Introduction
The world of music has always been alluring for creative people. Music is one of not many art forms that are possible to specialize in even if one does not have a genius for it. Of course, in this case, becoming an extraordinary musician is impossible, but a person who has an utmost desire to play music will realize at least some of his/her dreams.
Music is the same indulgent for those who have been hurt by nature; the history of music abounds with examples of talented composers who either were deaf from birth or have gone deaf in the course of their music career. The greatest peculiarity of music is that it uses terms that may be unknown to those who are not involved into the world of music.
A person who does not have musical education will never be able to duly appreciate operas composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or any other prominent musician. Mozart’s operas are especially interesting to view from this perspective because every single character in this composer’s works has a meaning for the entire opera and the part that he/she sings was given to this character not for nothing.
A number of Mozart’s operas, such as Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan Tutte, Die Zauberflote and their characters, such as Count Almaviva, Don Giovanni, Gugliemo, Papageno, and others are united by the presence of baritone voice as primo uomo. Hence, the aim of this paper is to consider these operas in more detail and to define how important these characters are for these operas and why namely baritone voice was chosen by Mozart as primo uomo.
Baritone Voice
Definition. Baritone is the most common type of male voice “usually written for within the compass A to f, which may be extended at either end” (Sadie & Tyrell, 2001, p. 730). If compared with other types of male voice, baritone is somewhere in the middle between bass and tenor because it is lower than tenor, but higher than bass. Baritone is also believed to be one of the most pleasant male voices when it comes to operas, which is why, as suggested, the operas having it as primo uomo, enjoy special popularity.
Meaning. The word ‘baritone’ has originated from the Greek word barytonos, the meaning of which is ‘deep sounding’ (Sadie & Tyrell, 2001). Indeed, baritone singers strike the listeners with the deepness of their voice which is not as heavy as in case with bass.
History. The use of the term ‘baritone’ and the voice type as such has a rich and long history. This term originated in the 15th century French sacred polyphony as baritonans and was first used to denote a voice that was of lower pitch than bassus. This is why, during the 15th and even 16th centuries this term was specifically used to refer to the lowest voices.
Closer to the 17th century, however, its meaning has changed significantly. Italy was the first to start using the term to denote medium male voice. This was when baritone started developing its own features and characteristics and started to be recognized as a separate type of voice.
Nevertheless, it was not always that baritone was distinguished from bass in some of the operas. There is a wide range of works that belong to the beginning of the 18th and even 19th centuries and that have numerous baritone roles which, however, are marked as bass roles in majority of the cases. A bright example of this is Mozart’s creative work. The operas of this composer did not make much distinction between bass and baritone.
Thus, for instance, “the first Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Stefano Mandini, described as a “primo buffo mezzo carattere’ had a voice that would now be considered a baritone” (Sadie & Tyrell, 2001, p. 731).
Besides, Don Giovanni also had several bass roles and the principal part was also performed by a singer with bass voice type, or what then was believed to be bass. The meaning of namely baritone for these particular operas will be discussed in this paper later in more detail.
Finally, the pick of the recognition of baritone as a separate voice type in operas was in the 19th century. Back then, florid singing dominated in the opera houses and low male voices were not very suiting for this type of singing. However, it took much time before baritone singers started to be selected for principal roles in operas.
Principal male roles were predominantly basses, especially in case with German operas. Eventually, quite soon baritone voice was accepted by the operas. This has “widened the range of male character types beyond those traditionally associated with the castrato or the tenor (the hero and the lover) and the bass (the king, the soldier, the high priest, the aged man)” (Sadie & Tyrell, 2001, p. 731).
This is how the development of baritone took place throughout the centuries; all these events contributed into its being prevalent in the 20th century operas and into the emergence of a number of famous baritone singers.
Primo Uomo: Definition and Significance
Among the variety of opera elements in Mozart’s works, it is necessary to underline the significance of “primo uomo” that is translated as the “first man” or the “leading castrato” (Kuster & Whittall, 1996; Sadie, 2006).
In almost each Mozart’s works, the primo uomo is considered to be the most significant and the most highly-paid singer in regards to other participants of the opera. To clear up why this singer deserves so much attention and recognition in particular Mozart’s works, it turns out to be necessary to define the meaning of this term and to analyze the ways of how Mozart used this singer in his operas.
Definition of the meaning. According to the online Glossary (2010), primo uomo is defined as “the principle male singer in an opera or on the roster of an opera company. Just like a leading lady had been given the title ‘prima donna’, so a famous Castrato would claim the title ‘primo uomo’.” A castrato is a type of male singing voice that is similar to soprano or, to be more exact, to mezzo-soprano that is between A and C octaves.
