The Opera of The Romantic Period

THE OPERA OF THE ROMANTIC PERIOD
Name: Charmaine R. Bernales

Grade & Section: Grade 9 St. Augustine
OPERAS IN ITALY
OPERAS IN FRANCE
OPERA COMIQUE
GRAND OPERA
LYRIC OPERA
OPERAS IN GERMANY
ROMANTIC OPERA
MUSIC DRAMA
The most significant contribution of Italy to the music of the nineteenth century is the Italian opera. The Italians
did not lose interest in this musical genre since it had been produced at the start of the seventeenth century. It was
deeply rooted in their tradition that all other genres were almost neglected .
Generally, the features of the nineteenth- century Italian operas are the following:
 The themes used by opera composers are not based on supernatural subjects.
 Subjects like escape and freedom from bondage are typically used.
 The difference between comic opera (buffa) and serious opera (seria) is maintained.
 The importance of melody paved the emergence of the bel canto style meaning “the art of beautiful
singing.”
 There is some influence of France especially in the use of choirs and orchestration.
 A better balance between music and drama is observed.
 Skillful showmanship is less frequently observed.
Italian composers of Romantic operas include the following:
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)

He wrote in the style of clarity and simplicity of form and texture that are characteristics of Classical music. His
compositions include opera buffa L’Italiana in Algeri, The Barber of Seville, The Thieving Magpie, and Cinderella.
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)

He wrote 70 operas including opera seria and buffa in Italian and French. Examples of his serious operas are
Lucia di Lammermoor, Lucrezia Borgia, and Linda di Chamounix. His comic operas include L’Elisir d’amore (The
Elixir of Love) and Don Pasquale.
Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)

He wrote 11 operas with so much expressive singing, great acting, coloratura, and spectaculars. His works
include I Puritani (The Puritans), Norma, and La Sonnambula (The Sleepwalker).
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Nationalism is the essential element of Verdi’s operas. His most well-known operas include Rigoletto, II
Trovatore (The Troubadour), La Traviata, Aida, Otello, and Falstaff, his last work.
There are three kinds of operas produced in France: Opera Comique,

Grand Opera, and Lyric Opera.
This type of French opera has spoken dialogue that alternates with self-
contained musical numbers. Examples of this genre are:
 The White Lady by Francois-Adrien Boieldieu
 Fra Diavolo by Daniel Auber
 The Field of Honor by Ferdinand Herold
 Beatrice et Benedict by Hector Berlioz

This genre is characterized by being built on a very large orchestration
with very impressive plots and a highly colourful spectacle. Examples of this
genre are:
 Les Huguenots, and L’Africaine by Giacomo Meyerbeer
 The Mute Girl of Portici by Daniel Auber
 William Tell by Gioachino Rossini
 The Jewess by Fromental Halevy
A lyric opera is a mixture of the French opera comique and grand opera.
Examples of this genre are:
 Carmen by Georges Bizet
 Faust by Charles Gounod

 Manon, Werther, and Thais by Jules Massenet
 Mignon by Ambroise Thomas
 The King of Ys by E’douard Lalo
 The Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach
During the eighteenth century, Germany was considered inferior in operas.

But during the nineteenth century, opera gained importance. In that time,
Germany has divided into two periods: Romantic Opera Dominated the First
Half, and Richard Wagner’s music Dramas Dominated the Second.
Although German operas are patterned from France and Italy, distinct
features can still be observed.
 Folk tunes and melodies are used.
 Stories are based on mystery, mysticism, and supernatural elements.
 The themes are derived from folk legends and fairy stories of the Middle Ages.
 To enhance the emotion of a scene, dissonant treatment of harmony and orchestral timbre is
employed.
Examples of German romantic opera are:

 Undine by E.T.A. Hoffmann
 The Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai
 The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner
 Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven
 Der Vampyr by Heinrich Marschner
 Faust and Jessonda by Ludwig Spohr
 Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck
 Der Freischutz, Euryanthe, and Oberon by Carl Maria von Weber
 Czar and Carpenter by Albert Lortzing
According to Richard Wagner, opera is the combination of the arts, and

called it music drama. He believed opera should be a unification of music,
literature, visual arts, and stagecraft. This is why a special theater, the
Bayreuth, was conctructed. He wrote his opera texts and used musical themes
to enhance the drama and unify the music. These themes, called leitmotifs,
symbolized characters, scenes, situations, objects, emotions, and ideas. Among Wagner’s
works are:
 Rienzi
 The Fairies
 Forbidden Love
 The Ring of the Nibelung

 Parsifal
 Lohengrin
 Tannhauser
 Tristan und Isolde

Gioachino Rossini
Gaetano Donizetti
Vincenzo Bellini
Giuseppe Verdi
Italian
Operas
The
Lady
The field of
Honor
LES HUGUENOTS
L’ Africaine
The Mute Girl of Portici

The Jewess
Faust by
Charles Gounod
The king of Ys
The Mary Wives of
Windsor
Faust by Ludwig spohr
Jessonda by Ludwig

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THE OPERA OF THE ROMANTIC PERIOD

Name: Charmaine R. Bernales

Italian composers of Romantic operas include the following:

Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)

Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835)

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

There are three kinds of operas produced in France: Opera Comique,

 Fra Diavolo by Daniel Auber

 The Field of Honor by Ferdinand Herold

 Beatrice et Benedict by Hector Berlioz

 The Mute Girl of Portici by Daniel Auber

 William Tell by Gioachino Rossini

 The Jewess by Fromental Halevy

 Faust by Charles Gounod

 Mignon by Ambroise Thomas

 The King of Ys by E’douard Lalo

 The Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach

During the eighteenth century, Germany was considered inferior in operas.

Examples of German romantic opera are:

 The Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai

 The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner

 Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven

 Der Vampyr by Heinrich Marschner

 Faust and Jessonda by Ludwig Spohr

 Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck

 Der Freischutz, Euryanthe, and Oberon by Carl Maria von Weber

 Czar and Carpenter by Albert Lortzing

According to Richard Wagner, opera is the combination of the arts, and

 The Ring of the Nibelung

 Tristan und Isolde

The Mute Girl of Portici

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