What is an Aria?
Boiclelayn
Hi everyone. I just started listening to operas couple of months ago.
Of course I am fascinated and entranced. From stuff I've read, people
keeps mentioning Aria. Could someone tell me what that is? Is it just
a section of a complete opera?
Thanx.
B.
Karen Mercedes
An aria is a solo sung by one of the characters. It's the opera
equivalent of a soliloquy, a speech, or a monologue in a play.
An aria usually does one of a few things - It gives the character a chance
to tell a story (for example, "Condotta eri cieppi" sung by Azucena in IL
TROVATORE); it gives the character a chance to confess something (his
love, her guilt, his philosophy of life - for example, "Io credo in un dio
crudel" sung by Jago in Verdi's OTELLO); it gives the character a chance
to reflect on something, usually something he or she is about to do or has
done, or has had done to her/him ("Abscheulicher!...Komm Hoffnung" from
Beethoven's FIDELIO); it gives him or her a chance to read a letter aloud
(Lady Macbeth's letter aria from MACBETH, Tatyana's letter scene from
EUGENE ONEGIN); it gives her or him a chance to express hope, despair,
etc. ("Un bel di, vedremo" from MADAMA BUTTERFLY). Basically, as I said,
it does exactly what speeches, monologues, and soliloquies do in plays and
films.
There are also solo scenes that may or may not be considered arias - often
they go on for too long, and change so much musically and in mood, to be
strictly considered arias. For example, the famous "Mad scene" from
Donizetti's LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, or Boris Godunov's big death scene.
There are solos sung in operas that *aren't* arias - these are usually
called "canzones" ("songs"). You can tell they aren't arias because
they *seem* like songs - they aren't confessional, but instead sound like
the character has just decided to sing a song at some point in the opera.
Now, this doesn't mean the song isn't relevant to the plot - it better be
- and that it might not express the singer's own ideas. It's just that
the musical form is so obviously song-like, it usually isn't considered an
aria. I know this can be confusing, particularly when you'll find that
somepeople will call something a song - like "Voi che sapete" in LE NOZZE
DI FIGARO or "Stride la vampa" in IL TROVATORE - and other people will
call it an aria. I tend to call things whatever the composer called them,
because I figure he knows what he intended. That's why "Mon coeur
s'oeuvre a ta voix" from SAMSON ET DALILA, though looking suspiciously
like a song, is an *aria* - Saint-Saens said it was one, so it is one.
A few good examples of arias:
CARMEN: "La fleur que tu m'avais jetee" - sung by Don Jose to Carmen -
this one combines a bit of story telling with a confession of love
LA BOHEME: "Che gelida manina" - sung by Rodolfo to Mimi
"Si, mi chiamamo Mimi" - sung by Mimi to Rodolfo
One of the most charming introductions between characters in opera.
PAGLIACCI: "Vesti la giubba" - Sung by Canio - an "I'm really miserable,
but the show must go on" revelation of Canio's feelings
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO: "Dove Sono" - Sung by the Countess Almaviva - Poor
Countess, lets us know she's ever hopeful that her straying husband might
finally come home to roost. One of Mozart's most beautiful arias, IMO.
A few examples of "canzonettas" or "songs" in opera:
DON GIOVANNI: "Deh, vieni alla finestra" - Don Giovanni serenades Zerlina
with this little song
CARMEN: "Chanson Boheme" - Sung by Carmen and her friends at Lillas
Pastia's tavern
LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN: Olympia's song (can't recall the name)
LA TRAVIATA: "Libiamo" - drinking song sung by Alfredo and Violetta at a
party
Karen Mercedes
=====
Dan Ford
What a wonderfully lucid explanation--thank you.
Old librettos often translate aria with the English "air." Eric Partridge
in Origins notes that the word owes something to "aemi," I breathe hard,
and it is certainly true that "Londonderry Air" (Danny Boy) requires more
air than a mere song like "Johnnie I Hardly Knew Ye," to stick to Irish
melodies. So I wonder if your distinction also holds true in English, or
used to?
- Dan / http://www.cris.com/~danford
(To reply to me, remove the ** from my return address)
On Fri, 13 Jun 1997, Karen Mercedes wrote:
> There are solos sung in operas that *aren't* arias - these are usually
> called "canzones" ("songs"). You can tell they aren't arias because
> they *seem* like songs - they aren't confessional, but instead sound like
> the character has just decided to sing a song at some point in the opera.
> Now, this doesn't mean the song isn't relevant to the plot - it better be
> - and that it might not express the singer's own ideas. It's just that
> the musical form is so obviously song-like, it usually isn't considered an
> aria. I know this can be confusing, particularly when you'll find that
> somepeople will call something a song - like "Voi che sapete" in LE NOZZE
> DI FIGARO or "Stride la vampa" in IL TROVATORE - and other people will
> call it an aria. I tend to call things whatever the composer called them,
> because I figure he knows what he intended. That's why "Mon coeur
> s'oeuvre a ta voix" from SAMSON ET DALILA, though looking suspiciously
> like a song, is an *aria* - Saint-Saens said it was one, so it is one.
