A caricature of a performance of Handel's Flavio, featuring three of the most well-known opera seria singers of their day: Senesino on the left, diva Francesca Cuzzoni in the centre, and art-loving castrato Gaetano Berenstadt on the right.

Opera seria (usually called dramma per musica or melodramma serio) is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to ca. 1770. The term itself was rarely used at the time and only became common usage once opera seria became unfashionable, and was viewed as a historical genre. The popular rival to opera seria was opera buffa, the 'comic' opera that took its cue from the improvisatory commedia dell'arte. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Please do not edit yet. ... Senesino (Francesco Bernardi) (1690?-1750?) was a celebrated Italian castrato who worked in London for some time. ... Francesca Cuzzoni (1700 - 1770) was an Italian soprano. ... A caricature of a performance of Handels Flavio, featuring Berenstadt on the far right, the soprano Francesca Cuzzoni in the centre and Senesino on the left. ... A Melodramma is an Italian term for opera which was used in the 19th century. ... This article is about Opera, the art form. ... Opera buffa (a form of comic opera), also known as Commedia in musica or Commedia per musica, is a genre of opera. ... “Commedia” redirects here. ...

Italian opera seria (invariably to Italian librettos) was produced not only in Italy but also in Habsburg Austria, England, Saxony and other German states, even in Spain, and other countries. Opera seria was less popular in France, where the national genre of French opera was preferred. Popular composers of opera seria included Alessandro Scarlatti, Johann Adolf Hasse, Leonardo Vinci, Nicola Porpora, George Frideric Handel, and in the second half of the 18th century Tommaso Traetta, Gluck, and Mozart. Antonio Ghislanzoni, nineteenth century Italian librettist. ... Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy; also used as the flag of the Austrian Empire until the Ausgleich of 1867. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Location Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DED Capital Dresden Minister-President Georg Milbradt (CDU) Governing parties CDU / SPD Votes in Bundesrat 4 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  18,416 km² (7,110 sq mi) Population 4,252,000 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 231 /km... “Deutschland” redirects here. ... In rivalry with imported Italian opera productions, a separate French tradition, sung in the French, was founded by Italian Jean-Baptiste Lully. ... Alessandro Scarlatti Alessandro Scarlatti (May 2, 1660 – October 24, 1725) was a Baroque composer especially famous for his operas and chamber cantatas. ... Johann Adolph Hasse. ... Leonardo Vinci (1690 - May 27, 1730), not to be confused with Leonardo da Vinci, was an Italian musical composer, best known for his operas. ... Nicola (Antonio) Porpora (August 19, 1686 - March 3, 1768) was an Italian composer of Baroque operas (see opera seria) and teacher of singing, whose most famous pupil was the castrato Farinelli. ... “Handel” redirects here. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Tommaso Traetta Tommaso Traetta (March 30, 1727–April 6, 1779) was an Italian composer. ... Christoph Willibald Gluck (July 2, 1714 – November 15, 1787) was a German composer. ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. ...

Structure

Opera seria built upon the strict dramma per musica ("drama through music") conventions of the High Baroque era by developing and exploiting the da capo aria, with its A-B-A form. The first section presented a theme, the second a complementary one, and the third a repeat of the first with ornamentation and elaboration of the music by the singer. As the genre developed and arias grew longer, a typical opera seria would contain not more than thirty musical movements.^[1]

A typical opera would start with an instrumental overture of three movements (fast-slow-fast) and then a series of recitatives containing dialogue interspersed with arias expressing the emotions of the character, this pattern only broken by the occasional duet for the leading amatory couple. The recitative was typically secco: that is, accompanied only by continuo (harpsichord or cello). At moments of especially violent passion secco was replaced by stromentato recitative, where the singer was accompanied by the entire body of strings. After an aria was sung, accompanied by strings and oboe (and sometimes with horns or flutes), the character usually exited the stage, encouraging the audience to applaud. This continued for three acts before concluding with an upbeat chorus, to celebrate the jubilant climax. The leading singers each expected their fair share of arias of varied mood, be they sad, angry, heroic or meditative.

