IL MELODRAMMA ISTITUTO “M.L.KING” COMENIUS PROJECT A.S. 2006/2007

THE ORIGINS AND SPREADING OF ITALIAN “MELODRAMMA” The origins of melodramma is strictly tied to the changes of styles and languages of the baroque era accompanied with its alleged monody and “recitar cantando” (reciting in song). Many music scholars consider the baroque era to have begun in 1580, more than 100 years before Bach and Handel were born, and the music of this time is essential in defining the baroque as a style era in music.

BASSO CONTINUO RECITAR CANTANDO MELODRAMMA

MONODY: CREATING THE TEXTURE OF BAROQUE MUSIC The Renaissance idea of many voices singing the same text at different times, however lovely sounding, ran counter to the ultimate goal of clear expression. The members of the florentine Camerata, a group of italian intellectuals at the end of the sixteenth century, felt that listeners would be unable to distinguish the words themselves, let alone be moved by a true perception of the emotional content of a given text, and to think of the words as the most important part of a vocal work, with the music there simply to support them.

This radical departure from the renaissance concept of the way text should be set to music resulted in a completely different musical texture from the polyphony common during the renaissance. Al though there were precedents in accompanied song, nothing that had existed previosly was quite the same as the genre of monody that resulted from the activities of several members of the florentine Camerata, including Giulio Caccini and Jacopo Peri. Monody was simply a vocal melody accompanied by an instrument that would play chords underneath. This supporting part was the continuo, played by any instrument capable of playing chords, such as a keyboard or a lute. Sometimes a viol doubled the bass line.

RECITAR CANTANDO It’s in the year 1600 that opera came into being. It began in Florence, fostered by the “Camerata” a group of scholars, philosopheres and amateur musicians that included the librettist Ottavio Rinuccini (1562 – 1621) and the composers Vincenzo Galilei, Emilio de’ Cavalieri and Jacopo Peri. It was their aim to promote the principle of monodic musical declamation inspired by the example of ancient greek drama. Accordingly, the earliest operas took their plots from mythology, the legend of orpheus and eurydice being one of the most popular combined with music scenery, costumes or stage action. That is how opera “melodramma” came into being. Euridice (1600) composed by Jacopo Peri and set to verse by Ottavio Rinuccini is generally the first musical opera which was a great success.

MONTEVERDI’S MASTERPIECE In 1607, Monteverdi’s first opera and the oldest to grace modern stages with any frequency was “l’orfeo” a dramatic version of the story of the legendary orpheus who sought to bring his beloved Eurydice back from the underworld by the power of music. Pluto acquiesces on one condition that orpheus not look back as Eurydice follows him back up into the light, and back into life. His doubts, however, impel him to look back over his shoulder, and Eurydice vanishes like a phantom before his eyes. Orpheus is consumed by grief and Apollo, his father, comes down from the heavens to take his son away where he can behold the image of Eurydice forever in the stars.

CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI He was born in Cremona in Son of a doctorn he soon found workin the court of the duke Gonzaga. By the time he was 20 a variety of his work had gone to print. His first book of five – voice madrigal succeeded in establishing his reputation outside of his provincial hometown. He eventually succeeded as the Maestro di Cappella in San Marco in Venice. He remained such until his death in 1643.

SPREADING OF “MELODRAMMA” However, it was not until the appearance of Claudio Monteverdi in Venice that baroque opera reached its peak, and the art from that began as entertainment for the aristocracy became available to popular audience. In 1637 the first public opera house in the world opened in Venice, and by 1700 at least 16 more theaters were built and hundreds of operas produced. Italian opera seria continued to dominate the scene, just like the Neapolitans opera seria and Venetians.

MELODRAMMA OF FLORENCE ROMAN SCHOOL VENETIAN SCHOOL NEAPOLITAN SCHOOL

ROMAN SCHOOL It seems that the new style “Recitar cantando” was introduced in Rome by Giovanni de’ Bradi in 1592 the first Roman musical spectacle was “Rappresentative de anima et de corpo” a sacred action in three acts. It was performed in a non-scenic form at the oratorio of the new church, Santa Maria in Vallicella, in It appears thet Roman Opera was much loved by the Barberini family and soon afterwards they actually built an Opera Theatre in their Palazzo.

VENETIAN SCHOOL Venatian Opera first began with the first opening theatre to paying public called the San Cassiano. On scene “Andromeda” by Manelli. Great importance was given to the scenic form and to its singing virtuosity. SAN CASSIANO

NEAPOLITAN OPERA Neapolitan Opera was introduced in Naples by the earl of ognotte with opera began. Among the actors of the neapolitan school we recall Giovanni Battista Pergolesi his masterpiece “La Serva Padrona”.

Giovanni Battista Lully During the renaissance era, the italian court ballets were further developed in France. “Le ballet Comique de la Reine” (the queen’s ballet comedy) was performed in Paris in Ita was danced by aristocratic amateurs in a hall with the royal family and spectators in galleries on three sides. Poetry and songs accompanied the dances. Later on Giovanni Battista Lulli founded French Opera “Tragedie en Musique or Tragedie Lyrique” with the help of Moliere he created a new music form the “Comedie – ballet which combined theatre, comedy and ballet. GIOVANNI BATTISTA LULLI