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"The Beggar?s Opera", 2002.
A review of "The Beggar?s Opera" by John Gay and a discussion of why it has remained popular with theatergoers for so long.
847 words (approx. 3.4 pages), 0 sources, $ 30.95
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Abstract
This paper examines "The Beggar?s Opera" written by John Gay and first performed on 29th January 1728. It tries to ascertain how a play that depicted the society of when it was originally performed still remains popular today. It illustrates how "The Beggar?s Opera" as it was mockingly named, is anything but an opera for it lacks the antiquity, seriousness and most importantly the Italian touch to qualify to be an opera. What it is, is a humorous musical which involves the character periodically busting into song, with the audience finding it hard to restraint their laughter as the play takes as many opportunities to attack the classical opera setting. It concludes that the primary reason why people still enjoy the play is the sad but obvious similarities that were all so obvious in Gay?s world to the present day world and that nothing has really changed.
From the Paper
"A world in which the custodians of public trust turn a blind eye to the pilferages committed by minor thieves to serve as greasing to their grand design. The characters of The Beggar's Opera employ methods of profit making, just as every kind of position holder and scoundrel employed in the 18th century and still do. One can draw distinct parallels between the mischievous behaviors of the 18th century statesmen who had access to other people's money and trust, with the corporate raiders of today."
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"The Beggar?s Opera", 2002.
A brief review of "The Beggar?s Opera" written by John Gay, the first ballad opera in the English language.
1,458 words (approx. 5.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 48.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the use of satire, metaphor and simile in Gay's "The Beggar's Opera". It shows how Gay used his opera to satirize the society of his time, but that this satirization was not derogatory or moralistic enough to give much offense. It shows how Gay?s entire cast of characters play the role of metaphor depicting social ills of the time.
From the Paper
"In satirizing the conventions of opera and romance, the Beggar?s Opera arranges a meeting of opposites. Macheath the criminal thus refers to himself as a ?man of honor?. Instead of the expected nobleman, this man of honor is a mere criminal, but he is more than that. Gay turns him into a metaphor for the hypocrisy of those who like to believe in their own heroics. Specifically, Macheath represents the aristocrat and the army officer. His affectations and efforts at romance later in the opera reflect this."
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Polly Peachum: A Satirical Filter, 2004.
An analysis of the satirical character of Polly Peachum in the play, "The Beggar's Opera," by John Gay.
1,500 words (approx. 6.0 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 49.95
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Abstract
Analysis of English values in the Restoration, focusing on Polly Peachum as a foil character that Gay uses as a satirical element to show the hypocrisy of London society. It explains how Gay juxtaposes the aristocracy against the thieving, working class and asks the audience "Who is who?" The character helps question whether there is really such a difference between the gentry and the criminals warehoused in London jails.
From the Paper
"The aim of satire is to attack or expose human vice or hypocrisy by means of irony, sarcasm, and acerbic wit. In the Restoration play The Beggar's Opera, author John Gay satirizes early 18th century England by turning societal convention on its ear, challenging the upper stratus of government and the aristocracy, and making ridiculous the Italian opera. One of Gay's most ironic and satirical elements in the Opera is his characterization of the play's personas. The theatregoers of Gay's era were accustomed to characters who behave according to an established set of conventions that supposedly mirrored the London society in which they live. In the typical Restoration plays such as Man of Mode and The Way of the World, the upper-class male protagonists are fashionable, witty, respectable, honorable, and of good reputation. The young female leading roles are almost stock characters who are pure, chaste, virtuous, filially obedient, and have the propensity to be excellent wives. But in order to expose the hypocritical double standard that existed in London society, John Gay creates a play of inverted values. The value systems of criminals and gentle people are almost indistinguishable. The rake is replaced by a highwayman, match making parents are replaced by villainous thieves, and the honorable maiden is swapped for a would-be ingenue. This maiden, Polly Peachum is the antithesis of stock Restoration female protagonists such Millamont, Harriet, and even Margery who possess honor and respected positions in society."
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Italian Opera, 2001.
This paper examines, in brief, the history of Italian opera, focusing on opera in the 19th century, and the ways in which opera has become a part of American culture and influenced American music.
1,235 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 42.95
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Abstract
The following paper examines the history of Italian opera focusing particularly on how Italian singers and composers helped to transform opera in the United States from an art form that was something that only the elite followed to something approaching a truly popular art.
