MUSIC Grade 9 - Vocal Music of the Romantic Period (4th Quarter Music - MAPEH)

Music Lesson: Vocal Music of the Romantic Period

Key Concepts: Romantic Period, Vocal Music, Opera, Art Song (Lieder), Libretto, Score, Recitative, Aria, Acts, Scene, Bel Canto, Sarsuela.

Introduction

The lesson focuses on vocal music during the Romantic period, emphasizing emotional expression through art song and opera. It highlights the period's focus on emotional subjectivity and explores how composers translated feelings into music. The lesson aims to help students appreciate the cultural developments and artistic forms of expression of the period.

Vocal Music in the Romantic Period

• Emotional Subjectivity: The Romantic period prioritized emotional expression in music. Composers explored feelings like grandiosity, intimacy, unpredictability, sadness, rapture, and longing.
• Romantic Vocal Forms: Art songs and operas explored themes of fantasy, the supernatural, romance, and nature as a reflection of the human heart.
• Virtuoso Performers: Singers became virtuoso performers, capable of portraying multiple characters through different vocal registers.
• Parallelism of Music and Literature: Composers interpreted poems, moods, atmosphere, and imagery into music.
• Art Song (Lieder): Written for solo voice and piano, inspired by poetry. The piano often sets the mood at the beginning and concludes the song.
• Inspiration: Romantic artists drew inspiration from landscapes, traditional myths, legends, and folklore, often dealing with the supernatural and grotesque.
• Opera Houses: The birth of opera houses provided a space where music, poetry, painting, architecture, and dance converged.

Opera: A Key Vocal Form

• Definition: Opera is a musical composition where most of the text is set to music, featuring arias, recitatives, choruses, duets, trios, etc., sung with orchestral accompaniment. It is characterized by elaborate costumes, scenery, and choreography.
• Components of an Opera:
  • Libretto: The text of an opera, created through collaboration between the librettist and composer.
  • Score: The complete musical notation, words, and ideas compiled by the composer and librettist. It includes overtures, preludes, prologues, acts, finales, and postludes.
  • Recitative: Clamatory singing used in prose parts and dialogue.
  • Aria: A solo singing part sung by a principal character, designed to be memorable and impactful.
  • Acts: The main divisions of an opera.
  • Scene: The setting or place where the action occurs.

Famous Opera Composers of the Romantic Period

• Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828):
  • Leader: German term for composition for solo voice and piano. Schubert developed leader to have a powerful dramatic impact.
  • Considered the last of the classical composers and one of the first romantic ones.
  • Famous Works: Gretchen am Spinrad, Earl Koenig, Ellens Gessang III (Ave Maria), Unfinished Symphony.
• Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901):
  • Associated with romantic opera, focusing on ordinary people rather than royalty.
  • Insisted on good librettos and wrote operas with political overtones for middle-class audiences.
  • Expressive vocal melody is the soul of a Verdi opera.
  • Famous Works: La Traviata, Rigoletto (including La Donna è Mobile), Falstaff, Otello, Aida.
• Richard Wagner (1813-1883):
  • Introduced new ideas in harmony and form, including chromaticism.
  • Advocated for "music drama," fusing musical and dramatic elements.
  • Elevated the orchestra to an equal dramatic role with the singers.
  • Used leitmotifs (musical sequences representing characters or plot elements).
  • Famous Works: Tristan und Isolde, Die Walküre, Die Meistersinger, Tannhäuser, Parsifal.
• Georges Bizet (1838-1875):
  • Famous for his operas, particularly Carmen.
  • Carmen initially received terrible reviews in Paris but later became a smash hit in Vienna and is now considered one of the most popular operas.

Examples of Famous Operas

• La Traviata (Giuseppe Verdi):
  • Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas.
  • Romantic tragedy set in Paris, France, around 1850.
  • Synopsis: Violetta, a courtesan, falls in love with Alfredo. Alfredo's father disapproves and demands Violetta renounce Alfredo. Violetta sacrifices her love, leading to misunderstandings and tragedy. Violetta dies in Alfredo's arms after he learns the truth.
• Madame Butterfly (Giacomo Puccini):
  • Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, based on a short story by John Luther Long.
  • Romantic tragedy set in Nagasaki, Japan, at the beginning of the 20th century.
  • Synopsis: American naval officer Pinkerton marries Cio-Cio-San (Butterfly) as a casual affair. Pinkerton returns to America and marries an American woman. When he returns to Japan with his American wife, Butterfly kills herself so Pinkerton can take their son.

Types of Voices

• Male Voices:
  • Tenor: Highest male voice.
  • Baritone: Middle male voice.
  • Bass: Lowest male voice.
• Female Voices:
  • Soprano: Highest female voice.
    • Coloratura: The highest soprano voice.
    • Lyric: A bright and full sound.
    • Dramatic: Darker full sound.
  • Mezzo-soprano: Most common female voice, strong middle voice, darker tone.
  • Contralto: Lowest female voice.

Dynamics and Vocal Embellishments

• A Cappella: One or more singers performing without instrumental accompaniment.
• Cantabile: In a singing style.
• Capo: Head or the beginning.
• Coda: Closing section appended to a movement or song.
• Dolce: Sweetly.
• Falsetto: A weaker and more airy voice, usually in the higher pitch ranges.
• Glissando: Sliding quickly between two notes.
• Passaggio: Parts of a singing voice word register transitions occur.
• Rubato: Slight speeding up or slowing down of the tempo.
• Tessitura: The most comfortable singing range of a singer.
• Vibrato: Rapidly repeated slight pitch variation during a sustained note.

Training for Opera

• Sound/Tone Color: Focus on the quality of sound, singing long phrases, and projecting over an orchestra.
• Bel Canto Technique: "Beautiful singing" achieved by singing with an open mouth and throat, using proper breath support.
• Language: Familiarity with Italian, French, German, or Russian.
• Posture: Erect yet relaxed posture for efficient breathing.
• Vocal Range: Developing a well-developed and impressive singing range.
• Endurance: Ability to perform well for long operas (2-4 hours).

Vocal Music in the Philippines

• Sarsuela (Drama Simbolico): A traditional theater genre in the Philippines, similar to opera, with storylines based on domestic issues and Filipino nationalism.
• Famous Writers: Benigno Zamora, Severino Reyes, and Claudualdo del Mundo.
• Example: Dalagang Bukid (Country Maiden).
• Filipino Artists: Maria Callas, Kirsten Chenoweth, Isay Alvarez, Robert Sena, Monique Wilson, Jamie Rivera, and Lea Salonga. Lea Salonga won international awards for her role in Miss Saigon.

Conclusion

The Romantic period brought significant changes to vocal music, emphasizing emotional expression and virtuosity. Composers closely associated text with music, particularly in opera and art song. Romantic opera requires trained voices capable of filling large opera houses. The sarsuela in the Philippines reflects similar themes of nationalism and social issues.