Opera Seria

europe overview

• europe was a mishmash at this point in time
• italy was divided into a northern and southern region   * florence is in the north and the major center for arts and culture   * rome and naples were big in the south
• spain was in southern italy for like 200 years and it destroyed the economy, so florence was a lot more successful at the time
• naples had a rough time with people pouring into the city, made it the largest city in europe at the time but also the poorest   * naples was the site of a musical golden age during this time because of the influx of poor people   * lots of boys singing in orphanages, put the boys to work in choirs or tried to create opera superstars   * orphanages were the site of growing opera schools   * low voices were thought to be more masculine and powerful so a lot of male divas (castrato) got good roles   * voice changes meant boys lost good roles because women weren't allowed to sing   * castrati ethical issues - surgery was technically illegal, not necessarily guaranteed success and fame

  ### da capo aria form   * aria vs recitative - more melodic singing vs more speechlike, showcasing singer vs advancing plot   * consists of two sections     * first section has basso continuo intro and more repetition of words and phrases, ends on tonic     * second section has contrasting material and is much shorter   * aba but both a sections contain the same material in the home key   * dominant form for like 100 years   * popular because composers had to write less music, no one expected to hear the same thing twice so performers had to show off in the return to the a section   * a sections - first time clarity, second time show

\