The dramaturgy of opera seria largely developed as a response to French criticism of what were often viewed as impure and corrupting librettos. As response, the Rome-based Arcadian Academy sought to return Italian opera to what they viewed as neoclassical principles, obeying the dramatic Unities of Aristotle and replacing "immoral" plots, such as Busenello's for L'Incoronazione di Poppea, with highly moral narratives that aimed to instruct, as well as entertain. However, the often tragic endings of classical drama were rejected out of a sense of decorum: early writers of opera seria librettos such as Apostolo Zeno felt that virtue should be rewarded and shown triumphant. The spectacle and ballet so common in French opera were banished.^[2] Giovanni Busenello Giovanni Francesco Busenello (b Venice, 24 Sept 1598; d Legnaro, nr Padua, 27 Oct 1659) was an Italian lawyer, librettist and poet of the 17th century. ... Lincoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea) is an opera seria in three acts by Claudio Monteverdi to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello, based on historical incidents described in the Annals of Tacitus. ... Apostolo Zeno (born in Venice, December 11, 1668; died in Venice, November 11, 1750) was an Italian poet, librettist, journalist, and man of letters. ...

Voices

The age of opera seria corresponded with the rise to prominence of the castrati, often prodigiously gifted male singers who had undergone castration before puberty in order to retain a high, powerful soprano or alto voice backed by decades of rigorous musical training. They were cast in heroic male roles, alongside another new breed of operatic creature, the prima donna. The rise of these star singers with formidable technical skills spurred composers to write increasingly complex vocal music, and many operas of the time were written as vehicles for specific singers. Of these the most famous is perhaps Farinelli, whose debut in 1722 was guided by Nicola Porpora. Though Farinelli did not sing for Handel, his main rival, Senesino, did.^[3] A castrato is a male soprano, mezzo-soprano, or alto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity. ... This article is about the singing voice part. ... This article is about the voice-type. ... Look up Prima donna in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Farinelli, by Wagner after Amigoni 1735 Farinelli (January 24, 1705 – September 16, 1782), was the stage name of Carlo Broschi, one of the most famous Italian soprano castrato singers of the 18th century. ... Nicola (Antonio) Porpora (August 19, 1686 - March 3, 1768) was an Italian composer of Baroque operas (see opera seria) and teacher of singing, whose most famous pupil was the castrato Farinelli. ... Senesino (Francesco Bernardi) (1690?-1750?) was a celebrated Italian castrato who worked in London for some time. ...

Opera seria: 1720 - 1740

Opera seria acquired definitive form early during the 1720s. While Zeno and Alessandro Scarlatti had paved the way, the genre only truly came to fruition due to Metastasio and later composers. Metastasio's career began with the serenata Gli Orti Esperidi ("The Gardens of the Hesperides"). Nicola Porpora, (much later to be Haydn's master), set the work to music, and the success was so great that the famed Roman prima donna, Marianna Bulgarelli, "La Romanina", sought out Metastasio, and took him on as her protegé. Under her wing, Metastasio produced libretto after libretto, and they were rapidly set by the greatest composers in Italy and Austria, establishing the transnational tone of opera seria: Didone abbandonata, Catone in Utica, Ezio, Alessandro nell' Indie, Semiramide riconosciuta, Siroe and Artaserse. After 1730 he was settled in Vienna and turned out more librettos for the imperial theater, until the mid 1740s: Adriano, Demetrio, Issipile, Demofoonte, Olimpiade, La clemenza di Tito, Achille in Sciro, Temistocle, Il re pastore and his greatest libretto, Attilio Regolo. For the librettos, Metastasio and his imitators customarily drew on dramas featuring classical characters from antiquity bestowed with princely values and morality, struggling with conflicts between love, honour and duty, in elegant and ornate language that could be performed equally well as both opera and non-musical drama. Alessandro Scarlatti Alessandro Scarlatti (May 2, 1660 – October 24, 1725) was a Baroque composer especially famous for his operas and chamber cantatas. ... Pietro Trapassi (January 13, 1698 - April 12, 1782), Italian poet, is better known by his pseudonym of Metastasio. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For the ancient Greek city Hesperides see Benghazi. ... Nicola (Antonio) Porpora (August 19, 1686 - March 3, 1768) was an Italian composer of Baroque operas (see opera seria) and teacher of singing, whose most famous pupil was the castrato Farinelli. ... “Haydn” redirects here. ... Marianna Bulgarelli (b Rome, ?1684; d Rome, 26 Feb 1734, also known as Maria Anna Benti) was an Italian soprano of the 18th century. ... Didone abbandonata is an opera libretto by Pietro Metastasio. ... Opera by Handel. ... Siroe, re di Persia (or Siroes, King of Persia) is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel. ... Artaserse is the name of a number of Italian operas, all based on a text by Metastasio. ... Adriano is a popular Brazilian, Portuguese and Italian given name (nickname). ... Il Demofonte (also: Demofonte, Demofoonte or Demofont) is an opera seria libretto by Pietro Metastasio (1698-1782). ... LOlimpiade is an opera libretto by Metastasio, set to music by over 60 baroque and classical composers, among which are (by chronological order of first performance): Antonio Caldara: LOlimpiade, first performance 28 August 1733, in honor of Elisabeth, wife of Emperor Charles VI Antonio Vivaldi LOlimpiade, Venice... La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus), K. 621, was an opera seria written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. ... Il rè pastore is an opera, K. 208, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 6 weeks in 1775. ... Attilio Regolo was a consul in the Roman Republic during the first Punic War. ...

