Vocal music

is one of the best tools for expressing ones feelings. This form of expression
became more evident during the romantic period. This form of expression became
more evident during the romantic period. Romanticism coincided with the industrial
revolution in Western Europe that brought about the rise of socialism and capitalism.
The romantic period's basic quality is emotional subjectivity. Composers explore
feelings of grandiosity, intimacy, unpredictability, sad, rapture and longing. Romantic
vocal forms like the art song and operas were about fantasy, supernatural, romance
and the nature as mirror of the human heart. Virtuoso performers are not only
instrumentalists but also singers.
Composers interpret poems, mood, atmosphere and imagery into music. Musical
compositions such as the art song was written for solo voice and piano. Like all
program music, art song has its inspiration from poetry in this period. Mood is often
set at the beginning with piano introduction and concluded with a piano postlude.
MELODY:- long, lyrical melodies with irregular phrases. Extensive use of
chromaticism; vivid contrasts and has a variety of melodic ideas within one
movement.
Rhythm: frequent changes in both tempo and time signature.
Texture: homophonic
Timbre: great variety of tone color; woodwind and brass sections of the orchestra
increased; rich and colorful orchestration.
Romantic artists found inspiration in landscapes. Their subjects were traditional
myths, legends and folklore usually dealing with the supernatural, grotesque, and
less ordinary. Vocal music in this period require singers to perform a greater range of
tone color, dynamics and pitch. Because of this, opera became an important source
of musical expressions. The birth of the opera houses came. It was the place where
all the arts converged: not only music, but poetry, painting, architecture and the
dance as well.
COMPOSERS OF VOCAL DURING THE ROMANTIC PERIOD
1. Franz Peter Schubert
Schubert was born on the 31st of January 1797 in Himmelpfortgrund, Austria and
died in 1828 in Vienna, Austria at 31. The proper name for Franz Schubert songs is
actually lieder, which is the German word for song. Schubert developed lieder so
that they had a 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.
His famous vocal music works/ lieder were: gretchen am spinnrade, erlkonig,
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)
2. Giuseppe Verdi
A name associated with romantic opera is that of Verdi. His characters are neither
stock roles nor symbols like those found in German operas. They are more like real
persons. He insisted on a good libretto. He wrote operas with political overtones and
for middle-class audience.
Verdi was born in Parma, Italy on October 9, 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 the time.
Almost all of his works are serious love story with unhappy ending. Expressive vocal
melody is the soul of a Verdi opera. He completed 25 operas throughout his career.
His final opera ends with all the worlds a joke.
Some of his famous operas are still being produced and performed worldwide. His
much acclaimed works are; la traviata, rigoletto, falstaff, otello and aida were he
wrote for the opening of the suez canal.

3. Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini was born in a poor family on December 22, 1858 in Lucca, 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.

Puccinis famous operas were: la boheme, tosca, madame butterfly, and

turandot.
4. 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 extremes of chromaticism. He also explored the
limits of the traditional tonal system that gave keys and chords their identity pointing
the way to the rise of a tonality in the 20th century.
Wagner exerted a strong influence on the operatic medium. He was an advocate of a
new form of opera which he 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 the 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 Walkure, die meistersinger,
Tannhauser and Parsifal. His work would later influence modern film scores,
including those of the harry potter and lord of the rings film series. Wagner died of a
heart attack on February 13,1883 at age of 69.
5. Georges Bizet
Georges bizet 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 most 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 3, 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.
Musical facts about Erlking:
The form is through-composed. The text itself is a ballad written by famous poet
Goethe. It relates the tale of the evil king of the elves and his malevolent seduction of
a young boy. Legend had it that whosoever was touched by the king of the elves
would die. This tale is typical to the dark romantic fascination with the supernatural
and the macabre, which is evident in mary Shelleys Frankenstein (1818).
According to a musicologist, Schubert was reading a book of Goethes poetry, pacing
back and forth in his room. Suddenly, he sprang to the piano and as fast as he could
write, set Goethes entire ballad to music. He was seventeen when he wrote this.
Schubert captures both the general sense of terror in the scene and the detail of the
galloping horse, he creates an accompanying figure in the piano that pounds on
relentlessly.
The cry of the boy is heard again in the course of the song each time you can hear
successive high pitch and dissonant harmonies.
The father tries to calm him in low tones that are steady, stable and repetitive. The
three characters of the story is portrayed with distinct musical qualities.

