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Total Categories: 6
The earliest forms of opéra comique primarily utilized newly composed, complex musical pieces rather than existing popular tunes.
Answer: False
Early opéra comique productions at the Paris fair theatres primarily used vaudevilles, which were popular existing tunes with new words, rather than newly composed complex music.
The primary characteristic of opéras comiques en vaudevilles was their reliance on entirely original musical compositions.
Answer: False
The primary characteristic of opéras comiques en vaudevilles was their use of existing popular tunes, known as vaudevilles, combined with spoken sections, rather than entirely original musical compositions.
The Foire Saint Germain and Foire Saint Laurent were crucial as the initial venues for opéra comique in the early 18th century.
Answer: True
The Foire Saint Germain and Foire Saint Laurent were indeed the foundational venues where opéra comique began in the early 18th century, with plays incorporating musical numbers and eventually leading to the establishment of the Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique.
From what earlier theatrical forms did opéra comique primarily emerge?
Answer: The Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent, and to a lesser extent, the Comédie-Italienne.
Opéra comique originated from popular theatrical forms performed at the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent, and also drew influence from the Comédie-Italienne.
How did early 18th-century opéra comique productions at the Paris fair theatres incorporate music?
Answer: They used vaudevilles, which were popular existing tunes with new words.
Early opéra comique at the Paris fair theatres incorporated music through vaudevilles, which were popular, pre-existing melodies adapted with new lyrics for humorous and satirical plays.
Which of these playwrights contributed to the new opéra comique form in its early stages?
Answer: Alain-René Lesage
Alain-René Lesage was among the leading playwrights who contributed significantly to the early development and flourishing of the opéra comique form.
What was the primary characteristic of opéras comiques en vaudevilles?
Answer: They combined existing popular tunes (vaudevilles) with spoken sections.
The defining characteristic of opéras comiques en vaudevilles was their use of popular, pre-existing tunes (vaudevilles) interspersed with spoken dialogue, often within humorous and satirical theatrical contexts.
What was the role of the Foire Saint Germain and Foire Saint Laurent in the genesis of opéra comique?
Answer: They were the initial venues where opéra comique began in the early 18th century.
The Foire Saint Germain and Foire Saint Laurent were instrumental as the earliest venues where opéra comique first emerged in the early 18th century, incorporating musical elements into popular theatrical performances.
The Querelle des Bouffons was a debate that championed the complexity and artificiality of serious French opera over the simplicity of Italian comic opera.
Answer: False
The Querelle des Bouffons was a dispute that championed the simplicity and 'naturalness' of Italian comic opera, criticizing serious French opera for being overly complex and artificial.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a prominent advocate for Italian comic opera during the Querelle des Bouffons, even composing *Le Devin du village* to introduce ideas of musical simplicity.
Answer: True
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a key figure in the Querelle des Bouffons, advocated for Italian comic opera and composed *Le Devin du village* to exemplify his ideas of musical simplicity.
The Querelle des Bouffons criticized serious French opera for being overly complex and artificial, advocating for the simplicity of Italian comic opera.
Answer: True
The Querelle des Bouffons was a significant debate where proponents of Italian comic opera criticized serious French opera for its perceived complexity and artificiality, advocating for a more natural and simple musical style.
What major event in the mid-18th century championed the simplicity of Italian comic opera over serious French opera?
Answer: The Querelle des Bouffons (1752–54).
The Querelle des Bouffons was a pivotal debate in the mid-18th century that advocated for the simplicity and 'naturalness' of Italian comic opera, contrasting it with the perceived artificiality of serious French opera.
What was Jean-Jacques Rousseau's contribution to the Querelle des Bouffons and opéra comique?
Answer: He composed *Le Devin du village* to introduce ideas of musical simplicity, advocating for Italian comic opera.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau actively participated in the Querelle des Bouffons, championing Italian comic opera and composing *Le Devin du village* to demonstrate his principles of musical simplicity.
Which Italian comic opera significantly influenced opéra comique in the mid-18th century?
Answer: *La serva padrona*
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's *La serva padrona* was a highly influential Italian comic opera whose simplicity and 'naturalness' inspired French composers and played a key role in the evolution of opéra comique.
What was a key criticism of serious French opera during the Querelle des Bouffons?
Answer: It was overly complex and artificial, unlike Italian comic opera.
During the Querelle des Bouffons, serious French opera, particularly tragédies en musique, was criticized for its perceived excessive complexity and artificiality, in contrast to the admired simplicity of Italian comic opera.
Monsigny and Sedaine's collaborations were notable for strictly adhering to lighthearted, purely comedic themes, avoiding any serious social commentary.
Answer: False
Monsigny and Sedaine's collaborations were significant for blending comedy with serious social and political themes, such as liberty and equality, rather than strictly adhering to lighthearted plots.
