Recitative

Example of recitation

The recitative is a musical form conceived for the human voice that is characterized by having the inflections of this voice when it speaks. The recitative was used in opera, oratorio, and cantata during the s. XVII to XIX. The creators of this revolutionary invention were the Italians Giulio Caccini (1551-1618) and Jacopo Peri (1561-1633), both from the intellectual circle of the Florentine Camerata.

Definition

In opera the recitative is used to separate the arias. On the other hand, there is a type of recitative in plain chant, which has already existed for centuries in the church and in liturgical drama. It differs from plainchant for its rhythmic precision, for its harmonization and for the affective treatment of the words.

It is a form of singing, normally for a single voice, that resembles the word, where the musician must indicate the inflections of the voice. This type of singing is called recitative because it is applied to the narration, to the story and is used in dramatic dialogue. It is not governed by a certain tempo or form.

The recitative depends a lot on the character of the language: the more accented and melodious it is, the more perfect it will be, because it will be more similar to natural language.

Greek poetry was practically recitative because its language was melodious. The same does not happen with other languages such as French, in which the spoken part is separated from the sung part, so if it is sung it is not spoken and vice versa.

The recitative is not measured when singing, only the accent directs the slowness or speed of the sounds, as well as their rise or fall. The composer is in charge of marking the compass so that the continuous bass and the singing correspond. The recitative usually uses a continuous bass, its harmonic structure at the beginning of the s. XVII derives from the madrigal. Borrows the use of chromaticism from the madrigal.

Since it is a song in which feelings are expressed, modulations predominate to express more accurately the sequences expressed by the one who recites. During the early s. XVII the recitative in Italy was based on speech and rhythm, it does not exclude ornamentation, an element that has been inherited from the madrigal.

The recitative had become a series of melodic formulas designed to streamline drama, improvised ornamentation, apart from appoggiatura. Composers sometimes wrote very elaborate and complex passages for dramatic effect.

The speed at which the recitative is sung depends entirely on the expression. Until the last two decades of the s. XVII there were few examples of recitative accompanied by other continuo instruments.

History

During the s. XVIII is a vehicle for dialogue and dramatic action and in many cases serves as a union between arias. At the beginning of the operas the voice and the accompaniment always ended together, as in the madrigal.

At a later period it became customary to delay the last two chords of the accompaniment until after the singer had finished.

One of the functions of the recitative of the s. XVIII was to modulate from one key to another to prepare the following aria. While the trend after 1650 was towards a clearer differentiation between recitative and aria, new forms were sought to further unite these two forms.

In its nature, the recitative was designed for singing only. The two-part recitative is not uncommon in the operas of the late s. XVII and beginning of the XVIII, but they are limited to very short passages, in which the two characters sing the same words.

The general term for the orchestral recitative was accompanied recitative. The recitative of this type became an indispensable part of opera seria like the "aria da capo". We find it not only in operas, but also in the cantata.

Continuo accompaniment was necessary for the performance of early operas, this was often performed by a solo cello, or a cello and double bass, without a keyboard.

Secco recitative or accompagnato

It's called "secco" (dry) to a recitative composed solely for -in addition to the voice- a keyboard instrument, such as the harpsichord or pianoforte, or with the addition of another instrument, generally a cello, which plays the bass. It is defined in this way since its instrumentation is sparse compared to the recitative "accompagnato" (accompanied), in which a richer musical accompaniment appears, where the entire orchestra can participate. This is the case of the recitative "Don Giovanni! a cena teco m'invitasti", from the opera Don Giovanni by Mozart.