Curriculum Guide
Western Classical Operas
Elements of Art as Applied to Western Classical Theater and Opera
Elements of Art as Applied to Western Classical Theater and Opera
Lesson 1: History of the Theatrical Forms and Their Evolution
Theater began from myth, ritual and ceremony. Early society perceived connections between actions performed by groups of people or leaders to a certain society and these actions moved from habit, to tradition, to ritual, to ceremony due to human desire and need for entertainment.
Ancient Theater 700 B.C.E.-410 C.E.
Greek Theater
European theater began in Ancient Greece. It began around 700 B.C. with festivals honoring their many gods. One god, Dionysus, with a religious festival called, ―The Cult of Dionysus, to honor Dionysus (Di-on-i-sus), the god of wine and fertility. The city-state of Athens was the center of a significant cultural, political, and military power during this period, where the festivals and competitions were usually performed. The three well-known Greek tragedy playwrights are Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus.
Tragedy is a compound of two Greek words, ―tragos or “goat” and ―ᾠδή (ode) meaning “song, referring to goats sacrificed to Dionysus before performances, or to goat-skins worn by the performers.
Comedy plays were derived from imitation; there were no traces of their origin. Aristophanes wrote most of the comedy plays. Out of these 11 plays, Lysistrata survived, a humorous tale about a strong woman who led a female coalition to end war in Greece.
Ancient Theater Terms:
Theatre buildings were called theatron. The theaters were large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes of hills. They consisted of three main elements: the orchestra, the skene, and the audience
Orchestra: A large circular or rectangular area at the center part of the theatre, where the play, dance, religious rites, and acting took place.
Roman Theater
The theatre of ancient Rome started in the 3rd century BC. It had varied and interesting art forms, like festival performances of street theatre, acrobatics, the staging of comedies of Plautus, and the high-verbally elaborate tragedies of Seneca.
Renaissance Theater: 1400-1600
Renaissance theater arts were characterized by a return of Classical Greek and Roman arts and culture.
Innovations of the Stage:
- Proscenium was developed. This is the area of a theater surrounding the stage opening. Arches frame and divide the stage from the audience.
- Backdrops for scenery were popularized by the art of painting clothes.
- Commedia dell‟arte or ―Comedy of the Profession‖ was developed. It was quick-witted performance of the characters/players
Baroque Theater
The theater of the Baroque period is marked by the use of technology in current Broadways or commercial plays. The theater crew uses machines for special effects and scene changes which may be changed in a matter of seconds with the use of ropes and pulleys.
Neoclassical Theater
The Neoclassical period was a movement where the styles of Roman and Greek societies influenced the theater arts.
Romantic Theater 1800-2000
Romantic Playwrights:
During Romantic period, melodrama and ―operas‖ became the most popular theatrical forms. Melodrama originated from the French word “melodrame”, which is derived from Greek ―melos”, music, and French‖ drame”, which is derived from Greek ―dran” to peform. Melodrama can be also be described as a dramatic work that puts characters in a lot of danger in order to appeal to the emotions and in which orchestral music or song was used to accompany the action.
Different Western Classical Plays and Opera
Greek:
Sophocles
- Sophocles (sofəkliːz); c. 497/6 BC 406/5 BC) is an ancient Greek tragedian. His contemporary playwrights were Aeschylus, and Euripides.
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