MUS- M 402 1st EditionLecture 2Outline of Last Lecture I. Exploring Music of the Western Art TraditionII. Review of Baroque Binary FormIII. Introduction to Emerging Classical Binary FormOutline of Current Lecture I. Rousseau and An Introduction to Comic OperaII. Opera buffaIII. Writer’s Opera vs. Singer’s OperaCurrent LectureI. Rousseau and an Introduction to Comic Operaa. Comic opera, or Intermezzo- a miniature comic poera that comes between the acts of a larger; more serious opera or play, usually has 2 main characters and 1 silent character. i. In the 1740s, intermezzis actually became more popular than the actual opera, so they began being performed on their own. b. Rousseau was a major Enlightenment thinker and composer during this period. After seeing Italian comic operas, he decided this style of opera should be recreated in France. This idea was met with a significant amount of controversy, creating a debate known as “Querelle des bouffons”, or “The Fight of Clowns”. In spite of this opposition, however, this style of simple and more natural composition did prevail. i. Emphasized natural emotionii. Emphasis on the melodyiii. The orchestral accompaniment was very simple and repetitive. iv. Periodicity- very clear cadences and periods in the musicv. Characters were not usually royalty or high society people, but commoners living everyday life. vi. Da capo arias were the most common form during this time period. II. According to Burkholder’s History of Western Music, opera buffa “entertained and served a moral purpose by caricaturing the foibles of aristocrats and commoners, vain ladies, miserly old men, awkward and clever servants, deceitful husbands and wives, pedantic lawyers, bungling physicians, and pompous military commanders.” a. Opera buffa reflected ideas of returning to simplicity because people wanted to watch characters that were relatable to them in their everyday life. i. Basso buffa- the bass who played a comical character in opera buffa.1. Usually, the basso buffa portrayed a pompous aristocratic character.ii. Patter song- the kind of song characteristically sung by a basso buffa; extremely fast and quick moving with as many syllables fit into each beat as possible. b. With this new galant style of writing music, emotions were able to be communicated to the audience as communicated to the audience as experiencedin real life by human beings. For an example, in an aria, the emotion would typically stay the same throughout the entire duration of the aria. Now with this new galant style, human emotions could switch rapidly when super dramatic music and simple accompaniment was applied to a ridiculous and funny situation. III. Writer’s Opera vs. Singer’s Operaa. In a “writer’s opera”, the main focus of the opera is the plotline. b. In a “singer’s opera”, the primary focus of the opera is the singing and vocal technique of the melody and characters. c. Dramatic integration- drama is heightened in the vocal lines and able to shine through because the accompaniment is so
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