Yesterday, both seminar classes went to see the first opera of the year and for me, the first opera of my life. I didn’t expect it be such a big deal because I just considered it another performance at first but looking at the way people dressed, the size of the theater and the behavior exhibited, I knew that the opera was much more personal than it was a physical depiction of a story.

When I walked in, I was astonished at the number of tiers of flights there were. Even though I was amazed, I wondered how the acoustics would sound or if i’d even be able to get a proper view of the stage. But the acoustics were amazing and I gained an appreciation for the vocal capacity of the singers because even though I was so high up in the balcony, their voices had great clarity. The set was realistic and visually appealing which I suppose was used to not only amplify the scenery of the story but to make the opera that much more inciting for the audience to see. Through out the entire opera, I kept wondering how the singers were able to sing so powerfully and what seemed to be so effortlessly, for hours at a time. Then I realized that the intermissions were not only for the audience to get refreshments and walk around but for the singers to give their voice a rest for a while before they had to come back with the same intensity. The audience was a giant critic and they would have noticed if the voice sounded different so the performers have to give their best the entire time.

The story line was simple but its depiction was brilliant with the voice and the Asian/Chinese instruments combined. As I have learned in Dr.Kahan’s class, the instruments can be used as the supporting backbone or even have as much intensity as the voice, both of which were used generously in this opera.

This experience was certainly very different than any other stage performance I’ve ever seen and I loved it in its entirety.

Today in Seminar, we were introduced to the different types of voices. In the men’s range, the lowest is the bass. Four of the most famous opera piece writers are Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, and Biget who wrote Carmen, a seductress with a slithery voice. Opera was created around 1600 when the idea of being vocal talents and showing off the extreme voice range became appealing in society. The range in opera requires the singers to preserve their body and lead a very disciplined way of life. When opera was first introduced, Mozart was inspired by the Cultural Revolution and wrote pieces that mocked the aristrocracy lifestyle.

There are two main types sung in Opera: Recitativo and Aria. Recitativo is used to get the speech out but is not memorable in terms of tune. Aria is more significant in which the singer expresses one expression or thought and it is where the musical talent in the vocals was shown off. The main tune is sung twice and the creativity is allowed the second time around when the singer is allowed to improvise. To get a taste of an aria, Dr.Kahan let us listen to Don Giovanni which was a light-hearted comedy about rape. Obviously, rape is no laughing matter but it was part of Mozart’s attempts at mocking and criticizing society.

Next up from bass are the baritones. Baritones tend to be the serious character while tenners tend to the comical character. An example would be Largo al factotum by John Rawnsley which is a comical song. This is a physically demanding role because of the animated performance and the fast vocals. This is intentional since it sets off a comical tone. The music is identical to his singing; quick-witted and fast paced.

Librettists are the mechanics behind vocals as they know how the vocals work and know how to use it to properly to define a character. An example is in the Opera version of “Othello” in which Iago uses his voice to explain his vicious plan of bringing down Othello. The range of the voice and the loud orchestra combine to show his malicious plans. The Aria is used after already defining the character’s motives so the audience is already aware and can now delve further into his character. This is an example of a dramatic baritone which shows how he is inflamed with his evil motives. This range definitely stresses his vocals because it challenges a man’s range.

We heard Nessum Dorma by the Luciano Pavarotti who the most famous tener in the world, 3 different times to see how his vocal talent grew from when was 40 to 58 to well into his 70s. In comparison to the first performance, the power in his voice was much stronger and finale was much longer. It was surprising to me that no matter how many times i’ve heard the same piece, I never grew tired. Instead, I loved it even more because the passion seemed more and more each time. The last time, had a much shorter finale but the passion was still intense. By his facial motions and body language, I can tell that he really connects with the meaning of the song.

The lowest type of voice for women is the alto. Since women tend to be concentrated in the soprano range, many different forms of soprano exist since women can specialize with their high range. A spinto soprano is when a voice can cut through an orchestra. Light lyric soprano is specifically for women who play the comic roles in the sopranos. Coloratura is soprano with high notes at a very fast pace.

