Dorisoprano wrote:
> > I beg to differ!!! There are more than a few duets in opera. What about the > > wonderful Mozartean finales, after each act, of course; that is formulaic to > > the opera buffa. Rossini is full of ensemble. Vaughn-Williams and Britten > > are ensemble rich. I could go on, but you get the idea.
And Tako Oda replied:
> Could you maybe say "it depends on the opera"? Some operas are just one > aria after another, while others are one ensemble scene after > another. Perhaps "soloish" operas could be assigned one course number, > while the "ensembleish" operas could be assigned another? Maybe it could > even depend on the role? So the student "adds" whichever course number is > relevant to her/his role/opera.
Of course, I am aware that there are more than a few duets in lots of operas. And wouldn't it be lovely if we could do as Tako suggests? However, in the real world, I believe that would be an administrative nightmare. Who would make the decisions about which operas would count as ensembles and which wouldn't? Then someone would have to figure out a way to set up an administrarive structure to accommodate all those differences. Most schools I know about could (or would) not manage such; thus, the decision is made either to call opera an ensemble or not, period. That was Jeff's original question, I believe. Anyway, I stand by my opinion, because without such special designations, one could not guarantee that a student who signed up to be in an opera would really get ensemble experience. Of course, Jeff's faculty will have to weigh the issues and make their own decision that works in their situation.
-- |\ Dr. Diane M. Clark, Assoc. Prof./Chair, Music Department | Rhodes College, 2000 N. Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112 | 901-843-3782, dclark@r... () http://gray.music.rhodes.edu/musichtmls/faculty/dclark.html
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