Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Literally, "serious opera". Dominant style of opera in the 18th century, not only in Italy but throughout Europe (except France). Rigorously formal works using texts, mainly based on ancient history, by poet-librettists led by Metastasio. Patronized by the court and the nobility. Star singers were often castrati.
Opera – Dramatic work in one or more acts, set to music for singers and instrumentalists. Opera buffa – Genre of opera characterized by light, humorous, and often satirical themes. Opera seria – Genre of opera with serious, often tragic themes. Semi-opera – Genre that blends spoken drama with musical interludes and elaborate staging.
Traditional opera, often referred to as "number opera", consists of two modes of singing: recitative, the plot-driving passages sung in a style designed to imitate and emphasize the inflections of speech, [4] and aria (an "air" or formal song) in which the characters express their emotions in a more structured melodic style. Vocal duets, trios ...
The pdf files (in Italian) contain full librettos, extensive essays on the operas, many illustrations with original playbills and posters, role creators' portraits, original set and costume designs, score extracts, etc. They are listed here. Opera America provides notes and features on 22 frequently performed operas. Features index; Sample ...
The history of opera has a relatively short duration within the context of the history of music in general: it appeared in 1597, when the first opera, Dafne, by Jacopo Peri, was created. Since then it has developed parallel to the various musical currents that have followed one another over time up to the present day, generally linked to the ...
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work (called an opera), which combines a text (called a libretto) and a musical score. [1] Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. While the scale of opera can be larger or smaller—there are many different genres of opera—performance typically involves ...
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work (called an opera) which combines a text (called a libretto) and a musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes
"The Standard Repertoire of Grand Opera 1607–1969", a list included in Norman Davies's Europe: a History (Oxford University Press, 1996; paperback edition Pimlico, 1997). ISBN 0-7126-6633-8. Operas appearing in the chronology by Mary Ann Smart in The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera (Oxford University Press, 1994). ISBN 0-19-816282-0.