Yesterday was the introduction to music. To start off the class, we learned the first four components of music which are rhythm, melody, harmony and timbre which is the texture of the piece. I learned how to keep an open ear to the piece because there are subtleties in the piece that are significant. In the piece “Praeludium I”, there was a constant note that was overshadowed by the melody and harmony but that’s only because I didn’t pay attention to the base notes. So when listening to the piece over again, I was able to hear it loud and clear this time. It’s almost surprising that something that seemed so clear to me the second was nonexistent the first time. I guess it means that as an inexperienced musician, I haven’t had the proper training yet to pat attention to small details which actually tie the entire piece together.

Praeludium I was very pleasant to the ears and it repetitive which adds to the overall pleasant theme. It was not written in the composition, but when portions of the piece were played louder than the rest, it almost sounded like there was a climax to the piece even if there might not have been because I associated the volume to the intensity of the emotion. It seemed even more like a climax when the loudness suddenly faded away and it returned back to its melodious rhythm. It felt as if the peak of someone’s life just finished, and the familiar feeling of leading a normal life returned. It’s as if I can create a story of someone’s successes and failures by just listening to the configuration and intensity of the notes.

Praeludium II seemed to be of the same notes but with a different configuration which changed the mood all together. I felt a since of franticness and the speed of the notes made me heart race like I had to keep up with the piece. It was certainly alarming but yet consisted of the same notes that made Praeludium I so relaxing which is quite interesting. The repetitive nature of this piece didn’t make it seem like there was a smoothness and softness of someone’s lifestyle. The repetitive nature made it seem as if someone’s life was endlessly disturbing and unsettling which is the opposite of Praeludium I. As Dr. Kahan put it,t was like a “malevolent machine”.

“Rite of Spring” by Stravinsky was tough for me because of the involvement of so many different instruments. I was confused on what to focus on or even clearly see what kind of instruments were playing when. According to Dr.Kahan, the piece starts with basses and cellos then incorporates wood wind instruments. I did hear another moment of climax though and similar to Praeludium I, after the intensity of the instruments, there was a brief moment of calamity which tells me that the peak of the tension that has been slowly building up is over but unexpectedly, the story intensified. This was certainly unique because the arrangement didn’t seem to have a flow even if it might have. Once again, I attribute this to my unfamiliarity with music.

Finally, we focused on “Camille” with Greta Garbo which was made into an opera called “La Traviata” and the one song that portrayed the scene from Camille was called “Un di felice”. This particular scene had the same content but was presented in completely different ways. What might have taken a few seconds to display in a movie, is elongated and filled with emotion in an opera. That was quite evident with this particular scene in which it took merely a few moments to let the woman know that the man loved her because it was straight forward. This might make the audience feel a certain way but it certainly doesn’t sway them like the opera does in which the depth of the love is written on the man’s face. His body language also enhanced his love and passion for her. The same confession this time tugs at the audience’s heart strings and heavily engages them which is  perhaps the reason why i’ve heard of many people crying at operas. It’s because of the incorporation of the melodious voices and the heaviness of the acting that harmonizes with the voices.

On Wednesday, Dr. Kahan showed us several clips from the movie “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” which made me realize that it takes observance to come to an epiphany about anything, especially something of an abstract nature. When a painter asked her to observe the clouds, she was quick to state the obvious: the clouds are white. But after focusing in, she realized that it was a mixture of colors, all the colors that had significance to her. Perhaps the yellow represented sun being hidden which means that the brightness of the sun is weak compared to the strength of the clouds. Without knowing her story, I can conclude that she might feel overpowered by a larger force or in this case, dominated by the demands of her religion/culture to cover her hair. She is also slightly dominated by the painter whose job to be creative forced her to remove the one thing that defined a woman: the covering over her hair. But the brightness was brought back to her when the painter started thinking creatively of her to use her luscious hair which made her look fiery in contrast to the paleness of her face. That’s perhaps the significance of the clouds to show that once the covering, as the clouds covered the sun, is removed a brightness shines from underneath.

