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Opera
‘Opera’ is the Italian word for ‘work’ and an abbreviation of ‘Opera in musica’. An opera is a drama to be sung with instrumental accompaniment by one or more singers usually in costume and with scenery. As well as singing, this may include recitative or spoken dialogue. Questions should relate directly to the subject of opera.
1,955 Questions
Who are the best 20 opera sopranos?
I would say that Maria Callas is certainly one of the greatest. I would concur that what she put into each role and her stage presence and ability to convey the essence of the character she portrayed along with her distinctive voice made her one of the greatest. BBC agreed, and here is its list, in descending order. Most critics would violently disagree with many choices, and certainly the rank order is wrong. Common consensus among critics and voice afficionados is that Ponselle had the greatest voice, whereas Kirkby would not make most lists. Great sopranos such as Lotte Lehmann, Kiri Te Kanawa, Emma Calve, Eileen Farrell, Renee Fleming, Mirella Freni, Renata Scotto, Adelina Patti, Sena Jurinac, Frida Leider, Zinka Milanov, Jessie Norman, Elizabeth Rethberg - to name but a few - would certainly contest some of the spots taken by Brewer, Vishnevskaya, and Kirkby, although Brewer has a remarkable voice.
20. Elly Ameling
19. Rosa Ponselle
18. Renata Tebaldi
17. Christine Brewer
16. Elisabeth Schumann
15. Karita Mattila
14. Gundula Janowitz
13. Galina Vishnevskaya
12. Régine Crespin
11. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
10. Emma Kirkby
9. Kirsten Flagstad
8. Margaret Price
7. Lucia Popp
6. Montserrat Caballé
5. Birgit Nilsson
4. Leontyne Price
3. Victoria de los Angeles
2. Joan Sutherland
1. Maria Callas
What is the earliest surviving Italian opera?
Objection! That's a loaded question!
Dafne (1598) was the first known work of the genre we call opera. The libretto was by Corsi and the music by Peri. Unfortunately, this work is lost, we just know about it from contemporary descriptions.
Euridice (1600) is the first surviving opera. The libretto was by Rinuccini, music by Peri, with some portions by Caccini. This was also significant in that it used recitative, a foundation of operatic storytelling.
But--what was the first "great" opera? My vote is for Monteverdi's Orfeo, libretto by Striggio, premiered in 1607. Monteverdi was easily a superior composer to Peri, perhaps the best of his era. His interpretive skills were second to none, and he used a well-planned mix of recitative, aria, and choruses (many in his superb madrigal style). This is an excellent drama and has worn well over the years; if I had to convince someone that 17th-century opera is worth listening to, this is the work I to which I would point them.
But--again!--another important "first" opera was Andromeda (1637) by Ferrari, which was the first performance in the first public opera house, in Venice. All of the preceding works were virtually one-off productions for special occasions, with only sporadic repeats. The opening of an opera house as an ongoing business venture changed the nature of the genre significantly.
What is the name of the young page in Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro?
Cherubino is his name.
by Bryan mund
Opera history began with the meetings of the Florentine Camerata.
Rossini was born on Feb 29th - born in a leap year terefore he only 'had' a birthday once every 4 years.
Who were Giacomo Puccini's parents?
Michele Puccini (November 27, 1813 - January 23, 1864) and Albina Magi (November 2, 1830 - July 17, 1884) were the parents of Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (December 22, 1858 - November 29, 1924).
Specifically, the composer's father was a choir director ("maestro di cappella") at the Lucca Cathedral ("Duomo di Lucca"). The composer's mother also came from a musical family. In fact, both of his parents as well as his maternal uncle, Fortunato Magi were the composer's earliest musical influences and teachers.
What is the difference between coloratura and dramatic soprano?
Coloraturas have a range of approximately - or around - middle C to a "high F". They specialize in music that is distinguished by agile runs and leaps. The term coloratura refers to the elaborate ornamentation of the melody, which is a typical component of the music written for this voice. A lyric coloratura soprano is a type of soprano with a very light, agile voice and has high upper extension, capable of fast coloratura. Dramatic coloratura sopranos have a more sustained, stronger sound.
Where in the US was the first opera performed?
