L'Orfeo

Question 1

libretto

Answer 1

• text of an opera, oratorio, or cantata
• usually written by someone other than the composer
• often based on play, novel, episode in history
• the writer of the libretto: librettist

Question 2

monody

Answer 2

• literally “one song”
• new style that developed in the late 16th century
• led to development of recitative
• snig vocal melody with simple instrumental accompaniment
• allowed for greater expression of emotion and clarity of text

Question 3

stile rappresentativo

Answer 3

• Italian for “representational style”
• used by Florentine Camerata musicians to describe the monodic style
• recitative-like melody moving freely over a foundation of simple chords
• the music was meant to heighten the emotional power of the tet
• came to be known as recitative

Question 4

castrato

Answer 4

• male soprano or alto voice
• castrato singers were subjected to surgical procedure before reaching puberty that prevented the voice from changing
• prominent in 17th and 18th centuries
• generally used for heroic roles

Question 5

(recitative)

Answer 5

• speech-like, declamatory style of singing used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas
• follows inflections of text: result in rhythmic flexibility
• usually used for dialogue and to advance the plot
• replaced by spoken dialogue in some styles of opera

Question 6

(chorus)

Answer 6

• vocal ensemble, large or small, often consisting of several voice types
• adds musical variety to the operatic works of many composers
• singers may be participants in the plot (group or crowd scenes) or may be set apart from the staging, serving to comment or reflect on the action much like a narrator

Question 7

Monteverdi sought to depict the text more clearly often by expressing the “hidden tremors of the sou” in an approach that came to be known as _. This was achieved through the use of _ and _.

Answer 7

• stile concitato or “agitated style”
• tremolo
• pizzicato

Question 8

L’Orfeo background information

Answer 8

• Itlian Opera
• Claudio Monteverdi
• 1607
• librettist: Alessandro Striggio
• source of plot: Greek mythology
• structure: prolugue and 5 acts

Question 9

L’Orfeo essay sections

Answer 9

• Principal Characters
• Plot Summary
• “Tu se’ morta” (Orfeo’s recitative)
• “Ahi, caso acerbo” (Chorus)

Question 10

L’Orfeo Principal Characters

Answer 10

• Orfeo, tenor, shepherd; blessed with a beautiful singing voice
• Euridice, castrato, a shepherdess; the young wife of Orfeo
• The Messenger, castrato, the bearer of tragic news
• Caronte, bass, gatekeeper of Hades (the spirit world)

Question 11

L’Orfeo Plot Summary

Answer 11

• the tragic tale of Orfeo, a simple shepherd gifted with a beautiful voice
• on his wedding day, his bride, Euridice, is bitten by a poisonous serpent and dies
• Orfeo vows to rescue Euridice from the underworld and restore her to life
• the gods grant his wish, but on one condition: that when he finds Euridice he does not look directly into her eyes
• upon finding his beloved among the dead spirits, he begins to guide her back into the mortal world
• in a moment of weakness Orfeo casts a glance back at his beloved, losing her forever
• the god Apollo descends from the heavens, takes pity on the poor shepherd, and takes Orfeo into his fiery chariot and returns to heaven where Orfeo will lead a happier eternal life

Question 12

L’Orfeo “Tu se’ morta” (Orfeo’s recitative)

Answer 12

• Orfeo has just learned from the messenger that Euridice is dead
• in his grief, he resolves to retrieve her from the underworld
• demonstrates new monodic style that defined early Baroque opera
• solo voice written in declamatory style, supported by simple framework of chords (stile rappresntativo)
• opens w/ dissonant descending diminished fourth: suggest Orfeo’s grief
• melody marked by chromatic inflections, emphasize movement by half step
• harmonic support provided by continuo, in this case, small organ and bass lute
• word painting:
• “profondi abissi” (“deepest abysses”) set on descending line
• “stelle” (“stars”) and “sole” (“sun”) suggested by high notes

Question 13

L’Orfeo “Ahi, caso acerbo” (Chorus)

Answer 13

• A minor
• C (meter)
• together, 5 voices at much like a Greek chorus commenting on the couple’s unhappy fate
• homophonic (homorhythmic) and imitative passages alternate
• the primarily syllabic setting in homorhythmic sections: textual clarity
• word painting:
• “Ahi” (Ah”) boldly highlighted and exclaimed
• “che tosto fugge” (“that soon vanishes”) rapidly moving eight notes
• “a grand salida” (“after a great ascent”) marked by upward turn, contrasted immediately by the falling line on “Il precipizio” (“the precipice”)