Comic opera, or light opera, denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.
Comic opera first developed in 18th-century Italy as opera buffa, an alternative to opera seria. The term Opera buffa (plural Opere buffe) was at first used as an informal description of Italian Comic operas variously classified by their authors as Opera seria (usually called dramma per musica or Melodramma serio) is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" It quickly made its way to France, where it became opéra comique, or opéra bouffe, and finally French operetta, with Jacques Offenbach as its most accomplished practitioner. Opéra comique (plural opéras comiques is a French genre of Opera that contains spoken dialogue Operetta is a genre of light Opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter Jacques Offenbach (born Jacob Offenbach 20 June 1819 in Cologne &ndash 5 October 1880 in Paris) was a German
Both the Italian and French forms were major artistic exports to other parts of Europe. Many countries developed their own styles of comic opera, incorporating the Italian and French models along with their own musical traditions. Examples include Viennese operetta, German singspiel, Spanish zarzuela, Russian comic opera, English ballad opera, and Savoy Opera. For the racehorse see Singspiel (horse. Singspiel ("song-play" (plural Singspiele is a form of German-language Zarzuela (θarˈθwela in Spain in Latin America is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes the latter incorporating Operatic The term ballad opera is used to refer to a genre of English stage entertainment originating in the 18th century and continuing to develop in the following century Savoy Operas denote a style of Comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century with W
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Italian comic opera
- See also: Opera buffa
In late 17th-century Italy, light-hearted musical plays began to be offered as an alternative to weightier opera seria (17th-century Italian opera based on classical mythology). The term Opera buffa (plural Opere buffe) was at first used as an informal description of Italian Comic operas variously classified by their authors as Trespolo tutore (c. 1677) by Alessandro Stradella (1639–1682) was an early precursor of opera buffa. Alessandro Stradella ( 3 April, 1639 - February 25, 1682) was an Italian composer of the middle Baroque. The opera has a farcical plot, and the characters of the ridiculous guardian Trespolo and the maid Despina are prototypes of characters widely used later in the opera buffa genre.
The form began to flourish in Naples with Alessandro Scarlatti's Il Trionfo dell'onore (1718). Alessandro Scarlatti (May 2 1660 &ndash October 24 1725 was an Italian Baroque Composer especially famous for his Operas and chamber Cantatas At first written in Neapolitan dialect, these works became "Italianized" with the operas of Scarlatti, Pergolesi (La Serva Padrona), Piccinni (La Cecchina), Cimarosa (Il Matrimonio Secreto), and then the great comic operas of Mozart and, later, Rossini. Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (January 4 1710 &ndash 16 or March 17 1736 was an Italian Composer, Violinist and organist. Niccolò Piccinni ( January 16, 1728 - May 7, 1800) was an Italian Composer of symphonies sacred music chamber music Domenico Cimarosa ( 17 December 1749 – 11 January 1801) was an Italian Opera Composer of the Neapolitan
At first, comic operas were generally presented as intermezzos between acts of more serious works. Neapolitan and then Italian comic opera grew into an independent form and became the most popular form of staged entertainment in Italy from about 1750 to 1800. In 1749, thirteen years after Pergolesi's death, his La Serva Padrona swept Italy and France, evoking the praise of such French Enlightenment luminaries as Rousseau. The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a phase in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century
In 1760, Niccolò Piccinni wrote the music to La Cecchina to a text by the great Venetian playwright, Carlo Goldoni. Niccolò Piccinni ( January 16, 1728 - May 7, 1800) was an Italian Composer of symphonies sacred music chamber music La Cecchina ossia La buona figliuola ( Cecchina or The Good-Natured Girl) is an Opera buffa in three Acts by Niccolò Piccinni. Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni (25 February 1707 – 6 February 1793 was a celebrated Venetian Playwright and Librettist, whom critics today rank among the European That text was based on Samuel Richardson's popular English novel, Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740). Samuel Richardson (19 August 1689 &ndash 4 July 1761 was an 18th-century English Writer and printer. Pamela or Virtue Rewarded is an epistolary Novel by Samuel Richardson, first published in 1740. Many years later, Verdi called La Cecchina the "first true Italian comic opera" – that is to say, it had everything: it was in standard Italian and not in dialect; it was no longer simply an intermezzo, but rather an independent piece; it had a real story that people liked; it had dramatic variety; and, musically, it had strong melodies and even strong supporting orchestral parts, including a strong "stand-alone" overture (i. e. , you could even enjoy the overture as an independent orchestral piece). Verdi was also enthusiastic because the music was by a southern Italian and the text by a northerner, which appealed to Verdi's pan-Italian vision.
