Opera

“Dido and Aeneas” (c. 1688), “Die Walküre” (1870), and “Einstein on the Beach” (1976) are examples of “opera,” a Western music theatrical art form invented in Florence, Italy in 1598 where everything is sung (no spoken dialogue).  Operas are normally sung in the language in which they were composed.

“Dido and Aeneas” is typical of the original opera, “recitative” for the singing of dialogue, “aria” for the songs, and “chorus” for voice ensembles commenting on the story.  Although the first operas were composed to Italian texts, this opera has an English text since it was created by a British composer (Henry Purcell) for performance in England.

“Die Walküre” is a German romantic opera by composer Richard Wagner.  Here, Wagner has written his own story (libretto) based on early Nordic/Germanic sagas.  The musical texture is continuous, evoking heightened and exaggerated emotions. with the instrumental ensemble becoming another character in the drama.

“Einstein on the Beach” was composed by the New York City composer Philip Glass using a contemporary musical idiom known as “minimalism” due to the limited amount of musical material in the composition and the highly structured and repetitive nature of the music.  Created in collaboration with the experimental theatrical artist, Robert Wilson, this opera does not tell a traditional story, rather, it is a series of staged scenes based on various aspects of Einstein and his work in the early to middle of the twentieth century.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Write a brief reflection on your viewing and listening to the excerpts of these three operas.  Highlight one moment in each opera that stood out to you.  Indicate which of the three you could best relate to and why.