During a considerable period of time, this term has been applied to different types of voice, and the baritone was one of such types. However, such operas like Le Nozze di Figaro, Cosi fan Tutte, or Don Giovanni may serve as the best example of primo uomo applied to castrato. Though Mozart made numerous attempts to elaborate the roles of other singers to the leading role of the primo uomo, for instance, to the seconda donna or secondo uomo with tenors, the identification of primo uomo was clear and comprehensible.
In spite of all changes and additions by famous musicians to the role and the definition of the term primo uomo, the 18th century introduces primo uomo as the only worthwhile male leading singer of castrato or soprano part in an opera.
Mozart and his use of the primo uomo. Such sophisticated and magnificent composer of the Classical era of opera and ballet as Mozart certainly knew how to make use of ht primo uomo and what aspects were better to touch upon at first. Though it was not very difficult to define what singer had to perform the leading role and the second role, another task could create a number of problems.
This task was all about choosing the most appropriate voice type to the primo uomo, and Mozart demonstrated how it was possible to achieve the best results in such activity. His success is possible to observe in all his operas where the leading role is performed by the primo uomo applied to castrato and the baritone that has been described above.
Mozart
Short biography. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was an eminent composer of the Classical era (Sadie, 2006). His genius was essential since the childhood. It was no secret to anyone who surrounded this would-be outstanding composer that his work would leave deep traces in the world of music and opera, in particular.
In fact, leaning toward music, Mozart wanted to reach out the perfection of sounding and singing as referred to classical themes in music art at the time. When in Salzburg, he showed his prodigious capability of playing the piano and violin as a court musician (Sadie, 2006). His father, Leopold Mozart helped young Mozart to gain momentum in personal careers.
However, his talent needed more appreciation. Since 1781 Mozart moved o Vienna where he gains fame and more capacities to involve his talent in creating operas (Sadie, 2006). It was he who adored the charms of opera buffo while staying in Vienna. He was surely dedicated to the opera as such that he produces his first two buffo operas L’oca del Cairo and Lo sposo deluso (Rushton, 1981).
During his relevantly short years of life Mozart represented a scope of works which illuminate the magnificence and virtuous implementation of opera. To say more, the most noteworthy operas created by Mozart are Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Cosi fan tutte, Die Zauberflotte. All of them and many other consider the precious legacy of Mozart’s art in opera.
History of opera. The art of opera takes its roots from the late 16th century in Italy (Grout & Williams, 2003). It was the time when separate cities like Florence, Napoli, Venice, etc. were known to be so-called “cradles of genuine arts” and their implementation at large. The term “opera” is a Latin interpretation of “work” (Sadie, 2006).
Thus, the main idea of opera is to compose proficient singing along with typical dramatic musical score. Dafne by Jacopo Peri and L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi were the earliest works as related to mastership of opera (Grout & Williams, 2003). Thereafter, Italian classical tradition in performing opera spread over the rest of Europe.
Along with initially dramatic colouring of classical opera appear comic variations of this kind of art settled down first in Florence in the late 17th century (Grout & Williams, 2003). That was a “day-spring” of the versatility of themes and somehow genres in opera which stimulated further cultivation of genius ideas in music.
The next stage of opera development falls into the Baroque era in arts. The implementation of primo uomo and baritone in opera was felt in works of German and French composers. Hence, Handel and Mozart are considered to be the most viable composers who contributed greatly into the further growth of opera art throughout Europe.
In the late 18th century the art of opera experienced the apogee of opera buffo followed by the early 19th century highpoint of bel canto style (Grout & Williams, 2003). All in all, opera magnified the uniqueness of text (libretto), sceneries, orchestral music in a wonderful ensemble which still follows the classical form of execution in contemporary opera.
Operas by Mozart
Le nozze di Figaro. This opera is a result of fruitful work of Mozart with well-known at the time librettist Lorenzo da Ponte in 1986 (Carter, 1987). It is known to be the first opera buffa created by Mozart in his Viennese period of life. In fact, it is an adaptation of Jean Paul-Augustine Beaumarchais’s play turned into opera (Carter, 1987).
The place of count Almaviva is the main as referred to primo uomo baritone. His party in the whole opera symbolizes the gist of the main expression of this opera buffa. The key in which the majority of parties are executed is represented in allegro or allegretto. Meanwhile, the parties of baritone vary between A and F major key (Carter, 1987). Full F octave is implemented in the party of count Almaviva in the dominant key (V).
