Chapter 17: Romantic Opera

Early Romantic Opera; Verdi and Italian Opera

Key Terms

• early Romantic opera

• Italian opera

• German opera

• bel canto

• exoticism

• arioso

Romantic Opera

• 19th century a golden age for opera• influenced by Romantic themes

– transcendence of artistic barriers– blurring art forms– music as the most profound art

• message and meaning taken seriously– not just for entertainment anymore– subjects from respected literature

Early Romantic Opera

• starting in 1820s, more serious, even tragic operas

• French grand operas—Meyerbeer and Rossini

• Tragic Italian operas—Bellini and Donizetti

• German Romantic operas—Weber

Gioacchino Rossini(1792–1868)

• best know for his opera buffa– crisp, elegant style, not far from Mozart– Barber of Seville– but admired equally for serious operas

• established style and form of Italian Romantic opera– bel canto style—glorifies beautiful singing– full of coloratura arias for virtuoso singers

• gave up opera entirely in 1829!

Gaetano Donizetti(1797–1848)

• dominated bel canto opera after Rossini– preferred simple, sentimental arias– lots of blood-and-thunder “action” music– most famous was Lucia di Lammermoor

• enormously prolific—more than 60 operas

• also wrote opera buffa– Don Pasquale, L’elisir d’amore

Vincenzo Bellini(1801–1835)

• preferred serious, tragic bel canto

• wrote in refined, elegant, melodic style– influenced Chopin’s nocturnes

– admired by Verdi

– more Romantic than Rossini or Donizetti

• Norma his most famous work

Carl Maria von Weber(1786–1826)

• founder of German Romantic opera• Der Freischütz

– like a German folktale or ballad put to music

– nature and the supernatural– mix of spiritual Romantic arias, folk-song

choruses, and devilish conjuration– orchestra plays significant role in

establishing mood and telling story

Verdi and Italian Opera

• greatest Romantic Italian opera composer

• unswerving commitment to human voice– adhered to bel canto principles– wrote increasingly beautiful melodies

• but Verdi cared most about drama– real people, realistic situations, strong

emotions, and exciting action

Giuseppe Verdi(1813–1901)

• son of small town storekeeper in north Italy

• scored first hit at age 29—Nabucco

• gained fame with three 1850s operas– Rigoletto, Il trovatore, and La traviata

• supported Italian liberation movement

• coaxed out of retirement for last two operas

• all Italy mourned his death at age 88

The Role of the Orchestra

• richer role than in previous Italian opera– Verdi accompanies plot action and

dialogue with full orchestra

– more active and excited as it supports voices

– especially expanded role in recitative

Verdian Recitative and Aria

• “recitative” no longer apt– highly dramatic action music– verges on full-fledged melody

• arias– formally complete and distinct– often use simple strophic forms– exuberant Romantic melody– rich harmonies to underpin high points

Verdi, Aida

• written for new Cairo opera house• one of the most frequently

performed operas– gorgeous arias and duets– grandiose stage display– exotic setting– red-blooded, human drama

Characters

• Radames: Egyptian general in love with Aida

• Amneris: Egyptian princess in love with Radames

• Aida: Ethiopian slave (actually Ethiopian princess)

The Plot

• tragic love triangle in time of war• Radames tricked into revealing battle

plans to Aida– Amneris discovers their tryst and turns him

in as a traitor– Aida escapes in the confusion

• Amneris offers to save Radames– He would rather die than live without Aida – Amneris has doomed the man she loves

• Radames sentenced to be buried alive

Verdi, Aida, Tomb Scene

• opera’s final scene

• striking stage set– below, Radames’ tomb– above, temple with altar and colossal statues

• Radames discovers Aida in the tomb– she hid there to die with him

• builds from recitative to arioso to duet

Verdi, Aida, Tomb Scene

• recitative begins as simple declamation– each one builds to intense melodic

climax

– rich orchestral and harmonic support

• ariosos more concise and tunelike– orchestra more subdued, subservient

Verdi, Aida, Tomb Scene

• duet is an ecstatic farewell to Earth– above, Amneris prays

– priests and priestesses sing hymn to Ptah

– love seems to transcend death

• exquisite orchestral colors and harmonies

Verdi, Aida, Tomb Scene