Preview

compare essay - opera and musical

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1268 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
compare essay - opera and musical
Opera and Musicals

Opera and musicals are popular performing arts of the world. Since a majority of people think that musicals are a lighter and an easier genre of performing art than opera, musicals are more widely appreciated than opera in this century. Opera and musicals both consist of music, stage, story, performer and audience, however, there are numerous differences among these elements. Opera’s history begins in Italy in late 16th century with a group called Camerata. Camerata was a group of young musicians and poets in Florence, people who were studying new music invented opera by reproducing ancient Greek dramas. While the origin of opera can be found clearly in time and space, the origin of musicals are ambiguous; because, musicals have been developed from the tradition of opera. The origin of musicals can begin with Musical Farce that is originated in England in the 17th century, or Musical Comedy and Musical Play in late the 19th century, or Broad way Musicals developed in New York in the 20th century. Both opera and musicals have satirized issues and events in old societies; in modern society, they are perceived as performing arts loved by world people.
Opera and musicals have different rules and features in their performances. Opera has more simple stages when musicals usually have various styles of stages. Opera’s stage seldom changes while performing, and costumes are neat and formal; musical’s stage changes its stage sets in diverse ways while performing, and costumes are more characterized. The stories of opera are limited in classic literature and classic music. In contrast, the stories of musicals are unrestricted; classic literature, revision of old literature, and recent creation can be used. Therefore, the backgrounds of opera are limited in old days, but musicals’ background may transcend not only time but also space. Music is the most important element in both opera and musicals. Opera always use a live orchestral accompaniment

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    If you want to travel in Beijing, I think Peking Opera is a don’t-miss show for you. Different from other operas, like Italian Opera, Peking Opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime dance and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. Nowadays, Peking Opera has become the quintessence of Chinese culture. Today I am going to inform you of this great treasure from three aspects: roles, facial makeup and schools.…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert are some of the greatest and most known classical composers of all time. Most people have at least heard of them, and most of them have likely heard some of their music as well. Research has shown that listening to classical music have been proven to reduce stress and anxiety and therefore put people in a calmer and happier state of mind and body. It also helps people retain information as they study. Even if the person is not consciously listening to or paying attention to the music, their subconscious picks it up and reduces anxiety and even depression. I believe that music does help people; some more than others; study and stay focused while doing work as long as it is lyricless and…

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Opera Vs Oratorio

    • 68 Words
    • 1 Page

    Because operas were banned during Lent the emergence of the oratorio occurred. While both the opera and the oratorio are based on stories they are performed very differently. Operas have a set, costumes, and use acting. Oratorios are just the musical performance without the set, costumes, or acting. Handel wrote in both genres because they were both popular during this time period but were played during different…

    • 68 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Musicals as we know them today have their roots in opera. An opera is a dramatic presentation in which the story is told through music, similar to modern musicals. Opera got its start in Italy, around the turn of the 17th century. In opera, there is generally no spoken dialogue; sung passages and dramatic arias move the plot along. This is similar to popular sung-through musicals of today, such as Evita, Les Miserables and Phantom Of The Opera.…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Opera Music

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Listening to an opera is one of the most interesting classical music performances you could see live. This 90 minute opera I seen was played on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 and performed at 8 p.m. The name play was Wozzeck by Alben Burg and performed by the Philharmonic Ocrhestra. At the opera the person who was suppose to be the doctor was ill so Kevin Beurdette took Tijil Faveyls place. The people that attended the concert varied, some people were older and other people were young. The type of class of people that showed up to this concert was not specifically seen because most of the people that did show where dressed formal-casual. This concert had no special occasion to it but besides the fact that it was a mandatory class meeting at the Disney Concert Hall. The opera had a full orchestra. During this opera performance none of the actors had costumes on nor was the stage set up for an acting show. The scenes performed were all up to the actors; they memorized the play and then improvised their acting on set. The Doctor acted by Burdette had to really improvise his part. Every time he came out in a scene he carried the script with him out on stage. This opera was in German and there were surr-titles instead of subtitles. The audience laughed during the opera and they were to have a sense of relationship with play. Since it was a play the audience only applauded when the opera was over.…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Americans are always looking for fun and new entertainment which broadens the horizons of their thinking and gives them a whole new experience. Theatre and movies allow the audience to escape from everyday anxieties and stress, to imagine what life would be like if viewed or taken from another perspective. The Phantom of the Opera is a classic, musical romance film popular because of its emphasis on love, constant entertainment, and powerfully touching music. The Phantom of the Opera is a popular novel and play which is still determined as one of the longest running show in history, and one of the most lucrative entertainment enterprises of all time. Both versions of the Phantom of the Opera movie, having radical differences but still being of the same kind, deserve a long debate in a compare-and-contrast manner.…

    • 310 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Italy is a beautiful country with a diverse culture, not much different from that of the United States. There are many aspects that make Italy unique from other countries, all of which are beautiful in their own way. Italians are proud individuals who take family and business seriously. First impressions can be lasting impressions, so be sure to make it a good one. The main language spoken in Italy is Italian, by 93% of its citizens (Kids Europe, 2005).…

