What is the operetta, the history of the operetta

What is the operetta, the history of the operetta

What can connect dashing pirates, flower girls, dancers in the bar, arrogant graphs and officials, representatives of the bohemian society, dreaming of fame and staying in a constant creative search? All of them are heroes of popular operettas. These outstanding performances have long become legendary, and their authors have secured the right to be called the legislators of the genre in art.

History operetta and many interesting facts read on our page.

What is operetta

Compared with opera, operetta is a more “lightweight” genre. The plot often has an ironic background, romantic flair, less often it reflects a cruel satire on the existing state system, public order and prevailing views on social issues. The narration is conducted not only through vocal performance with inserts of recitative, but also with the help of dances, as well as full-fledged dialogues between the characters. A weighty difference is the focus of the plot. In the opera, he often had a historical justification, and the operettas appeared as humorous sketches from ordinary life, the realities of which are contemporary in relation to the actual audience.

The word itself is of Italian origin and means "little opera". Most operettas are completed in major tones, on a life-affirming, positive note, regardless of what life's vicissitudes and trials in human destiny were reflected in the course of the action. The operetta is shorter in timekeeping of any full-fledged opera, it is perceived more easily, it does not aim to convey a realistic and believable action. Here there is a place for both farce, and absurdity, and all-consuming lyricism. Dialogues in the operetta are often conducted without a musical background, but sometimes they can be accompanied by a quiet orchestral part.

The main difference from the operetta musicals lies in the fact that the latter is a theatrical musical adaptation of the play, demanding from the artists, first of all, outstanding acting skills. Operetta artists are mostly singers and singers specially trained in operatic skills. These differences are conditional and refer to works embodying genre canons. Contemporary art, as we know, is distinguished by an avant-garde tendency toward eclecticism.

Also in musicals, strict adherence to a literary source is often observed. An eloquent example is musical "My Fair Lady" based on the play by B. Shaw: almost all the dialogues are preserved in the performance. The operetta, which implies an entertaining action, implies a free interpretation, a "compression" of the storyline in favor of dynamism and entertainment.

Popular operetta

Works that deserve to be called the classics of the genre were written in the period from the second half of the 19th century. on the 30s of the XX century. They are currently the "pearls" of the repertoire of many European theaters, attracting the attention of avant-garde directors, as well as adherents of the classical presentation.

"Merry widow"

An optimistic, life-affirming performance about the re-marriage of a once widowed wealthy woman is permeated with wit and humor. The performance was doomed to success. S. Rachmaninov called the operetta a genius, despite the fact that its creator was not a representative of the “old school”, was a contemporary of the Russian composer, and the performance itself at the time of writing the review was just beginning a triumphal march on theatrical stage. Franz Legar, with his love for waltzes with an uneven rhythm, syncope, managed to create a piece that would later be called the “charming queen of operettas”. Just before the premiere, the music for the performance shocked the entrepreneurs unpleasantly. They called the creation of Lehar a step towards failure, fiasco, bankruptcy. However, the audience was delighted, and the operetta itself withstood a lot of ideas.

"Violet of Montmartre"

The gentle name to some extent reflects the lyrical mood of the whole cast. Hungarian composer I. Kalman dedicated this sketch of female selflessness, sacrifice and selfless feelings of his beloved wife. The acting heroes are completely creative individuals who dream of recognition and fame, but are forced to face insurmountable life obstacles.

"Maritsa"

Operetta is incredibly loved in Hungary, the birthplace of the composer who wrote the music for it. Indeed, the love story, played out between the main characters, flows against the background of national dances and gypsy tunes, which are so familiar to the inhabitants of the plain near the middle channel of the Dnieper. Incredibly colorful operetta I. Kalman is built on the actions of typical characters, between which the real drama is played. It is provoked by social inequality and insidious intrigues that are made by detractors. In this case, the lyrics are organically combined with cheerfulness and faith in the best that is so characteristic of the common people.

"Bat"

Just over 40 days it took I. Strauss to write the immortal music for the libretto R. Gene and K. Haffner, who conquered him with his "airiness", courage and wit. The performances were held not only within European countries, but also in Australia and even distant India. The premiere show was not marked by triumph, the audience took the operetta favorably, but without unnecessary emotional libations, and only time became the measure of the success of this work. The changes that overtook him over the years, with the light hand of the Austrian composer G. Mahler, revealed the entire musical and plot potential of the original idea, provoked a great interest from the audience and critics.

"Circus Princess"

This was the result of a short-term creative crisis that overtook I. Kalman after several productions of his successful operettas composed earlier. Reflecting on the new plot, the composer, in the company of his colleagues, the librettists, was walking around the city. The idea came as an insight and ... struck by its obviousness and logic, because before the thoughts of the creators were concentrated solely in the field of theater. The circus arena was chosen as the scene of action, on which the incredibly soulful the story of the mysterious Mr. X. The paradoxical vision of the composer was that he was able to accurately grasp the phenomenon that combines circus and operetta: in both genres it is possible to convey a serious message through a common frivolous, carefree, "clown" concept.

