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TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome...3 Audience Etiquette...4 Suggested Activities Before Opera...5-6 What is a Fairy Tale?...7 What is Opera?...7 The Story of Hansel and Gretel...7 The Creators of Hansel and Gretel....8 A Brief History of Opera... 9 Training..10 A Quick Guide to Voice Parts..11 How an Opera Makes it to the Stage. 12 Glossary of Opera Terms..13-17 Suggested Activities After Opera..18-30 Page 2
Hello! Thank you for welcoming Capitol City Opera Company into your school to perform for your students! Since the founding of our outreach program in 1980, we have been committed to producing outstanding professional operas for children that educate as well as entertain. We are so pleased to travel with our touring productions throughout the state of Georgia and the surrounding states introducing thousands of students to opera. Educators like you provide a generation of students with the opportunity to experience opera live, up-close and personal. The purpose of the Study Guide is to help teachers and parents connect the performance of Hansel and Gretel to classroom and home instruction in several content areas. It includes background information on the production as well as some basics about opera and its history. We also connect opera to your music and general classroom curriculum with educator-approved activities. It is designed to be flexible and provide you with ways to collaborate with classroom teachers, as well as other arts specialists. All of the activities in the guide are tied directly to the Georgia Curriculum Standards. They are labeled with the GLE number, or the standard code. Also included are follow-up worksheets that encourage students to internalize what they saw, heard and felt. We encourage you to use this guide to augment your existing Curriculum in the many disciplines that are included. Please feel free to copy or adapt any part of the guide for use your students. What you can expect from Capitol City Opera s performance of Hansel and Gretel: We will be performing a 45-minute reduction of the full opera in English for your students. We perform with a smaller cast accompanied by a pianist with minimal sets and props to accommodate travel and space. Students will be able to participate in the show. The arts have always been a vital part of a child s educational experience. Thank you again for partnering with Capitol City Opera and giving us the opportunity to share the magic of opera with your students! We look forward to our performance at your school and hope your students enjoy the show! We value your feedback and take this into account in planning future educational programs. We look forward to hearing from you, your students, administration, and/or parents following the performance. We also LOVE to receive drawings and written reviews from the students. Page 3
AUDIENCE ETIQUETTE The audience is probably the most important participant in any live production! One of the most exciting aspects of attending a live performance is the interactive relationship between the audience and the performers. It s a good idea to prepare your students for their role in our production of Hansel and Gretel by covering these basic guidelines. When the audience is at its best, the performers will put on the best show possible. BASIC POINTS TO COVER IN CLASSROOM DISCUSSION Attending an opera is not like watching TV. The actors on the stage can see (and hear!) you. Be respectful of all the hard work that has gone into the performance. Things you shouldn t do during a live performance: Get up from your seat or get up on your knees. This makes it hard for the people behind you to see! Walk around Talk or whisper to your neighbor Eat gum, food or drink Put feet on seats or railings. Play with your cell phones/no texting! Can you think of some behaviors that would not be appropriate during a live show? Would it bother you if your neighbor did these things? Things that you can do during a live performance: Laugh if something is funny, but don t call out at the wrong time. It s as if the auditorium itself is a huge musical instrument! Applaud at the end of a song, after a scene, or at the very end of the opera. Shout Bravo or Brava! when the performers take their bows. In Italy, audience members say Bravo! to show that they are enjoying the performance. Sometimes going to the opera is a dress-up event. Do you expect others to act differently when they are dressed up? Grade Levels: K-5 Georgia Performance Standard: MESGM10 Page 4
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE Find out what preconceptions your students may have about opera before you tell them anything about it. Are they fact or opinion? Document their ideas so that you and your students can revisit them later to see how they ve changed. Split your class into 5 or 6 groups, with a large sheet of paper per group. In their groups, have them write all the words that they can think of associated with the word opera for 5 minutes or as long as the group needs (i.e. screamy singing, fat ladies, Viking helmets, shattering glass, grandparents, etc.). When the time is up, have students walk around the room and look at what other groups have written or select a group representative to share with the class. (MESGM.7-10, ELA3R3, ELA2R3, ELA3R2, ELA4R3, ELA5R3, ELA2LSV1, ELA4LSV1, ELA5LSV1) Split them into groups and have them act out a one minute scene that includes all their ideas of what they think about opera (i.e. screamy singing, fat ladies, Viking helmets, shattering glass, grandparents, etc.). Do the same activity after they've watched a live performance. Have the students draw pictures of what they think a typical opera singer looks like. Are they short/tall? Thin/overweight? Do they all wear the horns on their heads? a Compare the students drawings with the real photos and get their reactions to what opera stars really look like. Discuss how opera is like a play (they both have a story, characters, costumes, audiences, and words) and how it is different (opera has singers, sung throughout, arias, duets, ensembles, etc). Similar comparisons can be made with movies, television, musical theater and ballet. (MESGM9) Page 5