From the Paper
"Opera is simply the Italian word for work and describes a piece of drama set to music, distinguished from plays in which music is merely incidental. Although there are certainly distant antecedents to opera in the music of Greek tragedy and Medieval European miracle-plays, it begins as a distinct art form (as dramas that were set to music in order to be produced as musical works of art) at the beginning of the 17th century. Kimbell, 1994, p. 11)."
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Politics and Brecht in "The Threepenny Opera", 2002.
A look at how communism and politics are reflected in the opera, "The Threepenny Opera" by Bertolt Brecht.
725 words (approx. 2.9 pages), 0 sources, $ 25.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses Bertolt Brecht?s political opera, "The Threepenny Opera" which was first performed in 1928. The paper shows that during this period of time, three distinct and separate political and economical philosophies were on a collision course in Germany: fascism, socialism and communism. It shows that while Brecht was struggling to write this opera, Hitler?s first attempt attempt to grab control of the government occurred in 1923 and communism was becoming popular. The paper discusses how communism is reflected in two ways: Brecht mocks both class differences and belief in God.
From the Paper
"Brecht reflects elements of both socialism and communism in some points in the play, such as when Peachum is giving out licenses to beg. That the needs of the poor could be so easily corrupted seems to be a condemnation of a government that would allow people to survive by begging. Peachum uses Filch?s need to be allowed to bed as a platform to criticize society?s apathy toward the poor. He describes five types of human misery. Each example is a beggar harmed by something the middle and upper classes view as progress in one way or another: one is in an auto accident while another is wounded in war."
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Beijing Opera and Chinese Martial Arts Training, 2006.
An in-depth look at the correlation between two, seemingly different, forms of art, the Beijing Opera and Chinese martial arts.
5,455 words (approx. 21.8 pages), 11 sources, MLA, $ 133.95
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Abstract
This paper looks into the parallels between actor training in the Peking and Beijing Opera and the training for Chinese martial arts. The paper consults historical and present day material in an attempt to make meaning of the training requirements for these two different, yet very closely related, artistic expressions of form, method, technique, and performance. The paper discovers that much more is involved than simply repetitious physical training and indeed that without the alignment of mind and body, the performer simply will not and cannot realize true mastery or excellence of performance.
Outline:
Abstract
Objective
Introduction
Elements of the Beijing Opera
The Importance of Symbolism in the Beijing Opera
The Music of the Beijing Opera
Spoken Dialogue of the Beijing Opera
Use of Color in the Beijing Opera is Symbolic
I. The Beijing/Peking Opera and Training Requirements and Regimen Examined
II. David Wright - Experiential View of Training Requirements for Beijing Opera
III. Chinese Martial Arts Training Examined
Different Classification of Wushu
Ten Fundamental Skills in Chinese Martial Arts
Mental Skills Practice
IV. Examination of Similarities in Martial Arts and Beijing Opera Training
Characteristics of the Beijing Opera - Excess, More is More
V. Findings of this Study of the Similarities Shared by Chinese Martial Arts and Opera Training and Performing Skills
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper
"Physical training for these performers is "structured around repetition" (Wright, 2000) and "over the course of the workshop a range of key movement patterns were developed and refined in this way." According to Wright: "The movements would be demonstrated, the actors would copy movements and then repeat them..." over and over, and then over again. Wright relates that "Further movements and combinations of movements and developments upon movements would then be introduced. Repetition was used, not simply to get the movement right, the repetition of physical action is regarded in the Peking/Beijing Opera, according to Sussman, as a way of absorbing information. She states that there is a deliberate attempt, in this training, not to engage the actor in thought. The actor needs only to 'learn' the action in order to repeat it. Hence, the principal form of learning is the learning of the body. The body learns, then contains the information that comprises the style and the role and therefore the performance. It is the body that enters most fully into the research. And as the body learns, the body changes as a result of that learning. " (Wright 2000)"
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Opera: "Salome" and "Heriodade", 2008.
This paper compares the operas "Salome" by Richard Strauss and "Heriodade" by Jules Massenet Different, both of which are based on the same story of John, the Baptist and Salome.