At this time the leading Metastasian composers were Hasse, Antonio Caldara, Vinci, Porpora, and Pergolesi. Vinci's settings of Didone abbandonata and Artaserse were much praised for their stromento recitative, and he played a crucial part in establishing the new style of melody. Hasse, by contrast, indulged in stronger accompaniment and was regarded at the time as the more adventurous of the two. Pergolesi was noted for his lyricism. The main challenge for all was achieving variety, a break from the pattern of secco recitative and aria da capo. The mutable moods of Metastasio's librettos helped, as did innovations on behalf the composer, such as stromento recitative or cutting a ritornello. During this period the choice of keys to reflect certain emotions became standardized: D minor became the choice key for a composer's typical "rage" aria, while D major for pomp and bravura, G minor for pastoral effect and E flat for pathetic effect, became the usual options.^[4] Antonio Caldara Antonio Caldara (1670 or 1671 - December 26, 1736) was an Italian Baroque composer. ... Pergolesi was the surname of more than one famous person: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, (1710-1736), composer, the one usually meant. ... In Baroque music, ritornello was the word for a recurring passage for orchestra in the first or final movement of a solo concerto or aria (also in works for chorus). ... In music theory, the key identifies the tonic triad, the chord, major or minor, which represents the final point of rest for a piece, or the focal point of a section. ...

Handel

The operas of George Frideric Handel are almost unique among opera serias in their great popularity today. Working outside mainstream trends (he only set a couple Metastasio texts), in the relative backwater of London, Handel wrote for a popular audience (as opposed to a court) that demanded entertainment, not flattery of a hereditary monarch. Handel's innate sense of strong drama developed viable music drama that adapts the conventions of opera seria to the end of theatrical credibility. “Handel” redirects here. ...

However, beginning in the 1960s, the revival of interest in baroque music and original instrument playing styles, the development of the countertenor fach, and popularity of the long-playing record made rediscovery of Handel's Italian operas possible, and many have since been recorded and performed onstage. Of the fifty he wrote between 1705 and 1738, Alcina (1735), Ariodante (1735), Orlando (1733), Rinaldo (1711,1731), Rodelinda (1725), and Serse (also known as Xerxes) (1738) stand out and are now performed regularly in opera houses and concert halls. However, his finest work is considered to be Giulio Cesare (1724). Alcina is an opera seria by George Frideric Handel. ... For the opera by Étienne Méhul, see Ariodant. ... Handel opera composed in 1733. ... Rinaldo is an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel, now a part of the standard operatic repertoire. ... Rodelinda is an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. ... Serse (also known as Xerxes) is an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Opera seria: 1740 - 1770

After a peak of the Metastasian ideal during the 1750s, the model of opera seria that he had developed began to lessen in popularity. New trends, popularized by composers such as Niccolò Jommelli and Tommaso Traetta, began to seep into opera seria. The Italian-style pattern of alternating, sharply contrasted recitative and aria began to be weakened by ideas from the French tradition of opera. Jommelli's works, from 1740 onwards, began to introduce greater levels of accompanied recitative and dynamic contrast, as well as increasing the prominence of the orchestra and limiting vocal virtuosity. Traetta re-introduced ballet to his operas, and the tragic, melodramatic endings of classical drama returned. His operas, particularly from 1760 onwards, also brought the chorus back to greater prominence. Niccolò Jommelli Niccolò Jommelli (September 10, 1714 – August 25, 1774) was an Italian composer. ... Tommaso Traetta Tommaso Traetta (March 30, 1727–April 6, 1779) was an Italian composer. ...

