Music 271: 2/19/07 II: Concerning European Opera: A: Two separate discussions to be synthesized: Bonds and Crawford: (Bonds p. 459-481) (Crawford p. • Opera was imported to America • Jenny Lynn (sp?) “Swedish Nightingale” influenced the role of women in music in America B: Three National approaches: • Italians and Germans were most influential, France as much C: Italian Opera in the 19th Century: 1. Four “generations” of composers • Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) • Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) & Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) • Guiseppe Verdi (1813-1901) • Giocomo Puccini (1858-1924) 2. The Italian opera libretto (script of the opera) of the first half of the 19th-century: two levels of conflict • Dramas in the Early half of the 19th Century displayed the conflict • Love triangles between people • Political conflict based on the desire of Italians for a unified nation • Bellini’s Norma (1831) - Love between a Druid priestess and a Roman officer set during the Roman occupation of Gaul, mirrors the conflict in Italy under the rule of various larger empires • Italy unified in 1871 3. The changing map of Europe: an indicator of political content of the Italian opera: (Bonds pp. 307, 385) D: Two musical traits of Italian opera: • Recitative and Aria served similar functions as in previous operas • Notion that the Recitative should be accompanied by the full orchestra instead of just a harpsichord • Harpsichord fell into obscurity