In Lucretia’s aria the words follow the ABA pattern, but the music is different the second time that Lucretia sings the words of the A section, “How cruel men are to teach us love.” Even though Britten’s aria is less than a minute long, it is definitely referencing this standard form of opera aria. Most importantly, recitative precedes the aria, and the actual aria does not advance the plot. Rather, it focuses on Lucretia’s feelings regarding the circumstances of the story. Throughout the nineteenth century, the distinction between recitative and aria often became less clearly defined. In some operas, it is impossible to pick out any distinct arias. The music, instead, flows naturally with the drama and eliminates the stops and pauses associated with the recitative and aria form. Remember, audiences applaud after an aria that is clearly distinguished as such. Essentially, the function of arias ranges from a place for singers to show off their flashy runs to an integrated melodic segment of an opera that is closely intertwined with what comes before and after it.
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Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Do you find this aria to be well-integrated into the opera? Does it disturb the action, or do you wish there was more of this solo, melodic singing? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Britten makes a bold statement by using recitativo secco for his modern opera. Recitative secco, or dry recitative, is a type of speech-singing with sparse accompaniment in which a singer moves the action along. The phrases are not highly melodic and the function is to convey many words rather than perform a beautiful melody. This is unusual for 1946, considering that recitative secco is a seventeenth- and eighteenth-century technique. Britten accompanies the fast-paced recitative with the piano alone, reinforcing the idea that he is intentionally referencing the early style of recitative and aria. Compare Mozart’s and Britten’s use of aria and recitative. In Britten’s music, do you even notice the switch from one to another? Does it sound anachronistic? Do you prefer the more modern/seamless approach of Britten or the more flowery approach of Mozart? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________