The culmination of these reforms arrived in the reform operas of Christoph Willibald Gluck. Beginning with Orfeo ed Euridice, Gluck drastically cut back on the possibilities for vocal virtuosity afforded to singers, abolished secco recitative (thereby heavily reducing the delineation between aria and recitative), and took great care to unify drama, dance, music, and theatrical practice in the synthesis of Italian and French traditions. He continued his reform with Alceste and Paride ed Elena. Gluck paid great attention to the orchestration and greatly increased the role of the chorus: he also greatly reduced the previous tradition of exit arias. The labyrinthine subplots that had riddled earlier baroque opera were eliminated. In 1768, the year after Gluck's Alceste, Jommelli and his librettist Verazi produced Fetonte. Ensemble and chorus are predominant: the usual number of exit arias slashed in half. For the most part, however, these trends did not become mainstream until the 1790s, and the Metastasian model continued to dominate.^[5] “Gluck” redirects here. ... Orfeo ed Euridice is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck. ... Alceste is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck. ... Paride ed Elena (Paris and Helen) is an opera by Gluck, the third of his Italian reformist works, following Orfeo ed Euridice and Alceste. ...

Opera seria: 1770 - 1830

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 –1791) followed on from Gluck and Handel in the opera seria tradition. His two notable contributions to the genre are Idomeneo (1780) and La clemenza di Tito (1791). For most of the 19th and early 20th century both operas were virtually unknown, but starting in the 1960s, the two slowly gained a place in the standard operatic repertoire. Mozart wrote some beautiful music for these operas, but the characters, drawn from classical antiquity in accordance with the conventions of the genre, did not inspire in him the same level of incandescent musical theater as the three operas to more modern librettos by Lorenzo da Ponte. “Mozart” redirects here. ... Idomeneo, re di Creta ossia Ilia e Idamante (Italian: Idomeneo, King of Crete, or, Ilia and Idamante; usually referred to simply as Idomeneo, K. 366) is an Italian opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. ... La clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus), K. 621, was an opera seria written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. ... Lorenzo da Ponte Lorenzo Da Ponte (March 10, 1749–August 17, 1838) was an Italian librettist born in Ceneda (now Vittorio Veneto). ...

Other notable contributors to the opera seria genre were Luigi Cherubini (1760 – 1842), and Gaspare Spontini (1774 – 1851). Cherubini and Spontini expanded upon Gluck's ideas. Greatly admired by fellow composers such as Beethoven and Berlioz, the three enjoyed greater critical acclaim than popular success, and following the Napoleonic era, when the brilliant, effervescent operas of Rossini swept the continent with their vocal pyrotechnics, their classically austere operas fell out of fashion. But even Rossini set Metastasio's librettos to the new music, as did Giacomo Meyerbeer. Portrait of Luigi Cherubini. ... Gaspare Spontini (14 November 1774 – 24 January 1851) was an Italian opera composer and conductor. ... “Beethoven” redirects here. ... Painting of Berlioz by Gustave Courbet, 1850. ... Portrait Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (February 29, 1792 – November 13, 1868)[1] was an Italian musical composer who wrote more than 30 operas as well as sacred music and chamber music. ... Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (September 5, 1791 – May 2, 1864) was a noted German-born opera composer, and the first great exponent of Grand Opera. ...

References

• The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992), 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5
• Marita P. McClymonds, Daniel Heartz. "Opera seria", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed 05 September 2007), grovemusic.com (subscription access).
• Orrey, Leslie and Milne, Rodney. Opera: A Concise History. World of Art, Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0500202176. 

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2001 The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians, considered by most scholars to be the best general reference source on the subject in the English language. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ...

Notes

See also

• List of Handel operas
• List of opera seria