Italy, being the place where opera was born, was one of the most influential countries. Some of the characteristics of Italian opera were:
- The "bel canto", characterized by technically demanding passages for the singers in the high register, allowing them to shine through their performances. Two of the most representative composers who used bel canto were Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848), and Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835), who wrote the opera Norma.
- The "verismo", with more realistic plots and characters. Among the most important composers, we can name Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) with La Boheme, Tosca, or Madame Butterfly.
But the most influential and important composer of this period was Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), with pieces like Nabucco, Rigoletto, La Traviata or Aida. Below you can listen to the famous "Triumphal March" from the opera Aida.
In France we can name some composers like Giacomo Meyerbeer, Jacques Offenbach, or Georges Bizet who wrote the opera Carmen, realist and set in Seville, which used popular dances and themes.
In Germany there is a key figure, Richard Wagner (1813-1883), who created a very specific kind of opera conceived as a "total work of art", where poetry, music, set design and action were put together in order to create a continuous "musical drama", having the orchestra a leading role.
Richard Wagner wrote the texts of his operas based on German mythology. His most important works are The Ring of the Nibelungs and Tristan and Iseult. The following fragment is the epic "Ride of the Valkyries, from The Ring of the Nibelungs.
In Spain opera wasn't especially cultivated, since there was a very popular national genre: zarzuela.
Zarzuela was born in the 18th century but became really important during the 19th century. It was similar to opera since it was based on a plot, and on the use of sung parts. However, there is no recitative in zarzuela, just spoken text. Also, the plots have to do with popular themes based on typical elements.
During the Romanticism, zarzuela evolved in two different ways:
In France we can name some composers like Giacomo Meyerbeer, Jacques Offenbach, or Georges Bizet who wrote the opera Carmen, realist and set in Seville, which used popular dances and themes.
In Germany there is a key figure, Richard Wagner (1813-1883), who created a very specific kind of opera conceived as a "total work of art", where poetry, music, set design and action were put together in order to create a continuous "musical drama", having the orchestra a leading role.
Richard Wagner wrote the texts of his operas based on German mythology. His most important works are The Ring of the Nibelungs and Tristan and Iseult. The following fragment is the epic "Ride of the Valkyries, from The Ring of the Nibelungs.
In Spain opera wasn't especially cultivated, since there was a very popular national genre: zarzuela.
Zarzuela was born in the 18th century but became really important during the 19th century. It was similar to opera since it was based on a plot, and on the use of sung parts. However, there is no recitative in zarzuela, just spoken text. Also, the plots have to do with popular themes based on typical elements.
During the Romanticism, zarzuela evolved in two different ways:
- The "zarzuela grande", structured in three acts and with a larger musical development. One of the most representative composers was Barbieri (1823-1894) with El barberillo de Lavapiés.
- The "género chico", in a single act, with less characters. Spoken text was predominant, over sung text. We can name Federico Chueca (1848-1908) with La Gran Vía and Tomás Bretón (1850-1908) with La Verbena de la Paloma.
Below you can watch and listen to a fragment of La Verbena de la Paloma.
