Music Analysis: Classical Opera

Classical Opera
THE question of what sort of music should be employed in opera is a fundamental one, and has given rise to more controversies, heart-burnings, and recriminations than any other matter, since it lies at the root of all differences between schools or individuals. In the earliest times, we find a declamatory style; in the works of the Venetians, melody asserts itself; with Scarlatti, musical learning is pressed into service; in the epoch of Handel, a conventional form dominates the stage; the efforts of Gluck bring back something of an earlier dramatic style, with vastly increased resources in the orchestra; Mozart reverts again to a more melodic method, enforcing it with correct expression and consummate orchestral skill. There
The gates of Paris are strictly guarded, and all precautions are taken to prevent Armand's escape. He is saved from capture by the water-carrier Mikeli, whose son he had once befriended, and he makes his way out of the city concealed in Mikeli's water-cart. In the neighboring village of Gonesse, however, he is captured by the cardinal's troops while protecting his wife Constance from the rudeness of two soldiers. The dénouement comes in the shape of a pardon from the queen, and all ends
Founded on a plot somewhat similar to "Lodoiska," it won instant success, and among the crowd that thronged to its première were Beethoven and Haydn, both of whom were anxious to bear homage to the truly great composer. He produced several other operas in Paris, all more or less successful. Concerning "Les Abencerrages," Mendelssohn wrote that he could not sufficiently "admire the sparkling fire, the clever original phrasing, the extraordinary delicacy and refinement with which the whole is written, or feel grateful enough to the grand old man for it." The latter part of Cherubini's long career was devoted to teaching and sacred compositions, and at his death, in 1842, his fame in church music rivalled his reputation in