1. Romantic artists were fascinated by the interconnection of the arts, by "the transcendence of artistic barriers." Indeed, many Romantic writers were fine musicians, and several Romantic composers-especially Berlioz and Robert Schumann-were gifted writers. Given this interest in connecting the arts, what specifically was different about the way Romantic composers approached opera as opposed to opera composers from past eras? Why was opera such an area of interest to Romantic composers (as our author points out, the 19th century was a golden age for opera)?
2. What does bel canto mean? Briefly describe this Romantic style. How did it affect the role of the human voice in Italian opera?
3. In a sentence of two, summarize the careers of the following early Romantic opera composers:
Gioacchino Rossini
Gaetaeno Donizetti
Vincenco Bellini
Carl Maria von Weber
4. Briefly summarize the career of Giuseppe Verdi. (As a humorous aside, Giuseppe Verdi can be translated into English as "Joe Green." Take a moment and say his name, first in Italian and then in English --this exercise should go a long way toward explaining why Italian is the favored language of opera).
5. What innovations did Verdi bring to opera?
6. Why does the text say that "Rigoletto" was a daring subject for Verdi to take on"? What was the source of the story? In the movie "Amadeus", Mozart was criticized by Emperor Joseph II for choosing to do "Figaro" as an opera due to its controversial nature. Verdi faced the same censorship problem with "Rigoletto". Why do you think this was?
7. Listen to "La donna é mobile" from "Rigoletto". What are the words about? What stands out most about the music and does it capture the arrogance of the character (the Duke)? ?
8. Genius does not always come to us in attractive packages. Thus it was with Richard Wagner-hedonistic, arrogant, racist, yet after Wagner, music was not the same. What were Wagner's musical and dramatic innovations?
9. Please define the following terms:
Leitmotiv
Gesamtkunstwerke
Music drama
10. Sadly, our 3 CD set does not include the excerpts from Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde." Nonetheless, we would be remiss in not discussing it, since it was among the most influential works in the history of Western music.
1. The term "Bel canto" designates a style of singing where the voice is meant to be as clear as a bell. It was an ideal of vocal sound for the 19th century opera and art song. Even today it is still an ideal way of singing in a lot of music. However, in much music of the last 100 years or so, some singers have made a powerful impact with their own unique vocal sound, and this sound was very far from being "bel canto" style. Think of rock star Janis Joplin, or some of the great jazz singers such as Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, or the "scat" singing of Louis Armstrong. Pick any one of these singers (or somebody else who is famous) and discuss in your own words what is the uniqueness of their vocal sound. Consider also why this singer has this particular quality of voice. Where do you think it came from?
2. Richard Wagner is considered to be one of the greatest of all artistic geniuses in Western culture. Yet, in many ways the man was repugnant: he was racist, bigoted, and totally self-centered. Can you think of anyone in recent years who has had a strong impact on music but whose personality is (was) repulsive for many?