Bell Ringer – 12/12/2013m.socrative.com - Room #38178

QUESTION:1. What are Pierre de Beaumarchais 2 most famous plays?

USE YOUR DEVICES IF YOU HAVE ONE – its so much quicker to grade when you submit them electronically!!!

Opera

Opera - GeneralGenerally COMIC – not sentimental

Every word is sung – music continues throughout the entire productionDrama is propelled by songDid often include ballet, but not alwaysBallets would not include singing (only danced to instrumental

music)

The Marriage of FigaroComic Opera

1786 by Mozart

Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on the stage play by Pierre BeaumarchaisLibretto: the text or words of an opera

The play was, at first, banned in Vienna because of its disregard to the rulesPoked fun at government officials

The Marriage of FigaroMozart’s librettist got permission for the opera

First of 3 collaborations between Mozart and Da PonteDon Giovanni (based on the ballet Don Juan) was the second

Mozart selected the play and brought it to Da Ponte (who turned it into a libretto in 6 weeks)He removed all the original political references

For example: he replaced a speech by Figaro against inherited nobility to an aria about unfaithful wives

The Marriage of FigaroMozart got 450 florins for the work

3 times what he made in a YEAR when he was a court musician in Salzburg

Premiered in Vienna on May 1 1786Mozart conducted the first 2 performances himself9 performances total

The work was revived in 1789Replaced 2 arias with original compositions

ActivityWe will now read a short summary of the plot of “The

Marriage of Figaro” as well as some historical and literary background on the work.

You have questions to answer as we go – we will do these as a class

You might be asked to SUMMARIZE this opera on your test next week….

Watch – The Marriage of FigaroAct 4 – Mistaken Identities in the Garden

http://youtu.be/N_8CiooLN5k?t=6m30shttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWxclaU-Db0

The Magic Flute2 act opera by Mozart

A “Singspiel” – includes both singing and spoken dialogue (similar to a “musical” today)

Premiered in 1791 in Vienna

Comic Opera

The Magic FluteMozart was a close friend to one of the singers of the Schikaneder’s

theatrical troupe (the resident company at the Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna) and wrote the opera for the troupeThe libretto was written by Schikaneder himself

Mozart wrote with the singers in mind – there were trained singers, but also several comic actors that were not the best singersMelodic lines are often played by the orchestra and then sung (so the

singers could find the pitch and hear what their line should sound like)

The Magic FluteThe opera drew immense crowds and reached 100s of performances

during the 1790s

Its success lifted Mozart – he had fallen ill just weeks before the premiere

The 100th performance was on November 1792 – Mozart did not get to witness this performanceHe died December 5, 1791

One of the most beloved works in the operatic repertoire – the 4th most frequently performed world wide

ActivityWe will now read a short summary of the plot of “The Magic

Flute”

You have questions to answer as we go – they’re on the BACK of the Marriage of Figaro Questions

You might be asked to SUMMARIZE this opera on your test next week….