MADAME BUTTERFLY
Butterflys aria un bel di comes near the beginning of act II, as she tries to
convince herself and her servant that her husband will return to her. You will hear
gorgeous soaring melodies and exotic oriental sounds in this superb da capo (ABA)
aria. Listen to the doubling and sometimes tripling of the vocal line in the orchestra,
which gives great richness to puccinis wonderful lyricism.
This is one of the most breath-taking arias in the whole operatic repertoire. Butterfly
is sure that pinkerton, her american husband, will return and she sings of the day of
his return. Syncopated rhythms representing butterflys longing for pinkerton, a
beautiful melody and a high B flat (bb) at the end.
ART SONG
KUNDIMAN
Famous are in German text
The text is in Filipino
Based from a poetry
Sought poetry for their lyrics.
Art song in triple time
Vehicle for patriotism during the time

Blending of verse and music in

of colonial oppression
equal parts

Can be romantic, patriotic, religious

Verses were well-written and may

and mournful
either be through-composed (each
stanza of the poem is sung to new
music) or strophic (all stanzas of the
poem are sung to the same music)

Often accompanied by the piano

using virtuoso techniques
High artistic and literary quality

Ends with a postlude (concluding

section played by the piano)

ROMANTIC OPERA
Opera became increasingly popular during the romantic period. It is a story (libretto)
told by the composers through music while using the words of the librettist. They
work closely together to tell the story.
The book that the composer and librettist put together is called a score. The score
has all the musical notes, words and ideas to help the performers tell the story.
Often, there are operas with overtures, preludes, prologues, several acts, finales and
postludes. During each act, the story unfolds through the music that the singers sing.
Sometimes there is spoken dialogue without music.
Different roles in operas are created taking into account different types of voices.
Each role requires a different type of singer, not only able to sing a given vocal range
but also with certain voice characteristics, color and power.
Most dialogues are sang or in recitative style. Certain aria or solo singing part is what
the public will remember best when leaving the opera house. Properly and well sung,
a beautiful aria can bring an audience to its feet and decide the fate of an entire
opera.
COMPONENTS OF AN OPERA
Libretto - the texts of an opera. Librettist and the composer work closely together to
tell the story.
Score - the book that the composer and librettist put together. The score has all the
musical notes, words and ideas to help the performers tell the story. Often, there are
operas with overtures, preludes, prologues, several acts, finales and postludes.
Recitative - declamatory singing, used in the prose parts and dialogue of opera.
Different roles in operas are created taking into account different types of voices.
Each role requires a different type of singer, not only able to sing a given vocal range
but also with certain voice characteristics, color and power.
Aria an air or solo singing part that the public will remember best when leaving the
opera house. Properly and well sung, a beautiful aria can bring an audience to its
feet and decide the fate of an entire opera.

Voice Classification
It is also important to know the types of voices of singers. This will serve as a guide
for singers on their choice of songs and vocal quality expected of a singer or opera
character.
For the male voice:
Tenor- highest male voice
Baritone- middle male voice, lies between bass and tenor voices. It is the common
male voice.
Bass- lowest male voice
For the female voice:
Soprano- highest female voice , Coloratura-highest soprano voice
lyric-bright and full sound , Dramatic- darker full sound
Mezzo-soprano- most common female voice; strong middle voice, tone is darker or
deeper than the soprano
Contralto- lowest female voice and most unique among female
Dynamics and vocal embellishments were used to further affect the way singers sing. Some
musical terms are used like:
A Capella - one or more singers performing without instrumental accompaniment.
Cantabile - In a singing style
Capo - Head, the beginning
Coda - closing section appended to a movement or song.
Dolce - sweetly
Falsetto - a weaker and more airy voice usually in the higher pitch ranges.
Glissando - sliding quickly between 2 notes/
Passagio - parts of a singing voice where register transitions occur.
Rubato - slight speeding up or slowing down of the tempo of a piece at the discretion of the
soloist.
Tessitura - the most comfortable singing range of a singer.
Vibrato - rapidly repeated slight pitch variation during a sustained note, to give a richer &
more varied sound.
LA TRAVIATA (The Fallen Woman) SYNOPSIS
Music by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901). Libretto in Italian by Francesco Maria Piave,
based on La Dame aux Camlias, play by Alexandre Dumas, fils, after his novel by
the same name. The play is known in English as Camille. Premiere: Venice, March
6, 1853. Romantic tragedy. Set numbers; recitative. Setting: Paris; time, about 1850.
Originally in three acts; present-day productions usually in four acts, dividing the
original Act II (116 min).
ACT I: Violettas Paris salon, luxuriously furnished (31 min).
ACT II: A villa near Paris (33 min).
ACT III: Ballroom in Floras mansion (22 min).
ACT IV: Violettas bedroom (30 min).
Synopsis.
At one of her brilliant supper parties, the beautiful but frail demi-mondaine (a woman
supported by a wealthy lover Merriam Webster Dictionary), Violetta Valry, meets
the well-born Alfredo Germont. They immediately fall in love and she decides to
abandon her life of pleasure. Alfredos father did not approve of their lifestyle in the
country and demands that Violetta renounce Alfredo. Violetta determined to make
the sacrifice, then departs and leaves only a note for Alfredo.
She appears at a ball in Floras house on the arm of an old admirer, Baron Douphol
which makes Alfredo angry. Alfredo challenges the Baron to play cards where Alfredo
wins consistently. Unable to persuade Violetta to go with him, Alfredo insults her.
Violetta becomes ill, and all her friends desert her, leaving her virtually penniless.
Alfredo returns to Violetta. His father told him of the real story behind Violettas
departure from their country house, and urged him to seek her forgiveness.
Overjoyed at the sight of him, Violetta attempts to rise but falls into Alfredo s arms.
Germont and the doctor enter as Violetta dies.

