Opera's Big Three

[Giant Communist Robot]

Verdi

Great melodies, the kind you remember. Understood theater--plots, characters, kept things moving right along. Liked melodrama. Outgrew Italian opera and thus changed it. Opera buffa, anyone?

Mozart

The master musician. My only quibble is German does not sing as well as Italian.

Wagner

I don't care for his music. Its boring. Regardless of what I say, Wagner was an artistic phenomenon. This guy wanted his operas to be the intersection of all theatrical arts--I covered this in my post about his theory of opera a while back. I didn't name it then, but his leitmotif idea is everywhere now. His ideas about theater and music are used so much its surprising. Enormously influential from this aspect. He's one person whose artistic vision changed the world.

[OperaTenor]

What?! No Jack?!

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Bizet

I like his melodies.

[Giant Communist Robot]

Bizet

I like his melodies.

We all have our favorites. Those three were not mine, though. I just tried to narrow it down to the three biggest names. We all know three is a magical number.

[Shapley]

Bizet

I like his melodies.

We all have our favorites. Those three were not mine, though. I just tried to narrow it down to the three biggest names. We all know three is a magical number.

I like Bizet, too. However, I agree with GCR that his influence on the world of opera was probably less than that of the three he cited.

Rossini, Donizetti, Moteverdi, perhaps even Saint-Saens were probably more influential in shaping opera as we know it than was Bizet.

[Giant Communist Robot]

Rossini, Donizetti, Moteverdi, perhaps even Saint-Saens

If I were to make it the big six, I'd add Rossini, Monteverdi, and Puccini. But six is not magical like three.

[Shapley]

Rossini, Donizetti, Moteverdi, perhaps even Saint-Saens

If I were to make it the big six, I'd add Rossini, Monteverdi, and Puccini. But six is not magical like three.

Seven is...

[Giant Communist Robot]

Donizetti? Well, bel canto anyone?

[OperaTenor]

Puccini only composed the most-performed opera in history to date.

I guess that doesn't count....

[Shapley]

Like Bizet, he made masterful use of the form. I believe GCR is looking for those who defined the form, not those who used it to best advantage.

[Giant Communist Robot]

Puccini only composed the most-performed opera in history to date.

I guess that doesn't count....

Hey! I put him in my big six, didn't I?

[dai bread]

Wagner made "walls of sound" a century before Phil Specter, who now gets the credit.

Verdi was rather too fond of melodrama IMO. Definitely one of the Big 3 though.

[OperaTenor]

Puccini only composed the most-performed opera in history to date.

I guess that doesn't count....

Hey! I put him in my big six, didn't I?

Oops, missed it. I get tunnel vision unless Puccini's listed in the top one....

[Giant Communist Robot]

Puccini only composed the most-performed opera in history to date.

I guess that doesn't count....

Hey! I put him in my big six, didn't I?

Oops, missed it. I get tunnel vision unless Puccini's listed in the top one....

As soon as we all agree on everything, we'll surely be in big trouble.