ITALY: THE WORLD OF MUSIC AND BELCANTO

Abstract

The most powerful incentive in the study of Italian is undoubtedly the Italian culture and music at the forefront. It was in Italy that the modern system of musical notation originated a thousand years ago. The Italian musical notes relating to the tempo and expression of the performance, as well as terms of musical theory are adopted today in most countries of the world. Many names of musical instruments and pieces of music in European languages represent Italian borrowings. Italy is also the birthplace of opera: this genre originated there, the plot and musical structure of opera was formed, and for 400 years opera and high vocal art have been an integral part of Italians’ life and culture. Up until the beginning of the twentieth century, Italy had an indisputable primacy in the art of opera. Today, operas by Rossini, Verdi, Bellini, Puccini, Donizetti, Leoncavallo, Mascagni, and Ponchielli are performed on the stages of theaters all over the world. This is the invaluable cultural heritage of Italian people, their fame and pride. The opera audience played a crucial role in the formation of the act. At the dawn of the development of this genre, the tastes and preferences of the audience influenced the formation and the structure of the performance that we know today. In Italy, there is a particularly reverent attitude towards opera and vocal art as one of the most important elements of Italian culture. It is this attitude, as well as the traditions passed down from generation to generation, that help to maintain the lively spirit of Italian opera.