François-André Danican Philidor's *Tom Jones* was characterized by its realistic characters and extensive use of ensembles.
Answer: True
Philidor's *Tom Jones* was indeed notable for its realistic character portrayals and its innovative use of ensembles, which are musical pieces featuring multiple singers.
Monsigny and Sedaine's *Le roi et le fermier* introduced Enlightenment themes, adding a serious social dimension to opéra comique.
Answer: True
Monsigny and Sedaine's *Le roi et le fermier* was significant for introducing Enlightenment themes such as liberty and equality, thereby expanding the thematic scope of opéra comique to include serious social commentary.
What themes did Monsigny and Sedaine introduce into opéra comique with works like *Le roi et le fermier*?
Answer: Enlightenment themes like liberty and equality for common people.
Monsigny and Sedaine's collaborations, notably *Le roi et le fermier*, introduced significant Enlightenment themes such as liberty and equality, thereby adding a profound social and political dimension to opéra comique.
What was a key characteristic of François-André Danican Philidor's *Tom Jones*?
Answer: Its realistic characters and extensive use of ensembles.
François-André Danican Philidor's *Tom Jones* was distinguished by its realistic characterizations and its innovative and extensive use of ensembles, marking a significant development in the genre.
The French Revolution caused opéra comique to become more dramatic and less comic, influenced by musical Romanticism.
Answer: True
The French Revolution significantly impacted opéra comique, leading it to embrace more dramatic and serious themes, moving away from its earlier comic focus, under the influence of musical Romanticism.
During the Revolutionary era, the Opéra-Comique maintained its exclusive monopoly on operas featuring spoken dialogue.
Answer: False
During the French Revolution, the Opéra-Comique lost its monopoly on operas with spoken dialogue, and rival theatres like the Théâtre Feydeau also began producing works in this style.
Composers like Méhul and Cherubini during the Revolutionary period were known for avoiding controversial or taboo subjects in their opéra comique works.
Answer: False
Composers such as Méhul and Cherubini during the Revolutionary era were notable for their willingness to tackle controversial and previously taboo subjects, including incest and infanticide, reflecting the dramatic shifts of the period.
The use of 'reminiscence motifs' to provide unity became a common technique in opéra comique during the Revolutionary era.
Answer: True
During the Revolutionary era, 'reminiscence motifs,' which are recurring musical themes associated with characters or ideas, were indeed employed to enhance the musical and dramatic unity of opéra comique works.
The Opéra-Comique and the Théâtre Feydeau merged in 1801 due to artistic differences and a desire to specialize in distinct subgenres.
Answer: False
The Opéra-Comique and the Théâtre Feydeau merged in 1801 primarily due to financial reasons, not artistic differences or a desire for specialization.
During the French Revolutionary period, the orchestration and harmony of opéra comique became simpler to appeal to a broader audience.
Answer: False
During the French Revolutionary period, the orchestration and harmony in opéra comique actually became more complex and sophisticated, reflecting the era's dramatic and Romantic influences, rather than becoming simpler.
How did the French Revolution impact the opéra comique genre?
Answer: The genre became more dramatic and less comic, influenced by musical Romanticism.
The French Revolution profoundly transformed opéra comique, shifting its thematic focus towards more dramatic and serious narratives, and integrating influences from the emerging musical Romanticism.
Which rival theatre emerged during the Revolutionary era to challenge the Opéra-Comique's dominance?
Answer: The Théâtre Feydeau
During the tumultuous Revolutionary era, the Théâtre Feydeau arose as a significant rival, challenging the Opéra-Comique's established position by also producing works in the opéra comique style.
Which composers were prominent at the Théâtre Feydeau during the Revolutionary era?
Answer: Luigi Cherubini and Pierre Gaveaux
Luigi Cherubini and Pierre Gaveaux were among the prominent composers whose works were performed at the Théâtre Feydeau during the French Revolutionary period, contributing to the genre's dramatic evolution.
What musical characteristic became more complex in opéra comique during the Revolutionary era?
Answer: The orchestration and harmony.
During the Revolutionary era, opéra comique saw a notable increase in the complexity of its orchestration and harmony, reflecting the broader musical trends of Romanticism and the genre's shift towards more dramatic expression.
When and why did the Opéra-Comique and the Feydeau theatres merge?
Answer: In 1801, due to financial reasons.
The Opéra-Comique and the Théâtre Feydeau merged in 1801, primarily driven by financial considerations in the aftermath of the French Revolution, to consolidate their operations.
What is a 'reminiscence motif' as used in Revolutionary-era opéra comique?
Answer: A recurring musical theme associated with characters or ideas to provide unity.
A 'reminiscence motif' is a musical device, commonly used in Revolutionary-era opéra comique, where a recurring theme is associated with specific characters or ideas to enhance the work's dramatic and musical coherence.
