April 2018 Opera and Dido's Lament
Opera and Dido's Lament by Purcell
Open a discussion with your students with:
What is opera?
What are your experiences with opera? Do you like it? Have you ever been to one?
Might you consider going to one?
How does opera compare to the Broadway musical?
What impact did opera have on western society? How important is it as an art form?
True or false:
Opera was as popular in the 1600’s as sports and movies are today. True!
The best jobs for a musician in the 1600’s were in the opera – it is where all the money was. (True.)
Now, take it further!
The Baroque era is recognized as beginning in 1600 when the first opera, Euridice, was written by Jacopo Peri, and ending in 1750 with the passing of Johann Sebastian Bach. Opera changed the face of Western European music. Opera was far more expressive and emotional than the musical styles of the Renaissance (1300 – 1600). Opera penetrated the listener with a singular emotion, connecting real human experiences with reflective and passionate music. In the 17th and 18th centuries, opera was a grand, multi-sensory event. Experiencing a live orchestra, full costumes, elaborate sets, exuberant singing, elaborate dancing, as well as a literary story was quite a show!! Pure instrumental music grew out of opera. Originally, the orchestra was a small group of instruments that simply accompanied the singers; overtime, the orchestra grew into a very large ensemble within its own right. Formal pieces were created just for orchestra as instrumental music grew into a profoundly beautiful art.
Dido’s Lament by Henry Purcell
Dido’s Lament is a poignant aria from Purcell’s opera, Dido and Aeneas, first performed in London in 1689. The story is based off of the ancient Roman poet Virgil’s Aeneid. Dido and Aeneas is a tragic story of unrequited love. Aeneas, a Trojan warrior in route to Italy, lands in Africa due to troubles at sea. He and Queen Dido have a love affair. Aeneas abandons Dido to follow his fate at sea. Dido, in her devastation, chooses to take her life. The aria, Dido’s Lament, expresses her agony as she willfully walks to death’s door.
Aria
An aria is a special song form created for opera. It is sung as a solo and delivers the deeply emotional experience of one character as he/she reflects over a particular event in the story. The aria made a huge impact on Western European music. Prior to opera, vocal music was highly polyphonic (many melodies being sung simultaneously) and complex. Due to the sensory overload of the polyphony, it was difficult for the listener to be emotionally impacted by the piece. The Madrigal, the most popular song form of the Renaissance, is a great example.
Link to listen to Dido's Lament from Purcell's opera:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou8A0g_jYyA
As you listen, note how highly entertaining the music is. Notice how you ‘think’ a lot as you hear the different voices and melodies interacting and try to follow different melodic lines and singers. Compare it to the immensely emotional impact of the solo singer in Didio’s Lament as she directly expresses one emotion through an intense, chromatic, and highly inflective aria.
Links….
These links show how this aria continues to make appearances in musical culture even today!
*The Swingle Singers (jazzy, a cappella version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FSPJ5f9CWI
*Modern techno version by Maksim Mrvica