The genre was developed further in the 19th century by Gioacchino Rossini in his masterpieces such as The Barber of Seville (1816) and La Cenerentola (1817). The Barber of Seville or The Useless Precaution ( Il barbiere di Siviglia ossia L'inutile precauzione) is an Opera buffa in two acts by La Cenerentola ossia La bontà in trionfo ( Cinderella or Goodness Triumphant) is an Operatic Dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioacchino
French comic opera
- See also: Opéra comique and operetta
French composers eagerly seized upon the Italian model and made it their own, calling it opéra comique. Opéra comique (plural opéras comiques is a French genre of Opera that contains spoken dialogue Operetta is a genre of light Opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter Early proponents included François-Adrien Boïeldieu (1775–1834), Daniel François Auber (1782–1871) and Adolphe Adam (1803–1856). François-Adrien Boieldieu ( December 16, 1775 in Rouen &ndash October 8, 1834 in Varennes-Jarcy, Essonne Daniel François Esprit Auber ( January 29, 1782 – May 13, 1871) was a French Composer. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Adolphe Charles Adam ( July 24, 1803 &ndash May 3, Although originally reserved for less serious works, the term opéra comique came to refer to any opera that included spoken dialogue, including works such as Bizet's Carmen that are not "comic" in any sense of the word. Georges Bizet (25 October 1838 – 3 June 1875 was a French Composer and Pianist of the Romantic era Carmen is a French Opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The Libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based
Florimond Hervé (1825–1892) is credited as the inventor of French opéra bouffe, or opérette. Hervé, real name Florimond Ronger, ( June 30, 1825 &ndash November 4, 1892) was a French singer Composer, [1]. Working on the same model, Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880 quickly surpassed him, writing over ninety operettas. Operetta is a genre of light Opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter Whereas earlier French comic operas had a mixture of sentiment and humour, Offenbach's works were intended solely to amuse. Though generally well crafted and full of humorous satire and grand opera parodies, plots and characters in his works were often interchangeable. Given the frenetic pace at which he worked, Offenbach sometimes used the same material in more than one opera. Another Frenchman who took up this form was Charles Lecocq. Alexandre Charles Lecocq ( June 3, 1832, Paris &ndash October 24, 1918, Paris was a French musical composer
German singspiel and Viennese operetta
The singspiel developed in 18th-century Vienna and spread throughout Austria and Germany. For the racehorse see Singspiel (horse. Singspiel ("song-play" (plural Singspiele is a form of German-language Operetta is a genre of light Opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter For the racehorse see Singspiel (horse. Singspiel ("song-play" (plural Singspiele is a form of German-language As in the French opéra comique, the singspiel was an opera with spoken dialogue, and usually a comic subject, such as Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio (1782). Die Entführung aus dem Serail ( K 384; The Abduction from the Seraglio; also known as Il Seraglio) is an Opera Singspiel Later singspiels, such as Beethoven's Fidelio and Weber's Der Freischütz, retained the form, but explored more serious subjects
19th century Viennese operetta was built on both the singspiel and the French model. Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. Fidelio (Op 72 is an Opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber ( 18 December 1786 in Eutin, Holstein, Germany - 5 June 1826 in London Der Freischütz is an Opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber to a Libretto by Friedrich Kind. Operetta is a genre of light Opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter Franz von Suppé (1819–1895) is remembered mainly for his overtures. Franz von Suppé (Francesco Suppé Demelli (April 18 1819 &ndash) was a Composer and conductor of the Romantic period notable for his four dozen Johann Strauss II (1825–1899), the "waltz king", contributed Die Fledermaus (1874) and The Gypsy Baron (1885). Johann Strauss II (also known as Johann Strauss the Younger, Johann Strauss Jr Die Fledermaus ( The Bat; in French La chauve-souris) is an Operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German Libretto The Gypsy Baron (In German Der Zigeunerbaron) is an Operetta in three Acts by Johann Strauss II which premiered at the Theater Karl Millöcker (1842-1899) a long-time conductor at the Theater an der Wein, also composed some of the most popular Viennese operettas of the late 19th century, including Der Bettelstudent (1882), Gasparone (1884) and Der Arme Jonathan (1890). Karl (also Carl) Joseph Millöcker ( &ndash) was an Austrian Composer of Operettas and a conductor. The Theater an der Wien (The Theatre on the Wien River is a Theatre in Vienna. Der Bettelstudent ( The Beggar Student) is an Operetta in three acts by Karl Millöcker to a German Libretto by Friedrich Gasparone is an Operetta in three acts by Karl Millöcker to a German Libretto by Friedrich Zell and Richard Genée.
After the turn of the 20th century, Franz Lehár (1870–1948) wrote The Merry Widow (1905); and Oscar Straus (1870–1954) supplied Ein Walzertraum ("A Waltz Dream", 1907) and The Chocolate Soldier (1908). Franz Lehár (30 April 1870 &ndash 24 October 1948 known in Hungarian as Lehár Ferenc, was an Austrian Composer of Hungarian descent The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe is an Operetta by the Austro-Hungarian Composer Franz Lehár. Oscar Nathan Straus (6 March 1870 – 11 January 1954 was a Viennese composer of Operettas and film scores and songs Ein Walzertraum (in English A Waltz Dream) is an Operetta composed by Oscar Straus with a libretto by Leopold Jacobson The Chocolate Soldier ( Der tapfere Soldat) is an Operetta composed by Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw 's 1894 play
Spanish comic opera
- See also: Zarzuela
Zarzuela, introduced in Spain in the 17th century, is rooted in popular Spanish traditional musical theatre. Zarzuela (θarˈθwela in Spain in Latin America is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes the latter incorporating Operatic Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating dances, with chorus numbers and humorous scenes that are usually duets. These works are relatively short, and ticket prices were often low, to appeal to the general public. There are two main forms of zarzuela: Baroque zarzuela (c. 1630–1750), the earliest style, and Romantic zarzuela (c. 1850–1950), which can be further divided into the two subgenres of género grande and género chico. Género chico (literally "little genre" is a Spanish genre of short light musical plays
Pedro Calderón de la Barca was the first playwright to adopt the term zarzuela for his work entitled El golfo de las sirenas ("The Gulf of the Sirens", 1657). Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Henao ( January 17, 1600 &ndash May 25, 1681) was a Dramatist of the Spanish Golden Lope de Vega soon wrote a work titled La selva sin amor, drama con orquesta ("The Loveless Jungle, A Drama with Orchestra"). Lope de Vega (also Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio or Lope Félix de Vega Carpio) ( 25 November 1562 &ndash 27 August 1635 The instruments orchestra was hidden from the audience, the actors sang in harmony, and the musical composition itself was intended to evoke an emotional response. Some of these early pieces were lost, but Los celos hacen estrellas ("Jealousies Turn Into Stars") by Juan Hidalgo and Juan Vélez, which premiered in 1672, survives and gives us some sense of what the genre was like in the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Italian operatic style influenced Zarzuela. But beginning with the reign of Bourbon King Charles III, anti-Italian sentiment increased. Zarzuela returned to its roots in popular Spanish tradition in works such as the sainetes (or Entr'actes) of Don Ramón de la Cruz. This author's first work in this genre was Las segadoras de Vallecas ("The Reapers of Vallecas", 1768), with music by Rodríguez de Hita.
