One act opera

An opera consisting of one stage action is called a one-act opera. This action can be divided into pictures, scenes, episodes. The time duration of such an opera is significantly less than the multi-stroke one. Despite its miniature size, opera in one act is a full-fledged musical organism with developed dramaturgy and architectonics, it differs by genre variety. Like the "big" opera, it begins with an overture or intro, it contains solo and ensemble numbers.

However, one-act opera has its own characteristics: a small number of actors, the absence of large crowd scenes, the closeness of the space in which the action of the opera unfolds, the absence of episodes excluding from the main action. In the operas of small form, the role of the orchestra is enhanced, in which a brief presentation of important thematic material compensates for the “verbosity” of the major opera.

Example:

One act opera in XVII-XVIII centuries. often performed in intermissions of large-scale operas; in the courtiers, as well as in home theaters. The central element of the musical expressiveness of the early small opera was the recitative, and from the middle of the 18th century. Aria pushes him to the background. Recitative is assigned the role of a plot engine and a bundle between ensembles and arias.

From Gluck to Puccini.

In the 50s. XVIII century. H.V. Gluck composed two lovely entertaining one-act operas: "Recovered drunkards" and "Chinese", and P. Mascagni a century later, gives the world a dramatic opera of small form "Rural honor". The rise of the genre at the beginning of XX century. D. Puccini was interested in him and the composer’s creation of one-act operas "Cloak" based on the play of the same name by D. Gold, "Gianni Schicchi", "Sister Angelica"; P. Hindemith writes comic opera "Nush Nushi". Examples of operas of small form are numerous.

The story of the fate of a noble lady who gave birth to a child outside the marriage and who went to the monastery to repentance forms the basis of Puccini's opera The Sister Angelica. Having learned about the death of her son, Sister Angelica drinks poison, but the realization that suicide is a terrible sin that will not allow her to see the child in heaven, prompts the heroine to prayer to the Virgin Mary for forgiveness. She sees in the church space the Holy Virgin, leading by the hand of a light-wise boy, and dies in peace.

The dramatic "Sister Angelica" is different from all other Puccini operas. Only female voices take part in it, and only in the final scene is the boys choir ("Choir of Angels"). The composition uses stylization of church chants with an organ, strict polyphony techniques, and in the orchestra bells are heard.

It is interesting to open the first scene - a prayer. Ave Mariaaccompanied by organ chords, bells and birds chirps. The picture of the night - the symphonic intermezzo will be based on the same theme. The main focus of the opera is on creating a subtle psychological portrait of the main character. In Angelica’s party, extreme drama is sometimes expressed in speech cries without a certain height.

One-act operas by Russian composers.

Outstanding Russian composers composed many beautiful one-act operas of various genres. Most of their creations belong to the lyric-dramatic or lyrical direction (for example, “Boyarene Vera Sheloga” by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, “Iolanta” by Tchaikovsky, “Aleko” by Rachmaninov, etc.), but also a small-scale comic opera Not unusual. I.F. Stravinsky wrote an opera in one act based on the Pushkin poem The Little House in Kolomna, which paints a picture of provincial Russia at the beginning of the 19th century.

The main character of the opera, Parasha, dresses up her lover, the daring hussar, with the cook Mavra, in order to be able to be with him and put down the suspicions of her strict mother. When the deception is revealed, the "cook" escapes through the window, and Parasha runs off after him. The originality of the opera "Mavra" is imparted by colorful material: intonations of urban sentimental romance, gypsy song, opera aria-lamento, dance rhythms, and the whole musical kaleidoscope is placed in the parody-grotesque channel of the work.

Children's operas of small form.

One-act opera is well suited for children's perception. Composer -classics have written many small-form operas for children. They last from 35 minutes to one and a half hours. M. Ravel addressed the children's opera in one act. He created the adorable work “Child and Magic” about a careless boy who, with a reluctance to prepare lessons, fixes pranks in spite of his mother. Things he spoiled come to life and threaten the wicked.

Suddenly, the Princess appears from the book page, reproaches the boy and disappears. Textbooks insistently dictate his hated tasks. Playing kittens appear, and the Child rushes after them into the garden. Here plants, animals and even rain puddles complain about the little mischief-maker. Offended creatures want to start a fight, wanting to get revenge on the boy, but suddenly start a fight among themselves. Frightened Child is calling Mom. When a crippled Squirrel falls at his feet, the boy bandages her sore foot and falls exhausted. Everyone understands that the child has corrected. Participants of events raise him, carry him to the house and his name is Mom.

The rhythms used by the composer in the 20th century Boston waltz and foxtrot dances make up the original contrast to stylized lyrical and pastoral episodes. The revived things are represented by instrumental themes, and the characters who sympathize with children are given melodious melodies. Ravel abundantly applied onomatopoeia (cat sniffing and meowing, croaking of frogs, a clock fight and the sound of a broken cup, the fluttering of bird wings, etc.).

In the opera the decorative element is strong. The duet of the clumsy Armchair and the minion couch are brightly colored in the rhythm of the minuet, and the Duet of the Cup and Teapot is a foxtrot in the pentatonic mode. The grotesque assertive chorus and dance of numbers is sharp, with a perceptible cantering rhythm. The second picture of the opera is inherent in the abundant Waltz - from the serious elegiac comic.