German, Italian, and French Music Styles

(I) Weber and Early German Opera

Weber was an important opera composer in Germany in the early nineteenth century, who explored the path of German Romantic Opera from the musical tradition of his own country on the basis of folk operas, absorbed the merits of foreign operas, and created the first German Romantic Opera of the first true sense of the word, "The Free Archer". The characteristics of German Romantic Opera are quite reflected in Free Archer: (1) the plot is taken from medieval history, legend or myth, Free Archer is taken from the old German folklore about the black hunter, and there are strange and weird things in the story; (2) it sketches out the wild and mysterious background of nature as well as frugal country life and rural landscapes; (3) it attaches importance to the background of material and gods, which is different from that of the then Italian and French operas of the time; (4) the use of simple folk tunes in the German national mood, the use of hunter's horns in writing about the mountains and hunters, and folk dances and marches and hunter's choruses in writing about rural festivals; (5) the orchestra colors play a very prominent role in the rendering of the dramatic plot; Weber was not satisfied with the kind of "Free Shooter" that is closer to the singing opera and the simple folk style, and tried to create the ideal "Free Shooter", but he was not satisfied with it. Weber was not satisfied with the purely folk style of "Free Archer", but tried to create the ideal "synthesized art" style of German opera.

Oriente is his attempt to further develop the German Romantic opera, which contains no doxology, and is structured on a scale similar to that of a grand opera, with music throughout the opera. The musical weave is continuous, using contrasting harmonic styles to portray the hostile forces in the drama, with themes appearing in repetition and metamorphosis. This musical continuity and unity, achieved through recurring musical themes, timbres and tonalities, opened the way for Wagner's operas.

(2) Wagner and German Opera in the Middle and Lower Nineteenth Century

Wagner was an important German opera composer in the nineteenth century, and his contribution was to create a perfect example of German opera and to pioneer a new form of opera called "leitmotif", especially in the later stage of his work, where a new harmonic system broke down and dissolved traditional tonal compositional ideas and established a new form of opera, the "Leitmotif". In particular, the new harmonic system in his later works broke down and dismantled the traditional tonal compositional ideas, and established a new aesthetic tendency of opera.

Wagner's style of opera is reflected in: (1) the opera embodies the eternal spirit of the myth as the theme, using the ancient medieval myths and legends of northern Europe (including Germany) as the subject; (2) the expansion of the orchestra, the importance of instrumental expression, orchestral status and lyrics are equally important, and sometimes even better than the lyrics of the expression of the content of the opera; (3) poetry and the combination of music, stage and performance fusion became a comprehensive opera. (3) The combination of poetry and music, stage and performance became a comprehensive art form; (4) the use of "endless melody" weaving, the singing voice into the orchestra; (5) the dominant motif became an indispensable musical element in Wagner's music and drama; (6) dissonance and unclear modulations have begun to appear, and gradually disintegrate the traditional harmonic function system; (7) the expression of profound philosophical and intellectual character. profound philosophical and ideological, Wagner believed that the myth represents the eternal truth, so that his inner sublime, philosophical embodiment.

II. French Opera Style

(1) Grand Opera and Comedy in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century

Paris in the first half of the nineteenth century became