Early Opera
The city in Italy where opera started.
Where is Florence, Italy?
This is what defined the Baroque Era.
What is ornamentation/flashiness, detail, emotion, talent, singing showmanship? (I might accept other similar answers)
This is what defined the classical era.
This is what defined the Romantic era.
What is emotion and the human process? (I will accept both, or either).
This is what defined the 20th Century and beyond for opera. (Hint: trick question!!!)
What is nothing or the 20th century was hard to define?
What is comedy and tragedy?
A type of Baroque opera that was very serious, and was performed for wealthy audience members.
What is Opera Seria?
A song with dramatic accompaniment (backing music) which is sung to convey emotion while telling a story, and is usually more showy and detailed vocally.
What is an aria?
The name of the Barber in The Barber of Seville.
Who is Figaro?
Music that doesn't stay in one key, and moves around between different tonalities. It often sounds somewhat random. (Hint: It starts with the letter "a").
What is atonal music?
The inspiration for opera, rooted in Greek history.
What is a Greek Drama?
An opera without costumes or sets, usually based on a Bible story.
What is an oratorio?
(True or False): Classical Opera was different from Baroque opera because it had more realistic plots that were about humans, instead of fantastical stories about myths and the gods.
What is true?
The name of what is considered the most famous opera of all time.
What is Carmen (by Georges Bizet)?
What happened at the premiere of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.
What is a riot?
These are the two early opera composers that we discussed.
Who are Claudio Monteverdi and Jacobi Peri?
The name of the Baroque opera composer we talked about in class. (Hint: Claudio Monteverdi was early opera, not Baroque).
Who is George Frideric Handel?
The name of the Classical opera composer we talked about in class. (Hint: He died at age 35, and wrote his first opera at age 11).
Who is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
A repeated melody that was usually associated with a specific character, prop, or part of a plot in an opera. This was invented by Richard Wagner, and was used in Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and many other modern films!
What is a leitmotif?
The composers we talked about for 20th Century Music. Bonus points if you can name five of them!
Who are Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Dmitri Shostakovich, Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin?
The most famous early opera, written by Claudio Monteverdi and telling the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. This opera was one of the first to focus on emotion rather than just telling a story without feeling.
What is L'Orfeo?
A named period of time that happened during the Baroque era. This was a boom of creativity, invention, exploration, and understanding of the world around us.
What is The Enlightenment?
A song with minimal accompaniment (backing music) that was sung to tell a story, rather than to show off the voice or show emotion.
What is recitative?
The name of a Romantic opera composer we discussed in class (there are multiple correct answers! 50 bonus points if your group can list all five early and late romantic composers!)
Who are Ludwig van Beethoven, Georges Bizet, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppi Verdi, and Richard Wagner?
How long is 15 hours?