Here are the group and individual activities for Day 13.
FEEDBACK:
Remember my two guidelines:
ACTIVITIES:
The following is taken from “The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Opera” by William Berger.
Composers:
“Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924): One of the five pillars upon whom all opera houses are built, the Italian composer Puccini has remained popular since his time to our own. He had a tremendous ability to encapsulate great passions in brief, instantly recognizable phrases, an ability that was bolstered by the advent of the recording industry with its short cylinders and 78s. Puccini’s short, powerful arias formed the bulk of the recording industry’s first hits, but growing familiarity with the whole of his operas (particularly through radio and television, where their accessibility has ensured their popularity) has increased appreciation for the composer’s abilities. While audiences were enraptured by Puccini’s romanticism, critics and music experts of his time found him sentimental and insufficiently modern. This point of view has eased in recent years, and Puccini’s craftsmanship and dramatic aptitude are now universally admired. In many ways, Puccini represents the culmination and perhaps the finale of the Italian lyric tradition since few composers since have emulated his style and those who have tried have not done so with his ability. In his lifetime, he was the consummate “artist-personality,” handling media and fans with great aplomb. He had torrid affairs and dressed superbly, usually in a rakish fedora and an ever-present cigarette holder (which contributed to his early demise).”
On the separate piece of paper:
How would television and radio help opera?
Bonus: Name one of Puccini’s operas.
Journal Activity:
Additional group activities:
1. Continue work on your Opera Presentation (project) “Hansel & Gretel.” (Characters, plot, songs, etc.)
a. We will start presentations
b. You must have a typed libretto and give it to me before the presentation.
c. It must be five (5) minutes in length.
12/11/2002