The Spread of Opera Throughout Italy in the 16th Century

Rome: Maffeo Barberini, Pope Urban VIII initiated papal patronage for opera.

á          He recognized the value of theater for propaganda

á          Still basically a private event

á          New Plots

á          religious and historical (esp. old testement bible history) plots

á          comic plots and characters

á          drawn from Commedia dellÕarte, e.g.:

á          Pantalone: authority figure

á          Dottore: neighbor; busy body, paradox of learning and lack of practical knowledge

á          Harlequin: servant of Pantalone; resourceful and impetuous

á          Scapino: con man, can play many roles, always scheming

á          Comedy and characters oppose original Florentine concept of opera

á          many plot gimmicks: disguises, intrigues, magic tricks, special effects; extra characters only for comic purposes; distract from drama

á          First comic librettist: Rospigliosi, later Pope Clement IX

á          Romans liked Spectacle:

á          plots demanded machinery; also spectacular singing (virtuosic)

á          At various times women were banned from opera; used Castrati instead

á          Roman opera overture

á          introductory music to get audienceÕs attention; in Rome this becomes a longer instrumental composition, special characteristic shape:

á          two parts, first slow, second fast

á          texture also contrasts: slow is chordal, fast contrapuntal

á          Roman opera had clear distinction between recitative vs. aria

á          Opera was banished for political reasons from time to time in 17th century in Rome; public opera started 1671, but didnÕt last due to theater closings

 

Venice is different because a Republic, not a Duchy 

á          Predisposed to opera: lots of public ceremonies with theatrical overtones

á          Venice gets public opera in the 1630Õs (Rome not until 1671): had a market because a free town; also important stop on Grand Tour

á          Plots in Venice:

á          mythology, romance epics (potential for spectacular effects)

á          locals especially liked stories about Rome or Troy (e.g. Poppea)

á          opera was now exploring human issues (emotion), not divine (lofty)

á          Conventions in Venetian Opera

á          Prologue is now standard: spells out what issues will be addressed in the opera

á          plot complications (disguises, misdirected letters, sleeping potions, etc.)

á          more virtuosic singing at the expense of ensembles (chorus disappears)

á          conventions in arias:

á          duple over walking bass for comedy

á          triple over descending ostinato for lament

á          MonteverdiÕs last opera, LÕIncoronazione de Poppea (1642) was Venetian

á          an historical subject, not myth, although gods are still worked into plot (Fortune, Virtue, Love), taking bets on what will happen

á          Francesco Cavalli (1602-76) MonteverdiÕs student and successor in Venice.  Most famous opera was Il Giasone (ÒJasonÓ 1649)

á          Antonio Cesti (1623-69) Also worked in Rome before Venice; later brought Italian operas to Vienna

á          By mid-17th Century, audiences (the public) are shaping opera: they want more music and virtuosic display, not too concerned with elegance of poetry; so music has been elevated to a position of greater importance than drama.

á          Cesti wrote about 100 operas; most famous is The Golden Apple (Il Pomo dÕOro, Vienna 1668).  It is an exaggeration of later 17th century trends:

á          much longer than early operas: five acts, 66 scenes; first performance was spread over 2 nights

á          24 stage settings, some with elaborate machinery

á          several ballets in each act

á          expanded orchestra; special instruments for ÒinfernalÓ scenes (cornetts, trumpets, bassoon, special kind of organ)

á          Cesti also brought Italian opera to other areas, esp. Germany; Il Pomo dÕOro produced in Vienna 1668

á          Lots of castrato roles written now. Castrati were not just used for female roles; often wrote male roles in soprano range, which requires castrato.  Today, these roles usually sung by women dressed as men, unless a counter-tenor is available. 

 

Spread of Opera to Germany: Venetian opera became the model; frequent tours of Venetian productions in Italy, sometimes northern Europe.

á          Germans liked Italian opera pretty well, although adaptations often made, such as stories incorporating German history and myth

á          Most (but not all) opera produced for Germany was in Italian, even if written by a German composer

á          German music/drama tradition:

á          School Play or school drama (spoken play in German or Latin with some music: solo songs, chorus, instrumental dances).  Usually has moral message

á          By late 17th century, there was a resident opera company in Hamburg; the first public opera house outside Italy opened in Hamburg 1688

á          Musical Characteristics of German opera (in German or Italian):

á          more contrapuntal than Italian versions

á          Òfalse start:Ó singer begins melody of aria, stops while orchestra goes on, then comes back in

á          Opera in Germany did not become as popular as in Italy in 17th Century

á          lack of a unified Germany

á          immoral stories