From Literature to Opera

3 units

Much operatic repertoire is based on works of literature, from the very first operas of 1598-1600 to the present day. From Literature to Opera will introduce students to the world of opera through a close study of a few select works based on major literary subjects, beginning with the literary works themselves and proceeding to the ways the texts are adapted for the musical stage and then transformed into another genre through their dramatic musical settings. The works studied will be Virgil's and Ovid's versions of the Orpheus myth set to music by Claudio Monteverdi in 1607 as one of the earliest operas. Next we will move on to the Frenchman Baumarchais' play, The Marriage of Figaro, which was composed by Mozart as an opera by the same name in 1786. Shakespeare will be represented by the ultimate tragedy of words, Othello, and Giuseppe Verdi's Otello of 1887. The course will conclude with Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly of 1904, based on a play by David Belasco. No previous musical experience required. The class will be conducted as a seminar focused on student participation. Each student will also choose an opera based on a literary work as the subject of two 10-page papers. The first, due at midterm, will study the literary source and the way it is adapted as an operatic text (libretto). The second, due at the end of finals week, will analyze how the libretto is dramatized through the music. One of the important purposes of class discussion will be to develop a usable vocabulary for describing music and its dramatic effects.