Music That Advances Plot in Opera

Opera is a form of musical theatre that combines singing and acting, and one of the key elements that can make or break an opera is the music. In this blog post, we explore how music can be used to advance plot in opera, and offer some examples of operas where the music truly enhances the story.

The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Marriage of Figaro is a comedic opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto, by Lorenzo Da Ponte, is based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro. Figaro is a barber and the valet of Count Almaviva. The Count is tries to seduce Susanna, Figaro’s fiancée.

The plot

The Marriage of Figaro is a comedy about the foibles of love, lust, marriage and infidelity. The story centres on Figaro, a barber and valet who is to marry Suzanne, the Countess Almaviva’s maid. However, the Countess is being wooed by the amorous advances of her husband, the Count Almaviva, as well as by Suzanne’s former lover, the young page Cherubino.

A subplot involves Figaro’s older friend Marcellina who wishes to marry him, but only if he can repay a debt owed to her. This plot line reaches its resolution when it is revealed that Figaro is actually Marcellina’s long lost son.

The opera culminates in a series of revelation scenes in which all of the characters’ true intentions and feelings are revealed. Finally, order is restored and everyone agrees that fidelity (in both marriage and friendship) is the most important thing after all.

The music

The Marriage of Figaro is an opera buffa (comic opera) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian-language libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. The work is based on a stage play of the same name by Pierre Beaumarchais.

While the play was considered risqué and controversial in its time, and was banned in several countries, the opera is generally regarded as a masterpiece and one of the greatest works of Mozart’s career. The music is characterized by its light, bouncy tunes and energetic characters.

The opera’s overture is one of the most recognizable pieces of classical music, and is often used in popular culture.

Carmen by Georges Bizet

The opera Carmen by Georges Bizet is a perfect example of how music can advance plot. The story is about a beautiful gypsy woman named Carmen who seduces a young man named Don Jose. She leads him astray from his duty and into a life of crime. The music in the opera reflects this change in Jose’s character.

The plot

The story of Carmen is set in Seville, Spain, and depicts the love triangle between the titular character, a free-spirited gypsy, and two military officers.

Carmen initially shows interest in Don José, a young corporal in the army, but she eventually falls for Escamillo, a toreador. This creates a jealousy in Don José, who had given up everything for Carmen (including getting arrested for defending her when she was caught stealing), and leads to his downward spiral.

ultimately culminating in him murdering Carmen.

The music

While the story of Carmen has been criticized for being clichéd and predictable, the music is widely regarded as some of the best ever written for opera. Georges Bizet composed Carmen in the style of French opéra comique, which means that it blends spoken dialogue with sung sections. The result is a very naturalistic feel to the music, which contributes to the realistic portrayal of the characters and their emotions.

Most of the music in Carmen is fairly straightforward and easy to follow, even for someone who is not familiar with opera. There are a few recurring themes that help to advance the plot, and these are often reprised in different ways throughout the course of the opera. For example, the “Toreador Song” first appears early on in Act I, when one of the characters is singing about how much he loves bullfighting. This song reappears later in Act IV during a bullfight scene, and its effect is much more powerful because we know what is going to happen.

Another important piece of music is the “Habanera,” which Carmen sings in Act I. This creepy little song is about how love is a fickle thing that can never be trusted. It’s a foreshadowing of sorts for what will happen later in the opera, and it also sets up Carmen’s character as being someone who is not to be trifled with.

All in all, Bizet’s music does an excellent job of moving the story along while also keeping things interesting for the listener. There are plenty of catchy tunes and memorable moments, but there is also enough depth and complexity to keep things interesting on repeat listenings. If you’re looking for a good introduction to opera, Carmen is definitely worth checking out.

La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini

La Bohème is an opera in four acts. The music was composed by Giacomo Puccini to Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger. The opera premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin on February 1, 1896. It is Puccini’s best-known opera and, according to Opera America, is the most frequently performed opera in the United States.

The plot

La Bohème is an opera in four acts, composed by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de Bohème by Henri Murger. The story is set in Paris’s Latin Quarter in the 1830s, and follows the lives of a group of young bohemian artists as they struggle to make ends meet.

The first act opens on Christmas Eve, as the poet Rodolfo and his artist friends Marcello and Schaunard are preparing for a night out on the town. They are joined by their friend Colline, a philosopher, and they all head to Café Momus to celebrate. There, they meet Musetta, Marcello’s former girlfriend, who is now being courted by a wealthy older man.

The second act takes place at Musetta’s apartment, where she and her admirer Alcindoro are entertaining guests. Rodolfo arrives with his friends, and Musetta takes the opportunity to tease Alcindoro by flirting with Rodolfo in front of him. Eventually, Alcindoro leaves to buy cigars, and Musetta takes Rodolfo aside to tell him that she still loves him.

The third act takes place at dawn the following morning, on the bank of the Seine river. Rodolfo has been up all night writing and he falls asleep. When he wakes up, he finds that Musetta has left him a note telling him that she is no longer interested in him. heartbroken, Rodolfo throws himself into the Seine.

The fourth and final act takes place some months later, at Marcello’s attic studio. Musetta arrives with news that she has finally managed to free herself from Alcindoro’s clutches and she and Marcello reconcile. However, their happiness is short-lived when they are told that their friend Rodolfo has died of consumption.

The music

The music of La Bohème has been praised for its lyricism and beauty. The score was completed in 1896 and is full of memorable melodies that advance the plot and create an emotional connection with the characters.

The opera opens with a short prelude that sets the mood of the wintery Parisian streets. As the curtain rises, we hear the life and bustle of the city through music that includes a busy clarinet solo. The clerk, Rodolfo, is introduced with a simple but catchy melodic idea that is taken up by other instruments as he talks to his friend Marcello about their dire financial situation.

When Rodolfo sees Mimì enter, he is instantly smitten and Puccini captures this feeling with a soaring love theme on the strings. As their relationship develops, we hear this melody several more times, each time becoming more complex as their love grows. In contrast, Mimì’s illness is represented by a sad and descending motif on the oboe.

Near the end of Act III, as Mimì’s health rapidly declines, Puccini masterfully weaves all of these themes together in a heart-wrenching final scene that leaves audiences both moved and uplifted.