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