Single act zarzuelas were classified as género chico (the "little genre" or "little form") and zarzuelas of three or more acts were género grande (the "big genre" or "big form"). Zarzuela grande battled on at the Teatro de la Zarzuela de Madrid, but with little success and light attendance. In spite of this, in 1873 a new theater, the Apolo, was opened for zarzuela grande, which shared the failures of the Teatro de la Zarzuela, until it was forced to change its program to género chico.
English light opera
- See also: Ballad opera and Savoy opera
England traces its light opera tradition to the ballad opera, typically a comic play that incorporated songs set to popular tunes. The term ballad opera is used to refer to a genre of English stage entertainment originating in the 18th century and continuing to develop in the following century Savoy Operas denote a style of Comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century with W John Gay's The Beggar's Opera was the earliest and most popular of these. John Gay ( 30 June, 1685 - 4 December, 1732) was an English Poet and Dramatist. The Beggar's Opera is a Ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay. Richard Brinsley Sheridan's La Duenna (1775), with a score by Thomas Linley, was expressly described as "a comic opera". Richard Brinsley Sheridan (30 October 1751 &ndash 7 July 1816 was an Irish playwright and Whig Statesman. Thomas (Tom Linley the younger (1756-1778 was the eldest son of the composer Thomas Linley the elder and his wife Mary Johnson and was a remarkable singer violinist and composer [2]
By the second half of the 19th century, the London musical stage was dominated by pantomime and burlesque, as well as bawdy, badly translated continental operettas, and visiting the theatre became distasteful to the respectable public. Pantomime (informally panto) (not to be confused with a Mime artist, referring to a theatrical performer of mime is a performance genre traditionally found Burlesque is a genre of entertainment also known as Travesty. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas German Reed, beginning in 1855, and a number of other Britons, deplored the risqué state of musical theatre and introduced short comic operas designed to be more family-friendly and to elevate the intellectual level of musical entertainments. Thomas German Reed ( June 27 1817 &ndash March 21 1888) was an English composer and theatrical manager best known for creating the German Reed Entertainment was founded in 1855 and operated by Thomas German Reed (1817&ndash1888 together with his wife Priscilla Reed née Horton (1818&ndash1895 Jessie Bond wrote,
- The stage was at a low ebb, Elizabethan glories and Georgian artificialities had alike faded into the past, stilted tragedy and vulgar farce were all the would-be playgoer had to choose from, and the theatre had become a place of evil repute to the righteous British householder. Jessie Bond (10 January 1853 – 17 June 1942 was an English singer and actress best known for creating the Mezzo-soprano Soubrette roles in the Gilbert . . . A first effort to bridge the gap was made by the German Reed Entertainers. . . . [3]
Nevertheless, an 1867 production of Offenbach's The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein (seven months after its French première) ignited the English appetite for light operas with more carefully crafted librettos and scores, and continental European operettas continued to be extremely popular in Britain in the 1860s and '70s, including Les Cloches de Corneville, Madame Favart and others into the 1880s. La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein ( The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein) is an Opéra bouffe, or Operetta, in three acts and four tableaux by Jacques Offenbach Palmayserpolettejpg|right|thumb|220px| Ilka Palmay as Serpolette in an 1893 Berlin production]] Les cloches de Corneville (known in English as The Chimes Madame Favart is an Opéra comique, or Operetta, in three acts by Jacques Offenbach.
