Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text (called a libretto) and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance. The performance is typically given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra.

The Development of the Genre

Baroque Era (1600-1750):

The Baroque era marked the birth of opera as a distinct genre. It originated in Italy in the late 16th century, and composers like Claudio Monteverdi and Alessandro Scarlatti were pioneers in its development. Baroque opera featured elaborate vocal ornamentation, virtuosic singing, and dramatic plotlines often based on mythological or historical subjects. The libretto, or text, was typically in recitative style, a sung form of speech, with alternating arias, or solo songs, and choruses. Baroque operas were often opulent productions with elaborate sets, costumes, and stage effects, and they were performed in royal courts and public theaters.

Classical Era (1750-1820):

In the Classical era, opera underwent a shift towards simplicity and clarity. Composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Christoph Willibald Gluck sought to express human emotions with more naturalness and sincerity. The opera seria, a serious and formal style of opera popular in the Baroque era, gave way to the opera buffa, a lighter, comedic form. The Classical era also saw the rise of singspiel, a German form of opera with spoken dialogue. The orchestra gained prominence, with the overture becoming an important part of the opera, and ensembles, such as duets and trios, became more common. The librettos focused on relatable characters and everyday situations, and the emphasis shifted from vocal virtuosity to dramatic expression.

Romantic Era (1820-1900):

The Romantic era brought about significant changes in opera. Composers like Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner revolutionized the genre with their innovative approaches. Romantic operas featured lush orchestrations, heightened emotions, and larger-than-life characters. The concept of "gesamtkunstwerk," or total artwork, was introduced by Wagner, where music, drama, and visuals were seamlessly integrated to create a unified artistic experience. The orchestra became an equal partner with the singers, and the use of leitmotifs, recurring musical themes associated with characters or ideas, became prevalent. The themes of love, passion, and supernatural elements were explored in operas like Carmen, La Traviata, and Tristan und Isolde.

20th Century (1900 - 1950):

In the modern era, opera has continued to evolve in diverse ways. Composers like Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky, and Philip Glass pushed the boundaries of traditional opera with experimental styles and unconventional themes. Modern operas often reflect contemporary societal issues, and the librettos cover a wide range of topics, from politics to human psychology to social justice. There has been a growing trend of minimalist productions with pared-down staging and abstract settings. Additionally, multimedia elements, such as projections and video, have been incorporated into opera performances, blurring the lines between traditional opera and other art forms.

Operatic Terms

Act

A section of an opera, used by the composer to divide the work into dramatic sections often with breaks for the audience in between.

Aria

A song for solo voice with instrumental accompaniment. They emphasize musical and emotional expression more than text. Often reflective rather than descriptive of action, arias provide lyric interludes that temporarily halt the action of the plot.

Chorus

A large group of singers who sing together, portraying unnamed characters.

Coloratura

Elaborate singing involving vocal runs, trills and leaps. One of the most virtuosic aspects of opera.

Duet

Music written for two performers to sing together.

Ensemble 

Two or more people singing at the same time, or the music written for such a group.

Falsetto

A method of singing above the natural range of the male voice.Often used in opera for comic effects such as a man imitating a woman.  

Interlude

A short piece of instrumental music played between scenes or acts. 

Intermezzo

A short musical composition, usually offered between the acts of a longer operatic work. These were light-hearted in nature, with very small casts. The term can also refer to an instrumental interlude between acts of operas.

Leitmotif

A short, recurring musical phrase associated with a particular character or event. 

Libretto

The "little book" in Italian. The Libretto contains all the words and stage directions for an opera.

Number Opera

An opera composed of individual numbers, such as recitative, arias, duets, ensembles, etc. Between the numbers, there is often a chance for applause. Most of the operas of Mozart, Rossini, and Bellini can be called number operas.

Opera Buffa

An opera about ordinary people, usually, but not always comic, which first developed in the 18th century. 

Opera Seria

A "serious" opera. A popular genre of opera during the 18th Century. The characters were largely gods and ancient heroes, and the plots were epic and formulaic.

Oratorio

A dramatic work for orchestra, chorus, and soloists that unlike opera was principally written to be performed in concert. The genre is predominantly made up of works with serious religious themes.

Orchestration

The art of applying orchestral colour to written music by assigning various instruments different parts of the music. This requires a complete knowledge of instrumentals and their timbre and range.  

Overture

The musical introduction to the evening. The overture frequently includes elements of the score that is to follow.

Parlando

To be sung in a style suggestive of speech

Patter

A rapid flurry of singing, with many words crammed into the musical line

Portamento

An Italian term for the vocal technique of sliding from one pitch to another continuously, rather than jumping between the two.

Prelude

Usually a short introduction that leads into an act without a break, as opposed to an overture which is longer and can be played as a separate piece. Wagner called his introductions preludes even though some are quite long. 

Quartet

An extended musical passage performed by four singers.

Quintet

An extended musical passage performed by five singers.

Recitative

A musical form that imitates rapid speech, accompanied either by continuo (recitativo secco [dry]) or by the full orchestra (recitativo accompagnato [accompanied]). Recitatives advance the plot and are usually linked to arias, duets, choruses.

Score

The written music of an opera or other musical work. 

Set

The background and furnishings on the stage.

Strophic

Describes an aria in which the same music repeats for all stanzas of a text

Tessitura

The core range of a specific role. A soprano role might have a low tessitura, i.e. though it lies within the soprano range the majority of the part lies at the low end of the soprano range.

Through-Composed Opera

Operas that consist of continuous music without breaks for recitive or spoken dialogue.Largely the standard from the 19th Century onwards.

Trio

An ensemble of three singers or the music that is written for three singers.

Trouser Role

Also known as a pants part, these are male roles for female singers. Came to prominence in the 19th Century with the abandonment of Castrati.

Vibrato

The oscillating quality that is present to some degree in all operatic voices. Used variously to support the voice, maintain pitch and just for stylistic effect.

Vocal Range

A singer's vocal range defines the highest and lowest notes that they can sing.