Opera

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Patricia

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Sep 29, 2011
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Most operas are sung in Italian. Is this because most of them are written by Italian composers or is there another reason? I have often wondered about this.
 
Generally an opera will be written in the native language of the composer, but some composers, such as Mozart and Handel, used Italian for it's musicality. Italian is a naturally beautiful language. It's soft and lyrical on it's own, unlike German, which can be more difficult to work into music.
 
Italian is the perfect language for opera! Even for non-opera, I find the Romance language more suited for music than Germanic languages.
 
I do so agree about the rich musical quality of Italian. When I hear the great opera singers like Caruso or Pavarotti, it moves me to tears sometimes!
 
Italy was the cradle of opera. It's where the first works of art were created, so naturally, they were in Italian. Mozart wrote in German as well as Italian, though, so he's one of the best examples that opera can be written in other languages as well. German sounds just as beautiful when sung, but it was Italian which had been the ''core'' language, as I like to call it. It's one of the reasons why most of the works were written in it. Can't escape the tradition, I guess.
 
I did a course on opera while I lived there and it is fascinating, the history of it. I also went to quite a few operas, and they tend to be quite long. If you like Puccini, I did visit his house in Lucca, a great attraction in a wonderful city. It has a reputation for being the politest city in Italy and it wa when I was there.
 
I love Opera and I must say that it sounds so much better in Italian or Latin then in any other language. Traditionally it was written in Italian as most of the composers were inspired by the romantic light of the language.
 
Yes, the answer is correct, the opera is written in the language of the composer, that is why they are in Italian. Some theaters do have electronic displays that work like subtitles, both in Italian and in English or in the native language of the country, that is really useful.
 
Peninha said:
Yes, the answer is correct, the opera is written in the language of the composer, that is why they are in Italian. Some theaters do have electronic displays that work like subtitles, both in Italian and in English or in the native language of the country, that is really useful.
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This is definitely true. About a month or two ago, I watched a ballet, Pulcinella, and though there was little conversation in between the characters, I didn't understand everything they were saying. The subtitles would have been very welcome. I can only imagine how hard it would be to follow the opera if you don't know Italian.
 
Yep, I was in the Opera a few years ago both in Tokyo and in Moscow and they did had those electronic subtitles, so it was funny to see the "lyrics" in Japanese alternating with English, but at the same time it does allow us to follow the story better if we are not experts.
 
I appreciate a beautiful Opera. I love the Italian language. It is so easy to enjoy the romantic story of the Italian language that is why it works so well in the Opera. Is it so inspirational.
 
I can't say I am a huge opera lover, but I do think it's something emblematic for Italy that is all over the world, I mean, the greatest opera composers are Italian, so it's something to make the country proud.
 
Yes, definitely, I agree. Italian and German composers are the world's greatest, when it comes to both the opera and the classical music in general. I believe that there are several works which you simply must listen to - such as Rigoletto, La Traviata and Nabucco, all of which were written by Verdi (of course, there are many more, but these three are my personal favourites). And who hasn't heard about Vivaldi or Puccini? There's certainly a reason why they're so well-known - their splendid music enchants. Curiously enough, throughout history, while people liked listening to opera, they had a certain distaste towards opera singers - they were considered... almost as inferior. This sounds a little like hypocrisy, doesn't it?
 
I used to go to the opera when I was young, and all I heard was Italian. Of course, I didn't understand a thing, I only learned Italian in these last few years.

However, I have to admit I have never been to the Opera here in Italy! I always thought the tickets would be way out of my price range so I never even thought about it. But, out of curiosity I looked for the website of the local theater and the tickets are not expensive at all! Especially if you're OK with not sitting in the front row or right on the stage :D

Oh, and by the way, I can't understand German is someone spelled the words to me. So, thank god most operas are in Italian!
 
Don't say that! :D German operas are also very beautiful, especially Mozart. The aria of the Queen of the Night was one of the most beautiful arias I had ever heard. Our teacher played it to us when we were fifth grade elementary. We were eleven and we didn't understand a word (I got German in fifth grade as my foreign language, so...), but we were still able to enjoy it, despite not understanding what it was about. :) I bet you could enjoy it as well.

Music has a way of reaching through to you even though you understand the language very little. It simply does. I don't speak French, but there are some French songs that I like. I don't even speak Italian, but I enjoy Italian music :D Just be open-minded and you'll see. The barriers will disappear one by one. I hope you'll find yourself listening to German music very soon! :D
 
I have not been to a lot of operas. I have been to a few when in school and in college, mostly for art appreciation class. :D It's not an option for things to do in my spare time, so I'm kind of grateful that we now have live streams of theater sessions and opera sessions. Operas are really entertaining and it's more than just a matter of high-end entertainment or not for me, as some of the live streams we could access online could also be a paid service. :)
 
During summertime there are a lot of outdoor opera festivals, especially in the UK and you can have a picnic and enjoy it. It generally is more affordable and is a nice gathering. I am quite lucky I have visited opera houses in Verona and Milan (though not in season to see performances) seen opera in Firenze and also at the Royal Opera House and the London Coliseum. Where you see it can make such a difference too as part of it is the atmosphere.
 
Now that you mention the opera houses, I believe that there are three greatest opera houses everyone should see at least once in their life: On the first place is definitely La Scala. It's where the music had begun to flourish, after all. Another one is Opera Garnier in Paris. It had inspired the legend of the Phantom of the Opera and still manages to entrance with the beautiful baroque style. The third one is The Globe. Many great works have been staged there regarding literature, if not music. Of the modern buildings, Royal Albert Hall in London and Sidney Opera House are the places to see, definitely.
 
That is something I would love, to be in the La Scala seeing an opera, but fortunately I've been to a couple major opera houses, in Salzburg, Moscow (the Bolshoi theater needs to be recovered though) and in Tokyo, amazing shows in all three.
 
I'm not really into to opera but I've heard a few good songs. Don't know the artists though but their vocal range was outstanding. There is this one group with the three brothers singing, their really good.
 
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