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Prelude Listening to Music Today
1 Melody: Musical Line
2 Rhythm and Meter: Musical Time
3 Harmony: Musical Space
4 The Organization of Musical Sounds
5 Musical Texture
6 Musical Form
7 Musical Expression: Tempo and Dynamics
8 Voices and Musical Instrument Families
9 Western Musical Instruments
10 Musical Ensembles
11 Style and Function of Music in Society
12 The Culture of the Middle Ages
13 Medieval Music
14 The Renaissance Spirit
15 Renaissance Sacred Music
16 Renaissance Secular Music
17 The Baroque Spirit
18 Vocal Music of the Baroque
19 Orchestral Music of the Baroque
20 Baroque Keyboard Music
21 The Classical Spirit
22 The Development of Classical Forms
23 The Classical Symphony
24 The Classical Concerto and Sonata
25 Classical Opera
26 The Spirit of Romanticism
27 The Romantic Miniature
28 Romantic Program Music
29 Romantic Opera
30 The Late Romantics
31 America's Emerging Musical Voice
32 The Impressionist Era
33 Main Currents in Early-Twentieth-Century Music
34 Early-Twentieth-Century Innovators
35 Nationalism and Music
36 Ragtime, Blues, and Jazz
37 New Directions
38 Contemporary Composers Look to World Music
39 Music for the Stage and Screen
40 The Many Voices of Rock
41 Some Current Trends

Chapter 29: Romantic Opera

Study Plan

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"I have never encountered anything more false and foolish than the effort to get truth into opera. In opera everything is based upon the untrue." —PETER I LYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

Key Points

  • Romantic opera developed distinct national styles in France, Germany, and Italy.
  • In France, two genres were developed: grand opera (serious historical dramas with spectacular effects) and opéra comique (comic opera with spoken dialogue).
  • In Germany, the genre of Singspiel (light, comic drama with spoken dialogue) gave way to more serious works, including Richard Wagner's music drama, which integrated all elements of opera.
  • Both opera seria (serious opera) and opera buffa (comic opera) were favored in Italy; they marked the peak of the bel canto (beautiful singing) style.
  • Many Romantic composers turned to exotic plots for their operas, looking to faraway lands or cultures for inspiration.
  • The Italian nationalist composer Giuseppe Verdi is best known for his twenty-eight operas; they embody the spirit of Romantic drama and passion.
  • Rigoletto, Verdi's opera based on a play by Victor Hugo, is one of the most performed works in the repertory today.

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