(much good stuff omitted)
Stuart Gavilon
Karen Mercedes wrote:
>
> An aria is a solo sung by one of the characters. It's the opera
> equivalent of a soliloquy, a speech, or a monologue in a play.
> An aria usually does one of a few things - It gives the character a chance
> to tell a story (for example, "Condotta eri cieppi" sung by Azucena in IL
> TROVATORE); it gives the character a chance to confess something (his
> love, her guilt, his philosophy of life - for example, "Io credo in un dio
> crudel" sung by Jago in Verdi's OTELLO); it gives the character a chance
> to reflect on something, usually something he or she is about to do or has
> done, or has had done to her/him ("Abscheulicher!...Komm Hoffnung" from
> Beethoven's FIDELIO); it gives him or her a chance to read a letter aloud
> (Lady Macbeth's letter aria from MACBETH, Tatyana's letter scene from
> EUGENE ONEGIN); it gives her or him a chance to express hope, despair,
> etc. ("Un bel di, vedremo" from MADAMA BUTTERFLY). Basically, as I said,
> it does exactly what speeches, monologues, and soliloquies do in plays and
> films.
>
> There are also solo scenes that may or may not be considered arias - often
> they go on for too long, and change so much musically and in mood, to be
> strictly considered arias. For example, the famous "Mad scene" from
> Donizetti's LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR, or Boris Godunov's big death scene.
>
> called "canzones" ("songs"). You can tell they aren't arias because
> they *seem* like songs - they aren't confessional, but instead sound like
> the character has just decided to sing a song at some point in the opera.
> Now, this doesn't mean the song isn't relevant to the plot - it better be
> - and that it might not express the singer's own ideas. It's just that
> the musical form is so obviously song-like, it usually isn't considered an
> aria. I know this can be confusing, particularly when you'll find that
> somepeople will call something a song - like "Voi che sapete" in LE NOZZE
> DI FIGARO or "Stride la vampa" in IL TROVATORE - and other people will
> call it an aria. I tend to call things whatever the composer called them,
> because I figure he knows what he intended. That's why "Mon coeur
> s'oeuvre a ta voix" from SAMSON ET DALILA, though looking suspiciously
> like a song, is an *aria* - Saint-Saens said it was one, so it is one.
>
>
> CARMEN: "La fleur que tu m'avais jetee" - sung by Don Jose to Carmen -
> this one combines a bit of story telling with a confession of love
>
> LA BOHEME: "Che gelida manina" - sung by Rodolfo to Mimi
> "Si, mi chiamamo Mimi" - sung by Mimi to Rodolfo
>
> One of the most charming introductions between characters in opera.
>
> PAGLIACCI: "Vesti la giubba" - Sung by Canio - an "I'm really miserable,
> but the show must go on" revelation of Canio's feelings
>
> LE NOZZE DI FIGARO: "Dove Sono" - Sung by the Countess Almaviva - Poor
> Countess, lets us know she's ever hopeful that her straying husband might
> finally come home to roost. One of Mozart's most beautiful arias, IMO.
>
> A few examples of "canzonettas" or "songs" in opera:
>
> DON GIOVANNI: "Deh, vieni alla finestra" - Don Giovanni serenades Zerlina
> with this little song
>
> CARMEN: "Chanson Boheme" - Sung by Carmen and her friends at Lillas
> Pastia's tavern
>
> LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN: Olympia's song (can't recall the name)
>
> LA TRAVIATA: "Libiamo" - drinking song sung by Alfredo and Violetta at a
> party
>
> Karen Mercedes
>
> =====
>
>
> > Hi everyone. I just started listening to operas couple of months ago.
> > Of course I am fascinated and entranced. From stuff I've read, people
> > keeps mentioning Aria. Could someone tell me what that is? Is it just
> > a section of a complete opera?
> >
> > Thanx.
> >
> > B.
> >
> >
WClayTex
Boris Goldovsky once said, THE ONLY EXCUSE FOR OPERA IS THE ARIA
Bill Clayton
Kalliban
On 30 Jun 1997 13:09:02 GMT, wcla...@aol.com (WClayTex) wrote:
>Boris Goldovsky once said, THE ONLY EXCUSE FOR OPERA IS THE ARIA
>Bill Clayton
And, I suppose, the only excuse for a cake is the icing. I don't think
so. There are too many wonderful ballets, choruses, overtures, etc to
dismiss the rest of opera so lightly.
Larry Hawley
In many cases, I think of an Aria as the soliloquy of opera. Listen
closely to the words, they may embody the main ideas of the opera. I
say, may - it's definitely not a certainty.
Larry Hawley
jfu...@unix.asb.com
I like Victor Borge's description of a final (death) aria - a "die-aria".
In article <19970630130...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
wcla...@aol.com (WClayTex) wrote:
> Boris Goldovsky once said, THE ONLY EXCUSE FOR OPERA IS THE ARIA
> Bill Clayton
--
Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she had to do it backwards in high heels.
-anon