MUSIC 1AA3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Da Capo Aria, Opera Buffa, Aria
Document Summary
An invention of the early baroque, stage entertainment. Sung from beginning to end: features music, drama, poetry, visual arts and sometimes dance, never gone away. Sacred or secular, but secular was predominant. The entire opera or sung, so there is little to no dialogue. Virtuosic singers were recruited for the performance: they could project voice easily with wide range, + use vibrato, vibrato > wavering of the voice on a single pitch. Music and singing were more important than drama and acting: however, successful operas also had a good script as well. Huge orchestra were used, and thus played a big role: orchestra could be used to foreshadow events, certain themes become associated with certain characters. 1) recitative: character sings in a speech like manner, the plot moves ahead during this period, orchestra only plays supporting role during the recitative.