Read the synopsis for Hansel and Gretel. Ask the students to discuss the fairy tale and its characters. What is a fairy tale? How is a fairy tale different from real life? What are some other fairy tales? What happens in the fairy tales that you know about? What do you like about fairy tales? What don t you like? Read aloud several well-known fairy tales. Identify the main elements of fairy tales: magic, good and evil characters, trickery, and an ending in which justice is served ( happy ending ). Make a chart with these elements and guide students to fill it in for the fairy tales that you read aloud. Encourage children to look and listen for these elements as they view the opera. Have your students make up their own fairy tale. Select several students to tell their stories. Use vivid descriptions to make the characters real, funny, emotional, etc. Brainstorm with the students: What would be a good topic for an opera? Think about movies, books, fairy tales, historical events, and everyday situations. What kind of music would accompany different topics fast/slow, loud/soft, smooth/jumpy? (MESGM7, MESGM9-10, ELAKLSV1, ELA1LSV1, ELA2LSV1, ELA3LSV1, ELA4LSV1, ELA5LSV1, ELA2R4, ELA4R1, ELA1R6, ELA3R3) Have students draw what they think each of the characters might look like. Imagine and draw what the set could look like. Have students draw pictures of what they think the mothers house, the woods and the candy house might look like. What color is it? Where is it located? What is the weather like? Design a poster to promote the opera. The Capitol City Opera Marketing Department designs all the printed materials for a production. Create posters or programs for the upcoming production of Hansel and Gretel that might represent the look of the show and draw people to attend. Ask students who their favorite singers are. Discuss whether or not they sound like trained classical singers, explaining why or why not? See pg. for a comparison of trained and untrained voices. (MESGM7-8) Questions for participation in the talk-back. Have students create three questions about the opera they are about to see. They can be questions about the characters, set, costumes, props singers, etc. If their questions are not answered during the performance, the students may ask the artists their questions during the talk back. Page 6
WHAT IS A FAIRY TALE? A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features folkloric fantasy characters, such as princesses, princes, dwarves, elves, fairies, giants, gnomes, goblins, mermaids, trolls, or witches, and usually magic or enchantments. Often these tales present a problem, teach a lesson, also called a moral or a fear to overcome. Through many centuries and all over the world, fairy tales have been told over and over again, and handed down from generation to generation. Two famous brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm wrote down many of their stories in a book known as the Grimm s Fairy Tales which was published in 1812. One of these stories was about a brother and a sister named Hansel and Gretel. WHAT IS OPERA? Opera is a dramatic or comedic story told in music, where words are sung rather than spoken, through powerful, unamplified voices. Opera combines all the art forms vocal and instrumental music, theater, visual art and dance into one complete theatrical experience. All of the art forms help create the mood of the opera. Opera uses music to convey a story or plot. This is based on the sentiment that music can communicate people s reactions and emotions better than words or pictures. Opera takes any type of story and tries to make it more exciting and more believable with the help of music. Many famous stories have been made into operas, including Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Romeo and Juliet. WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF OPERA? Opera begins with a music composition and the story s text. The text is referred to as the libretto (in Italian, means little book ). The music composition containing the libretto, stage directions, and performance notes is called the score. An opera score is often divided into sections. At the beginning of many full-length operas, you will hear an overture. It is followed by one to five acts, and one or more intermissions. Each act may be divided into scenes. The scenes are comprised of are four types of musical forms composers use to help them describe how characters are feeling during the course of an opera, recitatives, arias, larger ensembles, and choruses. THE STORY OF HANSEL AND GRETEL Hansel and Gretel are doing chores while their mother is away. Hansel is fixing brooms and Gretel is mending a basket of clothes. Their minds are on their empty stomachs and not on their work. To take their minds off their hunger they sing, dance and play. Suddenly their mother returns and is annoyed by their waste of time. Angrily, she scolds them and sends them out into the Black Forest to gather strawberries. Hansel and Gretel are picking strawberries when they realize they are lost. They become frightened as the woods become spooky. Tired and lost, they decide to rest. They sing their evening prayer asking for fourteen angels come from heaven to watch over them and fall asleep. The children wake up in the morning. They see a gingerbread house covered with candy. They are very excited about the candy but are unaware of any danger. The witch who owns the house creeps up on them. The children try to escape but the witch casts a spell on them. She puts Hansel in a cage and plans to fatten him up. As the witch prepares to cook the children, she is tricked into believing Hansel is too skinny to eat. The witch tells Gretel to look into the oven to see if it is ready. Gretel pretends to not understand and asks the witch to show her what to do. When the witch bends down in front of the open oven, Gretel is able to break the spell and unlock Hansel s cage. The children push her in and the witch is gone for good. The children rejoice at their freedom from the witch. Page 7
