19th Century Italian Opera: Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this 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 formal, stylistic, and textual features of a number of contrasting Italian operas from the early- and mid-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

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

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

Cognitive Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

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

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 19th-century Italian operas, and cultivate a sophisticated understanding of the complex interplay between ‘text’ and ‘performance’ at the verbal, musical, and visual levels.

Teaching and learning methods

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 poperas

Resources & Reading list

Journal Articles

Carl Dahlhaus (1989). What is a musical drama?. Cambridge Opera Journal 1, pp. 95-111.

Textbooks

Alison Latham and Roger Parker (2001). Verdi in Performance. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Philip Gossett (2006). Divas and Scholars: Performing Italian Opera. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Reinhard Strohm (1997). Dramma per musica: Italian Opera Seria of the Eighteenth Century. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.