Patrick Bade
Introduction to Opera, Part 1: Italian Opera
Summary
Opera was the last great invention of the Italian Renaissance. In this lecture, Patrick Bade offers many highlights of the Italian Opera and gives a comprehensive overview of the art form’s history and how it inspired what went on to become a global phenomenon. Part 1 of 4.
Patrick Bade
Patrick Bade is a historian, writer, and broadcaster. He studied at UCL and the Courtauld Institute of Art. He was a senior lecturer at Christie’s Education for many years and has worked for the Art Fund, Royal Opera House, National Gallery, and V&A. He has published on 19th- and early 20th-century paintings and historical vocal recordings. His latest book is Music Wars: 1937–1945.
Yes, a lot of composers did, all the way through, Mozart wrote roles for particular singers. Puccini did, Massenet did of course. Yes, I think most of the great composers wrote roles for particular singers.
Yeah, well that’s a whole talk in itself, isn’t it? Tauber and Schmidt being the, partly they were just so much better. Most of the other German tenors were so ghastly in that period, really ghastly. So you know, Tauber and Schmidt were, oh, champagne in the desert compared the other German tenors.
‘Cause there is a wonderful tradition of Zarzuela, which ought to be better known. There’s some very fine Zarzuela. You know, there are a couple of Grenados fire. There are a couple of good Spanish operas. But it is strange, isn’t it?