MEET THE CHARACTERS Hansel (mezzo-soprano; trouser role) A young boy who lives with his sister and parents in a cottage in the woods. He cleverly figures out how to escape from the witch. Gretel (soprano) Hansel s sister. She follows Hansel s advice to free them both from the evil witch. The Witch (usually a tenor, but in our version a soprano) An evil old woman who lives deep in the forest. She captures Hansel and Gretel, puts a spell on them, and intends to bake them in her magic oven. Mother (soprano) Hansel and Gretel s mother. She sends them out of the forest to collect strawberries for dinner. THE CREATORS OF HANSEL AND GRETEL The Brothers Grimm, Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) Grimm, were German academics, linguists, lexicographers, and cultural researchers. They are most famous for collecting and popularizing German folk tales (including Hansel and Gretel), and published their first anthology, Grimm s Fairy Tales, in 1812 in a book intended for adults. Their younger brother, Ludwig, illustrated some of their stories. They would eventually distill some of the violence in the tales and publish them for a wider and younger audience, and they are still being told today. The 19 th century opera was written by another pair of German siblings, composer Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921) and librettist Adelheid Wette. Adelheid treasured the fairy tale so much that she wrote the story or libretto, in verse form as a special holiday celebration for her children. She asked her brother, a famous German composer, to write the music to go with her story, however Humperdinck decided to do a full scale opera work instead. In 1893, the opera was performed in Weimar Germany with Richard Strauss as conductor, a famous composer himself. Hansel and Gretel was Humperdinck s most famous work having been performed countless numbers of times throughout the world. The opera itself has been adapted into numerous languages as well as having its musical themes incorporated into and inspiring many works of art. In 1954 the Bugs Bunny cartoon Bewitched Bunny set Bugs on an adventure to rescue Hansel and Gretel from the witch. The cartoon borrows many of Humperdinck s musical themes. Page 8
A SHORT HISTORY OF OPERA Poets, musicians, architects, artists, philosophers, mathematicians, and many other thinkers had become obsessed with a recreation of the Greek culture during the Italian Renaissance. In the 1500 s, a certain group of composers from the Camerata Fiorentina, or Florentine Academy, began to focus on the reproduction of Greek Drama. The Camerata believed that several factors were extremely important in recreating these dramas: the sung text must be understood, the music should reflect the cadences of speech rather than dance, and most importantly, the music should explore and enhance the emotions being ex-pressed. The Camerata developed Western music s earliest operas, the most well-known being Monteverdi s L Orfeo. Following L Orfeo s success, the art form spread rapidly amongst composers, artists, and poets. The Baroque form consisted of sung recitatives by soloists which would move the plot or story line, arias in which the soloist would explore an emotion, and choruses where the rest of the characters commented on the action. Composers began to create duets, trios, and other ensemble numbers with multiple soloists, allowing for more character interaction and more dynamic plot lines. As the Classical period began, the chorus of an opera became more integral to the story, rather than merely providing commentary. Arias began to express multiple emotions and more complex ideas and main characters took on more human attributes. All of these developments are present in the works of Wolf-gang Amadeus Mozart. Until the late 1700 s, operas fit into very specific classifications: opera seria, the noble and serious genre, and opera buffa, the comic and low brow genre. Mozart revolutionized opera as he began to blend these genres in his later works. In The Marriage of Figaro, buffo, or comic, servant characters like Figaro were portrayed alongside seria noblemen like Count Almaviva. Furthermore, the buffo characters often displayed more admirable qualities than the nobles. Mozart s Don Giovanni is classified as a dramma giocoso, or comic drama. It features lighthearted moments and comic scenes such as Giovanni s servant displaying the catalogue of his master s conquests to a jilted lover, but ends quite dramatically with the womanizer being dragged to Hell for his terrible debauchery. Giuseppe Verdi composed operas during the Roman-tic period as harmonic language became more varied and effective. Due to the concurrent developments in literary style, plots explored a greater depth of emotion and action, and provided commentary on current events with more frequency. As more regions chaffed under the oppressive rule of foreign empires, composers sought to express nationalistic themes with their art. Verdi endured many struggles with government and church censors over his operas, because of their political overtones. As opera developed even further, national styles diversified and developed their own canons. Verdi, Mozart, and Rossini, among others, are considered by scholars to be members of the Italian School of operatic composition. Italian School composers created highly melodic music which displays the singers to the best of their abilities. The orchestra accompaniment is usually secondary to the vocal line, and as such, these operas are termed Singer s Opera. Conversely, the German School of Opera, which crystallized itself through the works of Carl Maria von Weber, Beethoven, and Wagner, emphasizes the power of the music as a whole instead of displays by the vocalist. Weber s opera Der Freischütz (The Marksman) is considered the first important German Romantic opera, and is particularly well known for its unearthly Wolf s Glen scene. Weber s opera Euryanthe followed Der Freischütz and was throughcomposed, blurring the distinctions between recitative and aria. This melding of recitative and aria was enhanced and expanded by Richard Wagner, who wrote in flowing and endless melodies. Wagner s operas like Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal, and The Ring Cycle best exemplify the German focus on the effectiveness of the orchestra, vocalists, and poetry as a total production to create the drama. The French School, founded by Lully and developed by composers such as Meyer-beer, Bizet, Gounod, and Massenet, is a balancing point between the Italian and German ideologies. Instrumental support for the vocal line was more complex and rich, while the vocal line was less florid. The voice was always well displayed while still doing its part to evoke and progress the dramatic plot. Page 9
