Art Song and Opera of Romantic Period

Art song and opera

of the Romantic Period

Introduction

This unit discusses the vocal music of the Romantic era. The integration of music, drama, and visual arts made theater music a desired form of Romantic expression. It is the production of operat that gives a variety of serious and comic opera styles. Grand operas were known as serious works in the mid-nineteenth century, which became generally popular. Stage plays have different categories. There are opera comique, art songs, and operettas discussed in this unit. Romantic composers wrote many works for these genres. They had several significant musical styles.

Opera

The first opera was given in Florence using a Greek myth as a subject. The opera is described as an entertainment where "intellect and every noblest sentiment are fascinated at one and the same moment by the most delectable art ever devised by human genius" (Gasta, 2013)Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers, but is distinct from musical theatre.

Opera

The aria forms a very significant part, giving an opportunity for the leading characters to express deep feelings of love, farewell, adn the like. It denotes a theatrical work consisting of a dramatic text, or libretto (“booklet”), that has been set to music and staged with scenery, costumes, and movement. Aside from solo, ensemble, and choral singers onstage and a group of instrumentalists playing offstage, the performers of opera since its inception have often included dancers. A long opera with a serious story is called as grand opera, while the short one with a humorous subject is called opera comique.

Here is a short clip of Opera - La Boheme

Carmen by Georges Bizet

Carmen was written in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet. Carmen became one of the most popular and frequently performed Operas in the Classical Canon

Carmen by Georges Bizet

Carmen was written in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet (1875). Carmen became one of the most popular and frequently performed Operas in the Classical Canon. Aria Act 1 - Habanera

Comparison

Theater

Opera

MUSIC

SPOKEN DIALOGUE

• The story is told mainly through singing, often accompanied by an orchestra. Even conversations between characters are sung (recitative).

• The story is conveyed mostly through spoken dialogue, with occasional music if it's a musical or play with songs.

Comparison

Theater

Opera

PERFORMANCE STYLE

• Typically grand and dramatic, featuring powerful vocal techniques like bel canto, aria, and recitative.

• Focuses more on acting, dialogue, and stage direction rather than vocal performance.

Comparison

Theater

Opera

MUSIC'S ROLE

• Music is the central element; even emotions and actions are expressed through musical composition.

• Music is secondary (if present at all), with the emphasis placed on the script and actors' delivery.

Comparison

Theater

Opera

TRAINING OF PERFORMERS

• Requires classically trained singers with strong vocal skills, often in multiple languages.

• Requires strong acting skills, with speech and movement being more important than vocal ability.

Operetta

An operetta is a small opera wherein the characters speak between songs, unlike in opera where the entire drama is set to music. Snce the operetta is meant to entertain, there are lovely cheerful melodies, comic situations and light romance. There is no such thing as a tragic operetta, unlike operas that are mostly tragic.

Here is a short clip of Operetta

Art Song

In 19th century, the art song began with Franz Schubert, whose extraordinary work for voice and piano along with his song output revolutionized the German lied. A union of poetry and music. An art song is a vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the genre of such songs. An art song is most often a musical setting of an independent poem or text, intended for the concert repertory as part of a recital or other occasion. Some famous composers of the early Romanti period greatly contributed to the art song genre: Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Hugo wolf. Etc.

Watch the Art Song made by Franz Schubert entitled Erlkonig

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