Change and development in two contrasting operas "The Magic Flute" by Mozart and the "Iphigénie en Tauride" by Gluck with specific reference to the orchestration and in particular the writing for violin.

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Change and development in two contrasting operas “The Magic Flute” by Mozart and the “Iphigénie en Tauride” by Gluck with specific reference to the orchestration and in particular the writing for violin

In this essay I will be looking at changes and development in orchestration of the overtures in two operas, by Gluck and Mozart. I am particularly interested in the role of the violin in these operas as it is my main instrument and I can see how difficult or easy the parts are to play and what significance that part has within the opera.First I will briefly describe the orchestration in earlier operas. I will then look at the orchestra in Gluck followed by the orchestration of Mozart.

In earlier operas such as Monteverdi’s a small string group dominated by violins replacing the viols were placed at the front of the stage. Drums and trumpets were used for martial music and flutes or recorders for the more romantic scenes of the opera. In the baroque the oboe was the favoured wind instrument and remained so through most of the century because unlike the bassoon it is a high ptched instrument whose tone, could approach the softness of the recorder and the brilliance of the trumpet at the same time giving an edge to the violin tone. The accompaniments can be divided into  2 main categories, those for continuo alone or in which strings play only in the ritornelli. The texture may be homophonic with violins 1 & 2 mostly in thirds. Violins in unison plus continuo were in fact, a very popular accompaniment in the late Baroque. The violin passages occur much more often in the works of the italianate Mozart than in those Germanic Haydn showing that Mozart was inspired by italian composers like Monteverdi, Who specialised in vocal music. Lully also used a similar idea of the continuo in opera and below is an example of Monteverdi,

Mozart as was fond of Monteverdi’s works especially in the way his violin passages dominate the use of the continuo. Monteverdi's continuo lines are only basic with bass, viol and a few keyboard and plucked string instruments. However, the small string group isn’t to accompany the voices.

Christopher Willibald Gluck has written Orfeo Ed Edridice, la recontrre imprévue, Alceste, Iphigénie En Aulide and finally Iphigénie En Tauride which I am looking at in detail for this essay. Glucks story for this Particular score published in 1779 is based on libretto by Guillard. It is a cleverly written opera in that the main characters are strong and subtle with appropiate music, dramatic recicative, arias and chorus and continuous drama. From the score shown you can see that his opera included piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet in c, Fagotti, Cornet in D, Trombone in Dm Timpani in D-A, violin 1 and 2 , viola, cello and double bass. Over the page is an example of his score.

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Unlike Operas before there is not such a triumphant introduction, the melody is brought in straight away whilst oboes are playing a sustained A at the start, and the rest of the orchestra remain silent making the audience feel relaxed the violins playing a tuneful, dance melody . The two violins play sixths apart and the viola plays a 3rd below the 2nds which plays a 3rd below the 1st violin which you can see. After this melody finishes a new melody begins of three quaver beats played in turn a 3rd apart each note in harmony accompanied by the flutes with a ...

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