Characteristics of a Trained Voice TRAINING Every culture has developed its own style of singing. The style we may refer to as operatic or classical singing developed in Europe. This style flourished during the seventeenth century, as operatic music became increasingly complex and demanding. Its particular characteristics are an extensive range (the ability to sing both high and low), and varying degrees of volume and projection (ability to fill a large space without amplification). Music in the European tradition has developed highly mechanized musical instruments, capable of great ranges and volumes. In order to keep pace, singers were gradually trained to increase their capacities as well. Singing in Europe and America is now generally divided into classical and popular styles. The main differences at present concern volume. Essentially all singers in the "pop" fields depend upon the microphone as a matter of course. This enables the singers to deliver their message in a conversational or whispered style of great intimacy, as well as in a louder or more dramatic style. The operatic singer in most cases still depends only on the unamplified voice; therefore the voice must be developed to its fullest capacity of projection. In order to make the large sound needed to fill an opera house without using a microphone, it is necessary that the singer use all the natural resonance of the upper chest cavities, as well as the sinus cavities in the face and head. These natural spaces serve as little amplifying "echo" chambers. The singer must breathe properly and must focus the tone so that the sound travels forward from the mouth. Proper breathing requires using the full capacity of the lungs. As the lungs are filled, they displace the diaphragm (a flat muscle below the lungs). Then, using the strength of the diaphragm, the singer uses the air to vibrate the vocal chords (two little muscles in the larynx) as the air is expelled. This gives the voice maximum projection. Proper breathing is also a major source of the vibrato (Italian, meaning "to vibrate"). All sound is the result of one object making contact with another: the vibrato in a singer's voice increases the warmth and resonance of the tone, and also allows for accurate tuning. Very few people are born with the capability to sing this way. Classical singers take voice lessons about once a week and practice every day for many years in order to develop a beautiful operatic sound. In fact, most trained voices are not mature enough to perform leading roles on a big stage until they're at least 28 years old. Classical Training vs. Commercial Training Since we ve already covered the characteristics of a classically trained voice, it may be interesting to see how they differ from those of a commercial voice. Singers of pop music, rock and roll, R&B, folk and country are often referred to as commercial. While their styles vary considerably, the way they use their voices seems to be relatively consistent. Commercial singers don t historically train like classical singers do. While there are schools that offer degrees in Commercial Voice, many of the most successful nonclassical singers of today are known more for their unique style, natural talent and personality than for their technical mastery of the voice. Unlike classical singers, commercial singers usually breathe just as they would when they re speaking normally. A long phrase might warrant a big breath, but studying the placement and movement of one s internal organs is not usually done by pop singers. Most commercial singers are not concerned with creating a resonant tone. Essentially all commercial singers depend upon microphones to be heard in a large performance space. This enables the singers to deliver their message in either a loud, dramatic style, or in an intimate, conversational style, with little physical effort. Opera singers, however, depend on the acoustics of the performance space and their ability to project their voices naturally to be heard. Microphones are rarely used in operatic performances. Page 10
A QUICK GUIDE TO VOICE PARTS All classical singers fall into one of the categories listed below. A singer cannot choose his/her voice type it is something they are born with. Composers usually assign a voice type to a character based on his/her vocal range (how high or low the pitches are that the singers can sing), personality or age. Soprano: This is the highest female voice and has a range similar to a violin. They most often play the young girl or the heroine (sometimes called the Prima Donna), since a high bright voice traditionally suggests femininity, virtue and innocence. This means they often have lots of show-off arias to sing, and get to fall in love and / or die more often than other female voice types. (Jasmine from Aladdin) Mezzo-soprano or mezzo: This is the middle female voice, and has a darker, warmer sound than the soprano. Mezzos have a range similar to an oboe. Mezzos spend a lot of their time playing older women, mothers and villainesses, although sometimes they get to play seductive heroines. Mezzos also play young boys and teens on occasion these are called trouser or pants roles. (the stepmother from Cinderella) Contralto or alto: This is the lowest female voice and has a range similar to a clarinet. Contraltos usually sing the roles of older females or special character parts such as witches and old gypsies. (often a grandmother) Tenor: This is usually the highest male voice in an opera. It is similar to a trumpet in range, tone, color, and acoustical ring. The tenor typically plays the hero or the love interest in an opera that get the girl or die horribly in the attempt. (Flynn Rider from Tangled) Baritone: This is the middle male voice and is close to a French horn in range and tone color. In opera buffa (comic opera), the baritone is often the ring-leader of the comedy, but in opera seria, he is usually the villain. (Jafar from Aladdin) Bass: This is the lowest male voice and is similar to a trombone or bassoon in range and color. Low voices usually suggest age and wisdom in serious opera. In comic opera they are generally used for old characters that are foolish or laughable. (Mufassa from The Lion King) Page 11
