Project Four: Opera in the Classical Era

Whilst I hold a personal dislike of Opera, perhaps due to my lack of knowledge of the subject, I was interested to learn of Wagner’s operatic works in the 19^th century.  I therefore hope that my research of the 18^th century opera will further enlighten me to the ‘joys’ of opera!

The OCA course material describes two distinct forms of Opera that were popular in the 18^th century; the Comic Opera, focusing on moral commentary, and the Grand Opera, carrying a more dramatic serious feel, often based on historical events. 

Despite both types of opera being extremely popular during this time, Bauman (1994:80) writes:

“The distance between these genres made itself felt on nearly every front – their subject matter and literary tone, the skills and training of their executants, their audiences and relative engagement with contemporary society, the cost and institutional structure of each, and, not least, their diverging dramaturgical ideals and musical means”.

Thuleen (n.d.) writes that the opera-seria (Grand Opera) usually takes on a five-part structure featuring a da capo aria form; a piece composed in three sections with the third section being a repeat of the first, usually in which a small orchestra accompanies a vocal soloist. 

Thuleen continues to write:

“The musical composition of the Italian opera seria was also evidence of its basis in Enlightenment philosophy. The orchestra was, on the whole, little more than a mere accompaniment for the arias, although the opera usually began with an overture that was purely instrumental.”

According to the OCA course material, the Grand Opera would often be comprised of three sections, alternating between recitative and aria form.  The aria is an opportunity for an, often female, character to sing a monologue of their deepest feelings, whilst a recitative allows the singers to adopt a singing style more reminiscent of a talking voice.   However, the course material describes the desire to move away from this predictable format and adopt more orchestral importance with choruses included. 

In contrast, the comic opera would have included six or more characters, representing a cross-section of society, and would be sung throughout.  However, it seems that the comic opera developed somewhat over the 19^th century, and began to bleed into the opera-seria genre.  Rossini’s The Barber of Seville  (1816) is primarily a comic piece, but includes more serious and dramatic content (details of my listening responses to this piece can be found in my Part 3: Listening Log). 

Victoria and Albert Museum (n.d.), describes the developments of opera in the 18^th century, describing the dominance of castratos, possible most famously Farinelli, who were treated like celebrities for their singing style.  The article goes on to describe how composers such as George Fredrick Handel and Mozart played a primary role in the development of the opera during this period.    Handel composed many varieties of operas including Opera Seria and onatorios, whilst Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (1786) opted for a more comic style. 

In addition to Handel and Mozart, composers such as Gluck, Haydn, Rameau and Pepusch were considered to have created very important and famous operas during the classical era. 

It seems that perhaps the biggest divide between these two genres may have been social one.  From my own perspective I would be more drawn to a comic opera, due to its links to a cross-section of society.  However, I wonder whether the more ‘aristocratic’ members of society may be more drawn to the academic nature of the opera-seria?

Details of my reflections on a comparative study of both a comic and grand opera can be found in my listening log.