In 1875, Richard D'Oyly Carte, one of the impressarios aiming to establish an English school of light opera by composers such as Frederic Clay and Edward Solomon as a countermeasure to the continental operettas, commissioned Clay's collaborator, W. S. Gilbert, and the promising young composer, Arthur Sullivan, to write a short one-act opera that would serve as an afterpiece to Offenbach's La Périchole. Richard D'Oyly Carte (3 May 1844 &ndash 3 April 1901 was an English talent agent theatrical Impresario and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian Frederic Emes Clay (3 August 1838&ndash24 November 1889 was an English composer known principally for his music written for the stage Edward Solomon ( July 25 1855 &ndash January 22 1895) was a prolific English composer as well as a conductor orchestrator and pianist Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 &ndash 29 May 1911 was an English Dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO (13 May 1842 &ndash 22 November 1900 was an English composer of Irish and Italian descent best known for his operatic The result was Trial by Jury; its success launched the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership. This article is about the comic opera For the legal institution see Jury trial. Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian era partnership of Librettist W "Mr. R. D'Oyly Carte's Opera Bouffe Company" took Trial on tour, playing it alongside French works by Offenbach and Alexandre Charles Lecocq. Alexandre Charles Lecocq ( June 3, 1832, Paris &ndash October 24, 1918, Paris was a French musical composer
Eager to liberate the English stage from French influences, and emboldened by the success of Trial by Jury, Carte formed a syndicate in 1877 to perform "light opera of a legitimate kind". [4] Gilbert and Sullivan were commissioned to write a new comic opera, The Sorcerer, starting the series that came to be known as the Savoy Operas (named for the Savoy Theatre, which Carte later built for these works) that included H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado, which became popular around the world. For other uses see Sorcerer. Sorctrialjpg|right|thumb|300px|1878 programme cover]] The Sorcerer is a two-act Comic opera Savoy Operas denote a style of Comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century with W The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London England HMS Pinafore, or The Lass that Loved a Sailor, is a Comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and Libretto by The Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty is a Comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and Libretto by W The Mikado, or The Town of Titipu, is a Comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and Libretto by W The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company continued to perform Gilbert and Sullivan more-or-less continuously until it closed in 1982. D'Oyly Carte Opera Company staged performances of Gilbert and Sullivan 's Savoy Operas in the UK Europe North America South Africa Australia and elsewhere from the The Gilbert and Sullivan style was widely imitated by their contemporaries (for example, in Dorothy, and the creators themselves wrote works in this style with other collaborators. Dorothy is a Comic opera in three acts with music by Alfred Cellier and a libretto by B Those other works, however, fell out of favor by the early 1990s, leaving the Savoy Operas as practically the sole representatives of the genre surviving today. Only recently, some of these other English light operas have begun to be explored by scholars and to receive performances and recordings.
Russian comic opera
The first opera presented in Russia, in 1731, was a comic opera (or "commedia per musica"), Calandro, by an Italian composer, Giovanni Alberto Ristori. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Calandro is three-act Opera buffa by Giovanni Alberto Ristori ( 1692 - 1753) to a Libretto by Stefano Benedetto Pallavicini Giovanni Alberto Ristori (born Bologna ? 1692 - died Dresden 7 February 1753) was an Italian Opera composer and It was followed by the comic operas of other Italians, like Galuppi and Cimarosa, and also the Belgian/French composer Grétry. Baldassare Galuppi ( October 18, 1706 &ndash January 3, 1785) was an Italian Composer from Venice, noted Domenico Cimarosa ( 17 December 1749 – 11 January 1801) was an Italian Opera Composer of the Neapolitan The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Born 1300–1550 Guillaume de Machaut (1300–1377 Guillaume Dufay (?1397–1474 Loÿset Compère (c