    • 1118 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    At the very early start of opera, which was pre 1600s, the first piece to be credited was written by Jacopo Peri called “Dafne”. In this period many Florence intellectuals deemed art of their time to be inferior to the time of the Greeks, which led to the spawn of Opera music. Dafne was composed by Peri, but he was not alone as he was joined with the help of a poet named Ottavio Rinuccini and a fellow music patron named Jacopo Corsi. Although this was not all too similar to that of the Greeks, it helped create a new style that would last through the ages to what we know today as Opera.…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the Baroque Era, a new form of music was created called opera. Opera is defined as “an extended dramatic composition, in which all parts are sung to instrumental accompaniment, that usually includes arias, choruses, and recitatives, and that sometimes includes ballet.” Around the same time that opera became popular began oratorio. Oratorio is very similar to opera except the theme of an opera normally dealt with history and mythology, including age-old devices of romance, deception, and murder, and oratorio’s were more suitably for church due to sacred topics.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From as early as the 17th century, all the way up until the 21st century, there have been revolutionary changes all over the globe. Countless advances in technology, philosophy, and art have changed the way people live forever. In a world where technology has gone from telegrams to handheld computers, the fact that the musical world has also seen dramatic changes often goes completely unnoted. More specifically, the orchestra sector of the musical realm has undertaken a quite noticeable evolution within itself.…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Baroque Era

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Baroque Era saw the eruption of the opera, concerto and oratorio genre. Opera begun to spread throughout Europe becoming the ultimate multimedia experience of the day. Concerto became the most important orchestral genre during the period. While oratorio remained glued to its beginning of sacred religious vocal music. Each genre adding great composers to the already hefty list. Composer George Handel is most famous for the oratorio Messiah as well his opera Julius Caesar, while Vivaldi championed the Concerto in E, Spring. Baroque Era had many important and influential people that have influenced the great minds of today, music being one of the common themes that tied the Era together.…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Opera And Ballet Essay

    • 1585 Words
    • 7 Pages

    During the 17th Century Opera and Ballets were combined and performed in the same productions (Smith 23). French Opera began to form in “1669 and after many issues came throughout the creation, they finalized French Opera in 1673” (Mongredien 120). It is noted that the roots of Opera “were influenced from Greek and Roman tragedy, Ancient Rhetoric and work of Plato and Aristotle” (Giroud). The first impact of French Opera “was made by Luigi Rossi’s Ofreo, it was written especially for Paris, glorying Louis XIV in manner of ballet de cour” (Giroud 7). Other sources provides information that “the poet Philippe Quinault and Jean- Baptiste Lully created the French five-act tragedie lyrique, itself indebted both to earlier French forms of Ballet and Drama” (Naxos). “The tragedie lyrique created by Jean- Baptiste Lully and the poet Quinault was not necessarily tragic but it was, at least, serious in its treatment of subjects usually drawn from mythology” (Naxos). Lully set a standard in Opera and Ballet and it caught…

    • 1585 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Operetta is a short opera which is usually performed in a light of humorous theme and typically have a spoken dialogue. According to Encyclopedia " Operetta, musical-dramatic production similar in structure to a light opera but characteristically having a romantically sentimental plot interspersed with songs, orchestral music, and rather elaborate dancing scenes, along with the spoken dialogue." Whereas, Opera is a dramatic work which joins music, drama, singing, poetry, and sometimes dance. According to Wikipedia " Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text (libretto) and musical score usually in a theatrical setting."…

    • 201 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Opera Vs Musical Theater

    • 668 Words
    • 20 Pages

    Ever since I could remember I’ve dreamed about be a singer and when I was able, I started taking classes to accomplish that goal. Since working and studying in the entertainment industry I have found that there are many different career paths in this one field but I have chosen to discuss two that are similar but different in many ways. Opera and Musical Theater are two passions of mine and I hope this research will help me better understand these two careers. First off, opera is a very demanding filed and it takes a lot of work to acquire the talent and technique which mean practicing almost every day for many hours The education requirements for becoming an Opera Singer is unlike any other job as far as schooling, some singers do go on to music conservatory after high school these. Students in the voice department take courses in music theory and hearing skills each semester until all requirements are met. At these schools students will learn the necessary vocal and musicianship techniques to enhance their performance, style, presentation, and speech. Some students who wish to coach recital material or to explore the French and German Art Song repertoire: Other performance opportunities include oratorio, lieder, art song, contemporary and early music literatures, and choral music. Most students consider joining vocal music ensembles as chamber singers and bigger vocal ensembles; Voice students also appear regularly in student recitals and present major recitals during their semesters at a certain music conservatories. On the other hand music conservatories can be very expensive and in the long run is not needed if one has been studying and practicing for most there life and has a personal vocal trainer. There is no certain degree that a performer needs to obtain a job…

    • 668 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    There are many forms of art such as, paintings, sculptures, buildings, etc. Opera is another form of art though it may not seem like art to many people. “Few forms of art… are as overtly involved as opera in the social and historical contexts within which they are created and consumed” (Lindenberger 235). Italian opera which obviously formed in Italy is a form of art in the Italian language. It was introduced in Italy in the 1600s. Ironically many composers of Italian opera were from other areas of the world rather than Italy. However, there are many famous composers who were born and raised in Italy. These operas written by these composers are some of the most famous throughout the world. The magnificent feature of opera is the fact that it tells a story. “It may be described as sung drama, in which the theatrical force is carried by the music as well as the text” (Headington, Westbrook, Barfoot 11). The history of Italian opera shows the change in styles over the course of time and throughout society.…

    • 2813 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics