 8

casta diva

Answer 8

praying to the moon goddess
sounds similar to a nocturne
theme first played like a flute
arpeggiated accompinament

Question 9

donizetti 3

Answer 9

constantly moves drama forward, tension sustained
lucia di lammermor set in scottish highlands
reminiscence motive - hearkening back to earlier theme

Question 10

arias popularity

Answer 10

performed outside of opera houses, sometimes published to be played at home

Question 11

france 3

Answer 11

opera most prestigious genre
becoming privatized by theatre being leased to businessman Louis veron
grande opera with special fx just as important as music

Question 12

eugene scribe and giacomo meyerbeer 3

Answer 12

librettiest and composer leaders of grande opera
les huguenots
meyerbeer’s approach admired and caused grand opera spread

Question 13

berlioz

Answer 13

les troyens

Question 14

opera comique 3

Answer 14

spoken dialogue instead of recitative
less pretentious
straight forward comedy of serious drama

Question 15

ballet 2

Answer 15

romantic ballet introduced by marie taglioni
music composed after choreographed

Question 16

germany 5

Answer 16

interaction between music and lit fully developed
singspiel (form of light opera) root of german opera
intensified national features
elements of French
more ab orchestra and drama than italisn

Question 17

carl maria von weber 2

Answer 17

der freischitz established german romantic opera
model for Wagner

Question 18

russia

Answer 18

nationalism through subject matter, set design, etc

Question 19

Mikhail Glinka 3

Answer 19

recognized across russia and europe
life of a tsar pro govt drama
Ruslan and Lyudmila established russian trad’n

Question 20

united states 2

Answer 20

theatre companies and touring troups performed english versions, rarely og languages
no demand for american opera

Question 21

minstrel shows

Answer 21

minstreisy, white performers in black face
impersonated african ameriains
licensed to behave outside of social norms

Question 22

giselle 2

Answer 22

ballet by adolphe adam, used leitmotives