Don Giovanni. This play performed for the first time in Vienna in 1788 continued the Maozart’s tradition for opera buffa (Rushton, 1981). Nevertheless, it provides a scope of the main idea through manly allegro-andante parties of the main heroes. Don Giovanni as baritone primo uomo is more felt in F major in duet with Leporello in Act II Scene 1(Rushton, 1981). It is here that Mozart takes advantage of opera buffa along with the Italian tradition for incanto (Sadie, 2006).
To say more, this opera impresses by richness in recitativo obligato in the parties patterned by the variation from D major to F major (Rushton, 1981). Programmatic overtures which are in most points patterned by female parties (soprano) emphasized by Don Giovanni’s baritone promote different transitions of mood among the main characters.
At this point the abandonment of Donna Elvira and betrothing to Donna Anna provide a csope of variations in sounding between recitativo obligato and recitativo secco (Rushton, 1981). Hence, the whole outlook of Don Giovanni executed by Mozart provides a peculiarity of coda in the beginning of each act followed by longer sounding in D major afterwards. Thus the parties of Don Giovanni are highly pitched by prior position.
Cosi fan tutte. This play created by Mozart again in collaboration with Da Ponte provides more intimate themes in relationships of the main characters. Cosi fan tutte was first performed in 1790 and received gratitude from the audience (Brown, 1995). This opera buffa, however, encountered several reason for initial lack of expected appreciation on the part of the Austrian emperor, for he died at the time.
Nonetheless, the characterization of the opera provides a dramatic story of love between Guglielmo and Fiordiligi and Ferrando and Dorrabella. Da Ponte wanted to maximize the audience’s impression by making more intimate libretti for the soprano parties. Bass party of Don Alfonso are maintained mainly in recitativo in F major octave (Brown, 1995).
Sincere sounding and coherence of the main soloists is accompanied by Idomeneo which is why the intimate lyrics are that ostensive throughout Cosi fan tutte. Primo uomo is focused hereby on the figure of Guglielmo, for his rage and despair in love shapes cross-relational attitudes toward Ferrando (Brown, 1995). Hence, the tragic implementation and sounding in key major varying from C to F makes this opera different from other works created by Mozart and Da Ponte.
Conclusion
The role of music in our everyday life is great indeed: people are able to not only listen and enjoy the results of composers’ works but also to realize that music has many hidden functions and influences on people. This is why the importance of composers works increases considerably as one mistake in work’s creation may lead to many unpredictable results and disappointments.
In general, the achievements demonstrated by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart play a significant role in many musical aspects. Almost all musicians and historians agree that he was a true genius with his own vision of music, details, and elements. He introduced a plenty of compositions, and almost each of them has become a popular classical music.
His idea to use the baritone voice as the primo uomo in his several operas is a unique opportunity to evaluate the role of voices in the general effect of music on people. It is not enough to say that this person introduced a new way according to which the primo uomo becomes an integral part of the work.
Mozart’s attempts have to be regarded as the most influential lessons on further development of the baritone as the primo uomo in operas. His Le Nozze di Figaro with bass baritone, Don Giovanni with its demonic elements, and Cosi fan tutte with a number of allusions and proverbs are the examples of how perfectly it is possible to use the baritone as the primo uomo and replace the functions performed by tenor or castrato.
Without any doubts, it was a novelty; to make it clearer and more comprehensible to the listeners, it becomes important to make some additions which help to explain the message. This is why all the above-mentioned elements and steps may be justified at least because of the necessity to introduce new ideas and prove their correctness. The introduction of the baritone as the leading voice in Mozart’s operas promotes the development of a new style, a new sound, and a new interpretation of music that has not been known before.
Mozart is an experimenter by his nature, and each his idea became one more success of his. This is why the use of the baritone as primo uomo in Mozart’s operas attracts the attention of many people for a long period of time and proves once again that this person had unbelievable skills to use ordinary things and create something really great.
Reference List
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Doherty, M.J. (2010). Glossary. Web.
Grout, D. J., & Williams, H. W. (2003). A short history of opera (4 ed.). New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
Kuster, K. & Whittall, M. (1996). Mozart: A Musical Bibliography. New York: Oxford University Press.
Rushton, J. (1981). W. A. Mozart: Don Giovanni. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sadie, S. & Tyrell, J. (2001). The new Grove dictionary of music and musicians. Ann Arbor: Grove.
Sadie, S. (2006). Mozart: The Early Years 1756-1781. New York: Oxford University Press.
Sadie, S. (2006). Mozart: the early years 1756-1781. Oxford: Oxford University Press.