The objective of this dissertation, inspired by performance experience, was to establish the similarities in the use of recitative style in the music of Claudio Monteverdi and Giuseppe Verdi. To achieve this objective, their use of recitative style was examined through comparative analysis of four scenes from their operas: “Arianna's Lament” from L'Arianna and “Disprezzata regina” from L'incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi, and “Condotta ell'era in ceppi” from Il trovatore and “Judgment Scene” from Aida by Verdi. The examination of the similarities included a discussion of the following: (a) the historical influences and cultural backgrounds of the composers; (b) general similarities in their compositional approaches to recitative style; (c) comparable characteristics of the dramatic recitative style in the early Baroque monody and in Verdi's operas; (d) similarities in musical characterization and expression of affective and emotional content through stylistic musical devices; (e) similarities in the composers' approaches to vocal and acting issues with special emphasis on the problems of diction; and (f) some related performance-practice issues. A discussion of the poetic lament and the influence of its form and content on musical setting was also a part of this research. The comparative research revealed numerous similarities in the historical circumstances influencing Monteverdi's and Verdi's choice of musical styles; their motivation; formal and stylistic characteristics of their dramatic recitative scenes; their choice of libretto; their use of the elements of lament; their musical treatment of emotional content of the text; and their prerogatives in vocal and acting issues. Numerous similar characteristics were also established regarding vibrato, tempo, rhythm, and ornamentation in the performance practice of the early Baroque recitative soliloquy and Verdi's dramatic recitative scenes. The similarities of the four scenes' functions, topics, form, and characterization through devices of musical style indicated a fundamental continuity in the development of Italian opera from its inception to the end of the nineteenth century.

In music, the term verismo usually refers to a realistic or naturalistic movement in Italian operas of the late nineteenth century. From the dawn of Italian opera four features have been manifested--umanita (humanism), sincerity (sincerity), passione (passion), effetto (not only theatrical effect but the supreme dramatic moment). The elements of verismo are among the characteristics present in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi where they reached a zenith of development. It is upon these veristic aspects, as identified in the second chapter, that the operas Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci were based. Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, and La Traviata richly exhibit these elements of verismo which have been identified in the fourth chapter.

My master's degree thesis is about the premiere held at La Scala Theatre in Milan, Italy of Nabucco by Giussepe Verdi. This thesis is made up of two parts: a theoretical part and a practical part. The theoretical part introduces the life of Verdi, the background of the "birth" of the Opera Nabucco, and the historical background of the time. This section will also discuss the history of the Babylon Captivity, which is the background of Nabucco. The history of Korea and Italy when (ruled over) will also be compared. Lastly Va Pensiero sull ali doroate, the very important aria of Nabucco, is examined. This thesis includes research on three different Nabuccos performed in the last two years in many different countries. The first is a collaboration by the Opera House of Royal Covent Garden of Britain and La Scala Theatre of Milano in 2013. This opera is very abstract and modernized, and presented with minimalist staging and costume. The second was held on Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp, Belgium in 2013. This was an opera with very modern and fancy staging and costume like a musical compared to the first Nabucco. Also the opera was an adaptation of many problems of the present society. The third was a Nabucco performed in Kennedy Center by the Washington National Opera of Washington, U.S. in 2012. Beside the former two operas, it showed the quintessence of classic opera with an elaborate and magnificent scale of the stage, equipment, and costume. The three different recreations of Nabucco with historical accounts enabled me to work freely and more creatively. In the practical part, the overall concept of the recreation of Nabucco is shown. The concept describes how and when the inspirations come from, moreover the balance to the historical background tried. Compared to other works, the key concept is the contrast between two ethnic groups rather to the contrast between each character in the opera, and the traditional visual features of Jewish people used, as well as Babylon's. The main concept is the combination of historical and contemporary aspects. For example, in the case of Babylon, luxurious and decadent costumes partially inspired by the gold color of the Ishtar Gate used and in the case of Babylonian forces, the symbols that reminds one of Babylon attached to the present uniforms of military forces. Nabucco and his two daughters have significant differences. Abigaille is a woman with charisma and power, whereas Fenena is very thrifty and her mind is pure. Lastly, Zacharias and Ismael appear with typical Jewish costumes. The dramatical characteristics of opera is combined with the harmony of history and contemporary parts over the whole concepts of Nabucco. The costumes show the fundamental parts of people from each ethnic group over artistic factors.

»Verdi hat allerdings kein Requiem nach deutscher Art geschaffen«, befand der Referent des Musikalischen Wochenblattes August Guckeisen, nachdem er im Dezember 1876 der reichsdeutschen Erstaufführung von Giuseppe Verdis »Messa da Requiem« in Köln beigewohnt hatte. Ein »Requiem nach deutscher Art« – gab es so etwas überhaupt? Zumindest existierte ganz offenkundig eine klare Vorstellung von einer als ›deutsch‹ etikettierten Ästhetik der musikalischen Trauer. Typisch daran erscheint zunächst die darin vorausgesetzte Einteilung der Welt in etwas Eigenes und etwas Anderes. Der Hang zu einer national eingerahmten Kulturdefinition – und sei es durch Abgrenzung gegenüber etwas vermeintlich Fremdem – wirkt bis in die Gegenwart nach. Diese Untersuchung geht den Merkmalen ethischer Traditionen in der Empfindung und Bewertung der musikalischen Trauer nach und dokumentiert die unterschiedlichen Blickwinkel auf ein Werk, das erstens aus ganz verschiedenen Gründen als typisch ›italienisch‹ wahrgenommen wurde und das zweitens in einem Überschneidungsbereich von Kirchenmusik, Repräsentationsmusik und Konzertmusik steht. Das ›italienische‹ Selbstverständnis, das sich aus Sicht der Kritik in der Komposition niederschlug, rieb sich in zahlreichen Punkten mit dem ›deutschen‹. Diese Reibungspunkte wurden anhand historischer Quellen, vorwiegend aus Tageszeitungen und Musikfachblättern, freigelegt, um sowohl Gemeinsamkeiten als auch politische, konfessionelle und ästhetische Differenzen innerhalb der deutschsprachigen Kritik herauszuarbeiten. / The dissertation deals with the German reception of the Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi, a grand musical work composed in memory of the Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni. The author concentrated on the period of the first performances which took place world-wide between 1874 and 1878. Verdi’s composition follows the classical-romantic tradition of the »concert requiem« and is linked to the Requiem settings by Cherubini, Mozart and Berlioz. Due to the work’s scenic character, which many critics considered inadequate to the religious text, it was often evaluated disparagingly. In many cases the conceit of German musical criticism came to light, expressing itself sometimes more, sometimes less drastically. A critic from Cologne said that the work was »however, not a requiem in the German style.« This dichotomous demarcation of a ›German style‹ against an ›Italian style‹ is only partly to be understood as an influence of Wagnerism and Kulturkampf in the young German Empire. Romantic church music aesthetics in particular played a decisive role here by applying strict idealistic standards. It was considered reprehensible for the music of a funeral mass to stir up or frighten the audience, as well as present a scenically determined, ›realistic‹ music. Emotionality did not seem to have been appropriate for the subject of a mass for the deceased, while critics expected the music to support a spiritual atmosphere leading to the consolatory idea of eternal rest. A certain ambivalence in the understanding of the work has persisted to the present day. Still, it seems to stand in a twilight zone between spiritual and secular concert music, which supports discussions about interpretation and appropriate performance practice. Reflecting on historical concepts and conceptions gives the opportunity to question current positions and their origins.

Zugl.: Freiburg (Breisgau), Univ., Habil.-Schr., 2006/2007