Grapes Guide.pdf - Minnesota Opera

Early 19 th -century Italy – The Bel Canto composers
gioachino rossini 1792–1868
gaetano donizetti 1797–1848
vincenzo bellini 1801–1835
Back in Italy, opera saw the development of a distinctive style known as bel canto.
Bel canto (literally “beautiful singing”) was characterized by the smooth emission of
tone, beauty of timbre and elegance of phrasing. Music associated with this genre contained
many trills, roulades and other embellishments that showed off the particular
singer’s technique.
Traditionally, a bel canto aria
begins with a slow, song-like
cantabile section followed by
an intermediate mezzo section
with a slightly quicker tempo. It ends with a dazzling cabaletta,
the fastest section, where the singer shows off his or her talents.
Often these were improvised upon, or replaced with “suitcase” arias
of the singers’ own choosing, much to the consternation of the composer.
A scene from Minnesota Opera’s
2000 production of Rossini’s Semiramide
Opéra, several of which show tendencies of the French grand opera style. William
Tell was his last opera – Rossini retired at age 37 with 39 more years to live.
gaetano donizetti and vincenzo bellini were two other Italian Bel
Canto composers who premiered operas in both Paris and Italy. A tendency that
began with Rossini and continued into their works was the practice of accompanied
recitatives. Opera to this point had been organized in a very specific manner
with more elongated “numbers”
(arias, duets, ensembles) alternated
with recitative (essentially dialogue
set to music, intended to move the
action along). In Mozart’s day, these
recitative would be played by a
harpsichord or fortepiano (sometimes
doubled with cellos and basses)
and was known as recitativo
secco. As Rossini’s style progressed,
the orchestra took over
playing the recitatives which
became known as recitativo
Set model for Minnesota Opera’s
2010 production of Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux
Promotional material for
Minnesota Opera’s
2001 production of Bellini’s
The Capulets and the
Montagues
gioachino rossini was the first and perhaps best known of the
three composers associated with this style. In his early years,
between 1813 and 1820, Rossini composed rapidly, producing two
or three operas a year. The pace slowed after he moved to France in
1824 – there he produced
five works for the Paris
accompagnato. The practice continued
into Verdi’s day.
A scene from Minnesota Opera’s
2004 production of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia
history of opera
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