What is opera


Opera in translation from Italian means composition. Opera is a kind of musical-dramatic work based on a harmonious combination of music, stage action and words. Opera differs from other types of dramatic theater in that music is the main bearer of action, its driving force.

For the first time the opera originated in Italy, in the 16th-17th centuries. The emergence of this art began with the development of solo singing with instrumental accompaniment and the development of an expressive vocal monody conveying a variety of nuances of human speech, as well as some forms of theater of the time in which music occupied a significant place.

The opera has an integral musical and dramatic plot with its consistent development according to the laws of musical drama. In the absence of such, the role of music is reduced only to accompaniment, an illustration of the verbal text and the event unfolding on the stage. The opera form in this case disintegrates and is lost.

In the

art of opera the main expressive means is singing. With its help, artists create artistic images. The word in the opera is “musiced” by the playwright-composer. The musical intonation of verbal speech is supported by the musical accompaniment of a symphony orchestra, defined by a melody, rhythm, which makes the speech of the actors emotionally more pronounced. So in the opera there is a vocal monologue. Depending on the number of characters, this can be an aria or duet, quartet or quintet.

In the opera theater, music is designed to express intimate feelings and feelings of the hero, which sometimes hide behind his words. Important is not only what exactly this or that opera hero sings, but also with what feelings he does it. Creating his musical image, the composer necessarily takes into account the timbre of the voice, capable of more eloquently revealing his character.

To write an opera, you need a libretto – a literary scenario, according to which the plot will develop further. The composer of the opera genre, in contrast to the playwright, is more based on the creation of an integral piece of music.


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What is opera