I have no idea how to connect this to the title of the movie since I’ve only seen clips. Perhaps the Pearl Earring shows her brightness and how she was able to enlighten the painter with this brightness because eventually the painting that came from her uncovering her hair, became quite a beautiful and famous painting in society, even today. Similarly, the paintings in the Art Exhibit were difficult to understand at first glance, but reading into it shows its impact on culture through its representations of the brightness of the acts that people do in society. Both the movie and the Art Exhibit were inspirational to follow through with my passion and hopefully make an impact in the world.

Most people are familiar with Leonardo da Vinci’s notorious painting “The Mona Lisa”.  Its display in the Louvre is a common tourist attraction, and the art piece is often featured in movies, cartoons and on T-shirts.  Yet, as accustomed as I am to seeming the painting, I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I have never even noticed the scenery behind the subject’s figure.  Perhaps this is because I am usually too mesmerized by the woman’s eyes, which seem to see right through me.  The slight smirk on her face appears to indicate that she knows my secrets and is not fooled by my artificial exterior.

However, now that the background was pointed out to me, I cannot help but wonder about the scenery as well.  Instead of only depicting one location, the backdrop of the painting seems to include a combination of settings and landscapes.  In fact, the many different scenes remind me of the variety of climates and views that I encountered during my year in Israel.  On a three-day hike from one end of Israel to the other, I trekked through mountainous deserts, trudged through rocky streams, tripped in deep forests and climbed tall cliffs.  Similarly, the “Mona Lisa”’s complex and mysterious landscape contains a mixture of paradoxical and extreme settings.  A road in a dry desert leads directly to a vast body of water.  Tall mountain peaks are juxtaposed with the dark river and land.  This blend of regions creates a sense of timelessness to the painting; different viewers would have been exposed to different locations, and so everyone would be able to relate to the variety of areas.  The blurred and smoky aspect of the background creates an aura of mystery and uneasiness that brings that brings the viewer’s eyes back to the woman’s face for comfort.  Perhaps this is why I never noticed the background!

During Monday’s seminar we looked at The Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci and Nighthawks by Edward Hopper.  I had seen The Mona Lisa before and my feelings towards it were the same as I had remembered.  Looking at this piece, I never really thought it deserved the fame and attention that it received.  The woman in the drawing seemed awkward, simple, and unattractive.  It was because of this that I disliked the painting altogether.  It wasn’t until our discussion in class that I realized there was much more to it. For one, her look was not as simple as I was so quick to conclude.  Her facial expression may not have been too exaggerated, but it was not simple or emotionless like I had thought.  From this class I learned that in order to really appreciate and understand art you need to look deeper. I then took a closer look at the person Da Vinci felt was important for us to see, and realized that she had an indescribable look in her eyes and a smirk that had originally gone unnoticed.  I was then led to believe that there was a lot of mystery to this woman and possibly some held in negative emotions.  This picture then became more complex and intriguing.  I was also amazed at the fact that out of all the times I had looked at this painting, I had never noticed the detailed and scenic background.  This only confirmed that I never really gave artwork the attention it needed for it to be truly appreciated.

When we looked at Nighthawks in class, it actually was the first time I had ever seen the painting.  Just from first glance I didn’t really take any interest in the piece.  Everything was so distant and as the viewer, I wasn’t exactly drawn in. It wasn’t until after the discussion we had in class that I started to become interested.  The possibility that this painting told a story and represented a time period was something that never crossed my mind.  This scene is from the 1940s and so by looking at it I was able to form conclusions about the time period and get a feel of what it was like living in it.  One would be that war was going on and those who stayed behind during the war still had responsibilities.  The fact that  Hopper felt the need to portray this brings up the possibility that they were maybe overlooked and not given the credit they deserved.