The History of Opera

Please read the article, A Brief History of Opera, and write down the main topic of each paragraph. Write down any words that you do not know the definition of. When you are finished we will outline the article together.

Brief History of Opera

Notes Outline 1) Opera began in 16th century Europe (Florence), this takes place during the Renaissance, a time when artists, writers and architects became interested in the cultures of the past a. The first operas were ancient Greek dramas (gods and goddesses) b. Opera was first written by the rich c. There were no recordings, so we do not know what they sounded like, but we do know they started adding a few musical chords for accompaniment in Italy 2) Over time music became more complex a. Musical professionals became interested in a combination of music and drama b. Operas started to use recitativo or recitative i. Singing spoken word

3) Jacopo Peri wrote the first opera, Dafne, in 1594 or 1597 a. We not know much about this opera because it wasn’t recorded b. We only know about it today because of written comments 4) Opera continued to grow and change a. Choral parts, dances and instrumental interludes were added b. Claudio Monteverdi (Founding father of opera) expanded new forms by creating arias i. A song for solo voice ii. Allows characters to express emotion and show off singing ability 5) Opera quickly became popular and spread all over (Germany, France, Italy, England, Russia, Spain and Portugal) a. The first opera house was built in Venice in the 1600’s i. Opera became a spectacle for a public audience (any can see it) b. 16 other opera houses were built c. Many composers started to write opera including Mozart, Wagner, Verdi & Handel d. Operas started to have tremendous lengths, with music and stories that demanded huge, expensive production, mature singers with big voices, large choruses, large orchestras, and complicated scenery and costumes 6) Opera spread to the United States a. Metropolitan Opera House opened in New York City in 1883 b. Mozart, Puccini, Verdi and Wagner stayed popular c. Barber, Menotti, Adams & Argento gained popularity with English opera, but they were never as popular

Types of Operas Opera Buffa or Comique- an opera with a light or sentimental subject, usually with a happy ending Opera Seria- an opera with a serious subject Operetta- (little) a Short Opera

One of the most well known, modern opera houses is the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Take a virtual tour and see what it looks like! Find the link on the 7th grade website!!

Opera Vocabulary Opera- A drama that is primarily sung. It is accompanied by an orchestra, and is presented on the stage. The music frequently begins with an overture and consists of a combination of arias, duets, ensembles and recitatives. Aria- An often elaborate composition of solo voice (occasionally for two solo voices). Duet- a composition made for two voices. Ensemble- A group of musicians performing together. Recitative- a vocal style designed to imitate the voice. Libretto- (little book) the script to an opera Librettist- writes the words to the opera Composer- writes the music to the opera

Georges Bizet

1) Born in Paris, France on October 25, 1838 2) The Bizet family was full of musicians a. Georges is considered to be a great French opera composer b. Georges’ mother was a pianist c. Georges’ father was a composer and a singing teacher i. He gave Georges his first piano lesson at the age of 4 3) Georges is a very talented musician a. Georges showed his talent at a young age i. At 9 he went to the Paris Conservatory ii. He was considered a master of piano at 14, he won first prize in a contest and encouraged to compose b. He wrote many compositions i. He wrote 150 compositions for piano ii. He wrote Jeux d'enfants, a suite for piano featuring four hands. iii. He wrote Carmen the Opera, Arlesienne Suite, No 1, L’Minuetto 1. Carmen, a four-act opera. The opera was based on a story by Merimee. George incorporated Spanish rhythms in his music specifically to set the stage for the story.

c. He won many awards i. Georges won the Offenbach first prize for comic opera ii. He won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1857 4) Georges went on to study in Italy, but returned to Paris to teach music. 5) Georges Bizet died on Boulgival, France in June 3, 1875

The Characters of Carmen

Carmen Don Jose Escamillo Michaela Morales Zuniga

Frasquita Mercedes

Lillas Pastia Remendado

Danciare

Carmen the Hiphopera

What are some of the differences between the original classical Carmen and the newer hiphopera Carmen?