Opera is an art form that has been around for a long time. There were people who created opera during the Middle Ages, and there were people who started writing and producing it during the Renaissance.
It continued to evolve throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, but then it kind of fell out of favor for a while. Now, it is back in vogue!
It is very artistic, requiring a good command of grammar and composition as well as amazing talent. People who can do opera are often very talented in other areas as well.
It can be expensive to practice and perform, so many people find it amazing that there is now an academy for music in London designed specifically for Italian opera! The Royal Academy of Music was founded in 1760 to produce Italian operas, and still produces some today.
The founding of the academy
Italian opera was a staple of the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a time when people loved listening to opera for very specific reasons.
For one, it was an enjoyable way to spend time with family or friends. Additionally, it was an enjoyable way to learn Italian.
The texts were easy to understand and follow, and there were many opportunities to perform it in performance. Having opera as an audience-pleasing piece was also helpful in developing your English skills.
It is believed that the first Royal Academy of Music was founded in 1780 by King George II of England as a means for promoting Italian opera. Since then, several restorations have taken place, with only one being recognized as official by the king.
Today, there are four members of the Royal Academy of Music who are solely devoted to producing Italian opera: David Garroway-Jones, Abigail McDonald-Kerr, Paolo Santini-Foster, and Charles Stevens.
Early success and popularity
Opera was a popular genre of music during the 18th and 19th century. There were numerous opera houses that popularity grew and fell with over the years.
It wasn’t until the late 19th century that Italian opera began to be produced in England, and then only as operettas.
This was due to the fact that Italian opera was considered too difficult for most people to enjoy. Many people of the time did not understand or feel comfortable with difficult operas.
Even though it was considered difficult, many people felt it deserved a try if only because it was expensive! This is probably why only a few composers were successful in producing Italian opera for English audiences.
The shift to German opera
Since the early-to-mid 19th century, Italy had a strong connection to opera. Composers wrote their operas for Italian stages and audiences, and they were heavily influenced by Italian style.
This lasted for several decades, as then-King Umberto introduced Italian opera in London. It was highly praised and popular, leading to additional productions and more influence on new composers.
It was mostly forgotten until the late 20th century, when new performers needed tutors or old ones retired. New artists took up the works and improved on them over time.
Today, there are still some opera houses that only produce Italian opera, because it is so influential. There is a lack of competition with newerItalian operas that do not use this style of music.
The end of Italian opera
After the First World War, Europeans were introduced to the works of Giuseppe Verdi and Aida was a huge influence on the creation of Italian opera.
For years, European opera companies would practice their Italian operas in preparation for a performance. This continued until about the late 1920s when European opera disappeared from the stage.
European opera was expensive to produce and distribute. It required a bankroll that most theater owners did not have.
After about 30 years of silence, Italian opera came back with a vengeance in the 1960s and 1970s. Largely due to American television shows such as The Waltons and The X-Files, European audiences again took interest in Italian opera.
A new beginning
In the 1980s, a group of music professionals founded the Royal Academy of Music in London to produce Italian opera. Their goal was to train singers and conductors to produce high quality Italian opera.
Their success led to more opportunities for opera productions around the world.
Today, the Royal Academy of Music produces about 10 operas per year, with about 1,000 singers and 1,500 musicians joining together to perform an opera every year.
It is one of the largest music education institutions in the world with over 200 members.
Bullet point: New roles for new talent?
Although conducting is a well-established art, there’s always room for new people to enter the field. That’s why there’s an ongoing need for new Conductors at the Royal Academy of Music.
Famous alumni
A number of famous opera stars have studied at the Royal Academy of Music including Andrea McLean, David Yallop, Katherine Stables and Daniella Reuben.
These stars have all helped inspire new students to take up music as a career and learn from them. It is also an excellent way to meet industry professionals and collaborators.
The Royal Academy of Music was founded in 1760 to teach the vocalises and instruments. At that time, it was a school for women only, but in recent years there has been a male emphasis as well.
Today, the Royal Academy of Music offers several degrees including vocal studies, musical direction and piano teaching. All are highly regarded training routes for singers and music directors.
Visitor information
If you would like to visit the Royal Academy of Music for music, you must first know how to get to it. It is located in South Kensington, London, close to Sloane Square and Green Park.
You can take a cab or public transit wherever you want, as it is a short walk from either. You can also drive if you are very experienced at taking car drives!
The Royal Academy of Music is open from Monday through Saturday, from 10:00 until 16:00. You can visit anytime, even on a Sunday! Although the opera productions are the most popular event at the Royal Academy of Music, everyone is welcome.
Readable books on the subject
There are very few articles about music in general, or opera in particular, that feature bullet point tables of contents, are written for specific operas or genres, and have readable content.
This makes it more difficult to find out about music for conducting, performing, and studying opera. It also makes it harder to find out about opera in general due to the lack of article-like content.
But don’t worry! This article will still include a lot of information about opera and how to learn it. There are many good books for learning opera as well as conducting and performing.
