Humanities, University of Southampton

Through the study of operas by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi, this module will familiarise you with the dominant genres and trends of Italian opera from the 1800s to the 1860s.

Module Co-ordinator: Dr Francesco Izzo

 Aims

The aims of this module are to: develop your understanding of the unit content to a standard appropriate to study at level 3, and specifically to:

• familiarise you with the dominant authors, genres, and trends of 19th-century Italian opera from the 1800s to the 1860s
• give you an in-depth knowledge of the world of Italian opera, its socio-economical ramifications, and the role of impresarios, composers, librettists, singers, critics, publishers, and political authorities in shaping that world
• generate an understanding of primary sources, editorial approaches, and of the complex interplay between ‘text' and ‘performance' at the verbal, musical, and visual levels
• develop your acquaintance with a range of trends and methodologies in current opera studies

Planned learning outcomes

            Knowledge and understanding

            Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: 

• the processes of creation, production, dissemination, and reception of Italian opera in the 19th century
• the careers and historical significance of Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Giuseppe Verdi, and their relations with their musical and social environments
• the formal, stylistic, and textual features of a number of contrasting Italian operas from the early- and mid-19th century

      Cognitive (thinking) skills

      Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to:

• comment perceptively on the social, intellectual, and political forces that shaped the culture of opera in 19th-century Italy
• demonstrate confidence in handling the multi-layered notion of operatic text
• appreciate opera performances with a developed understanding of their status as (and relation to) ‘texts'

Practical, subject-specific skills 

      Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to:

            Key transferable skills

            Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to:

• communicate coherently your knowledge and critical perception of subjects related to 19th-century Italian opera with your peers and others
• research and interpret primary and secondary sources
• present your knowledge and ideas in persuasive written prose
• impart the results of your research with a secure handling of appropriate apparatus (footnotes, bibliography, examples)

 Through the study of operas by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi, this module will familiarise you with the dominant genres and trends of Italian opera from the 1800s to the 1860s. You will explore the world of Italian opera, including its socio-economic factors, and the roles of impresarios, composers, librettists, singers, critics, publishers, and political authorities in shaping that world. You will study issues relating to sources and editions of 19^th-century Italian operas, and cultivate a sophisticated understanding of the complex interplay between ‘text' and ‘performance' at the verbal, musical, and visual levels.

Teaching methods include

• Lectures
• Class discussion
• Individual tutorials

 Learning activities include

• A wide range of reading (certain books and articles will be required reading)
• Use of online resources to find newspaper articles and other material relating to the subjects being studied
• Listening to and viewing of operas

• Carl Dahlhaus, ‘What is a musical drama?', Cambridge Opera Journal 1 (1989), 95-111
• The New Grove Masters of Italian Opera: Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, Puccini reprint (New York: W.W. Norton, 1997)
• Philip Gossett, Divas and Scholars: Performing Italian Opera (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006)
• Alison Latham and Roger Parker (ed.), Verdi in Performance (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001)
• Reinhard Strohm, Dramma per musica: Italian Opera Seria of the Eighteenth Century (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997)