MUS 337

Instructor:
Dr. Frank Restesan

Key Terms

Romantic opera
Italian opera
German opera
Bel Canto (It., the art of beautiful song) opposed
to recitative & Wagners declamatory style
Recitative declamatory singing free in tempo and
rhythm.
Aria (It., = song, tune or melody) opposed to recit.
Arioso hybrid genre between aria and recitative

Romantic Opera- traits (a)

19th century was a golden age for
opera
Directly associated with Politics (i.e.
nationalism)
Influenced by Romantic Themes
Transcendence of artistic barriers
Blurring art forms: drama, music and
art Total Art Work (Wagner)

Romantic Opera- traits (b)

Message and Meaning taken seriously
Not created only for entertainment
Based on respectable subjects from
literature
New Genres of lighter opera appeared:
a. Operetta (Austria, England & The United
States)
b. Opera Bouffe (France)
c. Zarzuela (Spain)

Early Romantic Opera

Starting in 1820s predilection for
serious, even tragic operas
French grand operasMeyerbeer and
Rossini
National Opera (Verismo) -- Verdi
Tragic Italian operasBellini and
Donizetti
German Romantic operasWeber

Gioacchino Rossini
(17921868)
Best know for his opera buffa
crisp, elegant style, (Mozartian)
Barber of Seville
but admired equally for serious operas
Established style and form of Italian
Romantic opera
bel canto styleglorifies beautiful singing
full of coloratura arias for virtuoso singers
Wrote 39 operas and retired in 1829

Gaetano Donizetti
(17971848)
Dominated bel canto opera after Rossini
preferred simple, sentimental arias
lots of blood-and-thunder action music
most famous: Lucia di Lammermoor
Enormously prolific
more than 60 operas
Opera buffa:Don Pasquale,
Lelisir damore
Requiem, orchestral Pieces,
Concertos (Flute,Clarinet), 18 String Quartets

Vincenzo Bellini
(18011835)
Preferred serious & tragic bel canto
wrote in refined, elegant, melodic style
influenced Chopins nocturnes
admired by Verdi
more Romantic (melody/harmony)
than Rossini or Donizetti

Famous works: Norma &

La Sonnambula (1831), I Puritani (1835)

Carl Maria von Weber

(17861826)
Born in Eutin, Germany d. in London
First cousin of Mozarts wife (Constanze
Weber)
1798 studied with Michael
Haydn in Salzburg
First published compositions:
Six Fuggettas for Piano
At 14 he wrote the opera The Silent Forest
Maiden which became a great success in
Vienna, Prague, St.Petersburg

Cont. Weber (Bio)

1807 to 1810, Weber held a post at the
court of the Duke of Wurttemberg
(Stuttgart, Germany)
1813 - Director of Opera in Prague
1817 Director of Opera in Dresden
1826 Oberon @ Covent garden,
London
Died of tuberculosis at 39 (June,1826 in
London)

Cont. Weber- OUTPUT

10 Operas (most famous: Der Freischutz,
Euryanthe, Oberon)
2 Masses
2 Symphonies
6 vocal works with orchestra
2 Piano & 2 Clarinet concertos
Konzertstck for Piano and Orchestra in F minor,
Op. 79, (1821)
2 pieces for Viola & Orchestra
Konzertstck for Horn and Orchestra in e

Cont. Weber Importance (a)

Founder of German Romantic opera
As innovator and orchestrator
considered equal to Schubert and
Beethoven
Creator of the Konzertstuck (Concert
Piece: continuous one movement
concert piece in several sections).
Use of Motives in his operas (in
association with characters & events)

Listening: Der Freischutz

(The Free-shooter)
Premiere: June 1821, Berlin
3 Acts
Ballad on Music
Libretto: Friedrich Kind (gloomy, Gothic)
based on German Folktales
Combines Nature & the Supernatural
Mix of Romantic arias, folk-song choruses,
& devilish conjuration
Use of Melodrama ( spoken dialog over
background music )

Cont. Weber (d)

Der Freischutz - PLOT (1821)
The gamekeeper Max loves Agathe and is
to become the successor to Kuno, the
head ranger and Agathe's father. But a
test of skill in marksmanship is required,
the trial to be held the following day.
At a target shooting, Max loses to the
young peasant Kilian

Cont. Weber (d)

Der Freischutz - PLOT (1821)
Because Max has had ill luck for several
days he easily falls under the influence of
Kaspar, who persuades Max to cast seven
magic bullets to be used in the contest.
Kaspar, whose soul is to be forfeited to the
devil, hopes to obtain three more years of
grace by substituting Max in his place

Cont. Weber (d)

Listening: Der Freischutz (1821)

1822 illustration of Der Freischtz depicting the opening scene

with Max and Kilian

Cont. Weber (e)

Listening: Der Freischutz (1821)
Orchestra plays significant role in
establishing mood and telling story
revolutionary orchestration & sitting:
Orchestra pit: 2 piccolos, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2
clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3
trombones, timpani, strings
On stage: 1 clarinet, 2 horns, 1 trumpet, violins,
celli
YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FojsiGXZYDU&playnext=1&list=PL4EE7
B5CBC3D0525A&feature=results_main

Cont. Weber (e)

Listening: Der Freischutz (1821)
Use of Keys and Motives in connection to
persons & events (Samiels Motive
diminished seventh-chord :
E flat - f sharp A - C; also represents
the keys used in the last scene of Act II
Directly influenced Mendelssohn, Liszt,
Wagner, Meyerbeer and Berlioz
Webers music is almost cinematic and
influenced greatly modern composers of film
and television music