2,300 words (approx. 9.2 pages), 8 sources, APA, $ 70.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that Richard Strauss in the opera "Salome" and Jules Massenet in "Heriodade" treat the story of John, the Baptist and Salome in different ways. The author points out that these differences reflect the time of composition and the societies of which the composers were a part. The paper relates that the composers had different motivations for the characters, different theological concerns regarding the story and different musical concerns. The author underscores that the opera by Massenet was a product of what would be called in England the Victorian Age, while the opera by Strauss came during the Edwardian era. The paper discusses that the treatment of women in these opera are different.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Women and Opera
Women in Two Operas
From the Paper
"The opera depicts two women, Salome and Herodias. In this version, Salome is quite different from the image the world would have of her later, for she is essentially moral, even virginal, and seeks to protect John rather than to destroy him. She is herself a victim and not a perpetrator. Indeed, she is also sentenced tob e beheaded and professes her love to John while they are both in a dungeon. Her mother is the villain in this version, and the character of the mother is more like that would later be attributed to Salome herself."
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The Pacific Opera Company, 2005.
A study of the Pacific Opera Company in Sydney, Australia, including current audience demographics and current company operations.
2,850 words (approx. 11.4 pages), 30 sources, MLA, $ 84.95
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Abstract
Pacific Opera is a training opera company. It provides opera singers, mostly who are graduates of music degrees, the opportunity to improve their skills in order to reach professional standard. The aim of this paper is to create a profile of Pacific Opera's existing audience for the purpose of establishing audience satisfaction with Pacific Opera as a company. It also investigates current literature along with quantitative and qualitative data. The findings are presented and recommendations are made for future studies.
Outline
Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology
Body of Research
From the Paper
"This research report was completed as part of the subject requirements Research into structure of small training opera companies found that most of these were attached to a flagship opera company. (www.knoxvilleopera.com, www.sfopera.com, www.glimmerglass.org, www.dc-opera.org) These small companies would offer intensive workshop and performance opportunities for graduate or post graduate opera singers looking to improve their skills prior to becoming professional. (www.knoxvilleopera.com, www.sfopera.com, www.glimmerglass.org, www.dc-opera.org)
Funding for these companies appears to come directly from their linked flagship company as well as directly from patrons. (www.sfopera.com, www.glimmerglass.org) Two of the investigated companies did receive sponsorship in the form of in kind donations such as Italian dictionaries for the singers. (www.dc-opera.org) None stated that they receive government funding. "
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Italian Opera, 2005.
This paper discusses the origins of opera in Italy.
675 words (approx. 2.7 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 23.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at the origins of opera in Italy. The writer discusses the earliest forms of opera. In this paer, themes from classical literature relating to opera are also examined. The writer studies the operas of Peri and Monteverdi. In this article, the writer also discusses the transformation of opera from court audiences to the theatre.
From the Paper
"Opera, said D. Kern Holoman, was born of the encounter of the lavish entertainments enjoyed by princely courts with academic experiments aimed at recreating the essence of Greek tragedy. It was in Florence where a small group of literate humanists led by Jacopo Peri established the Camerata that opera began to assume the form that it would later achieve over time. The so-called Canti Carnascialeschi served as the basic format in which composers such as Peri integrated earlier seventeenth elements such as the courtly ... "
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Orientalism in the Opera "Turandot", 2007.
This paper explores the representation of the East in Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot."
3,907 words (approx. 15.6 pages), 8 sources, APA, $ 106.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the Opera "Turandot" and how the Orient is portrayed in relation to Western conceptions of the East. This research uses Edward Said's essay on Orientalism to further construct the exotic East in "Turandot." Also addressed is the question "how does this opera exemplify the East as being savage and archaic when compared to Western thought and culture?" Both Orientalism and the writings of Edward Said are discussed.
Outline:
Abstract
Objective
Introduction
Overview of Orientalism
Overview of Edward Said
Overview of the "Turandot" Opera
Gozzi's "Turandot" Opera
Puccini's "Turandot"- Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
An Asian view of the "Turando" opera
Discussion
Bibliography
From the Paper
"The Metropolitan Opera states that "Orientalism is the term used to describe Western fascination with the 'exotic' cultures of the Eastern hemisphere." Stated as well is that Many works of art, including operas like "Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail' and 'Madama Butterfly', have illustrated and enforced the West's idea of the dangerous, sensual, alien East." (Metropolitan Opera, 2006) The Metropolitan Opera further reveals that: "In order to create a more 'realistic Chinese atmosphere, Puccini read many books on the culture and ceremonies of China. He also sought out real Chinese music to imitate." (Metropolitan Opera, 2006) "
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The Beijing Opera, 2006.
This paper analyzes the male projection of femininity in the Beijing Opera.