What was the general trend in the subject matter of opéra comique during the French Revolution?
Answer: It generally became more dramatic and less overtly comic.
During the French Revolution, the subject matter of opéra comique generally shifted towards more dramatic and serious themes, moving away from its earlier, predominantly comic nature, reflecting the turbulent political and social climate.
Under Napoleon's stable political climate, opéra comique saw a return to lighter, more comedic themes, exemplified by works from Boieldieu and Isouard.
Answer: True
The political stability under Napoleon fostered a return to lighter, more comedic themes in opéra comique, with composers like Boieldieu and Isouard achieving success with such works.
The early 19th century saw a decline in Parisian interest in Italian opera, leading French composers to focus solely on developing a unique French style.
Answer: False
Contrary to a decline, the early 19th century in Paris saw a strong and fashionable interest in Italian opera, particularly bel canto, which significantly influenced French opéra comique composers.
Boieldieu's *La dame blanche* is a significant 19th-century opéra comique that showcased the influence of Rossini's bel canto style.
Answer: True
Boieldieu's *La dame blanche* is indeed a landmark 19th-century opéra comique, celebrated for demonstrating the pervasive influence of Rossini's bel canto style on French operatic composition.
How did the political climate under Napoleon influence opéra comique after the merger of the theatres?
Answer: It resulted in comedy gradually returning to the genre with lighter new works.
Under Napoleon's more stable political climate, opéra comique experienced a shift back towards lighter, more comedic themes, exemplified by the successful new works of composers like Boieldieu and Isouard.
Which Italian operatic style became highly fashionable in Paris during the early 19th century, heavily influencing French opéra comique?
Answer: Bel canto
In the early 19th century, bel canto, an Italian operatic style emphasizing beautiful, lyrical singing, became highly fashionable in Paris and significantly influenced the development of French opéra comique.
Which of the following 19th-century French composers' opéras comiques showed the influence of Rossini and bel canto?
Answer: Boieldieu, Auber, Hérold, and Adam
Composers such as Boieldieu, Auber, Hérold, and Adam were prominent in the 19th century, and their opéras comiques clearly demonstrated the pervasive influence of Rossini's bel canto style.
Opéra comique is fundamentally defined by its exclusive use of sung recitative rather than spoken dialogue.
Answer: False
The defining characteristic of opéra comique is the inclusion of spoken dialogue alongside arias, distinguishing it from genres that primarily use sung recitative.
Georges Bizet's *Carmen* is a prime example of an opéra comique that demonstrates the genre's capacity for serious, even tragic, themes, despite its name.
Answer: True
Despite its name, opéra comique is not limited to comical themes. Bizet's *Carmen*, a tragedy, is a prominent example that illustrates the genre's capacity for serious subject matter.
By the 19th century, the term opéra comique often specifically referred to works with spoken dialogue performed at the Paris theatre of the same name.
Answer: True
In the 19th century, works performed at the Opéra-Comique theatre were characterized by spoken dialogue, distinguishing them from operas at the Paris Opéra which used recitative.
According to Bartlet and Smith, composers and librettists consistently embraced the broad term opéra comique as an accurate descriptor for all their works.
Answer: False
Elizabeth Bartlet and Richard Langham Smith note that composers and librettists often preferred more precise labels for their works, indicating that the broad term opéra comique was not always universally embraced as an accurate descriptor.
In the 19th century, works at the Paris Opéra were distinguished by spoken dialogue, while the Opéra-Comique featured recitative.
Answer: False
In the 19th century, the distinction was precisely the opposite: works at the Opéra-Comique theatre featured spoken dialogue, while those at the Paris Opéra typically used recitative.
What is a fundamental characteristic of opéra comique?
Answer: It includes both spoken dialogue and arias.
The fundamental characteristic distinguishing opéra comique is its combination of spoken dialogue with musical numbers (arias), a feature that persisted even as its thematic scope broadened.
Which opera, despite being a tragedy, is considered the most famous opéra comique?
Answer: *Carmen*
Georges Bizet's *Carmen* is widely recognized as the most famous opéra comique, despite its tragic plot, underscoring that the genre's name does not restrict its thematic content to comedy.
By the 19th century, what was a key distinction for works performed at the Paris theatre named Opéra-Comique?
Answer: They included spoken dialogue, unlike operas at the Paris Opéra.
In the 19th century, works at the Opéra-Comique theatre were specifically characterized by the inclusion of spoken dialogue, differentiating them from the Paris Opéra, which typically featured sung recitative.
What distinguished works performed at the Opéra-Comique theatre from those at the Paris Opéra in the 19th century?
Answer: Opéra-Comique works featured spoken dialogue, while Paris Opéra works used recitative.
In the 19th century, the primary distinction between works at the Opéra-Comique and the Paris Opéra was the use of spoken dialogue at the former and sung recitative at the latter.