Loyola University Chicago

Instructor: Prof.ssa Leila Zammar

Meeting Day: Monday

Meeting Times: 6:30 – 9:00 pm

This course, distributed in weekly sessions, offers the student an overview of the development of opera in Europe with a particular emphasis on some of the most representative Italian operas and authors from the 17th to the 20th century. As the course considers opera as a cultural phenomenon, the historical, intellectual, political, social, religious and economic conditions that influenced the development of this art, will be also examined during the semester. The course includes some opera projections; each one preceded by an introduction of the period in which they were first performed in order to give them a historical, social and cultural background. Each projection will be followed by class discussion. In addition to the operas seen in class, the students will be asked to watch other operas: assigned out-of-class videos will be suggested during the semester.

The teacher will also organize one or more opera evenings according to the season of the Opera House. Moreover, as this course considers opera as an art form that combines music and drama, librettos structure, music forms, different types of arias and other aspects will be analyzed.

The aim of this course is to acquire the basic knowledge to understand the cultural phenomenon of opera. Difference in style between early operas and later operas will become easy to grasp. The student will become familiar with musical terms like da-capo aria, cavatina-cabaletta, recitativo secco, recitativo accompagnato, chorus, ensemble etc. The distinction between an opera seria, a comic opera, an opéra comique and other genres will be clear by the end of the semester and it will be easy to catch musical themes and descriptive symphonies.

The text including basic notes for the course and synopsis of the operas that will be seen in class or assigned during the semester is available at school.

• MID TERM 20%
• FINAL EXAM 30%
• FOUR QUIZZES 40%
• Class discussion/ Participation 10%

GRADING SCALE

A 96-100, A- 93-95, B+ 90-92, B 87-89, B- 84-86, C+ 81-83, C 78-80, C- 75-77, D+ 72-74, D 70-71, F 69 and below.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Abbate, Carolyn. "Unsung Voices: Opera and Musical Narrative in the Nineteenth Century." Princeton, 1991.
• Bauman, Thomas, ed. "Opera and the Enlightenment." New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
• Bonds, Mark Evan "A History of Music" Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall 2003
• Budden, Julian. "Verdi." New York: Schirmer Books, 1996.
• Celletti, Rodolfo. "A History of Bel Canto", translated by Frederick Fuller. Oxford, 1991.
• Chusid, Martin, ed. "Verdi's Middle Period: Source Studies, Analysis, and Performance Practice." Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.
• Deaver, Robert. "Opera Plots Made Easy." New York: Deaver Corporation, 1991.
• Dizikes, John. "Opera in America, A Cultural History." New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993.
• Donnington, Robert. "Opera and Its Symbols." New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990.
• Edwards, Geoffrey & Ryan Edwards. "The Verdi Baritone: Studies in the Development of Dramatic Character." Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 1994.
• Gelli, Piero (a cura di)"Dizionario dell’opera" Milan, Baldini & Gastoldi 1996
• Girardi, Michele "Puccini. His International Art" University of Cicago Press 2000
• Grout, Donald Jay and Hermine Weigel Williams, "A Short History of Opera," 3rd ed., New York: Columbia University Press, 1988
• Grout, Donald Jay "A History of Western Music" New York, Norton 1996
• Gould, Evlyn "The Fate of Carmen" London, The Johns Hopkins University Press 1996
• Heartz, Daniel. Haydn, "Mozart and the Viennese School 1740-1780." New York: Norton & Company, 1995.
• Jensen, Luke. "Giuseppe Verdi and Giovanni Ricordi with Notes on Francesco Lucca: From "Oberto" to "La traviata."" New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1989
• John, Nicholas, ed. "Violetta and Her Sisters, "The Lady of the Camelias" - Responses to the Myth." Faber & Faber, 1994.
• Kimbell, David. "Italian Opera." Cambridge, 1991.
• Koopman, John. "A Brief History of Singing." Appleton, WI., 1994.
• Mann, William. "Richard Strauss – A Critical Study of the Operas" New York: Oxford University Press,1966
• Magee, Elizabeth. "Richard Wagner and the Nibelungs." Oxford, 1991.
• McClary Susan "Georges Bizet – Carmen" Cambridge, Cambridge Opera Handbooks 1992
• Morgan., Christopher. "Don Carlos and Company." Oxford University Press, 1996.
• Palisca, Claude V. ed. "Norton Anthology of Western Music" 2 volumes, fourth edition, New York
• Parker, Roger. "'Un giorno di Regno': From Romani's libretto to Verdi's Opera" in Studi Verdiani 2, 1983.
• Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane. "Verdi: A Biography." New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
• Rosand, Ellen. "Opera in Seventeenth Century Venice: The Creation of a Genre." California, 1991.
• Rossi, Nick. "Domenico Cimarossa: His Life and His Operas." Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999.
• Sadie, Stanley, "The New Grove Dictionary of Opera." London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 1992.
• Sforza, Francesco. "Grandi Teatri Italiani." Rome: Editalia, 1993
• Smith, Patrick. "The Tenth Muse: A Historical Study of the Opera Libretto." New York: Schirmer Books, 1975.
• Traubner, Richard. "Operetta, A Theatrical History." New York: Doubleday, 1983.
• Weaver, William and Simonetta Puccini, eds. "The Puccini Companion." New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1994.
• Westernhagen, Curt Von "Wagner: A Biography." New York: Cambridge University Press, 1981.

