verismo

realism In opera, verismo (meaning “realism,” from Italian vero, meaning “true”) was a post-Romantic operatic tradition associated with Italian composers such as Pietro Mascagni, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Umberto Giordano and Giacomo Puccini.

Most verismo operas depict gritty plots and lower-class, contemporary characters and settings. Mascagni's Cavelleria rusticana was the first famous verismo opera. It was followed by Pagliacci, Leoncavallo's tragic tale of a heartbroken clown.

Verismo, as a music style, encourages reliance on the voice in the extremes of the vocal range that conveys the intensity of highly emotional states, heightening dramatic situations; it is only suitable for certain voice types and temperaments.

As a term of opera criticism, verismo describes a style of opera popular during the 1880s, 1890s, and early 1900s, which saw French, Italian, and German composers emulating literature by incorporating more 'realistic' subjects, dramatic strategies, and musical materials – all to make opera as arresting as the ...

The most famous composers who created works in the verismo style were Giacomo Puccini, Pietro Mascagni, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Umberto Giordano and Francesco Cilea.

Verismo, which in this context means “realism,” is the name for a movement that arose in opera near the end of the 19th century. Composers of versimo operas chose realistic settings, often depicting the struggles and drama of common people.

Works. The most famous composers who created works in the verismo style were Giacomo Puccini, Pietro Mascagni, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Umberto Giordano and Francesco Cilea.

Below are four types of musical forms composers use to help them describe how characters are feeling during the course of an opera.

• Recitative: Composed to sound like natural patterns of speech, a recitative is singing that has the rhythm of talking.
• Aria: A vocal solo expressing personal emotion or reflection.

The verismo opera style featured music that required singers to more declamatory singing, in contrast to the traditional tenets of elegant, 19th century bel canto singing that had preceded the movement. Opera singers adapted to the demands of the new style.

For example, La Bohème is usually categorized as a verismo opera because of its setting: the characters are “bohemian” artists and their associates - all everyday people who are trying to scrape out a living.

The movement in opera known as verismo is best exemplified by... Giacomo Puccini. Some of Puccini's operas feature exoticism, as in his use of melodic and rhythmic elements derived from Japanese and Chinese music in his operas... Madame Butterfly and Turandot.

Puccini was the leading exponent of the genre of opera known as 'verismo' – Italian for 'realism'. Verismo is characterised by a story rooted in real life (rather than that of the gods or mythology), where the music and drama are seamlessly matched and often describe a story of passion and romance.