Early Opera

I love having the perspective of approaching this historically, seeing the musical evolution that led to opera.

The courts are becoming the main patrons of not only music but arts and theater. It would make sense for the court's employees to start collaborating, especially when musicians have already been playing during intermissions.

Composers have become well versed and sophisticated with different genres of secular music; song, dance, instrumental and choral settings it is logical that those skills can lead to one body of work that showcase and explore all of those abilities and style. This also brings in the attention to words and emoting that has become so prominent.

This medium can bring together the common and cerebral music traditions, different moods, techniques and genres under one roof. It also significantly longer in length then any previous works.
There is a emphasis on entertainment as well as well musical sophistication. I assume the target audience for this was the rich and educated who wanted to be intellectually entertained.

This medium certainly shows both appropriation and complete control of all these various elements. This undertaking and masterful execution is no doubt a mark of genius.

The one drawback that opera can have is that the music is often perceived as supporting to the show and is not listened to for its own merit.



Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) - Excerpts from Orfeo

Orfeo, the first opera that is still regularly performed.

The emotional range of the music orfeo is vast, from happy dances, to depiction of death and hell.



Jean Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) - Armide

Lully, a court musician to the king of France (although "to his great distress the king was not able to attend any performances of Armide"). This seems to be a new symbol of status, such as being the musician for the Notre Dame would have been 3 centuries earlier.
This is almost 3 hours long and the harmonic language has shifted to the Baroque we all know.

I stumbled upon this very entertaining production from 2008:




Henry Purcell (1659-1695) - Dido and Aeneas

I am actually very familiar with the opera since I sang in the production in the chorus when I was younger. The parts must have been written for a more amateur production since us chorus members where quite young...
The opera was more popular privately probably so amateurs can act it.

Dido's lament of course is that famous aria with a bass ostinato.
It is very popular not only with classical musicians. Here's a version I love by 90s indie rock artist Jeff Buckley, even more powerful since he died very young.
(I was fortunate to work as his producer's assistant during my time in NYC)