His rationalist take on the classic Cinderella story includes music that is full of subtle humour, gentle comedy and spikey melodies to convey the opera buffa mood. We can also see this being displayed by the frequent use of coloraturas elaborate ornamentation of the singing in the melodies, while staccato each note made sharply distinct in the music implies playfulness and humour in the opera.
Mozart himself uses memorable musical touches to convey this humour, with the introductory overture of the opera setting a mischievous tone with its presto tempo marking the piece busy and rapid, while the bustling orchestral writing suggesting an exciting sense of whispering, which is very intriguing for the audience. The Marriage of Figaro is full of wit, comedy, intrigue, misunderstanding and forgiveness, and Mozart delivers what is considered to be one of the greatest operas of all time.
It was, in part, intended as a genre that the common man could relate to more easily. Whereas opera seria was an entertainment that was both made for and depicted kings and nobility, opera buffa was made for and depicted common people with more common problems.
In the early 18th century, comic operas often appeared as short, one-act interludes known as intermezzi that were performed in between acts of opera seria. These gave way to the full-fledged opera buffa later in the 18th century. La serva padrona by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi — , is the one intermezzo still performed with any regularity today, and provides an excellent example of the style.
Apart from Pergolesi, the first major composers of opera buffa were Nicola Logroscino, Baldassare Galuppi and Alessandro Scarlatti, all of them based in Naples or Venice. The solo singer was given an important place in the performance because the composer gave him space for a virtuoso embellishment of the melody.
Finale The closing piece of a larger piece of music. In opera, the finale is the final scene of an act. Libretto The text of an opera. Sometimes the composer writes the libretto himself.
Usually, there is a separate lyricist for it: the librettist. Musical A modern form of opera or operetta that originated in America. A musical also takes place on a set, and there is singing and acting.
A significant difference is the vocal technique: opera singers are trained to sing without amplification, so without a microphone. The spectacle is also essential. Opera A play set to music. Gioachino Rossini — had a particular talent for ebullient comedy and unforgettable melodies—like his The Barber of Seville Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
However, many bel canto composers enjoyed a good tragedy—often making their heroines go mad via a thwarted love affair. It was a good excuse to indulge in lengthy and elaborate vocal display. The late 19th century was dominated by two giants of opera: Italian Giuseppe Verdi and German Richard Wagner , both born in Verdi, whose operas include Rigoletto , Il Trovatore and Aida wrote in a tuneful and dramatic style.
Verdi understood the human voice and the internal processes behind the characters he created. Perhaps his most popular opera is La Traviata , which tells the story of Violetta, a beautiful courtesan who is fatally ill with tuberculosis. Meanwhile, in Germany, Wagner singlehandedly changed the course of opera with his huge ambition and talent by introducing new ideas in harmony, the use of leitmotifs and expanded use of the orchestra and operatic structure.
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