| Italian opera can be divided into three | | | | artists gained prominence and fortune so that |
| periods, the Baroque, the Romantic and the | | | | they no longer depended upon court patronage. |
| modern. The Baroque appeared first, at the | | | | |
| beginning of the seventeenth century, and | | | | Among the favoured opera composers of the |
| approximately 200 years later, the Romantic. | | | | seventeenth century were Domenico Gabrielli |
| The word opera is a shortened form of the | | | | (1651-1690) and Giovanni Bononcini |
| Italian opera in musica (work in music); an | | | | (1670-1747). Bononcini enjoyed immense |
| English dictionary in 1656 stated, "In Italy | | | | success in Naples. His Il Trionfo di Camilla |
| it signifies a tragedy, tragi-comedy, or | | | | (1697) made him famous, well beyond the |
| pastoral which is not acted after the vulgar | | | | Italian peninsula. His operas were conducted |
| manner, but performed by voices in that way, | | | | and performed under her leadership in Vienna |
| which the Italians term, 'recitative', being | | | | and London. |
| likewise adorned with scenes by perspective, | | | | |
| and extraordinary advantage by music." | | | | Romantic period |
| | | | |
| Not only the term, but the art of opera, came | | | | Romantic opera, which placed emphasis on the |
| from Italy. The first opera for which music | | | | imagination and the emotions began to appear |
| has survived was performed in 1600 at the | | | | in the early 19th century, and because of its |
| wedding of Henry IV of France and Marie de | | | | arias and music, gave more dimension to the |
| Medici at the Pitti Palace in Florence. The | | | | extreme emotions which typified the theater |
| opera, Euridice, from an Italian poem by | | | | of that era. In addition, it is said that |
| Ottavio Rinuccini, set to music by Jacopo | | | | fine music often excused glaring faults in |
| Peri and Giulio Caccini, recounted the story | | | | character drawing and plot lines. Gioacchino |
| of Orpheus and Eurydice. The style of singing | | | | Rossini (1792-1868) initiated the Romantic |
| favored by Peri and Caccini was a heightened | | | | period. His first success was an "opera |
| form of natural speech, dramatic recitation | | | | buffa" (comic opera), La Cambiale di |
| supported by instrumental string music; a | | | | Matrimonio (1810). His reputation still |
| technique developed in Florence in the 1580s | | | | survives today through his Barber of Seville. |
| known as monody. Recitation thus preceded the | | | | But he also wrote serious opera, Otello |
| development of arias, though it soon became | | | | (1816) and Guilliame Tell (1829). |
| the custom to include separate songs and | | | | |
| instrumental interludes during periods when | | | | Rossini's successors in the Italian bel canto |
| voices were silent. The theme attracted | | | | were Vincenzo Bellini (1801–35), |
| Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) who | | | | Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1843) and |
| wrote his first opera, La Favola d'Orfeo (The | | | | Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901). It was |
| Fable of Orpheus), in 1607, which is still | | | | Verdi who transformed the whole nature of |
| performed. | | | | operatic writing during the course of his |
| | | | long career. His first great successful |
| Monteverdi gave a new dramatic life to the | | | | opera, Nabucco (1842), caught the public |
| instrumental music, insisting on a strong | | | | fancy because of the driving vigour of its |
| relationship between the words and the | | | | music and its great choruses. Va, pensiero, |
| instrumental music. When it was performed in | | | | one of the chorus renditions, was interpreted |
| Mantua, an orchestra of 38 instruments, | | | | and gave advantageous meaning to the struggle |
| numerous choruses and recitatives were used | | | | for Italian independence and to unify Italy. |
| to make a lively drama. It was a far more | | | | |
| ambitious version than those previously | | | | After Nabucco, Verdi based his operas on |
| performed — more opulent, more varied | | | | patriotic themes and many of the standard |
| in recitatives, more exotic in scenery | | | | romantic sources: Victor Hugo (Ernani, 1844); |