HOW AN OPERA MAKES IT S WAY TO THE STAGE It takes many people working together to create an opera production. Hundreds of singers, musicians, designers, stagehands and many other employees work incredibly hard to prepare for an opera. In many respects, The Capitol City Opera Company is a business just like any other. It needs many administrators, publicity representatives, a technology support staff, development advisors, and even education personnel. Capitol City Opera operates like a well-oiled machine: no one department functions alone. Instead, many departments have areas that overlap with one another and it is necessary for each department to do its share of the work in order for all the others to function. The Artistic Team Stage Director Opera Singers Chorus Supernumeraries The Musical Team Conductor Rehearsal Accompanist and Coach Chorus Master Orchestra The Technical Team Stage Manager Technical Director Set Designer Costume Designer Lighting Designer Wig and Makeup Designer Props Designer Sound Technician Stage Crew The Administrative Team Artistic Director Production Manager Company Manager Director of Development Marketing Director Director of Communications Education Director Title: The Elements of an Opera Grade Levels: 3-5 Georgia Performance Standard: MESGM9-10 Page 12
GLOSSARY OF OPERA TERMS Pronunciations for Italian words are included. A ACT: group of scenes with a common theme, such as a specific time or place. Most operas consist of 1-5 acts. ARIA [áh-ree-uh]: A vocal solo piece written for a main character, expressing personal emotion or reflection An aria is a type of song in which the melody is very important. A CAPELLA [ah-kuh-pél-luh]: Singing without instrumental accompaniment. AUDITION: When a singer or actor tries out for a director, hoping to be cast in a show. Usually involves singing 2 or 3 contrasting arias and possibly a MONOLOGUE. B BARITONE: The male singing voice that is higher than bass but lower than tenor. BASS: The lowest male singing voice. BEL CANTO: Refers to the style cultivated in the 18th and 19th centuries in Italian opera. Literally means "beautiful singing." These operas grew from a style of singing emphasizing long phrases, breath control and flexibility in singing both loudly and softly. Because the voice is considered the most expressive element, the words are often secondary. Gaetano Donizetti composed in this style. BLOCKING: Where the singers stand and move during a SCENE. Singers are given their blocking by the DIRECTOR and have to memorize it along with their music. BRAVO: An Italian word that opera audiences shout when they like a particular performance. It means well done. Strictly speaking, "bravo" is for a single man, "brava" for a woman, and "bravi" for a group of performers. BEAT: The underlying PULSE of a song. What you would clap along with at a concert. C CHORUS: A group of singers, singing together, who sometimes portray servants, party guests or other unnamed characters; also a piece of music sung by such a group of singers. A chorus is also called an ENSEMBLE. CHORUS MASTER: The one in responsible for choosing chorus members and rehearsing them for performance. COLORATURA: An elaborate and highly ornamented part for soprano voice, usually written for the upper notes of the voice using many fast notes and trills; singers who specialize in the demanding technique required for such parts. COMPOSER: One who writes music. COMPRIMARIO [kahm-pree-máh-ree-oh]: A secondary role in an opera, usually the maid, servant, medical personnel messenger or confidante of one of the leading characters. Often provides comic relief. CONDUCTOR: leads the orchestra and is fully responsible for the opera s progression. The conductor cues the singers when to sing and the orchestra when to play, and must blend and balance the music keeping proper tempo (speed) and regulating the dynamics of the opera. CONTRALTO: The lowest female singing voice. COSTUME: The outfit worn by each actor to reflect the time and place of an opera, as well as the personality of each character. COSTUME DESIGNER: is responsible for working with the rest of the creative team to decide what the dress for the characters will be. On a historically based production, the Costume Designers do background research into the time period to make sure that the dress is as appropriate as the sets are. Page 13
D DRESS REHEARSAL: A final rehearsal that uses all of the costumes, lights, etc. While sometimes it is necessary to stop for corrections, an attempt is made to make it as much like a final performance as possible. DUET: A musical piece for two voices or two instruments. They may or may not sing or play simultaneously or on the same musical line. DOWNSTAGE: The position on a stage nearest to the audience. Because the type of stage prevalent in early opera houses was slanted or raked, the closer a singer came to the audience, the lower the stage was to the ground. E ENCORE: Literally means "again." It used to be the custom for a singer to repeat a popular aria if the audience called "encore" loudly enough. This is still done in the middle of an opera in countries such as Italy, but it is rare elsewhere. Soloists frequently give encores at the end of a concert but not an opera. ENSEMBLE: Two or more people singing at the same time, or the music written for such a group. F FINALE [fihn náh lee]: The last musical number of an opera or the last number of an act. FORTE: (f) Italian for strong or loud. An indication to perform at a loud volume. FORTISSIMO: (ff) Very loud. G GRAND OPERA: The most elaborate and formal presentation of opera, signified by grandeur and size in themes, cast, orchestra and sets. Grand opera involves royalty, heroism, an elaborate ballet scene, and is often long. Composer Giacomo Meyerbeer wrote opera in this style. H HARMONY: Several different (not same) notes sounding pleasantly together. I INTERLUDE: A short piece of instrumental music played between scenes or acts. INTERMISSION: A break between the acts of an opera. This allows the audience to stretch and the performers to rest. L LEGATO [leg-áh-toh]: A smooth manner of playing or singing with no perceptible breaks between notes. LEITMOTIV [light-moh-téef]: A melodic theme used throughout an opera to identify a character or idea (love, hate, jealousy, etc). This concept was developed by German opera composer, Richard Wagner in the late 19th century. LIBRETTIST [lib-rét-ist]: Author of an opera s text or the LIBRETTO. LIBRETTO [lib-rét-oh]: The text or words of an opera (Italian word for little book). It contains a synopsis of the story, a listing of the scenes, locales and time period, a listing of the characters, character descriptions, the lyrics of the songs, and stage directions for the actors. LIGHTING DESIGNER: works with the STAGE DIRECTOR to create lighting to set the mood of the opera. Page 14
