Opera emerged in late 16th-century Italy, blending music and drama in innovative ways. The Florentine Camerata's experiments with monody and recitative laid the groundwork for this new art form, which quickly spread across Europe.

Early operas like Monteverdi's L'Orfeo showcased the genre's potential. As opera evolved, distinct styles like opera seria and opera buffa emerged, along with virtuosic singing techniques and the rise of star performers like castrati.

Origins of Opera

Florentine Camerata and Early Opera Development

• The Florentine Camerata was a group of humanists, musicians, and intellectuals in late 16th-century Florence who sought to revive ancient Greek drama
• Believed that ancient Greek drama was entirely sung rather than spoken
• Experimented with creating a new style of music that would convey dramatic text effectively
• Developed the concept of monody, which featured a solo voice singing a melodic line accompanied by simple chords (lute or harpsichord)
• Monody evolved into the recitative, a speech-like singing style that follows the natural rhythms and inflections of the text
  • Recitative allowed for a more naturalistic delivery of the text and advanced the plot
  • Contrasted with the aria, a lyrical and expressive solo song that conveyed the emotions of a character at a particular moment

Operatic Structure and Libretto

• Early operas were called dramma per musica, meaning "drama through music"
• Consisted of a libretto, the text of the opera, which included the dialogue, lyrics, and stage directions
  • Libretto was typically written by a poet or playwright and then set to music by a composer
• Libretto was divided into scenes and acts, with recitative advancing the plot and arias providing emotional depth
• Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) was a key figure in the development of early opera
  • Composed the first widely recognized opera, L'Orfeo, in 1607
  • L'Orfeo showcased Monteverdi's innovative use of recitative, aria, and instrumental accompaniment to convey the drama of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice

Opera Styles and Techniques

Bel Canto and Castrati

• Bel canto, meaning "beautiful singing," was a style of opera that emphasized vocal virtuosity and expressive singing
• Bel canto operas featured elaborate vocal ornamentation, long melodic lines, and a focus on the beauty of the voice itself
• Castrati were male singers who were castrated before puberty to preserve their high vocal range
  • Castrati often played heroic male roles in bel canto operas due to their powerful and agile voices
  • The most famous castrato was Farinelli (1705-1782), who had an extraordinary vocal range and technical skill

Opera Seria and Opera Buffa

• Opera seria, meaning "serious opera," was the dominant form of opera in the 18th century
• Characterized by noble characters, mythological or historical plots, and a focus on the virtuosity of the singers
• Adhered to the Doctrine of the Affections, which held that music should evoke a single emotion or affection in the listener
• Opera buffa, meaning "comic opera," emerged as a lighter alternative to opera seria
• Featured everyday characters, humorous situations, and simple, catchy melodies
• Incorporated spoken dialogue and ensemble numbers alongside arias and recitatives
• The most famous example of opera buffa is Pergolesi's La serva padrona (1733), which sparked the "Querelle des Bouffons" in Paris, a debate over the merits of Italian comic opera versus French serious opera

Notable Early Operas and Composers

George Frideric Handel and His Operas

• George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) was a German-born composer who spent most of his career in England
• Composed over 40 operas, most of which were in the opera seria style
• His operas featured virtuosic arias, elaborate vocal ornamentation, and complex plots drawn from classical mythology or ancient history
• Notable Handel operas include Giulio Cesare (1724), Rodelinda (1725), and Alcina (1735)
• Handel's operas showcased the talents of the leading singers of his day, including the castrato Senesino and the soprano Francesca Cuzzoni

Henry Purcell and Dido and Aeneas

• Henry Purcell (1659-1695) was an English composer who wrote the first great English opera, Dido and Aeneas (1689)
• Dido and Aeneas is a short opera based on the story of Dido, Queen of Carthage, and the Trojan hero Aeneas from Virgil's Aeneid
• The opera is notable for its expressive recitatives, haunting arias (Dido's Lament), and imaginative use of the chorus
• Purcell's music vividly conveys the emotions of the characters and the drama of the story
• Despite its brevity, Dido and Aeneas is considered a masterpiece of early opera and a landmark in the history of English music