Operetta history

Originally, the operetta was created as a more affordable alternative to opera. The main goal of such performances, designed for a wide audience, was to entertain the viewer, to laugh, to amuse. This explains the large number of dance numbers, which dialogues change so often. Sometimes the exchange of remarks between the characters became just an introduction to the next choreographic number.

Operetta originated in the early XVIII century. It was during this period that the genre gradually began to take shape on the basis of comic operas, the Italian "comedy of masks" and the representations of wandering artists (singers, acrobats, actors). By the XIX century, the viewer, who did not have the financial ability to be content with a serious opera performance, gained a chance to attend the theater, where performances in a new genre were demonstrated, which was a symbiosis of opera and a humorous performance.

The final genre design of the operetta is closely connected with the name of Jacques Offenbach. This man had a Jewish background and was born in Germany, but he managed to gain fame and popularity in the territory of France, where his comic "postcards" came to taste to the local demanding public. The decline of the French operetta came at the end of the 20th century, when public interest shifted towards the works of outstanding Austrian music figures.

The Vienna Operetta is associated with the name I. Strauss. The composer won the title of "king of the waltz," but his work was noted and talented operettas, among which a special place is occupied by "Die Fledermaus". In the plot light irony “dangerously” echoes this sarcasm, and the stage action sometimes reminds of phantasmagoria.

The English operetta as a separate direction arose from the easy presentation of the active creative tandem of the composer A. Sullivan and the writer William Gilbert. This union "spawned" at least 14 comic operettas, memorable for their plot and music, which are notable for their rapid action and rich, colorful musical accompaniment. The greatest popularity was gained by the work "Pirates of Penzance", completed in 1879. The plot line is woven based on the story of a young sailor, his lover and a gang of pirates. The story has gained many interpretations and more than once was told in new ways in theaters on Broadway. In 1983, the film of the same name was shot under the guidance of Wilford Leech.

With the onset of the last century, the operetta began to exist along with the developing direction of musical theater - musical. These two genres had a mutual influence on each other.

Interesting facts about the operetta

• The first operetta is considered the work of J. Offenbach "Orpheus in Hell", written in 1858. The performance was a kind of rethinking of the grim legend of Eurydice and her beloved, descending into Hell. The most famous dance from this work turned out to be "Infernal Gallop", and now it is performed on the stage as an independent number as part of various thematic orchestral concerts.
• In the plot of almost any operetta, the presence of a loving couple. The leading roles, according to the canons, are played by performers with soprano and tenor voices. Despite the fact that the genre implies not so high requirements for vocals, as in opera, the leading artists still need to have impeccable skill in mastering the timbre.
• The appearance in the repertoires of operettas opened the doors to theaters for poor and uneducated people who were not strangers to the beautiful in art. If the opera was originally addressed to the viewer from high society and a privileged class, the operetta was available for understanding by people from simple classes, which largely contributed to the spread of culture and the broadening of mass horizons.
• The production of the operetta is a complex process in which multi-profile artists are involved. What is happening on stage requires the participants to possess dance, acting, vocal skills. At the same time, all efforts should not be noticeable to the viewer, whom nothing should distract from the organically embodied plot. Naturalness, ease, simplicity, harmony - the distinctive features of operettas.
• It is believed that the classical tradition of the operetta has exhausted itself. US development jazz contributed to the rebirth of musical performances, which eventually formed the genre of musicals. It is curious that the longest operetta in its standard incarnation was in demand in the theaters of the Soviet Union. A genre characterized by perpetual optimism, a somewhat exaggerated idyll in relationships, a reflection of the uncompromising victory of good over evil, most closely corresponded to the social ideology in effect.
• It is noteworthy that Imre Kalmanwhose name is inextricably linked with the operetta as a phenomenon in art, for a long time did not dare to write such music. He considered it primitive and constantly tried to surprise and conquer the world with the sound of his symphonies. However, the orchestral works were invariably perceived coldly, and such indifference pushed the author to a “desperate step,” he said. As a result, the composer became famous as the creator of the festive, spiritualized, "smart" operettas, which later became the standards, examples of the genre.

The British say that the public, preferring the operetta, is conditionally divided into two types. The first is those who throughout the performance enjoy the vocal and choreographic skills of the artists, no matter what kind of absurdity is happening on the stage in relation to the plot. The second type is made up of those who come to look at these absurdities, incidents, funny and funny situations, the embodiment of which is accompanied by singing and dancing. No matter how operetta was actually perceived by modern theater fans, this genre remains one of the most attractive, curious and accessible to the mass audience.