Archive for November, 2011

Opera Great – Luciano Pavarotti

Opera has not, especially in the twentieth century, been an art form which has by large had the support of the general public, and very few operatic superstars have entered the public consciousness for famous people that we hold so highly in esteem in the current century. Luciano Pavarotti trivia names him clearly as one of the most famous opera singers of the twentieth century, and even for people who are not initiates into the opera tradition, he emerged as a popular and renowned singer. A Luciano Pavarotti quiz will show that he, like many of the world’s most famous opera singers due to the forms strong tradition in that country, was Italian, and was born in 1935.

Pavarotti was born in Modena, and although his father was also singer, he was not a professional, but his fondness for music helped spark a passion in Pavarotti that would encourage him to seek out a musical career. There were some problems with his family’s opinion of his chosen vocation, and he would try a career in teaching for just a few short years before giving up and deciding to study music professionally when he was 19. His professional debut came in 1961 at the Tetra Municipale, in the famous opera, “La Boheme”.

As with most aspects of the entertainment industry, Luciano Pavarotti trivia indicates that his biggest success came when he started to achieve success and recognition in America. He would perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and begin giving more and more televised concerts. Awards would follow, including a number of Grammies. He would also go on to record and perform with pop icons such as U2, another huge difference from most opera singers.

Read the rest of this entry »

A Brief History Of Opera

The earliest evidence of the construction of an opera was in circumstances of no very great importance, and only slightly connected with music. In 1579 Bianca Capello was married to Francisco de Medici, son of Cosmo, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The wedding took place in Venice and was grand occasion, and part of the festivities included dramatic representations accompanied with music.

In the suite of the Grand Duke were several Florentines, who took a considerable interest in music, and these Florentine gentlemen were very unhappy with the music and entertainments they witnessed in Venice.

This music was specially written for the occasion by two of the most distinguished composers of the time, Andrea Gabrielli and Luca Marenzio, one of the greatest of madrigal writers, so that it is probable that the Florentines had little to complain about as regards its technical excellence.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Story Behind the Creation of Bizet’s Heroine in His Famous Opera “Carmen”

Georges Alexandre-Cesar-Leopold Bizet was born in Paris on October 25, 1838. An only son, Bizet was deeply devoted to his mother, Aimee, a talented pianist. She taught him his musical notes along with his letter beginning at the age of four. His father, Adolphe, a singing teacher and a composer, continued his musical education by instructing him in elementary music theory. At the age of eight, he was showing an exceptional ability for music memory. He entered the Paris conservatoire at ten and by the time he completed his education at the age of nineteen, he had won several prizes. He wrote his first symphony [Symphony in C] at the age of seventeen.

Bizet married at the age of 23 to his beloved, Zeph. They had one son, Jacques, who committed suicide after founding the first auto-rental agency in France. At the age of 34, Bizet broke his own rule about marriage. Without the visits of one infamous and lovable woman of the theater to his home, there may never have been no Carmen which is probably the most famous opera ever written. Her name is Madame la Cometesse de Moreton ot better known as Celeste Mogador. Her background certainly fits that of the heroine we we know as Carmen.

Celeste was the illegitimate daughter of a laundress and an unidentified soldier living in a poor part of Paris. She ran away from home at the age of thirteen to escape the attentions of one of her mother’s lovers. Her career began as a prostitute. She then advanced her career and was installed in a bordello patronized by dukes, musicians and writers.She then became a dancer at a ballroom. Her next career was a circus rider with apparently great acrobat feats on horseback.

Read the rest of this entry »