Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This course is designed to help bring about, through a musical and stylistic analysis of its component parts, an appreciation and understanding of opera for the general college student. In it, we read and hear about, as well as listen to complete performances (live or recorded) or excerpts from the world°s greatest operas dating from the inception of the form circa 1600 to the present. Attendance to a live opera performance may be required.
This course is conducted in the lecture-discussion format as it relates to listening activities both in-class (recordings and live performances) and out-of-class (attendance at live operatic productions). Instructors are encouraged to attend dress rehearsals, take backstage tours and/or visits with scenic designers, costumers, stage directors, singers, ballet masters, make-up artists, choral directors and conductors.
 

1. Students will be able to aurally distinguish between general voice types.
2. Students will be able to analyze sound differences between voices which fall into the same specific vocal category.
3. Students will be able to analyze how melodic line is affected by language.
4. Students will be able to analyze how vocal line is affected by orchestration.
5. Students will be able examine and compare operas using the same subject matter but which are composed to texts in different languages.
6. Students will be able to demonstrate how operatic genres are affected by their own time periods.
7. Students will be able to distinguish operatic compositions from one era of music history to another.
8. Students will be able to analyze the changes in vocal technique required by the changing times.
9. Students will be able to discuss the expenses involved in the production of an opera.

Methods used to evaluate student progress and the criteria for assigning a course letter grade should be made clear by the instructor at the beginning of the course. The individual instructor will determine the method of assessment. Assessment methods may include:

1. Qualitative and/or quantitative examinations
2. Homework assignments
3. Listening assignments
4. Opera reports
5. Research project
6. Class participation

SUBJECT MATTER:

1. Categorizing voice type by range
2. Operatic vocal timbres
3. The birth of opera
4. Historical development of opera
5. National stylistic differences in opera
6. The Italian School    * I
7. The German School
8. Opera in the Twentieth Century and beyond
9. Opera production
10. The business of opera

COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS:
The following skills are expected to successfully meet the minimum requirement of "C" of "Pass" for the course. Students will be able to:
 

1. Identify general voice types aurally.
2. Analyze timbral differences between same voice types.
3. Analyze how melodic line is affected by language.
4. Analyze how vocal line is affected by orchestration.
5. Identify and analyze stylistic differences in opera.
6. Identify and analyze operas from different musical eras.
7. Trace the historical development of opera.
8. Identify and analyze the development of vocal technique.
9. Identify expenses involved in the production of an opera.
10. Discuss basic costume design and scene construction.