www.grovemusic.com

http://opera.stanford.edu/main.html

http://operabase.com/en

http://www.aria-database.com/

http://www.operaroma.it

www.giseppeverdi.it

1. Attendance: Students are expected to attend class regularly and to participate to the opera night (evidence strongly indicates a correlation between the completion of these requirements and satisfactory performance on examinations). Unexcused absences are never allowed and travel related justifications are never accepted.
2. Class participation: Participation in oral and written class activities is required. Engaging in intelligent discourse and collaborating with other members of the class in the on-going exploration of the world of opera remain essential for achieving the objectives of the course. This assumes attentive and respectful consideration of others’ contribution as well as the thoughtful presentation of one’s own. Students should prepare reflections, insights and questions in anticipation of class discussion.
3. Video screenings: Assigned out-of-class videos will be announced.
4. Examinations: Students will sit for two examinations during the semester. The examinations will include multiple-choice questions, short answer questions and three longer watching questions.
5. Quizzes: Quizzes will be given the next class after each projection of a new opera. Missed quizzes may not make up.

Meeting 1 Introduction, technical terms, singers voices with samples. Forerunners of opera. The seventeenth century: the beginnings, the Florentine camerata, the Roman opera, the Venetian opera, Claudio Monteverdi. Introduction to L ’Orfeo.

Meeting 2 Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo.

Meeting 3 Discussion of L’Orfeo. I QUIZ. The second half of the seventeenth century: Lully. The eighteenth century opera: Scarlatti, Handel, Rameau, Bach. The opera seria and the comic opera. Giovanni Paisiello: introduction to Nina o sia la pazza per amore.

Meeting 4 Paisiello’s Nina o sia la pazza per amore.

Meeting 5 Discussion of Paisiello’s Nina o sia la pazza per amore. II QUIZ. Mozart and his experience as opera composer. Introduction to The Marriage of Figaro.

Meeting 6 Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.

Meeting 7 Discussion of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.  Review. MID -TERM EXAM

Meeting 8 The Nineteenth century: Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini. Introduction to Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore .

Meeting 9 Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore.

Meeting 10 III QUIZ. The Nineteenth century: Verdi. Introduction to La Traviata.

Meeting 11 Verdi’s La Traviata.

Meeting 12 Discussion of Verdi’s La Traviata. IV QUIZ. The Romantic opera and Wagner. Puccini and his operas. Introduction to Tosca.

Meeting 13 Puccini’s Tosca.

FINAL EXAM