Humanities 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Humanities 2 - Essay Example It is, hence, easy to understand how opera was developed in order to satisfy the Baroque contemporary requirements. To demonstrate this, the opera contains several elements that express Baroque cultural values and this paper will cite them. In order to understand the relationship of the opera to the Baroque artistic style, it is important to explain what it is all about. Here, Guisepi's work becomes helpful. He explained that the term literally means "irregular" and was applied to the dynamic and undisciplined artistic creativity that "grew out of the Catholic pomp and confidence accompanying the Counter-Reformation." Rome is central to this musical development wherein many musicians converge in order to study or find work in numerous choirs and for families like Colonna and Borghese (Sabene 2011). It would then come to symbolize the power of the European monarchies as Baroque gained prominence and popularity. These developments led to a kind of artistic style that is unbridled and s ought to impress and awe. Opera was an inevitable offshoot of this environment since, along with visual art, the Church and rich Roman families and nobles commissioned musical pieces as well. The sheer pomp and pageantry of the Baroque society, particularly of its festivities and celebrations, called for a type of music that would similarly reflect it and its grand events. Stone recounted an account of one important celebration, which could provide an idea of what this point means - the public performance arranged by Medina Coeli in celebration of the birthday of the Queen back in 1696: Before the Royal Palace a huge amphitheater was built on which was performed Scarlatti's cantata Il Trionfo dell Stagioni (The Triumph of the Seasons). This was a performance of Mahlerian proportions with 150 instrumentalists and a chorus of 50; the whole construction was illuminated by some 900 torches and lanterns†¦ In these events the entire community was brought together, not as equal specta tors, but as participants in a celebration of hierarchy, which sought, to image power relations of that society (89). Combination of Art Essentially, what makes the opera Baroque in style is the idea that it combines all music and art forms together. First, it is based "on the linking of text to music such that the music followed and augmented the natural speech flow" (Modern Baroque Opera Newsletter 2004). Then, it would utilize and integrate other forms of art such as literature, drama, painting and elaborate stage settings (Guisepi). No wonder many people and music enthusiasts even today refer to it as one of the most exciting artifact of European art and culture. Opera implies a certain grandness that can only be equated with the powers of the European monarchs and the magnificence of the Christian God. The construction of elaborate opera houses depicted the dynamics of grandeur that characterize the opera. Opera houses in many Italian cities demonstrate this such as the La Scal a in Milan and in other countries as well as like the Paris Opera in France with its ornate ceiling and general architecture considered as a masterpiece of the French Baroque. The cavernous and ornate architecture sought to highlight the drama and grandeur of each performance as with the other elements integrated in the whole experience. It is perhaps safe to say that opera or experiencing the opera is incomplete without the imposing Baroque magnificence of these buildings. The Margravial Opera House in Germany is an