The Development Process of the Aria Form in Italian Opera in the Baroque Period
Baroque Italian opera arias created a rich repertoire in the period in which they were composed and have survived to the present day, occupying an important place in the history of classical music. In this study, the development process of the aria form that emerged in Italian opera in the Early, Middle and Late Baroque Periods was examined. The aim of the study was to provide information about the characteristics of the da capo aria form and the aria singing styles in the Baroque Period. In the collection of data, a literature review was conducted and document analysis, a qualitative research method, was used. Within the scope of the study, the influence of composers and different opera schools on the development of the aria form during the Baroque Period was explained. In the examination, it was seen that early opera arias were performed in the spoken style and the text was kept in the foreground. In this process, as the differences between aria and recitative became clear, it was understood that aria singing styles were classified and aria types emerged in which artists demonstrated their improvisational skills. At the end of the Baroque Period, da capo arias, which reached their most mature form, made an important contribution to the musical structure of Italian operas.
Barok Dönem İtalyan Operasında Arya Formunun Gelişim Süreci
Barok Dönem İtalyan opera aryaları, bestelendikleri dönemde zengin bir repertuvar oluşturmuş ve günümüze kadar ulaşarak klasik müzik tarihinde önemli bir yer edinmiştir. Bu çalışmada, İtalyan operasında ortaya çıkan arya formunun Erken, Orta ve Geç Barok Dönem’deki gelişim süreci incelenmiştir. Araştırmada da capo arya formunun özellikleri ve Barok Dönem’deki arya söyleme stilleri hakkında bilgi verilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Verilerin toplanmasında literatür taraması yapılarak nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden doküman analizi kullanılmıştır. Çalışma kapsamında Barok Dönem boyunca arya formunun gelişiminde bestecilerin ve farklı opera ekollerinin etkisi açıklanmıştır. Yapılan incelemede, erken dönem opera aryalarının konuşma tarzında icra edildiği ve metnin ön plânda tutulduğu görülmüştür. Bu süreçte, arya ve reçitatif arasındaki farklar belirginleştikçe, arya söyleme stillerinin sınıflandırıldığı ve sanatçıların doğaçlama yeteneklerini sergiledikleri arya türlerinin ortaya çıktığı anlaşılmıştır. Barok Dönem’in sonunda, form olarak en olgun hâline kavuşan da capo aryaları, İtalyan operalarının müzikal yapısına önemli bir katkı sağlamıştır.
In this study, the aria form in Italian operas; by examining the development process in the Early, Middle and Late Baroque Periods, it is aimed to provide detailed information about various aria styles and the characteristics of the da capo form. Firstly, the birth of opera in the Baroque Period, the characteristics of the first operas composed and how the aria form emerged are discussed. Then, it was examined what kind of development process the aria structure went through in the Early, Middle and Late Baroque Periods. Information is presented about the dominance of the schools of Florence, Venice, Rome and Naples in the Early, Middle and Late Baroque Periods. The role and importance of the aria forms used by composers in the increasing prominence of vocal music in these three phases of Baroque is emphasized. In the research, data was collected by scanning the literature and using document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods. In this process, the development of the aria form has been explained in detail in the light of information obtained from sources such as books, articles, theses and lecture notes available in printed and digital media. The analysis is limited to the development of the Baroque Period Italian opera aria.
Under the influence of the humanism movement in Florence, an attempt was made to return to ancient Greek music and its dramatic structure, and as a result, the art of opera was born with the combination of music and text. In the early 17th century, a musical element called aria emerged, as the understanding that opera should be told not only with music but also with the emotions and reactions of the heroes was at the forefront. Thus, the foundations of singing styles were laid in the Early Baroque Period. In the first operas, stories were generally told in a discourse style singing style. Techniques such as stile recitativo, stile rappresentativo and stile concitato have been the basic elements that shape the dramatic structure of opera art. Aria emerged as an innovation in Venice in the mid517th century and took two forms; It developed in strophic and da capo forms.
By the Middle Baroque Period, a great progress was made in singing techniques thanks to the bel canto style. On the other hand, the recitative form differs from the aria with its freer rhythmic structure and storytelling function. In particular, the style called recitativo secco was used. At the end of the 17th century, arias began to be included more in both comic and serious operas. In this period, aria types; it has taken on different forms such as strophic songs, through-composed arias, and arias over an ostinato bass. Arias written in the fully developed da capo form began to be used instead of arias with a simple two-part structure.
The Late Baroque Period was a period in which music deepened structurally and technically, the tonal system was established and arias diversified. One of the most important developments of this period was that Scarlatti, a representative of the Neapolitan School, contributed to the enrichment of orchestration, especially by developing the da capo aria form. In this period, arias; It is divided into various singing styles such as aria cantabile, aria di portamento, aria di mezzo-carattere, aria di bravura, aria parlante, aria d’imitazione, aria all’unisono, aria concertata, aria senza accompagnamento and cavatina. On the other hand, the pasticcio opera genre emerged and gained popularity. Composers such as George Frideric Handel, Carl Heinrich Graun and Johann Adolph Hasse made great contributions to the musical structure of operas by deepening the aria form and style.
In conclusion, it has been observed that the form of the aria, sung in a conversational style, with the text in the foreground at the beginning, was shaped by the musical technical tendencies of the composers and the influence of opera schools. In this process, as the difference between aria and recitative became clear, aria singing styles were classified and importance was given to the types of aria in which artists exhibited their improvisational abilities. At the end of the period, the most mature form of the da capo form, which was more developed in dramatic and musical terms, was reached. Thus, great contributions were made to the musical structure of operas by deepening the aria form and style. Since Baroque Period arias constitute a basic repertoire for voice training and concert performances, it is thought that the study will contribute to the education process of opera voice and music department students by better understanding the aria form.
