Questions and Answers
Who composed the first opera, Dafne, and the first surviving opera, Euridice?
Which composer is regarded as the first major opera composer?
Who spread opera through Italy and France and composed Giasone?
Francesco Cavalli
Who combined dancing, singing, and visual spectacles in opera and composed Cadmus et Hermione?
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Who is recognized as the first English composer of opera and composed Dido and Aeneas?
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Which composer is known for La Griselda?
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Who is the most important French composer of the 18th century?
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Who created the first English ballad opera, The Beggar's Opera?
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Who composed the Baroque era opera series with the most famous work being Giulio Cesare?
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Who composed the influential opera La Serva Padrona?
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Which composer focused on drama rather than musical virtuosity in Orfeo ed Euridice?
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Who composed Il Matrimonio Segreto, forming a bridge between Rossini and Mozart?
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Which composer wrote comedies such as Così fan tutti, Don Giovanni, and The Marriage of Figaro?
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Who composed Médée, featuring a challenging role for the lead soprano?
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Which composer is best known for the opera La Vestale during Napoleon's period?
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Who is famous for high-spirited operas like Fra Diabolo and Le Dormeur de Portici?
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Who started Germanic Romantic operas and composed Der Freischütz?
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Which composer is known for his grand operas such as Les Huguenots?
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Which composer liked the bel canto style and composed The Barber of Seville?
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Who is famous for the bel canto style and composed Lucia di Lammermoor?
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Who is best known for grand opera and composed La Juive?
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Who was the leader of the bel canto style and composed Norma?
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Who composed Les Troyens, Benvenuto Cellini, and Béatrice et Bénédict?
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Who founded Russian opera with compositions such as A Life of a Tsar?
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Which French composer is famous for Hamlet and Mignon?
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Who abolished the tradition of recitative and arias with Der Ring des Nibelungen?
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What are among the most famous works of Giuseppe Verdi?
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Which composer is known for lyrical operas on a literary theme including Roméo et Juliette?
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Who is the founder of French operetta and composed La vie Parisienne?
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Which Russian composer composed Prince Igor?
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Who composed the opera Carmen?
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Which Russian composer composed Boris Godunov?
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Who wrote the main works Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades?
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Which composer is famous for lighter pieces like L'étoile?
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Who is the leading Czech composer famous for Rusalka?
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Which Russian composer wrote about legendary and historic events?
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Who is known as the true successor of Giuseppe Verdi and wrote Tosca?
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Who composed the opera Pelléas et Mélisande, which has a dream-like atmosphere?
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Study Notes
Early Opera Composers
- Jacopo Peri: Composed the first opera, Dafne, and the first surviving opera, Euridice.
- Claudio Monteverdi: First major opera composer, known for Orfeo, Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, L'incoronazione di Poppea.
- Francesco Cavalli: Expanded opera's popularity in Italy and France; composed Giasone.
Development of French Opera
- Jean-Baptiste Lully: Pioneered the combination of dance and singing; composed Cadmus et Hermione, the first French opera.
- Jean-Philippe Rameau: Prominent 18th-century French composer, influential in shaping French opera.
English Opera
- Henry Purcell: The first notable English opera composer, recognized for Dido and Aeneas.
- John Gay and Christoph Pepusch: Created the first English ballad opera, The Beggar's Opera.
Baroque Opera
- George Frideric Handel: Noted for a series of Baroque operas, with Giulio Cesare as his most famed work.
- Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Significant for compositions such as La Serva Padrona.
- Christoph Willibald Gluck: Known for transforming opera from Baroque to Classical; focused on dramatic elements in Orfeo ed Euridice.
Classical Era
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Created operatic comedies including Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Magic Flute.
- Domenico Cimarosa: Established a connection between Mozart and Rossini with Il Matrimonio Segreto.
Romantic Opera
- Giuseppe Verdi: Renowned for works such as Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, and Aida.
- Richard Wagner: Eliminated traditional operatic structures in his epic Der Ring des Nibelungen.
- Giacomo Puccini: True successor to Verdi; composed Tosca, La Bohème, and Madama Butterfly.
Important Contributions to Opera
- Gioachino Rossini: Blended bel canto with grand opera; known for The Barber of Seville and William Tell.
- Vincenzo Bellini: Key figure in bel canto, with works like Norma and I Puritani.
- Georges Bizet: Famous for composing Carmen.
- Antonín Dvořák: Leading Czech composer best known for Rusalka.
- Mikhal Glinka: Father of Russian opera; composed A Life of a Tsar and Ruslan and Lyudmila.
19th-20th Century Composers
- Modest Mussorgsky: Russian composer known for Boris Godunov.
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Major works include Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades.
- Claude Debussy: Composed Pelléas et Mélisande, noted for its dream-like quality.
- Emmanuel Chabrier: Notable for lighter operatic pieces like L'étoile and Le roi malgré lui.
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Known for operas that reflect legendary and historical narratives.
Other Notable Composers
- Gaspare Spontini: Influenced later composers with his opera La Vestale.
- Charles Gounod: Created lyrical operas, including Roméo et Juliette and Faust.
- Jacques Offenbach: Known as the founder of operetta; famous for La vie Parisienne and Orpheus in the Underworld.
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Test your knowledge of notable opera composers and their significant works with this flashcard quiz. Learn about pioneers such as Jacopo Peri and Claudio Monteverdi, whose contributions shaped the opera landscape. Perfect for music students and opera enthusiasts alike!
