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Oct 7, 2024 · The English word opera is an abbreviation of the Italian phrase opera in musica (“work in music”). It denotes a theatrical work consisting of a dramatic text, or libretto (“booklet”), that has been set to music and staged with scenery, costumes, and movement.
opera, Entirely musical drama consisting of vocal pieces with instrumental accompaniment, typically punctuated with orchestral overtures and interludes. Opera emerged at the end of the 16th century in Florence, fueled by the convergence of several cultural currents, including an established tradition of musical theatre, a desire to experiment ...
Oct 10, 2024 · Richard Wagner, German dramatic composer and theorist whose operas and music had a revolutionary influence on the course of Western music, either by extension of his discoveries or reaction against them. Among his major works are Tristan und Isolde (1865), Parsifal (1882), and The Ring of the Nibelung (1869–76).
Opera is a type of classical music. It is also a mix of several art forms. Like actors in the theater, opera singers act out a story on a stage. An orchestra plays the music. Opera often features ballet or other types of dance, too.
Oct 7, 2024 · Opera - Reform, Grand, Music: Dissatisfaction arose in some quarters with the excesses of Italian opera seria—especially its predictable use of recitative and aria and its catering to solo coloratura (an elaborately embellished vocal melody) and other ornamental features that impeded the action.
Chinese music, the art form of organized vocal and instrumental sounds that developed in China. It is one of the oldest and most highly developed of all known musical systems. Chinese music history must be approached with a certain sense of awe.
Oct 7, 2024 · Opera - French, 19th Century, Melodrama: The history of French opera from the time of Hector Berlioz includes many talented composers and stage-worthy works, although relatively few have remained in the repertoire.
Claudio Monteverdi (baptized May 15, 1567, Cremona, Duchy of Milan [Italy]—died November 29, 1643, Venice) was an Italian composer in the late Renaissance, the most important developer of the then new genre, the opera. He also did much to bring a “modern” secular spirit into church music.
Opera seria, (Italian: “serious opera”), style of Italian opera dominant in 18th-century Europe. It emerged in the late 17th century, notably in the work of Alessandro Scarlatti and other composers working in Naples, and is thus frequently called Neapolitan opera.
Aug 23, 2024 · The opera, oratorio, and cantata were the most important new vocal forms, while the sonata, concerto, and overture were created for instrumental music. Claudio Monteverdi was the first great composer of the “new music.” He was followed in Italy by Alessandro Scarlatti and Giovanni Pergolesi.
