A Brief History of Opera
The word ‘opera’ originates from the Italian language and it means ‘work of art’. When referring to music, the word ‘opera’ is often used interchangeably with the word ‘musical’. However, the history of opera is far more interesting than its definition suggests it to be. In reality, opera is far more than music. It is an art form that combines singing, acting, and dancing. It was developed in Italy during the Renaissance period and it became extremely popular there. Many famous composers such as Claudio Monteverdi and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote many opere. Indeed, the most popular of Mozart’s operas are his Mischievous Boy and The Magic Flute.
Two Great Baroque Compositions
A while back, I was listening to a recording of a Bach work when suddenly a female voice interrupted the music. It was a very haunting, ethereal voice that deeply moved me. The voice belonged to a singer named Leontyne Price and she was performing in the Bach work, called ‘Ave Maria’. I was so entranced by the voice that I immediately looked for the source and found out that it was recorded in the Baroque era. The recording was made in 1964 and it was one of the last performances of Bach’s works before his death in 1750.
A month later, I was listening to another recording of a different work by Bach when the same female voice again interrupted the music. When I heard the same voice sing the same lyrics (they were in German, but even if they weren’t, I could easily understand what they were saying), I realized that it was the same voice as in the previous recording. Even more interesting, it was the same voice as that of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, who was also performing in that recording. She later became famous as Astrid, the main character in Robert Bolt’s 1960 play, ‘Anastasia’.
Why Sing in Baroque Era?
Let’s get back to our main character, Caedom, who is singing in the above excerpts. Why would someone perform in the Baroque era? As we have seen, the Baroque era was a time of great development in music, especially opera. Singing in the Baroque era was considered a great art form and many composers, such as Bach, wrote a lot of music specifically for this purpose. Singing in the Baroque era required a great deal of stamina as the songs were often long and complicated.
According to this excerpt from ‘The History of Italian Opera’, the longest opera performed in the Baroque era was ‘Orlando Furioso’ by Matteo Mariani, which lasted for four hours. To put that into perspective, a modern pop song usually lasts for about three minutes.
In the Baroque era, singers didn’t just perform songs from popular operas. They also had the opportunity to perform rarely heard arias and scenes from obscure operas. Furthermore, many singers of that time would also accompany themselves on a string instrument, called a gittern or cittern. The ability to play the cittern was very rare and it demonstrated how well they sang.
It would be a missed opportunity if we didn’t mention the costumes worn during that time period. Since singing in the Baroque era was such an integral part of their lifestyle, the singers were usually very dressy. The most popular colors were red and white, which are the colors of the Italian flag. However, they did not limit themselves to one or two vibrant colors but often wore several different colors on a single outfit. For example, they would wear a red jacket and skirt and white slacks.
Why Do People Still Sing Today?
This brings us back to the present day, where singing is more popular than it has ever been before. People are finding value in singing as a form of self-expression and they often turn to music to express themselves. In addition, the study of vocal music has become extremely popular, especially in schools, and many people consider it to be a very effective method of learning to sing. Many people also find that listening to music can improve their mental health and it can help them to relax and de-stress from their busy schedules.
In conclusion, we can say that although singing is a lost art form, it is certainly not dead. Quite the opposite, singing has actually turned out to be quite the opposite of what many people expected it to be. The popularity of singing continues to grow and it is definitely here to stay.
Key Takeaways
● Although it was a time period in which many great developments happened, the Baroque era was also a time of great decadence. It was seen as a ‘lost’ era and many famous composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart considered it ‘the most atrocious of all times’.
● Singing in the Baroque era was considered a great art form and many famous composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach, wrote a lot of music specifically for this purpose. It required a lot of stamina and many singers would often be accompanied by a string instrument, called a cittern. Even more interestingly, the string instrument had become very rare by that time so it demonstrated how well they sang.
● The ability to play the cittern was very rare so it demonstrated how well they sang. In addition to that, many singers would wear multiple colors on a single outfit, so it was a great opportunity to be different.
● Although singing is a lost art form, it continues to grow in popularity and it is definitely here to stay.