History of opera
19th century

Between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, the foundations of the contemporary society were laid, marked in the political field by the end of absolutism and the establishment of democratic governments. -an impulse initiated with the French Revolution – and, in the economic field, by the Industrial Revolution and the consolidation of capitalism, which would have a response in Marxism and the class struggle. In the field of art and music, an evolutionary dynamic of styles began to follow one another chronologically with increasing speed, culminating in the 20th century with an atomization of styles and currents that coexist and oppose, influence and confront each other. Music was a reflection on numerous occasions of these artistic movements, which occurred not only in art and music, but also in literature, theater, dance and other artistic manifestations.

In music, the most outstanding aspect was the progressive independence of composers and performers from the patronage of the aristocracy and the Church. The new addressee was the public, preferably the bourgeoisie, but also the common people, in theaters and concert halls. The new situation gave the musician greater creative freedom, but also deprived him of the previous security provided by his patrons, as he was subject to the ups and downs of success or failure.

Opera developed in this century in an increasingly grandiloquent manner, on large stages and with large scenographic stagings, with larger and larger orchestras performing more powerful and sonorous music. This forced vocal performers to increase their singing power, to fill the entire theater and to be heard above the instruments. To this end, new techniques of voice enhancement appeared and new registers emerged, such as the "robust tenor", the " tenore di forza " and the " dramatic soprano ".

In the second half of this century, the operetta was established as a minor genre of opera, based on a theatrical piece with dances and songs alternating with dialogues, with light music of popular taste. It became established in France as a derivation of opéra-comique, in small theaters such as the Bouffes-Parisiens sponsored by the composer Jacques Offenbach. It was also well established in Vienna, where it was nourished by the traditional German singspiel. This type of work gave rise to the current musical.

During this century numerous innovations and advances were introduced in the scenographic field, especially in lighting: in 1822 the gas light was introduced for the first time at the Paris Opera, in the performance of Aladin ou La lampe merveilleuse by Nicolas Isouard; in 1849 the electric light was premiered in Le Prophète, by Giacomo Meyerbeer. One of the best scenographers was Pierre-Luc-Charles Cicéri, creator of large and ingenious sets with the latest technologies of the time, as well as special effects, fireworks and other novelties. He invented a moving panorama composed of a curtain that was rolled up on a cylinder and, when unrolled, produced movement effects on the scene. On the other hand, the pioneer of photography Louis Daguerre introduced the double-painted sets, which thanks to lighting effects caused a sensation of movement. The most prestigious theater was – along with La Scala in Milan – the Paris Opera, which, after various venues, was located in 1821 in the hall on rue Le Peletier, where it enjoyed the golden age of the grand-opéra. Destroyed by fire in 1873, two years later the Opéra Garnier, designed by architect Charles Garnier, was inaugurated, with seating for 2600 spectators.
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