Madame Butterfly
Music by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). Libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Giacosa and
Luigi Ilica.From the short story by John Luther Lung, derived from Pierre Loti s tale
Madame Chrysantheme. Romantic tragedy. Set numbers; recitative. Setting:
Nagasaki, Japan, at the beginning of the 20th century. Two acts; Act 2 with two parts
Synopsis
When American naval vessels frequented Japanese seaports, American Lieutenant
Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton met Cio-Cio-San (Butterfly) and was captivated by her
beauty. Pinkerton rented a Japanese house and part of his rental package is his
betrothal to Cio-Cio-San.
Treating the marriage merely as a casual affair, Pinkerton returns to America after
the wedding leaving Cio-Cio-San loyally waiting for his return. He marries an
American woman named Kate. When he returns to Japan three years later with his
American wife, he learns that he bore a son with Cio-Cio-San. Upon learning that
Pinkerton had married another woman, Cio-Cio-San kills herself to make sure that
Pinkerton takes their son with him.
Additional information for point of comparison:
Miss Saigons plot is the same with Madame Butterfly. The difference is only the nationality
of the main lady character. Cio-Cio San is Japanese while Kim is from Vietnam. Other
Famous Opera that you can also give as research and as additional readings:
Rigoletto- The work was secretly referred to by the composer as The Malediction ( The
Curse ) and the hunchback originally called Triboulet became Rigoletto from the French
word rigolo meaning funny.
Turandot- Persian word for daughter of Turan
Vocal Techniques
Training to sing for opera usually requires a long process of voice lessons or study. It
also requires a lengthy time of practice for you to master your voice. For many
singers, the long process of studying also means starting early in life. The list below
shows you the different aspects that you need to learn as you train for opera.
Sound:
For opera, the performance is about the quality of sound that the singer makes.
Singing opera requires you to sing long phrases and to sing loud enough to be heard
over an orchestra in large halls. Bel Canto technique:
When singing opera, the focus of the performance is on the singing technique.
Opera technique is called bel canto, which literally means beautiful singing. This is
done by singing with your mouth and throat wide open and used with the proper
breath support to project the voice through the entire hall. Endurance for long operas
is an issue for singers. You have to practice a lot so that you can sing well for the
entire length of the opera, which can be two to four hours.
Language:
Opera singers often sing in Italian, French, German, or Russian. You don t have to
be fluent in all these languages, but you want to be familiar enough with them that
you can easily sing and sound like you are fluent in these languages.
Fundamentals of Singing:
A. Breathing
There are two sides of breathing-inhaling and exhaling- and both play an important
role in singing. Breathing is a natural biological function but you can control how you
breathe in order to develop your best singing voice. Learn how to expand your lung
capacity, control your exhalation, and release air without making breathing noises.
B. Controlling Tone Quality

The timbre of the voice describes its tone quality. Some singer s refer to head and
chest voice. Generally, the lower the pitch, the lower it resonates. The voice often
breaks and the tone quality changes on certain pitches. The key is to realize that
the registers are not actually separate mechanism, just have different levels on a
continuous scale.

Chest Voice
This part of our voice is the most easily developed and recognized because it is used
in everyday speech. It is termed chest voice because of the sound resonating and
vibrating in the chest cavity. Take a moment to put your hand on your chest and
speak as if you are in a conversation. Being the most natural and common register
there is a tendency for novice singers to take their chest voice too high. This will
result in a yelling sound and will cause vocal fatigue. A changing of gears is
required to allow the voice to freely ascend into higher singing.
Head Voice
In order for the voice ascend into higher singing a gear change needs to occur.
Your chest voice will eventually change as you take the chest voice up. There will be
a point where you cannot sing any higher. This point is where you need to switch to
your head voice. It is termed head voice because the vibrating sensation moves
from your chest cavity to the cavities in the face and nose. It is a much thinner sound
and feels lighter.

C. Posture

Proper posture promotes efficient breathing which is essential to projection, tone

quality, and vocal range.
The ideal posture for singing is erect yet relaxed. Overall good health and physical fitness
are also important.
D. Vocal Range

One major goal of every singer is to have a well-developed and impressive singing
range. In order to achieve this, a singer should established good vocal habits in the
most comfortable placement of the voice and then slowly expanding the range.

E. Endurance

Singers are expected to perform well even it will take an hour or more to perform.
Endurance is expected from singers who also practice long hours to give a good and
memorable performance.