Opera for Beginners: Introduction to The Marriage of Figaro, Part 1/2
If you don't get opera, this is for you!
What if we told you that opera is a super entertaining and addictive soap opera?!
We know two things: opera is a dark territory for you and first times are always unforgettable, for better or worse. Therefore we thought, We need an opera both hilarious and fantastic! Unique and extraordinary! An unbeatable first! Guess what? We found it for you! The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. (To read part two go here.)
Top 5 things you'll learn:
1. What the Heck Is Going On? (Part 1)
2. Before the Curtain Is Up (Part 1)
3. The Coolest Rap About Revenge (Part 2)
4. Infidelity? Rosina wants her hubby back! (Part 2)
5. Madness! Six Singing Simultaneously (Part 2)
Gabriel* and I have one goal in mind: for you to experience opera with new eyes, trained ears, and an open heart. We'll be choosing very special operas, to bring you their highlights in the easiest possible approach so you can truly learn and enjoy them. Of course, deep inside our souls, we wish for you, somewhere, sometime, to love them as much as we do! Let's get started with your first, The Marriage of Figaro.
Before we get started, let's say that at that time, there were two kinds of operas: serious ones for the upper classes and comedies for the general public, like Figaro. Please keep in mind The Marriage of Figaro belongs to the second group. Therefore, it's a co-me-dy. The themes and situations should be taken light-ly. Remember, it was premiered in 1786, more than two hundred years ago!
1. What the heck is going on?
Figaro is a comic opera not only about love, oh la la, but betrayal, revenge, and forgiveness. The story goes like this: Once upon a time, in a castle near Seville, Spain, Count Almaviva and his wife Countess Rosina lived, but not happily ever after. Anyway, there was a big event coming, the wedding between Figaro, Almaviva’s personal valet, and Susanna, Countess Rosina’s maid. So far, four characters, two couples, right? Now, as often happens in life that someone wants your dreams not to come true, there are three people wishing to stop the wedding: Count Almaviva himself, Marcellina, and Bartolo. Unbelievable! Better than a movie, right?! Even though there're lots going on, we've simplified into three main situations so don't panic, ok?
First, we have Count Almaviva. He wishes to exercise his right to bed a servant girl on her wedding night, Susanna. He’ll try to delay the ceremony as long as possible and win Susanna in the meantime. Now, if you are asking yourself, isn’t the Count married to Rosina? The answer is hell yes! And here is where betrayal and forgiveness will have a chance to work their magic.
Second, our aging and resentful Marcellina, Dr. Bartolo's housekeeper. You see, she wants Figaro for herself. In fact, she has a letter where Figaro, in exchange for a loan from Dr. Bartolo, promised to marry her. We aren't making this up, I swear! Not only has she the document, but plans to use it. She feels betrayed, knows no forgiveness and wants her hubby back! (Spoiler alert: She turns out to be _______'s mother!)
Third, doctor and lawyer Bartolo. Oh, is he raging! Let us explain why. As movies have sequels, so does our character Figaro. In a previous opera (The Barber of Seville), call it movie one, Dr. Bartolo was planning on marrying Rosina, which never happened because, aided by Figaro, she chose Almaviva instead. So he’s been holding this grudge for a whole opera now, and on this second part, movie sequel, he intends on making Figaro live up to his promise of marrying Marcellina, his sweetest revenge!
Until now, we’ve given you an introduction of three characters looking for revenge, but there’s so much more going on! There are nine love stories and around eight people looking for vengeance! If you'd like a more detailed and quite funny summary, here's a video by Opera Cheats:
2. Before the Curtain Is Up, A Mini-Trailer
If you're reading this, you've made us the happiest guys in the universe! Thanks for your patience and dedication. Thanks for keeping an open mind being willing to learn about opera. This is the end of part 1. The next blog post will include the second and last section. In it, we'll listen to 1)Mozart's rap, 2)a wife's journey through infidelity, and 3)the beauty in the madness of 6 people singing different things at the same time!
Tot de volgende keer!
*Gabriel Katz is a 16-year-old student, clarinet player, opera lover, and a dear friend. He lives in Israel. To get in touch with him, gabrielkatz2@gmail.
