VOCAL MUSIC OF THE ROMANTIC PERIOD

Emotional Subjectivity

The Romantic Period's basic quality is _____ _____.

Opera

It is a musical composition having all or most of its text set to music with arias, recitative, choruses, duets, trios, etc. sung to orchestral accompaniment. The _____ is usually characterized by elaborate costumes, scenery and choreography.

Libretto

The text of an opera. Librettist and the composer work closely together to tell the story.

Score

The book that the composer and librettist put together. The ____ has all the musical notes, words and ideas to help the performers tell the story. Often, there are operas with overtures, preludes, prologues, several acts, finales and postludes.

Recitative

Declamatory singing, used in the prose parts and dialogue of opera. Different roles in operas are created taking into account different types of voices. Each role requires a different type of singer, not only able to sing a given vocal range but also with certain voice characteristics, color and power.

Aria

An air or solo singing part sung by a principal character. This song is what the public will remember best when leaving the opera house. Properly and well sung, a beautiful ____ can bring an audience to its feet and decide the fate of an entire opera.

Acts

Main divisions of an opera

Scene

Setting or place

1. Franz Peter Schubert

2. Giuseppe Verdi

3. Giacomo Puccini

4. Richard Wagner

5. Georges Bizet

What are the 5 opera composers of romantic period?

Franz Peter Schubert

He developed lieder so that they had a powerful dramatic impact on the listeners. He is considered the last of the Classical composers and one of the first romantic ones.

Lieder

German term for composition for solo voice and piano.

Giuseppe Verdi

His characters are ordinary people and not those of the royal family like those found in German operas. He insisted on a good libretto and wrote operas with political overtones and for middle-class audience. He also wrote for the opening of Suez Canal.

1. La traviata

2. Rigolleto

3. Aida

4. Falstaff

5. Otello

Verdi’s Works

1. Gretchen am Spinnrade

2. Erlkonig

3. Ellens Gesang III

4. Schwanenge sang

5. Unfinished Symphony

Schubert’s works

Giacomo Puccini

He was born in a poor family. He belonged to a group of composers who stressed realism; therefore, he drew material from everyday life, rejecting heroic themes from mythology and history.

1. La boheme

2. Tosca

3. Madame Butterfly

4. Turandot

Puccini’s Works

Richard Wagner

He introduced new ideas in harmony and in form, including extremes of chromaticism. He also explored the limits of the traditional tonal system that gave keys and chords its own identity which paved the way for the rise of atonality in the 20th century. He was an advocate of a new form of opera which he called "music drama" where musical and dramatic elements were fused together.

1. Tristan and Isolde

2. Die Walkyrie

3. Die Meistersinger

4. Tannhauser

5. Parsifal

Wagner’s works

Georges Bizet

He entered the Paris Conservatory of music at a very young age. Bizet became famous for his operas. His most famous opera is "Carmen“.

1. Tenor

2. Baritone

3. Bass

Male Singers

1. Soprano

2. Coloratura

3. Lyric

4. Dramatic

5. Mezzo-Soprano

6. Contralto

Female Singers

1. A capella

2. Cambanile

3. Capo

4. Coda

5. Dolce

6. Falsetto

7. Glissando

8. Passagio

9. Rubato

10. Tessitura

11. Vibrato

Dynamics and vocal embellishments

A capella

one or more singers performing without instrumental accompaniment

Cantabile

In a singing style

Capo

Head, the beginning

Coda

Closing section appended to a movement or song

Dolce

Sweetly

Falsetto

a weaker and more airy voice usually in the higher pitch ranges.

Glissando

Sliding quickly between 2 notes

Passagio

parts of a singing voice where register transitions occur

Rubato

slight speeding up or slowing down of the tempo of a piece at the discretion of the soloist.

Tessitura

the most comfortable singing range of a singer.

Vibrato

rapidly repeated slight pitch variation during a

sustained note, to give a richer & more varied sound.

1. Sound/Tone color

2. “Bel canto” technique

3. Language

4. Posture

5. Vocal range

6. Endurance

6 different aspects that you need to learn as you train for opera

Sound/Tone color

For opera, the performance is about the quality of sound that the singer makes. Singing opera requires you to sing long phrases and to sing loud enough to be heard over an orchestra in large halls.

“Bel Canto” technique

When singing opera, the focus of the performance is on the singing technique. Opera technique is called ___ ____, which literally means beautiful singing. This is done by singing with your mouth and throat wide open and used with the proper breath support to project the voice through the entire hall.

Language

Opera singers often sing in Italian, French, German, or Russian. You don't have to be fluent in all these languages, but you want to be familiar enough with them that you can easily sing and sound like you are fluent in these languages.

Posture

Proper _____ promotes efficient breathing which is essential to projection, tone quality, and vocal range. The ideal ____ for singing is erect yet relaxed. Overall good health and physical fitness are also important

Vocal Range

One major goal of every singer is to have a well-developed and impressive singing range. In order to achieve this, a singer should establish good vocal habits in the most comfortable placement of the voice and then slowly expanding the range.

Endurance

Singers are expected to perform well even it will take an hour or more to perform. _____ is expected from singers who also practice long hours to give a good and memorable performance. Even today popular singers still showcase their talents to a high level of performance. The need to capture the audience with their extraordinary vocal ability is still the main reason for showcasing their talents.