M MAESTRO: Literally "master;" used as a courtesy title for the conductor. MELODRAMA: In a technique which originated with the French; short passages of music alternating with spoken words. MEZZO-SOPRANO: The middle female singing voice, lower than soprano, but higher than contralto. MELODY: The tune of a song. Notes sounding one after another, organized by an idea. Usually singable. It is the foundation for HARMONY. MONOLOGUE: A long speech given by a single actor in the context of a play. The operatic equivalent is the ARIA. O OPERA: A drama or comedy expressed through music in which the text of a drama is sung instead of spoken OPERA BUFFA [opera bú-fah]: Comic opera, always sung in Italian of the 18 th century. The jokesters in these operas are always the working class, such as maids, peasants, or servants, who keep busy getting the best of their employers. Gioachino Rossini composed in this style. Cinderella is an example. OPERA SERIA [opera séh-ree-ah]: A "serious" opera. A dramatic opera usually dealing with serious or historical subject matter during the 18th and early 19th centuries. These stories are often tragic, and typically involve heroes and kings or ancient myths and gods. Some of Handel s operas are in this style. OPERA SINGERS: Someone who has studied classical singing. This style of singing relies solely on the singer s unamplified voice to fill an opera house. Opera singers, therefore, must go through years of intensive training to develop their voice to the fullest capacity of range, stamina, volume, projection and beauty. ORCHESTRA: A large varied group of instrumentalists who play large musical works. In opera, led by the conductor, they play the music that accompanies the singers. An orchestra is an ensemble that is comprised of four instrumental families strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion plus other instruments such as the piano, harp and harpsichord. The orchestra is located below the stage in an orchestra pit rather than on the stage. OVERTURE: This is a instrumental piece of music that starts the opera played by the orchestra that and it is the first element to set the mood of the opera, containing small parts, or themes, of the songs you will hear later in the opera. (not all operas have overtures) P PIANO-VOCAL SCORE: Usually a reduction of an opera s orchestral score. PIT: A large sunken space below the stage where the orchestra and conductor are during a performance. PRINCIPAL: The primary roles of an opera. These may be heroes/heroines, villains or other strong characters. Principal roles are sung by the more experienced artists who have already made a name for themselves in smaller roles. PIANO: (p) Meaning flat, or low. Softly, or quietly. PIANISSIMO: (pp) Very softly. PROPS: Objects, other than costumes or scenery that may be carried onstage in an actor s hands or that dress the set (such as furniture or decorative accessories). (short for properties) PROPS DESIGNER: is responsible for finding, designing and/or constructing the props that will be used on stage. This can include everything from clothing accessories like purses, to swords, to wall lamps, to giant puppets. The Props Designer also works with a crew of craftspeople who take care of the properties after they have assembled them. PULSE: The underlying BEAT of a song. What you would clap along with at a concert. Page 15
Q QUARTET: A group of four performers; also a musical piece for four voices or four instruments. R RECITATIVE [réh-chih-tah-téev]: Non-melodic singing composed to sound like natural patterns of speech. It is used for dialogue between characters, fills the spaces between arias and choruses, or advances the plot of the story. The accompaniment is usually sparse. This means the music is lighter in texture; usually with fewer instruments being played. REHEARSAL ACCOMPANIST/COACH: When the staging director is blocking a scene of only soloists, or a choral number early in the rehearsal process, it is unnecessary to require the entire orchestra. Instead, the cast members rehearse with a pianist, who must also know the score exceptionally well and understand the conductor s musical approach. RHYTHM: The pattern of beats created by the notes in a musical line. Can be found by clapping the melody or the words to a tune. S SCENE: The time and location where the action takes place; also a section of an act in a dramatic or operatic production. SCORE: The written music used by the conductor and the musicians during a performance showing each voice or instrumental part on its own staff. SET: The place where the action will occur on stage, that reflect the time and place of the story being told. (short for setting) SET DESIGNER: designs backdrops, large props and general background pieces for the opera. The Set Designer drafts plans and then a model of the set, which is given to the carpenters and scenic artists who build the full-sized set. SINGSPIEL: German opera with spoken dialogue interjected among the sung phrases and usually, but not necessarily, a comic or sentimental plot. Mozart s The Magic Flute is an example of this style. SITZPROBE: Literally, "seated rehearsal," it is the first rehearsal of the singers with the orchestra and no acting. SOLO: A part for unaccompanied instrument or for an instrument or voice with the dominant role in a work. SOPRANO: The highest female singing voice; also highest member of a family of instruments. SOUND TECHNICIAN: If the opera requires any non-instrumental sound effects, such as a cannon shot during a battle scene, the production will make use of a Sound Technician to be responsible for these effects, as well as controlling microphones for curtain speeches and other announcements. STAGE DIRECTOR: decides the over-all concept for a production. Then he or she works with a design team of the Set Designer, Costume Designer, Wig and Makeup Designer, Props Designer, Choreographer, and Lighting Designer to create images and moods that convey their interpretation of the opera to the audience visually. He or she also collaborates with the Conductor to make sure that the music and the staged show complement each other and create a unified performance. The director helps singers develop their characters and express them in keeping with the spirit of the production. STAGEHAND: A person who helps put together and takes apart the set. Also handles props and scene changes. Also called stage crew STAGE LEFT/STAGE RIGHT: The division of the stage from the performer s point of view; thus when a singer goes stage right, he moves to his/her right but to the audience s left. STAGE MANAGER: coordinate all of the efforts of the stage director, lighting designer, set designer, and props master. Every change of lighting, curtain open and close, set movement, and stage entrance is done at a cue from the Stage Manager. Additionally, they are responsible for the safety conditions of the stage. SUPER: Non-singing, non-speaking actor used in crowd scenes. a super might have a solo walk-on to deliver a message, or might be included as part of a large procession, for example. (short for supernumerary) SUPERTITLES: Translations of the words being sung, or the actual words if the libretto is in the native language, that are projected on a screen above the stage. Page 16