| — with stronger musical climaxes which | | | | Byron (Il Duo Foscari, 1844); and Shakespeare |
| allowed the full scope for the virtuosity of | | | | (Macbeth, 1847). Verdi was experimenting with |
| the singers. Opera had revealed its first | | | | musical and dramatic forms, attempting to |
| stage of maturity in the hands of Monteverdi. | | | | discover things which only opera could do. In |
| | | | 1877, he created Otello which completely |
| In 1613, Monteverdi became the maestro da | | | | replaced Rossini's opera, and which is |
| cappela at St. Mark's in Venice. Though he | | | | described by critics as the finest of Italian |
| did not write any operas during his tenure, | | | | romantic operas with the traditional |
| he wrote elaborate madrigals which were the | | | | components: the solo arias, the duets and the |
| bases for arias. | | | | choruses fully integrated into the melodic |
| | | | and dramatic flow. |
| In 1637, the first public opera house, Teatro | | | | |
| San Cassiano, was opened in Venice with an | | | | Verdi's last opera, Falstaff (1893), broke |
| enthusiastic response. The opera flourished | | | | free of conventional form altogether and |
| along with familiar less sophisticated | | | | finds music which follows quick flowing |
| entertainment, the commedia dell'arte. | | | | simple words and because of its respect for |
| Monteverdi began to write opera again. | | | | the pattern of ordinary speech, it created a |
| Unknown to him, it was close to the end of | | | | threshold for a new operatic era in which |
| his life. His two operas, I Ritorno d'Ullise | | | | speech patterns are paramount. |
| in Patria (The Return of Ullyses, 1637), and | | | | |
| L'Incoronazione di Poppaea (The Coronation of | | | | Opera had become a marriage of the arts, a |
| Poppaea, 1642) were met with great enthusiasm | | | | musical drama, full of glorious song, |
| and survive in today's world. Both operas | | | | costume, orchestral music and pageantry; |
| showed a marked increase in musical | | | | sometimes, without the aid of a plausible |
| flexibility with a mixture of recitatives, | | | | story. From its conception during the baroque |
| solos, duets and ensembles. | | | | period to the maturity of the romantic |
| | | | period, it was the medium through which tales |
| Monteverdi is said to be responsible for the | | | | and myths were revisited, history was retold |
| introduction of bel canto and buffa styles. | | | | and imagination was stimulated. The strength |
| Bel canto is defined as operatic singing | | | | of it fell into a more violent era for opera: |
| stressing ease, purity and eveness of tone | | | | Verismo. |
| production and an agile and precise vocal | | | | |
| technique; buffa when used to describe opera | | | | Source: Dr. Anthony A. Abruzzese of the |
| signifies comic complications, farcical and | | | | PIRANDELLO LYCEUM Institute of Italian |
| burlesque elements, the unusual and the | | | | American Studies, Research and Cultural |
| unexpected. His works, which reflected the | | | | Disemmination. |
| moods and dramatic vividness of the libretto | | | | |
| in his music, became a model for the operatic | | | | Modern period |
| composers to follow. | | | | |
| | | | The greatest Italian operas of the twentieth |
| From this time onward, opera became | | | | century were written by Giacomo Puccini |
| increasingly prominent in musical life. | | | | (1858–1924). These include Manon |
| Within forty years, Venice had ten opera | | | | Lescaut, La boheme, Tosca, and Madam |
| houses. By the end of the century more than | | | | Butterfly. His final opera Turandot was left |
| 350 operas had been produced in the new | | | | incomplete. Luciano Berio attempted a |
| theaters in Venice and an equal number by | | | | completion of the work. Berio also wrote |
| Venetian composers elsewhere in Italy. | | | | operas but none have endured on the stage. |
| Wealthy families had season tickets; | | | | Luigi Dallapiccola (1904–1975) wrote |
| inexpensive tickets brought in others; | | | | two operas that have stood the test of time, |
| foreign visitors came to Venice for the | | | | Ulisse (1960–68), and Il Prigioniero |
| music. Opera performances and composition | | | | (1944–48, "The Prisoner"). |
| became the medium through which individual | | | | |