The two speeds of opera
Baroque opera seria (Handel, Vivaldi, Hasse, Metastasio's libretti) alternates two types of numbers with opposite functions:
- the recitative advances the action: dialogue, information, decisions, in a singing style close to speech;
- the aria stops time to express an affect (rage, love, grief, revenge), with a closed musical form and vocal virtuosity.
The same alternation is found in cantatas, oratorios and Passions (Bach).
Types of recitative
| Type | Accompaniment | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Secco recitative | basso continuo only (harpsichord + cello) playing chords under the voice | quick dialogue, narration |
| Accompanied recitative (obbligato) | string orchestra with interventions, sustained chords, descriptive figures | dramatic moments before an important aria |
| Arioso | more melodic and measured voice, halfway between recitative and aria | brief reflection |
Conventions of secco: free rhythm that follows the declamation, harmonies that move through inversions with rapid modulations, “truncated” cadence at the end (the voice closes with a descending fourth formula or with an appoggiatura, the continuo plays V–I after the voice). In Bach's St. Matthew Passion the Evangelist sings in secco recitative, while the words of Christ are accompanied by sustained strings, like a sonic halo.
The da capo aria
Basic scheme: A – B – A, where the second A is not written out: the indication “Da capo” (or “D.C.”) sends back to the beginning, and the singer ornaments the return with improvised embellishments and a cadenza.
Typical internal structure (aria in a major key):
| Part | Key | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Instrumental ritornello | I | presents the main motif |
| A1 (first stanza of the text) | I → V | the voice sets out the text |
| Short ritornello | V | |
| A2 (same stanza, repeated) | V → I | text repeated with more vocalizing, cadence in the tonic |
| Ritornello | I | closes section A |
| B (second stanza) | vi, iii or IV (in the minor: III, v, iv, VII) | contrast of character, shorter, reduced accompaniment, ends in a different key |
| Da capo: complete A | I | with ornaments |
Variant: the dal segno aria (D.S.), which repeats from an internal sign, skipping the first ritornello, to shorten it.
Stage conventions: the “exit aria” (aria di sortita): after the aria the character leaves the stage. An opera seria is a chain of recitatives and arias, with few duets and a final chorus.
Examples
- Handel, “Lascia ch'io pianga” (Rinaldo, 1711): da capo aria in F major with a sarabande rhythm (accent on the second beat); the B section, shorter, contrasts in key.
- Handel, “Ombra mai fù” (Serse, 1738), often called “Largo.”
- Bach, “Erbarme dich” (St. Matthew Passion): aria with violin obbligato, the model of the Baroque aria with a solo instrument in dialogue with the voice.
- Vivaldi, opera arias with long instrumental ritornellos as in his concertos.
Reform and evolution
- Gluck, Orfeo ed Euridice (1762) and the preface to Alceste (published in 1769): criticism of the excesses of the da capo and of virtuosity, search for dramatic continuity.
- Mozart: arias in different forms (rondo, cavatinas, two-tempo slow–fast arias), ensembles and act finales that advance the action through singing.
- Italian nineteenth century: the “solita forma” (see the dedicated entry).
For a producer and songwriter
The da capo aria teaches the principle of the ornamented return: the last repetition of the main section is not identical, but enriched (vocal ad-libs, melismas, new harmonies, a free cadenza before the last chord). The recitative is the model of the spoken interludes and skits between the tracks of an album, or of a “narrative” intro before the first hook.
Related
“Solita forma” and cabaletta, Leitmotif and music drama, Sacred forms: cantata and oratorio, Ornaments, Prosody: words, melody and harmony, The Lied.