Chamber opera is a designation for

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

s written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

. Early 20th-century operas of this type include

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ' ...

's '' Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas such as

Pergolesi Pergolesi is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, (1710–1736), Italian composer, violinist, and organist *Michael Angelo Pergolesi Michael Angelo Pergolesi () was an Italian decorative artist from th ...

's '' La serva padrona'' (1733) are sometimes known as chamber operas. Other 20th-century examples include Gustav Holst's '' Savitri'' (1916).

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

wrote works in this category in the 1940s when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small performance spaces. '' The Rape of Lucretia'' (1946) was his first example in the genre, and Britten followed it with '' Albert Herring'' (1947), '' The Turn of the Screw'' (1954) and ''

Curlew River ''Curlew River – A Parable for Church Performance'' (Op. 71) is an English music drama, with music by Benjamin Britten to a libretto by William Plomer. The first of Britten's three 'Parables for Church Performance', the work is based on the J ...

'' (1964). Other composers, including Hans Werner Henze, Harrison Birtwistle, Thomas Adès, George Benjamin, William Walton, and

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive ...

have written in this genre. Instrumentation for chamber operas vary: Britten scored ''The Rape of Lucretia'' for eight singers with single strings and wind with piano, harp and percussion. Humphrey Searle's '' The Diary of a Madman'' (1958) is scored for four voices and an orchestra of single strings,

woodwind Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and re ...

and

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...

, with two percussionists. An electronic tape is also specified to produce particular sound effects.Searle (1958), p. (iii). Judith Weir's ''

King Harald's Saga ''King Harald's Saga'', ''Grand opera in three acts for unaccompanied solo soprano singing eight rôles (based on the saga 'Heimskringla' by Snorri Sturlson, 1179-1241)'' is a monodrama by Judith Weir, commissioned by Jane Manning and premiered ...

'' (1979) is for a single soprano voice.

References

;Notes ;Sources *Searle, Humphrey (1958). ''The Diary of a Madman''. London and Mainz: Schott and Co. Opera genres Opera terminology {{Opera-stub

See also

References