T TEMPO: The speed at which a piece of music is performed; how fast or how slow it is played. TENOR: The highest common adult male singing voice. THEME: A central melody in a piece of music. In opera, a theme may be associated with a particular character, setting, object, or emotion. This kind of theme is also called a LEITMOTIV. TRIO: A group of three performers; also a musical piece for three voices or instruments. TROUSER ROLE (Pants role): A role depicting a young man or boy but sung by a woman. (The part of Hansel is meant to be played by a woman and has been composed for a mezzo soprano s singing range. The music is usually too difficult and too challenging for a child to sing. Also, a young child would not be capable of singing over a full orchestra. Older men have lower voices that would be unsuitable for playing a child. TECHNICAL: The stage management, lighting, scene-building, and other mechanical aspects of a theatrical production. U UNISON: When two or more people sing the same notes and the same words at the same time. UPSTAGE: The position on stage farthest from the audience. (see DOWNSTAGE for further explanation) V VERISMO: Describes the realistic style of opera that started in Italy at the end of the nineteenth century. VIBRATO [vih-bráh-toh]: Italian for vibration. A natural wavering of frequency (pitch) while singing a note. It is usually inadvertent as opposed to a trill. VOCAL COACH: A member of an opera company who coaches singers, helping them with the pronunciation, singing and interpretation of a role. VOLUME: A description of how loud or soft a sound is. W WIG AND MAKEUP DESIGNER: Designs and oversees the creation of the wigs used in a production. Page 17
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES AFTER THE PERFORMANCE Social Studies (GASSSkills Matrices 9, 11 Information Processing Skills Matrices 1,4,5,7,8,14) Hansel and Gretel is set in the Black Forest, which is in Germany. Locate Germany and the Black Forest on a map. In what region of Germany is the Black Forest situated? What is the nearest major city? What are the average temperatures for each month of the year? Find out how Germany and America fit into the history of the world. Which country has been established the longest? Have either of these two countries ever been involved with any wars together Have students imagine they live in the locale of the opera at the time of its occurrence. Hansel and Gretel takes place several hundred years ago. If Hansel and Gretel had been real children, what would their lives have been like? How would they travel? How would they contact a friend? What kind of education did they receive? How would they find out about daily events? How would they entertain themselves? How would they eat, sleep, and keep warm? How were they disciplined for misbehaving? What sorts of chores did they do at home? This could be the basis for a classroom discussion or a research project. Read about the composer Engelbert Humperdinck. Do some research with your students and try to determine what important world and US events happened while they lived. Discuss which events might have been most influential to both of the composers. What was going on when the story for this opera was written? Research what was happening in America that year. Who was the president? What kinds of entertainment were popular? Did your school exist in 1883? What has changed about your town since that time? Opera stars aren t just known for their artistry. A few have made a real difference in the cultural and social landscape of America. Visit www.nps.gov/linc/symbol/anderson.htm to read about African American contralto, Marian Anderson, and her historical 1939 concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for an integrated audience of more than 75,000 people. This landmark performance was 24 years before Martin Luther King s March on Washington! Page 18
Incorporating dance into an opera. Many operas have dancing incorporated into the action of the plot. Pretend that you are Gretel dancing with Hansel. Create your own version of this dance. (PE5.2B) Brother, dance a step or two Both my hands I offer you Right foot first Left foot then, Roundabout and back again. With your foot you tap, tap, tap With your hands you clap, clap, clap Right foot first Left foot then, Round and back again With your head you nick, nick, nick With your fingers you click, click, click Right foot first Left foot then Roundabout and back again. Your Own Dream House. In the play Hansel and Gretel find a candy house that is covered with things they love to eat. Draw an edible house of your own design. Be as creative as you want about what types of treats your house is made of! You could create a house made of pizza, sushi, burritos, fruits & vegetables. With some magazines and some construction paper, allow students to create a house that is covered with things they like. It doesn t just have to be things to eat either. Maybe the house has special toys on it, or games or fashion items. Kids will have fun finding pictures to paste on their dream houses Using your drawing as inspiration, write a version of Hansel and Gretel that is set in a different culture. For example, if you draw a burrito house, your version could be set in Mexico. Math (CC1.NBT.4, CC4.NF.1, CC5.NF.1) Math and music are very similar. Simple math connections can be made (e.g., 4 quarters = 1 whole dollar 4 quarter notes = 1 whole note. 1 half note + 1 half note = 1 whole note) Page 19
