jan 1, 1821 - Der Freischütz

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German Romantic Opera: Weber’s Der Freischütz
1. German opera had some difficulty getting established, in part due to the popularity of
Rossini. The composer who succeeded with it was Carl Maria von Weber.
2. Der Freischütz (1821) represents a new type of Romanticism in opera, one that embraces orchestral sound and nationalism.
3. Der Freischütz also contains attractive Romantic aspects in its story, particularly the
supernatural.
4. One of the most innovative elements of Der Freischütz is how Weber approaches the
German people, das Volk.
5. Individual parts of the opera were also new.
a. The overture pits light against dark, slow against fast, major against minor.
b. The Wolf’s Glen is signaled throughout the opera with a diminished seventh chord and drum strokes.
c. Weber’s vocal writing is between song and “melodrama”—actual speaking over an orchestra.
6. Although some critics scoffed at the commercial light show (and similar gimmicks)
that accompanied the opera, others—including Wagner—recognized the nationalism inherent in it. The idea of the pure and natural German Volk would become a major factor for the next
century.

Key term: melodrama (see #5c)

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