Dictionary of Music - Birding America

480 yodelnineteenth century it joined the percussion section ofmost large symphony orchestras. A particularlyeffective example of its use is in Saint-Saëns’s Dansemacabre (“Dance of Death”), where it is supposed tosound like a rattling skeleton. For a similar instrument,see MARIMBA.yodel (yō′d ə l). An unusual kind of singing popularin the Alps of Austria and Switzerland. It consistsof sudden changes from a low-pitched (chest) voicefig. 269 p/u from p. 502to very high falsetto tones. Performed to vowelsounds (ah, ee, eye, oh) rather than words, it is usuallyadded to a song as an ornamental chorus (inGerman, Jodler). Yodeling is done by both men andwomen, usually as a solo but sometimes by twosingers together. It also is occasionally used bycountry music performers, notably Jimmie Rodgers(1897–1933).zampogna (tsäm pôn′ yä) Italian. A bagpipe usedin Italy. It has two separate chanters (melody pipes),one for each hand, pitched a third (two whole notes)apart. The player blows into the instrument through ablowpipe and fingers the melody on the chanters. Inaddition, there are two drones, each sounding a singlenote continuously; they are tuned an octave apart. (SeeBAGPIPE for a more detailed explanation of how suchpipes work.) A shepherd’s instrument, the zampognawas used particularly for Christmas music, played byshepherds coming to town for the holiday. Its sound isimitated by Handel in Messiah (at the opening of theinstrumental section known as the “Pastoral Symphony”)as well as by Bach in the Christmas Oratorio(in the instrumental sinfonia in Part 2).zart (tsärt) German. Also, zärtlich (tsârt′liKH). Adirection to play in a soft, delicate manner.zärtlichSee ZART.zarzuela (thär thwā′lä) Spanish. A type of Spanishopera that includes spoken dialogue, which wasimportant throughout the seventeenth century andwas revived in the middle of the nineteenth century.The seventeenth-century zarzuela became an elaboratestage production. It included, in addition to spokenparts, recitatives, arias (solo songs), choruseswritten in the style of a madrigal (see MADRIGAL,def. 2), ballets, and other dances. Often the subjectwas from myth or legend. The earliest zarzuelaswere written by Juan Hidalgo (c. 1600–1685), andthe tradition was continued by Sebastián Durón (c.1650–c. 1716) and Antonio Literes Carrión(1670–1747). Toward the end of the seventeenthcentury the zarzuela gave way to a new form, thetonadilla, which began as a kind of comic interludeperformed between the acts of a play and grew intoan independent comic opera. Serious opera in Spain,on the other hand, was dominated by the styles ofthe Italian OPERA SERIA.In the middle of the nineteenth century came arenewed interest in national history and tradition,and the zarzuela was revived. A theater forzarzuela productions was built in Madrid, andnumerous composers became attracted to the form.There are two kinds of modern zarzuela, a threeactserious form (zarzuela grande), correspondingto “grand opera,” and a one-act humorous form(zarzuelita), which closely resembles a comicopera or operetta. An outstanding example of theformer is Manuel Penella’s El Gato Montés(1916), a version of the story of Bizet’s opera Carmen.The renowned Spanish tenor PlácidoDomingo began as a zarzuela singer and helpedpromote the form.zelo, conSee ZELOSO.zeloso (tse lô′sô) Italian. Also, con zelo (kôntse′lô). A direction to perform energetically, in afiery manner.zheng (zeng ) Chinese. A zither with movablebridges over which anywhere from sixteen toforty-four strings are stretched, sixteen and