1. What the heck is going on?
Figaro is a comic opera not only about love, oh la la, but betrayal, revenge, and forgiveness. The story goes like this: Once upon a time, in a castle near Seville, Spain, Count Almaviva and his wife Countess Rosina lived, but not happily ever after. Anyway, there was a big event coming, the wedding between Figaro, Almaviva’s personal valet, and Susanna, Countess Rosina’s maid. So far, four characters, two couples, right? Now, as often happens in life that someone wants your dreams not to come true, there are three people wishing to stop the wedding: Count Almaviva himself, Marcellina, and Bartolo. Unbelievable! Better than a movie, right?! Even though there're lots going on, we've simplified into three main situations so don't panic, ok?
First, we have Count Almaviva. He wishes to exercise his right to bed a servant girl on her wedding night, Susanna. He’ll try to delay the ceremony as long as possible and win Susanna in the meantime. Now, if you are asking yourself, isn’t the Count married to Rosina? The answer is hell yes! And here is where betrayal and forgiveness will have a chance to work their magic.
Second, our aging and resentful Marcellina, Dr. Bartolo's housekeeper. You see, she wants Figaro for herself. In fact, she has a letter where Figaro, in exchange for a loan from Dr. Bartolo, promised to marry her. We aren't making this up, I swear! Not only has she the document, but plans to use it. She feels betrayed, knows no forgiveness and wants her hubby back! (Spoiler alert: She turns out to be _______'s mother!)
Third, doctor and lawyer Bartolo. Oh, is he raging! Let us explain why. As movies have sequels, so does our character Figaro. In a previous opera (The Barber of Seville), call it movie one, Dr. Bartolo was planning on marrying Rosina, which never happened because, aided by Figaro, she chose Almaviva instead. So he’s been holding this grudge for a whole opera now, and on this second part, movie sequel, he intends on making Figaro live up to his promise of marrying Marcellina, his sweetest revenge!
Until now, we’ve given you an introduction of three characters looking for revenge, but there’s so much more going on! There are nine love stories and around eight people looking for vengeance! If you'd like a more detailed and quite funny summary, here's a video by Opera Cheats:
2. Before the Curtain Is Up, A Mini-Trailer
Now, when you first listen to this piece, we recommend paying special attention to the development of the orchestra. We've found a video that visually shows you what is going on. There are two important things to observe:
One, the instrumentation is colored-coded which makes it easier to follow: yellow for woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon), orange for brass (horn), purple for the timpani (kettledrums), and red for strings (violin, viola, cello, bass). Tip #1: On a piece of paper, write down the color-coded guide so you can follow it while you're watching and listening, or have this guide handy:
Two, the length of the note (sound) represents its duration. Here comes tip #2: You might want to focus on the first 30 seconds and repeat the same section so you can get the hang of what you're appreciating. After doing so, all you would be able to think is, isn't it amazing how Mozart could create such beauty? Imagining the sounds, their combinations, and then writing them down to finally have a score that everyone can read and recreate hundreds of years later?! It blows our minds!
One, the instrumentation is colored-coded which makes it easier to follow: yellow for woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon), orange for brass (horn), purple for the timpani (kettledrums), and red for strings (violin, viola, cello, bass). Tip #1: On a piece of paper, write down the color-coded guide so you can follow it while you're watching and listening, or have this guide handy:
If you wish to listen to more details, you could explore the following:
- From 00:01 to 00:10, listen to the way the string instruments and fagot start and how it all turns into a big orchestral piece (00:14-00:18). You'll find out this pattern repeats itself through the piece.
- How Mozart sometimes employs wind instruments and others, string ones. These differences, how do they make you feel?
- This piece was written for the following: wind (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon), brass (horn in d), percussion (timpani) and strings (violin, viola, cello, bass). Try to appreciate how the families dance through the piece.
If you're reading this, you've made us the happiest guys in the universe! Thanks for your patience and dedication. Thanks for keeping an open mind being willing to learn about opera. This is the end of part 1. The next blog post will include the second and last section. In it, we'll listen to 1)Mozart's rap, 2)a wife's journey through infidelity, and 3)the beauty in the madness of 6 people singing different things at the same time!
Tot de volgende keer!
*Gabriel Katz is a 16-year-old student, clarinet player, opera lover, and a dear friend. He lives in Israel. To get in touch with him, gabrielkatz2@gmail.
Comments
Post a Comment