M525—Opera Literature

Final Exam

Essays for Summer '03

Please write on the following topics.  Keep in mind that these are to be equivalent to 15-minute in-class essays, not research papers.  The final exam is due on the last day of classes, Wednesday 13 August.

1) Throughout the history of opera, the role of the orchestra, including its relationships with the voice and with the drama, has varied considerably.  Compare and contrast at least four works, one from each of the centuries we have covered, to illustrate the spectrum of possibilities as composers have addressed the question of how to use the orchestra.

2) Discuss Wagner’s dramatic ideas, as expressed in his writings, in relation to the dramatic and musical effect of Rheingold.

3) Discuss the ways in which nature appears as a ‘character’ in operas from Mozart to Britten.  What philosophical and literary currents are evident in the various interpretations of nature and its relation to human characters?