Introduction to Music Ch 17, 18 Puccini, La Bohéme Wagner, Die Walkürie

La Bohéme study guide Read a La Boheme synopsis. Read a La Boheme synopsis What is “bohemianism”? Cite elements of Romanticism in La Bohéme.  Consider: Setting and environment Characters’ occupations, attitudes, and thinking Mimi’s illness. (Is it common or uncommon in 19 th C Europe?)  Story line and conclusion Explain irony’s role in La Bohéme.

La Bohéme study guide USE Connect Kamien for the following: 0:59 into the excerpt Mimi sings, “I’m out of breath.” Here’s the music: Mimi faints as she concludes that melody. At 1:04 the solo oboe plays a similar two-note pattern. Actually, these two descending tones hark back to the very beginnings of opera (1600), and they are meaningful. We first met them in Dido and Aeneas. (see next slide) What is this two-note pattern called and what does it signify?

Slide taken from Dido’s Lament study guide 4.Text expression: 17 th C listeners associated certain melodies or melodic patterns with specific emotions. Two commonly used ones express the text of Dido’s Lament:  A chromatically descending melody portrays grief or sorrow. It happens that Dido’s ground bass IS a chromatically descending melody. Th/f its 11 repetitions powerfully express the sorrowful text.  The “sighing” gesture, a pattern of 2 or 3 tones that descend by step, portray sadness or a dejected spirit. They say, “All is NOT well.” The gesture, which sounds like a sigh, is everywhere in Dido—in both the singer’s line and orchestra accomp. or 2 sighing gesture examples

La Bohéme study guide Is this opera an expression of  nationalism?  exoticism? Does La Bohéme include  recitatives?  arias?  ensembles? Explain how Puccini makes La Bohéme’s story-telling more continuous than that of earlier operas? Give details to defend your answer.

Summary Puccini Excerpt from La Bohéme opera I= Use preceding synopsis and study guide to create LOG information. Connect Kamien

Richard Wagner ( ) 19 th to 20 th C transition composer !!! Innovative & Influential  Thinking about music, drama & relationship of arts  Orchestration—new timbres  Modern harmony Dissonant & unconventional pushes toward atonality

Wagner Musician/Philosopher/Writer  Writes his own librettos  Writes many essays on art & music  Gesamkunstwerk = VIMP! Suggests that all of the art forms working together act synergistically on the onlooker’s senses and emotions. (Is this a progenitor of IMAX?)

Wagner Contributions to opera  eliminates arias and recitatives; writes “unending melody” instead  Leitmotifs powerful unifiers story-telling devices  changes atmosphere of opera house theater interior focused toward stage darkened hall acoustics produce (kind-of) surround sound audience must be quiet

Wagner Act I love scene from Die Walkürie music drama I= German mythology--Teutonic gods and goddesses Orchestration often MIMP than voices! Leitmotifs “unending melody” replaces arias & recitatives Summary

Die Walküre Leitmotifs: Valhalla Love Sword Common people (folk) combined w/ sword leitmotif Connect Kamien