Recitative and aria
Recitative
A type of vocal writing where the music follows the rhythm of speech. It is used in operas, oratorios and cantatas and contains the main information to move the story or plot. It is very often followed by an aria which then expresses the singer's feelings on the story. Listen to these three short recitatives from 'The Messiah' by Handel, sung by a soprano voice that uses recitative to tell of the birth of Jesus. Notice the accompaniment by continuo of harpsichord and cello in two parts of this recitative and by strings in the middle example.
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Aria
A song in an opera, oratorio or cantata usually performed with orchestral accompaniment. The purpose of the aria was to allow the character to express their inner feelings about the story after the development of the narrative had been told to the listener during recitative.
Listen to this excellent example of an aria from the oratorio Handel's Messiah which follows on just after the recitatives above. Now the soprano soloist tells of her rejoicing in the birth. Notice the use coloratura, melisma and word painting in the excerpt from the aria, which is accompanied by continuo and strings.
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Now listen to another example of a recitative and aria from an opera from the Classical period by Mozart. These excerpts, although from an Italian opera, are sung in English, which will be easier for you to follow.
Notice:
´ the continuo in the recitative, this time played by a piano
´ how the recitative is a conversation between characters
´ the baritone voice in the aria.
By the end of the nineteenth century and the end of the Romantic period, recitative as such had fallen out of favour and was replaced by a more continuous narrative from the characters, accompanied by the orchestra. In Italian opera the aria took on a dimension of being a 'tour de force' for the soloist. Listen to this example for tenor voice from the opera 'La Boheme' by Puccini. The hero Rudolpho has just met the main female character Mimi and starts to tell her a little about himself.
Da capo aria
An aria in ternary form (A B A) used in opera and oratorio in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The third section is not written out but the instruction da capo (from the beginning) is given instead. The repeat of the A section was often performed with the solo line ornamented. Listen to a complete Handel aria, sung by a mezzo soprano with the sections cued for the listener. Notice how the voice ornaments the melody of the repeated section.
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