The first Russian comic opera was Anyuta (1772). Anyuta (Аню́та is a one-act comic Opera to a Libretto by Mikhail Popov. The text was written by Mikhail Popov, with music by an unknown composer, consisting of a selection of popular songs specified in the libretto. Another successful comic opera, Melnik – koldun, obmanshchik i svat ("The Miller who was a Wizard, a Cheat and a Match-maker"', text by Alexander Ablesimov, Moscow, 1779), on a subject resembling Rousseau's Devin, is attributed to Mikhail Sokolovsky. Aleksander Onisimovich Ablesimov, ( Russian: Александр Онисимович Аблесимов, born September Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Mikhail Matveyevich Sokolovsky ( Russian Михаи́л Матве́евич Соколо́вский (1756&mdashafter 1795 was a late-18th century Russian Ivan Kerzelli, Vasily Pashkevich and Yevstigney Fomin also wrote a series of successful comic operas in the 18th century. Ivan Kerzelli or Cherzelli (also known as I I Kerzelli, or Iosif Kertsel, Russian Иван Керцелли, И Vasily Alexeyevich Pashkevich also Paskevich (Васи́лий Алексе́евич Пашке́вич or Паске́вич (c Yevstigney Ipat'yevich Fomin (Евстигне́й Ипа́тьевич Фоми́н (born St Petersburg &ndash died St
In the 19th century, Russian comic opera was further developed by Alexey Verstovsky who composed more 30 opera-vaudevilles and 6 grand operas (most of them with spoken dialogue). Alexey Nikolayevich Verstovsky ( Алексéй Николáевич Верстóвский) (born Seliverstovo Estate Kozlovsky district Tambov ’s region Later, Modest Mussorgsky worked on two comic operas, Sorochintsy Fair and Zhenit'ba ("The Marriage"), which he left unfinished (they were completed only in 20th century). Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (Моде́ст Петро́вич Му́соргский Modest Petrovič Musorgskij) ( March 21 March 9 1839 &ndash March Pyotr Tchaikovsky wrote a comic opera, Cherevichki (after Nikolai Gogol, 1885, 1887 Moscow). Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (Никола́й Васи́льевич Го́голь Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol;; Микола Васильович Гоголь Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov composed May Night 1878–1879 and The Golden Cockerel 1906–1907. Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov ( Николай Андреевич Римский-Корсаков, Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov) also Nikolay May Night ( Майская ночь, Mayskaja noch) is an Opera in three acts four scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov from a The Golden Cockerel ( Золотой Петушок, Zolotoy Petushok) is an Opera in three acts (with short prologue and even shorter epilogue
In the 20th century, the best examples of comic opera by Russian composers were Igor Stravinsky's Mavra (1922) and The Rake's Progress (1951), Sergey Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges (1919) and Betrothal in a Monastery (1940–1941), and Dmitri Shostakovich's The Nose (1928, staged 1930). Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to Mavra is a one-act Opera buffa composed by Igor Stravinsky, and one of the earliest works of Stravinsky's 'neo-classical' period The Rake's Progress is an Opera in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Серге́й Серге́евич Проко́фьев Sergéj Sergéjevič Prokófjev) ( - 5 March 1953 was a Russian composer who The Love for Three Oranges ( Russian: Любовь к трём апельсинам, or Lyubov k Tryom Apelsinam in Transliteration Betrothal in a Monastery ( Obrucheniye v monastïre in Transliteration) was Sergei Prokofiev 's sixth opera with an opus number Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich ( Russian: ru Дмитрий Дмитриевич Шостакович ( &ndash 9 August 1975 was a Russian Composer " The Nose " is a satirical Short story by Nikolai Gogol, subsequently made into an opera by Dmitri Shostakovich. Simultaneously, the genres of light music, operetta, musical comedy, and later, rock opera, were developed by such composers as Isaak Dunayevsky, Nikolai Strelnikov, Yuri Milyutin, Dmitri Kabalevsky, Dmitri Shostakovich (Opus 105: Moscow-Cheryomushki, operetta in 3 acts, (1958)), Tikhon Khrennikov, and later by Gennady Gladkov, Alexey Rybnikov, and Alexander Zhurbin. Rock operas, Concept albums Song cycles and Oratorios all differ from a conventional rock album which usually includes songs that are unrelated to each Isaak Osipovich Dunayevsky also Dunaevsky or Dunaevski ( Исаак Осипович Дунаевский; Lokhvitsa Poltava - 25 July Dmitri Borisovich Kabalevsky (Дми́трий Бори́сович Кабале́вский (December 30 1904 &ndash February 18 1987 was a Russian Soviet Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov (Тихон Николаевич Хренников ( &ndash 14 August, 2007) was a Russian and Soviet Composer
The 21st century in Russian comic opera began with the noisy premieres of two works whose genre could be described as "opera-farce":
Tsar Demyan (Царь Демьян) – A frightful opera performance. A collective project of five authors wrote the work: Leonid Desyatnikov and Vyacheslav Gaivoronsky from St. Petersburg, Iraida Yusupova and Vladimir Nikolayev from Moscow, and the creative collective "Kompozitor", which is a pseudonym for the well-known music critic Pyotr Pospelov. See also Leonid Arkadievich Desyatnikov ( Russian: Леони́д Арка́дьевич Деся́тников born Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of The libretto is by Elena Polenova, based on a folk-drama, Tsar Maksimilyan, and the work premiered on June 20, 2001 at the Mariinski Theatre, St Petersburg. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The Mariinsky Theatre ( Мариинский театр, also spelled Maryinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of Opera and Ballet in Prize "Gold Mask, 2002" and "Gold Soffit, 2002".
