2. OPERA
Opera is a drama set to music. It
includes poetry, scenery, costumes, acting and
dancing on addition to vocal and instrumental
music.

3. COMPONENTS OF THE OPERA
Libretto
- the text of an opera

4. Overture
- instrumental composition which
serves as an introduction to the opera.

5. Recitative
- a sung dialogue; a vocal part
that is declaimed following the
pattern of speech rather than melody.

6. Aria
- a song which poetically and
musically reflects dramatic feeling

7. Duo, trio and other small ensembles
-a group of musicians, actors, or dancers
who perform together.

8. Chorus
-Broadly speaking, a chorus is any substantial group who
act more or less as one. They can give the history to an event so the
opera does not have to elaborate by showing the event. They are
usually set as a group - examples being - Beethoven's Fidelio as the
prisoners, Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana as the villagers, Bizet's
Carmen as the factory girls etc.

9. Orchestra
-An orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble that contains
sections of string, brass, wood wind, and percussion instruments.
-. A smaller-sized orchestra for this time period (of about fifty
musicians or fewer) is called a chamber orchestra. A full-size orchestra
(about 100 musicians) may sometimes be called a "symphony orchestra"
or "philharmonic orchestra"

10. The Jalisco Philarmonic Orchestra is an example of a musical ensemble.
(Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico)

11. Ballet
- dance of formal and stylized nature
Acts and scenes
- sections of an opera

12. GUI SEPPE VERDI ( 181 3 - 1901 )
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (Italian:
October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian
Romantic composer primarily known for his
operas. Verdi dominated the Italian opera scene
after the eras of Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini.

13. Guiseppe Verdi was known as the greatest composer of Italian opera
who composed 27 operas . His operas are, perhaps, among the most frequently
performed operas around the world. No matter what nationality you are, his
music, his libretto s, penetrate the soul and profoundly affect the human
psyche. Operas were not written to be marveled for their technical prowess
or how well they stuck to the rules (though it certainly helps if the opera
posses such qualities). They were written to express feelings and human
emotion. Verdi's operas did just that. Below is a listing of operas by Verdi.

14. CHRONOLOGY AND BRIEF SYNOPSES OF THE
VERDI OPERAS:
Period I: The Rossini Influence
1840: Un giorno di regno, ossia il finto Stanislao (A One-Day Reign, or the False Stanislaus)
This was the first and only Verdi opera to be hailed as “comedy” until his final
work, Falstaff. Verdi composed this opera in the midst of losing his two children and his wife
and, as a result, it was a total flop when it premiered at La Scala on September 5, 1840. The
opera’s story takes place in Poland, and involves of a tangle of romances in the midst of war.
The only real battle here is the battle of wits that takes place as catty women seek to snag
the men of their dreams.

15. 1847: Macbeth
Verdi’s rendering of the Shakespearean favorite was
premiered at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence on March 14,
1847. The storyline involves the corrupt Macbeth and his desire
to become King, which eventually leads to his downfall at the
hands of supernatural forces and his equally corrupt wife.

16. Period II: An Emphasis on Character Development
1851: Rigoletto
Rigoletto became an immediate sensation when it was
first performed at La Fenice Theatre in Venice on March 11, 1851. It
tells the story of the court jester, Rigoletto, who seeks vengeance
on his lord, the Duke of Mantua for seducing his daughter. Justice
is not served, as the jester’s daughter dies and Duke lives on.

17. 1853: La Traviata (The Woman Who Strayed)
In a long list of Verdi operas, La Traviata is often
at the forefront of peoples’ minds. It was first performed
in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice on March 6, 1853 and
involves the courtesan, Violetta, sacrificing her love for
Alfredo to help preserve his family’s good name.

18. Period III: The Meyerbeer Grand Opera/Italianate Amalgem
1871: Aida The first (and undeniably atmospheric)
performance of Aida was given on Christmas Eve, 1871
at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo, Egypt. Aida follows the
tale of the Egyptian commander Radames and his clandestine
love for Aida, an Ethiopian slave girl.

19. Aida is called as an grand opera because
it is sung. The famous march played during
graduation rites is the Grand March from
the opera “Aida”.

20. Period IV: Verdi Coming Into His Own
1887: Otello
Verdi turned once again to Shakespeare for the
inspiration behind this work which premiered at La Scala on
February 5, 1887. In the tale, the villainous character Iago
spreads vicious rumors about Otello’s wife, Desdemona, which
inflames his jealousy and results in tragic consequences.

21. 1893: Falstaff
Ironically, Falstaff, Verdi’s final opera, was in a genre he
had never really experimented with beyond his failed second opera.
Far from failing, Falstaff was hailed as a work of genius after its
La Scala debut on February 9, 1893. It weaves a Shakespearean tale
in which the rotund Sir John Falstaff is taught an important
lesson after attempting to romance two women simultaneously..