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Opera is an art form that consists in the performance on a stage of story (whose text is called the "libretto") entirely or almost entirely sung. It draws from many other art forms. Its backbone is certainly music, but as it is performed on a stage, [decorative art]?s are important, as is dance, which sometimes appears in it. |
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Opera is an art form that consists of a stage performance of a story (whose text is called the "libretto") almost entirely sung. |
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Its origins can be found in Italy in the Renaissance. Opera means simply "work" in Italian. The first opera is considered to have been written in 1597. |
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Opera draws from many other art forms. Its backbone is certainly music, but as it's performed on a stage, [decorative art]?s are important, as is dance, which sometimes appears in it. |
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For a long time, Italian opera was the standard of the form, and many operas written by Mozart, for example, are in Italian. |
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Opera began in Italy in the Renaissance. Opera means simply "work" in Italian. The first opera was written in 1597. |
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For centuries, Italian opera was the standard form, and many operas written by Mozart, for example, are in Italian. |
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The form of the opera consisted of several sung pieces, (aria?s), separated by recitation over accompaniment |
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The form of the opera consists of several sung pieces, (aria?s), separated by recitation over accompaniment |
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The themes of the opera at the beginning were mythological or historical, usually tragic and moral, but later on themes closer to everyday life were introduced. |
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The themes of the opera at the beginning were mythological or historical, usually tragic and moral. Later, composers introduced more everyday themes. |
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*[Benjamin Britten]? |
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What are our priorities for writing in this area? To help develop a list of the most basic topics about opera, please see opera basic topics. |
Opera draws from many other art forms. Its backbone is certainly music, but as it's performed on a stage, [decorative art]?s are important, as is dance, which sometimes appears in it.
Opera began in Italy in the Renaissance. Opera means simply "work" in Italian. The first opera was written in 1597.
For centuries, Italian opera was the standard form, and many operas written by Mozart, for example, are in Italian.
The form of the opera consists of several sung pieces, (aria?s), separated by recitation over accompaniment Recitation in opera is a form of singing intermediate between ordinary melodic singing and formal spoken recitation.
Early operas consisted of recitative accompanied only by harpsichord and arias accompianed by full orchestra. Later operas involved the full orchestra throughout the opera to provide a smoother transition between parts.
This changed reached a climax when Richard Wagner introduced the idea of the Gesamtkunstwerke or the Total Work of Art, where the action is continued, with no stops and repetitions, and the music is a continuous flux, not a few pieces separated by recitatives. Wagner also introduced leitmotif, where each character or idea in the story is represented by a musical line that appears whenever they appear or are mentioned.
The themes of the opera at the beginning were mythological or historical, usually tragic and moral. Later, composers introduced more everyday themes.
Great opera composers
See also operetta?, musical?,singspiel?,zarzuela
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