3,700 words (approx. 14.8 pages), 18 sources, APA, $ 102.95
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Abstract
This paper emphasizes that the style of China's national theater called the Beijing opera is importance to its culture. The author points out that the use of male actors to portray female characters and females portraying male actors are truly ancient in China, although the practice did not become primarily exclusive until the early 19th century. The paper relates that, although Beijing opera has been heavily influenced by royal prerogative in the past and the desires of the Chinese people more recently, the reverse gender playing the role in traditional Chinese drama has no restriction on the sex and age of its performers.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview.
Historic Influences on the Use of Male Actors for Female Roles in Beijing Opera
Contemporary Influences on the Use of Male Actors for Female Roles in Beijing Opera
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Likewise, the distinctive Beijing opera walking styles of the dan (female roles) and sheng are clearly recognizable in other traditional forms, just as are the stylized hand and eye movements of the huadan. Although some localized forms of theater have not include certain role types (the jing being the role type most frequently excluded), the walk, posture, and gestures techniques used for every other role type traditionally included in each form and can be recognized by modern Chinese audiences without fail as belonging to that role type throughout the various forms of traditional Chinese theater."
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Opera, 2006.
A history of opera and its composers over time.
2,967 words (approx. 11.9 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 87.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how, throughout its history, opera has exerted great influence on other forms of music. It looks at how the opera as we know it today developed in Italy in the late 1500s and how the opera innovation inspired some of the biggest composers known today such as Richard Strauss, Giacomo Puccini and Mozart.
From the Paper
"Another great composer of the first half of the nineteenth century is Gioacchino Antonio Rossini. Rossini was the most important Italian opera composer during that time, and a master of the opera buffa genre. Though he is best known for his comic and satiric operas, he also composed operas with serious themes. The best of his serious operas have power and passion, and his best comic operas are spontaneous. In the comic operas, he mastered the art of mixing humor with grief. Rossini's opera buffa masterpiece was The Barber of Seville. Today, it is considered the greatest comic masterpiece."
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Two 'Verismo' Operas, 2004.
Explores the history and origin of 'verismo' opera, using "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "I, Pagliacci".
1,448 words (approx. 5.8 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 48.95
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Abstract
This paper offers a definition of 'verismo' opera and describes its origins and characteristics. The paper sites two operas, "Cavelleria Rustican" and "I, Pagliacci" as examples of verismo opera and provides a summary and analysis of their stories, musical styles, differences and similarities, and structure.
From the Paper
"Verismo is an Italian word for ?realism? and was applied to a movement in Italian literature in the late 19th century that grew from a renewed commitment to the rejuvenation of Italian culture . Although this may appear to be a boring sentence from a history text, first consider that Verdi was Italian opera, for all practical purposes, and that his final three operas (Aida, Otello, and Falstaff) were composed over a twenty-two year period (1871-1893). Veristi (writers, poets, playwrights) were particularly interested in new subject matters that reflected the life in lower classes, life in southern regions of Italy, local customs, and regional language and idioms . Veristic plays were called scene populari and served as the basis for many of the verismo operas to come."
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The Conventions of British Soap Opera, 2001.
This paper discusses the endlessness of soap time and the familiarity of its space, while studying the conventions of British soap opera.
2,510 words (approx. 10.0 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 76.95
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Abstract
This essay focuses on British Soap Opera and its conventions. It gives a brief history of the soap opera genre and it origins. It gives examples of current and past british soap operas and their popularity and reasons for it. It also looks at theories of audience enjoyment and uses for such media.
From the Paper
"The soap opera genre originates from the American radio serials of the 1930's so called because of their sponsorship by major soap powder companies. Due to its incredible success the genre grew and by the 1950's it had developed into television productions. The first soap to be televised in Britain was The Groves, which first aired in 1954 and lasted for three years. It was followed by what is now the longest running and most successful soap in Britain, Coronation Street. Rival terrestrial channels soon picked up on the success of Coronation Street (and the soap opera genre in general), this resulted in the arrival of Channel 4's Brookside in 1982, followed by the BBC's EastEnders in 1986."
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Mozart's Operas, 2002.
Discusses the history and significance of four of Mozart's most famous operas.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 4 sources, $ 44.95
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Abstract
This essay discusses four of Mozart's operas: Le nozze di Figaro (1786), Cosi fan tutte (1790) and The Magic Flute (1791). It describes each of the operas in detail with some historical context, before outlining their significance. The introduction provides some material on Mozart's background and comments on his operatic style as a whole.
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