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Using the Database
Opera 101 |
What information is on the Aria Database?
The Aria Database web site allows access to two databases which contain a lot of operatic information. The first and most useful database is the Aria Database, comprised of information on over 1000 operatic solo arias. Only arias from an opera are included. Each aria entry provides information on the aria vital to the performer or th
What fields make up the database?
Every aria entry for the Aria Database is comprised of many different fields, some of which are possible to search upon. Currently on the Aria Database, one can search on the following fields :
How does the Range Function Work?
To search using the Range function, first click off the checkbox marked Range does not matter. Then set the From section to the lowest note of the range in which you wish the arias to be and set the To section to the highest note of the range. Your search will return any arias that do not exceed the range you have set (i.e. no notes lower than the bottom of the range setting and no notes higher than the top of the range setting).
Note that not every opera has the range entered in it, mainly due to inaccessibility of scores. Important note : If you are going to use the range function, you must make sure the Range does not matter checkbox is not checked. Otherwise it will not work.
What's an opera?
The term opera comes from the Italian word for "work". An opera is usually defined as a staged dramatic work which is entirely or mostly sung. Outside of that, opera is a very loosely defined genre. The earliest operas were nothing but plays that were intoned instead of spoken. The creators of these operas were trying incorrectly to recreate the Greek tragedy, which they believed was completely sung. Soon after, however, songs or arias began making their way into operas, eventually taking over most of opera until the late 18th century when duets and other ensembles became more prevalent. The realism of opera gradually grew throughout the 19th century, eventually reaching its peak in a movement called verismo in the 20th century as composers tried to match true emotions and motives to their works. Other composers introduced atonal music and/or aspects to their operas creating an entirely different effect.
In the 19th century, a sub-genre of opera spun off called operetta (or light opera) which eventually developed into today's musicals. Operettas and musicals differ from opera in that they are usually lighthearted in nature and almost always include a great deal of dialogue in-between songs. With the advent of today's more dramatically serious musicals, the main difference between musicals and operas is often how they are conceived in the mind of the composer. Another big difference is how they are sung. Operas are sung usually in a classical style, while musicals are usually sung with a more modern belting style of singing.
The melodic portions of opera is composed of arias, duets, choruses, and other ensembles. Usually these portions are designed more to convey the emotions or motives of the characters rather than further the plot in any way. The rest of the words of the opera are also set to music in a way that retains more of the quality of speech called recitative (from the Italian for "recitation"). Recitative is usually not very melodic at all. Instead, the music is more dramatic in function. The content of most recitative is action-based instead emotion-based like an aria and thus, in recitative, the story of the opera develops.
Opera has often been criticized as a dull art which is more spectacle than real drama. Commments like these are correct - if you are talking about opera 30 or 40 years ago. In the past, part of opera was the spectacle. From the early 1600's to the first few decades of the 20th century, opera held the place that action movies now provide today - providers of spectacle and special effects. There have been hundreds (if not thousands) of operas that are forgotten like yesterday's martial arts film because they had no real dramatic quality. However, with the advent of radio, motion pictures, and television, the more expensive and less accessible operas have lost that place to some extent. Unfortunately, opera houses didn't realize this until it was almost too late.
However, opera attendance today is going up dramatically. Why? It's because today's opera performances place more emphasis on the dramatic aspects than the spectacle. Although the spectacle was often the big draw, some people have always gone to the opera for the story. Yes, sometimes the story wasn't great and sometimes the acting wasn't either. But, the plot was always an important factor for the longevity of the opera. Opera performances today are constructed more around the plot than the spectacle, creating interest for more people. The spectacle is still there, of course, but it's not as important or as necessary.
Of course, there's always the beauty of the music! If you don't think you like opera, listen to a few of the following arias and see if you can still say that : Sempre Libera (La Traviata), Largo al factotum (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante (Carmen), Senza mamma (Suor Angelica), Madamina, il catalogo è questo (Don Giovanni), Ain't it a pretty night? (Susannah). Yes, these are my favorite arias. You may not like all of them, but you'll probably like at least one. If you don't like any of them, then maybe opera isn't for you, but at least you tried! Happy listening!
What's an aria?
An aria is defined by the The New Encyclopedia of the Opera as an "extended solo for voice in an opera". In common usage, the term usually refers to a solo section in an opera that has a beginning and an end and can usually be taken out of the opera and sung by itself with few problems. For much of the history of opera, an aria was a rigorously defined piece of work, with special rules and forms that changed over time. Since the late-1800's, however, composers have been composing arias much more freely. Today's arias are less frequent but often better integrated than their predecessors, creating more of a sense of realism in opera. The word "aria" itself came from the Italian word for "air".
What's "Fach"?
Fach originated as the system by which many German opera companies classified voice. If a singer signed a contract with a company to sing a certain fach in the company, that singer would be responsible for singing all roles for the company that were designated for that fach. For that reason, fach is more specific than voice part and can be a better way of classifying voices.
Although the "Fach system" is still used in some places, fach is more useful to help classify one's own voice to decide what to sing. The Aria Database uses a modified and somewhat simplified version of the fach system to classify arias. Below are descriptions of each fach type used on the Database. You may click on the fach name to bring up a list of all the operatic roles that are currently designated as that fach in the Operatic Roles Database. Be forewarned : this is somewhat subjective and is by no means concrete!
The numerical system of showing a note's value is very simple. The letter in the expression is the name of the pitch and the number shows how many octaves it is above the bottom of the piano. Thus, C4 would indicate middle C since it is in the fourth octave from the bottom note on the piano, making it the fourth C from the bottom of the piano. The A below it would be A4 and the G above it would be G4. However, the Ab below it would be Ab3 since the lowest note on the piano is A. Likewise, the A above C is A5. Hopefully, this clears it up, but if not, here are some examples:
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