What is Opera Seria in Music?

Opera seria is a type of opera that was popular in the 18th century. It is characterized by its serious subject matter and use of arias instead of spoken dialogue.

Introduction

Opera seria is an Italian musical genre that reached the height of its popularity in the 18th century. The term opera seria literally means “serious opera” and is typically used to refer to operas that are focused on serious topics like mythology or history. These operas usually have a moral message or lesson, and they often end tragically. Many of the greatest Italian composers wrote operas in this genre, including Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

What is Opera Seria?

Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to a specific kind of opera during the 18th century. This type of opera was based on serious subjects, usually with a tragic ending. opera seria was usually performed in court theatres by professional singers.

Definition

Opera seria is an Italian musical genre that was popular in the eighteenth century. The word “opera” in this context refers to a work for the stage that combines music, drama, and often dance. “Seria” indicates that the opera in question follows a serious or tragic story line, as opposed to the “buffa” (“comic”) opera.

Characteristics

Opera seria is an opera genre that originated in Italy in the early 18th century. It rapidly spread throughout Europe and remained the most popular opera genre until the late 18th century. The term “série” applies to the “set” or “series” of da capo arias that were typically sung by each character in an opera seria. These arias were often separated by spoken dialogue, and each aria was usually followed by a chorus.

The first opera seria was Alessandro Scarlatti’s La Griselda, which was produced in Rome in 1702. The popularity of opera seria reached its peak in the middle of the 18th century with works such as George Frideric Handel’s Julius Caesar (1724) and Alcina (1735), Johann Adolf Hasse’s Cleofonte (1731) and Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra (1734), and Niccolò Piccinni’s La buona figliuola (1760). By the late 18th century, public taste had begun to turn against opera seria, and the genre fell out of fashion.

History of Opera Seria

Seria, or “serious opera” is a style of opera that was popular in the 18th century. It is characterized by its use of arias, or solo singing, instead of the more traditional choruses. It is also usually in a major key and has a happy ending.

Origins

The exact origins of opera seria are a matter of some debate among scholars. However, it is generally agreed that the genre developed in the early eighteenth century out of a desire to revive the dramatic and musical traditions of ancient Greek drama. Opera seria was also influenced by the Italian Renaissance chivalric romance, a literary genre that celebrated the heroism and idealized love of medieval knights. These works often featured magic and other fantastic elements, which may explain why many early opera seria plots revolved around characters from classical mythology, such as Orpheus, Hercules, and Semele.

Opera seria reached the height of its popularity in eighteenth-century Italy and Germany. This was due in part to the growing middle class’ admiration for Ancient Greece and Rome, as well as a desire to imitate the perceived sophistication of French society. Indeed, many early opera seria librettos were translated from French originals. Notable examples of Italian opera seria include Alessandro Scarlatti’s Teodora (1714), George Frideric Handel’s Agrippina (1709) and Giulio Cesare (1724), and Johann Adolf Hasse’s Siroe (1733).

Development

Opera seria developed during the early and middle Baroque period in Italy. The first notable achievement in opera seria was Francesco Cavalli’s Egisto, which was produced in Venice in 1643. Other important early composers of opera seria were Alessandro Stradella, who wrote successfully for both Venice and Dresden; Antonio Cesti, a student of Cavalli, who became the leading composer of his day in Vienna; and Johann Heinrich Schütz, who made a lasting mark with his setting of Psalm 122.

Opera seria reached its zenith with the works of three great masters of the genre: Alessandro Scarlatti, Johann Adolph Hasse, and George Frideric Handel. Opera seria began to lose its luster with the middle of the 18th century when opera buffa began to rise in popularity. However, it remained an important genre throughout the 19th century and even found new life at the beginning of the 20th century with composers such as Richard Strauss ( ELEKTRA) and Benjamin Britten ( THE TURN OF THE SCREW).

Notable Opera Seria Composers

Opera seria is a style of opera that was popular in the 18th century. It is characterized by its use of da capo arias, overtures, and recitative. The plots are often based on mythology or other historical events. Notable opera seria composers include George Frideric Handel and Antonio Vivaldi.

George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel was a German-born Baroque composer who is known for his operas, oratorios and concerti grossi. He is considered one of the most important composers of the Baroque era, and his music was widely performed in his lifetime. Handel’s operas are characterized by their use of the da capo aria, in which a solo singer sings a section, is then accompanied by the full orchestra for a brief time, and then returns to singing solo. Many of his operas were based on stories from classical antiquity, such as “Alcina” and “Xerxes,” and he is also known for adapting works by other composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach’s “The Choice of Hercules.”

Johann Adolph Hasse

Johann Adolph Hasse (1699-1783) was a German composer who spent the majority of his career in Italy. He is best known for his operas, especially his opera serias. Among his most famous operas are Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra (1725), Siroe, re di Persia (1728), Artaserse (1730), Riccardo Primo, re d’Inghilterra (1730), and Didone abbandonata (1742).

Antonio Vivaldi

Considered one of the most important Italian composers during the Baroque period, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice on March 4th, 1678. Though he originally intended to pursue a career in priesthood, Vivaldi ultimately followed in his father’s footsteps as a professional violinist. In 1703, he became a composer and teacher at the Ospedale della Pieta – an orphanage in Venice which supported itself through musical performances. It was here that Vivaldi wrote many of his greatest works, including several operas.

Opera Seria, or “serious opera,” was the most popular form of opera during the 18th century. This type of opera typically featured grandiose sets and costumes, as well as elaborate vocal performances. The plots were often based on ancient Greek or Roman myths, or other classical literary works such as the plays of Shakespeare. Vivaldi’s operas fall squarely into this category; some of his most famous works include “Orlando Furioso” and “Ottone in Villa.”

While many of Vivaldi’s contemporaries were writing operas which featured large casts and multiple vocal soloists, Vivaldi favored a more intimate style which relied heavily on solo vocalists and small ensembles. This made his works more accessible to wider audiences, and helped cement his reputation as one of the great Italian opera composers of his time. Vivaldi died on July 28th, 1741, but his music continues to be performed and enjoyed by opera lovers all over the world.

Conclusion

Opera seria was the most popular form of opera in the eighteenth century. It is characterized by its use of arias and recitatives, as well as its strict adherence to the musical form of the time period. Opera seria was often used to tell classical stories or to celebrate the lives of historical figures. Although it fell out of popularity in the nineteenth century, opera seria has been making a comeback in recent years.