Comparing Opera Seria to Orfeo Ed Euridice by Gluck and...

Orfeo ed Euridice by Gluck, was written in 1762 and The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart was written in 1786. It is interesting to analyse the changes and developments from opera seria to these two examples. During the eighteenth century, composers wrote in a style of opera called opera seria. Opera seria had the following characteristics: They used similar plots involving a hero and usually some sort of conflict of human passions, and these operas were often based on a story from an ancient Greek or Latin Author. The opera always consisted of three acts with alternating recitatives and arias. To show the virtuosic skill of the singer, cadenzas were used within arias. The action was created from the dialogue within the recitatives,†¦show more content†¦There were also stricter demands of the solo singers. The two mid eighteenth century composers, Jomelli and Traetta played a big part in the reform of Italian opera in the late 18th century by influencing the French towards opera of a more international flavour. Born in Bohemia, Gluck built a more international style of opera. He was strongly affected by the movement of the reform in the 1750s. He became court composer to the Emperor at Vienna after visits to London and studying under Samartini in Italy. After a collaboration with a poet named Raniero Calzabigi, Gluck composed two of his famous operas, `Orfeo ed Euridice in 1762 and `Alceste in 1767. Glucks aims were to remove the unpopular characteristics of opera seria, as shown by his famous quote: To confine music to its proper function of serving the poetry for the expression and the situations of the plot He removed the overuse of da capo aria or the showing off desire of the singer; he also broke down the contrast of the recitative and aria and gave his opera more dramatic relevance than had been the case in opera seria: I believed that my greatest effort should be directed to seek in a beautiful simplicity ...and there is no accepted rule that I have not thought should be gladly sacrificed in favour of effectiveness. One important way, in which Gluck reformed opera, was the use of his choruses as we can see in the beginning of Orfeo ed Euridice. Example below.