The Path to Opera Seria

Italy in late 17th Century

á          Opera has devolved into a series of ÒdramaticÓ conventions

á          Music is formulaic, especially da capo arias: 2 sections of music, first repeated after second (ABA); middle section often in different (related) key; text often contrasting (contradictory)

á          Before end of 17th century, people are complaining about operaÕs decline

Eighteenth Century Opera has two major trends/paths:

á          Some composers continue on trail begun in late 17th Century, such as Scarlatti and Handel

á          Others devise new scheme for opera which will carry it into 19th Century (Gluck, Mozart)

á          Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725): Very prolific, about 100 operas, 600 cantatas

á          Started his career in Rome, earlier works show Roman esp. comic characters, sub-plots. 

á          Scarlatti liked his characters in pairs to make happy endings

á          He achieved very natural, conversational dialogue, used local dialect; introduced ÒfolkÓ element, but these traits also became very conventionalized

á          George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

á          Handel was born in Germany, received training in Italy (exposure to opera); employed by Elector of Hanover, who became George I of England (1714); eventually settled in London.

á          In 1719 Royal Academy of Music was founded, with Handel as music director. It was successful at first, but financial problems, internal problems, and most of all decline in public support caused the end of the company in 1728

á          Handel continued writing operas for the KingÕs Theater until about 1741.  He then started writing oratorios, much more popular with English audiences

á          Handel wrote numerous examples of opera seria

á          Serious opera in Italian, often to libretti by Apostolo Zeno or Pietro Metastasio

á          Characters usually from ancient history

á          Story has to do with making the morally right choice (not Òaction dramasÓ)

á          Music is almost entirely solo recitatives and da capo exit arias (sing aria, then exit stage)

á          Recitatives were one of two conventionalized types:

á          Recitativo secco (Òdry recitativeÓ) has just harpsichord/continuo accompaniment

á          Recitativo accompagnato (Òaccompanied recitativeÓ) has full orchestra punctuations, often in dotted rhythms

á          HandelÕs Giulio Cesare in Egitto (1724) is a famous example of Opera Seria

á          Handel wrote one comic opera in Italian; Xerxes (Serse in Italian, 1738), one of his last

á          The opera is conservative in that it contains a series of arias and recits; plot has extra characters, plot twists: Xerxes is lusting after one woman, another woman is engaged to him; the fiancŽ arrives in disguise, leads to mistaken identity clichŽs; also lots of da capo arias