The first documented opera performance in New Orleans was staged on May 22, 1796 at a small theatre on St. Peter Street. Throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, New Orleans was "The Opera Capital of North America," especially after the opening of the French Opera House in 1859. Numerous operas by the great European master composers had their American premieres at the French Opera House or at one of the numerous other theatres around town.
What is the longest standing ovation in opera?
According to CBS News - After one performance of Otello, the audience gave Domingo 101 curtain calls and an 80-minute standing ovation. That's the world record for the longest standing ovation ever.
Filipino singer that has a soprano voice?
Some famous soprano singers from the Philippines are:
- Regine Velasquez
- Sarah Geronimo
- Charice Pempengco
- Sheryn Regis
- Kyla
- Rachell Ann Go
- Lani Misalucha
- Laarni Lozada
- Nina
- Jonalyn Viray
What is the lowest female singing voice?
The lowest female voice in a choir is called a contralto or, more commonly, an alto. This voice is also referred to as a "second alto."
No. Set opera names in italic, for example, Peter Grimes.
During a presentation of "Carmina Burana " in my city (Medellin, Colombia), I heard a woman asking her friend which one of the female singers could be Carmina (stressing the second syllable). Like many people, she made two mistakes:
First mistake: In the context of "Catuli Carmina", and "Carmina Burana", two musical works of Carl Orff (not operas, as some people say), the word "carmina" is not a personal or given name, but a common Latin name. "Carmina" means "songs" or "poems" in plural. Its singular form is "carmen".
Second mistake: Both forms of the word (singular and plural) have the accent on the first syllable ['kar-men], ['kar-mi-na]. (The pronunciation [kar-'mi-na] is not correct in Latin).
The names of the works:
· "Catuli Carmina", means "The Poems of Catullus" (Gaius Valerius Catullus, a Roman poet of the first century BC.). · "Carmina Burana" means "The Poems of Beuern". Burana is a Latin adjective referering to the town or Beuern" (i. e. "from Benediktbeuern", a municipality in Bavaria, Germany, where the "Carmina Burana" manuscript was found in 1803 in an Abbey of the Benedictine Order founded during the eighth century). And by the way, the word "carmen" as "poem" or "song" has no relation with the Spanish name "Virgen del Carmen" ("Our Lady of Mount Carmel"), since her original name was "Virgen del Carmel", in reference to "Mount Carmel" (a coastal mountain range in northern Israel).
Christian Betancur, Professor of Latin Language
Why are virtuoso important in the music world?
n., pl., -sos, or -si (-sē).
- A musician with masterly ability, technique, or personal style.
- A person with masterly skill or technique in the arts.
- A person with a strong interest in the fine arts, especially in antiquities.
- Archaic. A very learned person.
Who wrote William tell overture?
According to Wikipedia:
"The overture to the opera William Tell, with its high-energy finale, is a very familiar work composed by Gioachino Rossini in 1829."
What do you call the orchestral introduction at the beginning of an opera?
It's called an Overture or sometimes a Prelude
How many acts are in the opera La Boheme?
The Pucchini opera La boh̬me, first performed 1896 in Turin, consists of four acts. However, in the original manuscript written by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa there was an additional act which Pucchini obviously decided not to use. This became public after the death of Illica's widow in 1957 and the full libretto was handed out to a museum.
What is an air or melody in an opera especially for solo voice?
Melodies can be found in every song of an opera. Most likely these melodies are called character arias or recitatives.
What were the main instruments Giacomo Puccini used?
Giacomo Puccini studied church music on an organ, which of course, can simulate all the wind and string instruments in an orchestra.
His operas often used the orchestra to set the tone for a scene, and his arias are generally extraordinary. Except for the human voice as an instrument, it's not clear that he had any other favourite.
What is the definition of the word opera?
Opera is actually a plural; the singular is opus, meaning "work." But when we treat opera as an English word meaning a long musical composition of vocal and orchestral parts, we pluralize it as operas.
Why were songs from Mozart such as Don Giovanni so well known?
Because his operas were well known. Classical music was a near-universal pastime, both listening and playing, in European upper-class and middle-class circles in Mozart's time, in a way a pre-echo of pop music's universality these days.
What is a solo with accompaniment called?
its called solo & accompaniment and this is also its musical name.