Rosenthal's Children (Дети Розенталя), an opera in two acts by Leonid Desyatnikov, with a libretto by Vladimir Sorokin. See also Leonid Arkadievich Desyatnikov ( Russian: Леони́д Арка́дьевич Деся́тников born Vladimir Georgievich Sorokin (Владимир Георгиевич Сорокин (born August 7, 1955 in Bykovo Moscow Oblast This work was commissioned by the Bolshoi theatre and premiered on March 23, 2005. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The staging of the opera was accompanied by juicy scandal; however it was an enormous success.
American operetta
- See also: Musical theatre and operetta
In America, Victor Herbert (1859–1924) was one of the first to pick up the style that Gilbert and Sullivan had made popular. Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. Operetta is a genre of light Opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter Victor August Herbert ( February 1 1859 &ndash May 26 1924) was a Cellist, conductor and Composer best known His earliest pieces, starting with Prince Ananias in 1894, were styled "comic operas. " Later works were described as "musical extravaganza", "musical comedy", "musical play", "musical farce", and even "opera comique. " His two most successful pieces were Babes in Toyland (1903) and Naughty Marietta (1910) [5]
Others who wrote in a similar style included Reginald de Koven (1859–1920), the march king, John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), Sigmund Romberg, and Rudolf Friml. Babes in Toyland is an Operetta composed by Victor Herbert with a libretto by Glen MacDonough (1870 - 1924 which wove together various characters Naughty Marietta is an Operetta in two acts with Libretto by Rida Johnson Young and music by Victor Herbert. Henry Louis Reginald De Koven ( April 3, 1859 &ndash January 16 1920) was an American Music critic and Composer John Philip Sousa ( November 6, 1854 &ndash March 6, 1932) was an American Composer and conductor of the late Sigmund Romberg, born Zsigmond Romberg ( July 29, 1887, Nagykanizsa − November 9, 1951 Rudolf Friml ( December 7, 1879 - November 12, 1972) was a Composer of Operettas musicals and songs as well The modern American musical incorporated elements of the British and American light operas, with works like Show Boat and Porgy and Bess that explored more serious subjects and featured a tight integration among book, movement and lyrics. Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book (based on a novel by Edna Ferber) and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein Porgy and Bess is an Opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, Libretto by DuBose Heyward, and
The line between light opera and other recent forms is difficult to draw. Several works are variously called operettas or musicals, such as Candide and Sweeney Todd, depending on whether they are performed in opera houses or in theaters. Candide (1956 is an Operetta with music composed by Leonard Bernstein, based on the Novella of the same name by Voltaire Sweeney Todd is a semi-fictional character who first appeared as one of the Protagonists of a Penny dreadful serial entitled The String of Pearls In addition, some recent American and British musicals make use of an operatic structure, for example, containing recurring motifs, and may even be sung through without dialogue. Those with orchestral scores are ususually styled "musicals", while those played on electronic instruments are often styled rock operas. Rock operas, Concept albums Song cycles and Oratorios all differ from a conventional rock album which usually includes songs that are unrelated to each
See also
External links
- Extensive site with information about operettas, light operas and their composers
- Origins of comic opera
- Italian comic and serious opera
- Russian comic opera
- Comic Opera Guild site, includes light opera information about translations, orchestrations, festivals, recordings, etc.
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