Calculate the size of the set. As a class, measure the space where the performance of Hansel and Gretel will happen. Calculate the correct dimensions of the space and decide how big the set should be. Science (S5cs6 A-B) Research the Black Forest. The Black Forest, where much of Hansel and Gretel takes place, is one of Germany s best-known locations. It also contains mountains, rivers, lakes and diverse wildlife. What species of trees are found there? Which rivers and lakes? What are the highest mountain peaks? What animal species live there? What crops grow in Germany? Which of these is the most widespread? What are the processes of growing these crops? Creative Writing/Language Arts Discuss the parts of a story. Read the traditional fairy tale version of Hansel and Gretel and the synopsis for our version of Humperdinck s opera. Discuss the differences between the versions. Identify the beginning, middle and end of Hansel and Gretel. New Endings. Write a new ending for the story. Analyze the characters. Who are the good characters? What do they do or say that makes them good? Who are the bad characters? What do they do or say that makes them bad? Are there any characters that are both bad and good? Do any of the characters change throughout the story? How? Are there major changes that affect the character s growth in the story? What does each character learn from their experiences? What are each of the characters strengths and weaknesses? How do the characters differ from each other? Help students identify with characters and themes. Discuss the themes of the opera (listening to your parents, fighting with siblings, getting lost, safety, hunger). Have students choose one of the many themes in the production of Hansel and Gretel and write stories based on their own lives. Have they ever felt lost, sad, or hungry? What do they do to cheer themselves up? Have they ever had to solve a problem on their own, without the help of a grownup? Page 20
Talk about conflict and problem solving. Stories generally have some conflict that needs to be resolved. What are the conflicts in this opera? How are they resolved? How did the children keep the witch from eating Hansel? How did Gretel trick the witch into putting her head into the oven? Could Hansel and Gretel have solved their problems in other ways? How? Ask students if they have ever been in a sticky situation that they had to use your brain to get out of? Describe what happened. How did you solve the problem? Present students with different scenarios of problems to solve. Give them choices of reasonable and unreasonable solutions. Discuss why some solutions are more reasonable than others. Ask students to suggest other solutions that you did not suggest. Tell the story from one of the character s point of view. Think about the character of the Witch. What is her story? How did she come to be living in a cake and candy house in the woods? Why does she dislike children and want to eat them? Write the Witch s story. Begin the story at any point in her life prior to her encounter with Hansel and Gretel, and write from either first person or third person point of view. Be creative and use your imagination in telling the Witch s story! Look at the importance of setting. Sometimes a director may take artistic license and decide s/he wants their production of an opera to be set in a non-traditional time and place. For example, s/he might set the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel in a modern-day high school. The Mom would be the children s favorite teacher, while the witch might be an evil substitute. Instead of a forest, Hansel and Gretel could wander through the basement of the school. The setting of Hansel and Gretel is the Black Forest woods in Germany. Pick an unlikely time and place for the story like the Old West or the year 2100 on Mars. How would a time/location change affect the way the actors would portray their characters? Think about their speech patterns, the way they walk and carry themselves, their costumes and their interactions with one another. Discuss the differences. Have students pick their own location and sketch out their ideas for sets and costumes. (ELA5LSV1, ELA5W1, ELA5R1, ELA4R1, ELA4W1, ELA4LSV1, ELA3W1, TAESK1.1-7, TAES2-3.1.-7, TAES4-5.1-7) The moral of the story is Fables were often written to teach a lesson to young children. Is this opera a fable? Is there a lesson or moral that Engelbert Humperdinck is trying to teach? Write a letter or send a drawing to one of the singers. After watching the play, write us a letter about it. Tell what you liked or disliked about the story, the characters, costumes, set, or anything else you observed. Support your thoughts with examples and reasons. Page 21
Assist students in writing a critical review of the performance. Think about the performance you just saw of Hansel and Gretel and write your thoughts like you might see in the newspaper or an online review. Remember that a critic reports both the positive and negative features of a production. You might want to focus on one part of the opera that you particularly liked or disliked. Does a particular artist have an individual sound or distinctive style/character that you liked/disliked? Does the person playing the role look the way you had imagined? Tell why the performance was wonderful, all right, or bad. Be sure to say WHY you feel the performance was good. It is easy to say what you think. It is more difficult to say why you think it. For most beginning reviewers, the why step is the most difficult. Ask yourself: What did I like/not like about the performance? How was the singing? Were the costumes nice? Was it too loud? Too soft? How did the accompanist sound? Readers like to know the reasons for your opinions. Don t forget to tell them how you developed your opinions about the performance. Were there any big mistakes? What did you think of the sets, costumes, lights props, make-up, and other technical aspects of the production? What would you have changed or kept the same? Share your critique with us! Capitol City Opera Company wants to know what you thought of our performance. If you would like to share your review with us, please send it on! Capitol City Opera Company Education Department 1266 West Paces Ferry Rd NW #451 Atlanta, GA 303027-2306 cloner@ccityopera.org TECHNOLOGY Be a friend on Facebook or read our Tweets on Twitter! Capitol City Opera Company, like many arts organizations has discovered that Social Media (Facebook & Twitter) can be extremely effective in promoting productions and programs. Take a look at our Facebook Page and see what is happening! www.facebook.com/capitolcityopera & twitter.com/capitolcityopera Page 22