Category: History - Other
WHAT IS OPERA? PAGE What is Opera?—Derivation of term—A musical work—An artificial product—Its justification—Emotional effect of music—Hybrid opera—Modern taste demands one medium of expression—A definition—Music an accessory to opera, but an important one 1
WHAT IS OPERA? PAGE What is Opera?—Derivation of term—A musical work—An artificial product—Its justification—Emotional effect of music—Hybrid opera—Modern taste demands one medi...
2. CHAPTER II.The centuries see little change in the elements of the drama—Growth of opera concurrent with the progress of the art of music—Points of difference between early operas (Montever...
3. CHAPTER III.Reforms, and the reasons thereof—Monteverde’s influence—Musical innovations—The stage discards music of the ecclesiastical order—The beauty of Scarlatti’s arias—Their weakness—G...
4. CHAPTER IV.5. CHAPTER V.6. CHAPTER VI.Gluck and his masterpieces—Mozart—Beethoven—Weber and romantic opera—_Der Freischütz_—Other operas—Schubert—Opera writing a distinct form of composition—The small influence of t...
7. CHAPTER VII.The Italian school—Opera buffa—The Neapolitan school—Piccini—A notable contest—Cimarosa—Rossini: his _Barber of Seville_—Recitative and its significance—_William Tell_—Bellini a...
8. CHAPTER VIII.9. CHAPTER IX.Rameau—Divergence of methods—The successors of Gluck and Piccinni—Méhul—Cherubini and Spontini—Meyerbeer—Auber—Gounod—Bizet—Reasons for the popularity of _Faust_ and _Carmen_—Of...
10. CHAPTER X.11. CHAPTER XI.12. CHAPTER XII.13. CHAPTER XIII.14. CHAPTER XIV.15. CHAPTER XV.Subsidized opera—Opera an educative factor—Objections to subsidies—Advantages—English opera—Opera companies —Covent Garden—The Royal Opera Syndicate—History of opera in this cou...
16. CHAPTER XVI.Feelings of disappointment—Expectations—The language difficulty—Why the story is hard to follow—What we go to the opera to hear—Some suggestions—To grasp the story—To realize th...
17. CHAPTER XVII.18. CHAPTER XVIII.Operetta—Musical comedy—Ballad opera—Masque—Ballet— Objections thereto—Curiosities of construction— Pasticcio—Mixed language—Stereotyped casts—Curiosities of stage requirements—...
19. CHAPTER XIX.SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN _Frontispiece_ Photogravure from the Painting by Sir John Everett Millais, P.R.A. ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI 20 RICHARD WAGNER 26 JEAN BAPTISTE LULLY 42 DOMENICO C...
20. CHAPTER I.What is Opera?—Derivation of term—A musical work—An artificial product—Its justification—Emotional effect of music—Hybrid opera—Modern taste demands one medium of expression—A d...
21. CHAPTER II.The centuries see little change in the elements of the drama—Growth of opera concurrent with the progress of the art of music—Points of difference between early operas (Montever...
22. CHAPTER III.Reforms, and the reasons thereof—Monteverde’s influence—Musical innovations—The stage discards music of the ecclesiastical order—The beauty of Scarlatti’s arias—Their weakness—G...
23. CHAPTER IV.It is a curious and interesting fact that the birth of opera should be due more or less to accident, and should owe its origin to a group of amateurs: but so it is, and to the b...
24. CHAPTER V.Opera in Italy, after its initial stages, as represented by the works of Peri and Caccini, fell under the commanding sway of Monteverde, of whose influence we have already said...
25. CHAPTER VI.Gluck and his masterpieces—Mozart—Beethoven—Weber and romantic opera—_Der Freischütz_—Other operas—Schubert—Opera writing a distinct form of composition—The small influence of t...
26. CHAPTER VII.Italy was the birthplace of modern opera, and for generations the language of opera was Italian, irrespective of the nationality of the composer. Thus a large number of the oper...
27. CHAPTER VIII.A good start was given to German opera, as we have already shown, by Keiser, who wrote over one hundred operas for the Hamburg house. The fact that after his decease the centre...
28. CHAPTER IX.The Italian Lully had no small share in founding what afterwards became a school of Grand Opera in Paris. As we have already said, he was so jealous of his fame that he brooked...
29. CHAPTER X.We have not much to boast of, so far as English operatic music is concerned, from the death of Purcell to about the middle of the nineteenth century. Purcell’s work, in its limi...
30. CHAPTER XI.The name of Wagner is the most interesting in all the annals of opera. We live too far away from the days of Lully and of Gluck to feel more than a shadowy interest in the perso...
31. CHAPTER XII.The last of the revolutionists has left an indelible mark upon operatic history. As we have before said, there has been nothing since the time of Wagner which can lay claim to h...
32. CHAPTER XIII.The operas of the Russians, Poles, and Bohemians, in so far as they possess points of individual interest, do so by virtue of their natural characteristics. It is unnecessary, t...
33. CHAPTER XIV.To-day the art of operatic composition appears to be returning for its best results to its much loved home, Italy: it is the young Italian composers, among all its devotees of a...
34. CHAPTER XV.Subsidized opera—Opera an educative factor—Objection to subsidies—Advantages—English opera—Opera companies—Covent Garden—The Royal Opera Syndicate —History of opera in this coun...
35. CHAPTER XVI.Feelings of disappointment—Expectations—The language difficulty—Why the story is hard to follow—What we go to the opera to hear—Some suggestions—To grasp the story—To realize th...
36. CHAPTER XVII.Architecturally speaking, our English opera house is not one of the sights of London. Hidden away somewhat ignominiously in a side street, it has little appearance, in spite of...
37. CHAPTER XVIII.Operetta—Musical comedy—Ballad opera—Masque— Ballet—Objections thereto—Curiosities of construction—Pasticcio—Mixed language— Stereotyped casts—Curiosities of stage requirements...
38. CHAPTER XIX.Now and again it happens that Opera rubs shoulders with Politics, and acquires some importance in the affairs of nations. Lully’s power at court in the days of Louis XIV. was no...