Compare And Contrast Dido And Aeneas - 850 Words

After viewing the two operas, it is clear that there are many differences and similarities between the two performances. One of the biggest differences I noticed right away was the opera scenery that each of the shows had. L’Orfeo, written by Claudio Monteverdi had a much more theatrical vibe with elaborate scenery, props, and costumes used by the performers. The backdrop changed colors and had scenery images to help with representing the setting and time of day throughout the performance. Many props were used by all roles of the cast. The costumes were more elaborate and detailed compared to that of Dido and Aeneas, written by Henry Purcell. The costumes for L’Orfeo were geared to fitting into the Greek Mythology period since the opera†¦show more content†¦In Dido and Aeneas, Dido, a widowed queen, expresses her love for Aeneas, a Trojan hero. He reciprocates the feelings but is destined to sail away to become the founder of Rome. The opera results in her comm itting suicide because of this. Both plots do encompass similar topics such as love and death. Since both operas were written in the Baroque period they do share that similarity and characteristics in the music style of that period. Italy was highly influential in the operas style because it was the birthplace of opera. Baroque operas were generally based on Greek legends or Roman history which fits in with the plots of the two operas. There are similarities between the two performances orchestras also. Both orchestras contained chordal instruments and bass instruments. An example for bass instruments that both shows had was a cello, and for chordal instruments, both performances had violins along with other instruments as well. The leads in the performances followed the typical voice type for their characters. For example, the female leads were sopranos, which is the highest female voice type. In L’Orfeo the female lead was Eurydice, and in Dido and Aeneas, the female leads were Dido and Belinda, all of which were soprano’s. The male leads were tenors in both performances to represent their role as the male star. In L’Orfeo, Orfeo and Apollo were both tenors, and Aeneas was theShow MoreRelatedDidos Lament781 Words   |  4 PagesDidos Lament amp; Messiah: Ev’ry Valley By: Tabitha Watkins ARTS/340 Mood is the affections (to impress the mid or move the feelings of our emotions, emotional response). Composers of this time shaped or molded a musical language to depict the affections. Music is written to fit the needs of society in our always changing world. 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