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

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