by: Armando Escaduti
The story of Italian opera begins around the turn of the 17th Century and depicts an important piece of Italian culture. Divided into two periods, the Baroque and the Romantic, opera displays tragic-comedy that was adorned with beautiful scenes and breathtaking music. Historians across the world recognize the significance these periods have had on Italian culture.
The art of opera is derived from Italy. Baroque was the first period recognized in the Italian culture. Over two centuries, it grew in popularity. In the 1600’s, music enhanced the Romantic period. Henry IV of France and Marie de Medici loved opera music and requested that it be played at their wedding in Florence.
Orpheus and Euridice were both composed from a poem written by Ottavio Rinuccini and Jacobo Peri. Giulio Caccini wrote the music that brought their poem to life, completing the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. This opera was dynamic in musical instruments and successfully portrayed the Italian culture.
In 1607, Claudio Monteverdi wrote La Favolo d’Orfeo (The Fable of Orpheus). This spectacular opera was Claudio Monteverdi’s first, which elevated the importance of dramatic instrumental music in the Italian culture. Now, 400 years later, The Fable of Orpheus is still performed on stages across the world.
In 1613, St. Mark’s in Venice made Monteverdi the “maestro da cappela”. Monterverdi wrote elaborate madrigals during his tenure. In 1637, Venice opened the first public opera house, Teatro San Cassiano. The public’s enthusiasm drew a more chic audience through the opera doors.
Shortly before Monteverdi’s death, he began to write again. From 1637 to 1642, he wrote two beautiful operas, I Ritorno d'Ullise (The Return of Ullyses) in Patria and L'Incoronazione di Poppaea (The Coronation of Poppaea). Both were exceptional musical mixtures of recitatives, solos, duets and ensembles.
Monteverdi was responsible for setting the standards for operatic composers to follow. He was responsible for the introduction of bel canto and buffa styles of opera. Bel canto consisted of operatic singing that was pure and even toned. Buffa style referred to the very unusual and unexpected comic complications or burlesque elements in the scene.
Within forty years, the popularity of opera grew so rapidly that Venice opened ten opera houses to accommodate the demand. More than 350 operas had been performed near the end of the 18th century in Venice, as well as many by other Venetian composers in other areas of Italy. Numerous spectators traveled into Venice for the music and individual artists gained recognition through their performance in opera.
Gioacchino Rossini wrote serious and humorous operas. In 1810, La Cambiale di Matrimonio, a comic (buffa) opera, became Rossini’s first hit. In early 19th century, romantic opera gave more dimension to the extreme emotions which were typical of that era.
Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Giuseppe Verdi were Rossini’s successors in the Italian bel canto. During the course of Giuseppe Verdi’s career, he transformed the nature of operatic writing with vigorous music. His contribution to the opera was done with such enthusiasm and it created a threshold for a new operatic era.
Many forms of opera blended with fine art, musical drama, song, elaborate scenery, and artistic scenery by the 20th century. It was the medium through which tales and myths were fabricated, leaving the audience to their imagination. Today, opera is the essence of Italian culture.