The Evolution of Opera Performance from Scenographic Miracles to the Opera Productions of the Nineteenth Century

"The presentation of the book The Evolution of Opera Performance, from Scenographic Miracles to the Opera Productions of the 19th Century, offers a synthesis of our work as a musical theatre director. Our aim is to stimulate the public’s interest in the opera genre and opera staging, by revealing aspects in the history of opera performance(s), as they have been shaped, century after century, by following the gradual effort and the tireless passion of its creators. Our aims are also to illustrate the original charm and the infinite resources of this genre, which continues to delight the public at large and the knowledgeable even today. Keywords: opera performance, opera staging, liturgical drama, vernacular drama, secular drama, dramatic madrigal, intermedi, the Florentine Camerata, Claudio Monteverdi, comédies-ballets, tragédie en musique, semi-opera, opera seria, the comic opera, opera buffa, ópera comique, ballad opera, Singspiel, tonadilla, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart "

Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741) und die Kontrapunktlehre

Der strenge Satz wurde als Voraussetzung für einen geregelten Kompositionsunterricht betrachtet und diente als Grundlage für den freien Satz - zum Beispiel bei Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn. Die Verleugnung der Einheit von strengem und freiem Satz führte seit dem Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts zu einer zunehmenden Entfremdung von Theorie und Praxis. Heinrich Schenkers Bemühung, dem Zusammenschluß von Kontrapunkt und Harmonielehre eine theoretische Begründung zu geben, führte wieder zu Fux "Gradus ad Parnassum" zurück. (Autor)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

In dit tweede deel van de reeks Operatheek verkent musicologe Lalina Goddard Così fan tutte, de beroemde komische opera van Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart en librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. Al sinds het begin verhit Così de gemoederen omdat Da Ponte’s immorele en zelfs misogyne tekst niet te rijmen zou vallen met Mozarts verheven muziek. Achtereenvolgens duikt dit boekje in de literaire rijkdom van het libretto en de speelse ironie van de compositie die onder het oppervlak schuilgaan. Lalina Goddard zoekt hierbij antwoorden op de prangende vragen rond gender en vrouwonvriendelijkheid in deze opera. Met deze handige luistergids neemt ze de nieuwsgierige lezer en luisteraar mee langs de vernuftigste muzikale vondsten en literaire knipogen.

TREATMENT OF RECAPITULATION OF THE FIRST MOVEMENTS IN THE SONATA FORM OF BEETHOVEN’S STRING QUARTETS OP. 18

The paper focuses on the function of recapitulation in the sonata form relying on the example of the first movements of Beethoven's string quartets Op. 18 No. 1–6. With regard to the fact that recapitulation is commonly described as a restatement of the exposition with tonal alterations of the second theme and the closing section, analytical deliberations most often do not go beyond recording such alterations. However, some analysis point to the new role of the recapitulation exactly on account of the essence of the undertaken alterations, i.e. on account of the idea that the composer wants to accomplish at the level of sonata form through recapitulation. The research is conceived as a continuation of the previous studies (Zdravić Mihailović 2006, 2007a, 2007b, 2015a, 2015b). These studies focused on the genre of string quartet of Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, where recapitulation was proven to be a remarkable phenomenon as its role was not merely to restate the exposition’s content with the usual tonal alterations. On the contrary, it can be a place of a new treatment of the sections of the exposition, and gives it some completely specific features.