Italian opera and French opera both contrast in many ways but are both as unique as each other and the way in which their music is expressed is very powerful. The first Italian opera house, ‘Teatro San Cassiano’ opened in Venice in 1637. This was an important development of the Italian opera. For the first few years of Italian opera, it was only for the viewing of the upper-class, it was courtly entertainment for invited guests only. As it developed, it became available to the general audience. As a result, the publics likes and dislikes influenced what the composer would write and how the opera would then be staged. One of the main reasons for French opera and Italian opera being different is because every other country in Europe followed the lead of Italians opera whereas France did the complete opposite. The likes of Germany and other countries imported Italian composers to write opera and they then would fuse the Italian with the native style. But France resisted the Italian influence and developed its own opera that included ballet and a strong use of chorus (P.F, Lecture, 13/10/17).
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In “Enfin, il est en ma puissance”, there are changing time signatures, to accommodate the French language.
Both of these operas display two different types of recitatives. In Italian opera, for example, Monteverdi’s opera, “Orfeo”, the recitative proves that Italian recitative have no concern for the musical principles. The recitative in Italian opera is very much distinct from the Aria.
Whereas in French opera, like in Lully’s opera “Armide”, we are shown a different kind of recitative, we see that musical principles are important in order to facilitate the singer’s accents of the French language. Their recitatives were much less speech like and were accompanied by an orchestra. In a way, contrasting to the Italian operas, the recitative and the aria were almost made difficult to tell a
In “Enfin, il est en ma puissance”, there are changing time signatures, to accommodate the French language.
Both of these operas display two different types of recitatives. In Italian opera, for example, Monteverdi’s opera, “Orfeo”, the recitative proves that Italian recitative have no concern for the musical principles. The recitative in Italian opera is very much distinct from the Aria.
Whereas in French opera, like in Lully’s opera “Armide”, we are shown a different kind of recitative, we see that musical principles are important in order to facilitate the singer’s accents of the French language. Their recitatives were much less speech like and were accompanied by an orchestra. In a way, contrasting to the Italian operas, the recitative and the aria were almost made difficult to tell a