Opera Composers of the Romantic Period Franz Peter Schubert - His proper name of Franz Schubert’s songs is actually lieder - German word means songs. Developed lieder so that they have powerful dramatic impact on the listeners. He tapped the poetry of writers like Johann Goethe. He is considered the last of the Classical composers and one of the first romantic ones. Famous vocal music works/lieder were: “Gretchen am Spinnrade,” “Erlking”, “ Ellens Gesang III” (“Ave Maria”), and Schwanenge Sang” (“Swan Song”). He also wrote piano pieces, string quartets, operetta and the Symphony no. 8 in B Minor (“Unfinished Symphony”) He was born on the 31st of January 1797 in Himmelpfortgrund, Austria and died in 1828 in Vienna, Austria at age 31. Guiseppe Verdi - A name associated with Romantic opera is that of Verdi. His characters are ordinary people and not those of the royal family like those found in German operas. He insisted on a good libretto and wrote operas with political overtones and for middle-class audience. Verdi was born in Parma, Italy on October 09, 1813. He studied in Busseto and later went to Milan where his first opera “Oberto” was performed in La Scala, the most important opera house at a time. Almost all of his works are serious love story with unhappy ending. Expensive vocal melody is the soul of a Verdi opera. He completed 25 operas throughout his career. His final opera ends with “All the world’s joke”. Some of his famous operas are still being produced and performed worldwide. His much-acclaimed works are: “La Triviata, ““Rigolleto,” Falstaff,” “Otello,” and “Aida” where he wrote for the opening of the Suez Canal. He died in Milan, Italy on January 27, 1901. Giacomo Puccini - He was born in a poor family on December 22, 1858 in Luca, Italy. He studied at the Milan Conservatory. He belonged to a group of composers who stressed realism, therefore, he drew material from everyday life, rejecting heroic themes from mythology and history. Puccini’s famous operas were: “La Boheme,” “Tosca,” “Madamme Butterfly,” and “Turandot”. Richard Wagner - He was born in Leipzig, Germany on May 22, 1813. He attended Leipzig University. He was very much inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven. Wagner introduced new ideas in harmony and in form including chromaticism. He also explored the limits of the traditional system that gave keys and chords their own which paved the way for the rise the atonality in century. He exerted a strong influence on the operatic medium. - - He was an advocate of a new form of opera which called “music drama” where musical and dramatic elements were fused together. He developed a compositional style in which the orchestra has of equal importance in dramatic roles as singers themselves. The expressiveness is aided by the use of leitmotifs or musical sequences standing for a particular character/plot element. His famous works are; “Tristan and Isolde”, “Die Walkyrie,” “Die Meistersinger,” “Tannhauser,” and “Parsifal.” His work would later influence modern film scores, including those of “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings” film series. Wagner died of a heart attack on February 13, 1883 at age of 69. George Bizet - He was registered with the legal name Alexandre-Cesar-Leopold Bizet, but was baptized Georges Bizet and was always known by the latter name. He was born October 25, 1838 in Paris, France. He entered the Paris Conservatory of music at a very young age. Bizet became famous for his operas. His famous opera is “Carmen”. However, when “Carmen” first opened in Paris, the reviews were terrible. The shows were criticized in horrible ways that resulted in poor audience attendance. During the first round of “Carmen” performances, Bizet died June 03, 1875. He was only 36. Four months later, “Carmen “opened in Vienna, Austria and was a smash hit. It is now one of the most popular operas ever written. Bizet never knew that audiences would come to consider it as his masterpiece.
