Dictionary of Music - Birding America

458 verismoWindsor), Verdi revealed, at seventy-nine, a masterfulsense of comedy. Moreover, in Falstaff the orchestrasupplies a kind of continuous melody, a treatmentassociated with Wagner’s music dramas.Although Verdi’s music was immensely successfulfor most of his career, from the 1880s on hisstature declined, largely owing to the growing popularityof Wagnerian opera. Today, however, he isgenerally regarded as the outstanding composer ofnineteenth-century Italian opera, and some regardhim as the greatest opera composer of all time.Besides operas, Verdi composed some churchmusic, most notably a Requiem Mass (“ManzoniRequiem,” 1874) and Quattro Pezzi Sacri (“FourSacred Pieces,” 1898, which include a Stabat Materand Te Deum).verismo (ve riz′mô) Italian: “realism.” A termused for a type of late nineteenth-century opera thataims at presenting a realistic picture of life ratherthan concerning itself with myth, legend, or ancienthistory. The characters are everyday people insteadof gods or kings, and the events, although often violentand melodramatic, supposedly could happen toanyone. The best-known examples of verismo areMascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana (“RusticChivalry”), Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci (“TheClowns”), Giordano’s Andrea Chénier, and GustaveCharpentier’s Louise. Some of Puccini’s operas containelements of verismo (for example, La Bohème),and in the twentieth century, Gian Carlo Menotticontinued the trend in some of his operas (The Saintof Bleecker Street).Verschiebung, mit (mit fer shē′boo nk) German.In keyboard music, a direction to use the una corda(soft) pedal.verschwindend (fer shvin′dənt) German. Adirection to perform more and more softly, asthough the music were fading away.verse 1 In songs with a poetic text, another wordfor stanza. 2 In popular songs or ballads, an introductorysection, which is followed by the chorus, themain part of the song (see CHORUS, def. 3). This kindof verse is usually performed in free tempo andrhythm, and generally consists of an irregular numberof measures. 3 In Gregorian chant, a verse of apsalm or some other scriptural text. In liturgicalbooks it is usually indicated by V⁄. The verse isalways sung by the soloist. For this reason the Anglicanchurch calls an anthem containing sections forsoloists a verse anthem (see under ANTHEM). Seealso VERSET.verse anthemANTHEM.See VERSE, def. 3; also underverset A short organ composition that is playedinstead of either a plainsong verse (see VERSE, def.3) or some brief portion of the Mass. The music isbased on the same melody that would otherwise besung, but it is polyphonic (with several voice-parts,as opposed to the single part of plainsong). From thesixteenth to eighteenth centuries versets were oftenused in Roman Catholic services. In the performanceof psalms, the organ would alternate with thechoir, each taking every other verse of the psalm.Later this practice was largely forbidden by theChurch.vertical textureVespersSee under TEXTURE.See under OFFICE.vezzoso (ve tsô′zô) Italian. A direction to performin a smooth, graceful manner.via (vē′ä) Italian: “away.” A word used in suchmusical terms as via sordini (“away with [remove]the mutes”).vibesvibraharpSee VIBRAPHONE.See VIBRAPHONE.vibraphone (vī′brə fōn′′). Also, vibraharp, vibes(slang). A tuned percussion instrument invented inthe 1920s and used in orchestras, bands, and jazzensembles. In appearance it resembles two of its relativesin the percussion section, the xylophone andthe marimba. Like them, it has a pianolike keyboard,with two rows of aluminum bars instead of keys,