Post #6 – Lecture Baroque Theatre – Opera

Baroque Period --

·       Catholic church rivaled other religions for superiority.

·       People were commissioned to make paintings for churches.

·       People wanted to hear about their true past.

·       Cesky Krumlov’s Baroque Theatre could draw people in with its visual and structural appeal.

o   Evolved to become ornate; wider from more characters, special effects, and spectators.

o   5 balconies.

o   We still use their orchestra pits to this day.

o   Occasionally “break the 4^th wall” (actors, in character, interact with the audience).

·       Add as much equipment and as much machinery under the stage as possible.

o   Same technology in the Colosseum (raised animals and warriors in elevator-like platforms).

·       Went back to these classical themes in the Renaissance.

 

Opera --

·       Dramatic work in one or more acts.

o   Singing to tell a story.

·       Musicals use acting, dancing, and singing—there is a difference between operas and musicals.

·       Literally anything can become and opera, no matter how outlandish, disrespectful, or weird it can be.

·       Castration of children in choirs would end in the middle of the 16^th century.

o   Pope Leo XIII spoke for this to end.

o   Barbers would conduct surgeries on children to manipulate their voices.

¾    Most of which would not survive.

o   Castrated children’s voices were strange, shaky, and more high-pitched.

¾    Like a woman’s voice.

·       Farinelli was the most famous castrated opera voice in the 17^th-18^th century.

·       Cathy Barberien was a very accomplished opera singer.

o   She figured she could do a lot with her voice.

o   Stripsody: making random and crazy noises(?).

¾    Most people would not accept this as music.

·       John Cage figured the opera was limited.

o   Introduced the use of silence.

¾    “Noise”.

¾    “Water Walk”.

¾    Extremely unorthodox and unheard of.

o   Both he and Cathy Barberien were “avant-grade” artists.

¾    Stepped out of their comfort-zone to take music to another level.

DISCUSSION:

The Industrial Revolution transformed economies and influenced citizens to become more knowledgeable. Usually, products were handcrafted, and the old fashions of critiquing art had high expectations for aspiring artists (Impressionists). But, in these days, mechanized manufacturing and mass-production would take over, and pieces from any and every individual would be accepted as a form of art. Citizens during the Industrial Revolution would constantly try to "break the rules of the Renaissance". New machines, power sources, and ways of life would be developed and expanded upon. For example, the new steam-powered railroad engine would become a faster and more efficient form of travel from place to place.