The Romantic Period In Opera After The French Revolution And Operas Inspired By The Revolution

Abstract

The French Revolution, which introduced concepts such as freedom, fraternity and equality and affected the whole world, took place between 1789 and 1799. The Revolution, which is accepted to have started with the uprising of ideas in the society, led to the publication of the Declarations of Human Rights and then Women's Rights, which will only be finalized and remain valid today. In this context, while the nobles lost their privileges with the Revolution, the bourgeois class became a partner in power. From the last quarter of the 18th century onwards, the social and political transformations in Europe, America and England differentiated art and the base of art production, as in many other fields. While art production left itself to new methods, it became a platform where free thought and individual freedoms were defended. The reforms made in this period are among the important factors that determined the future direction of art and caused the major musical changes of the period.

The period covering the end of the 18th century and the middle of the 19th century in Classical Western Music in general, and also in opera, is called the "Romantic Period". In the operas that emerged immediately after the French Revolution, it is seen that composers turned their backs on the standard forms and patterns of the previous era and turned to freely shaping their works. In addition to this, it led to changes such as the transition from sacred to non-sacred subjects, the reduction of religious subjects to the material world and the depiction of daily life in cities and villages, the ability of ordinary people to be the subject of art, and the entry of the people into the world of kings and nobles. In addition, it has been observed that the composers developed a national reflex by going out of the mold and returning to the "I" element in the opera works that emerged, and in this context, the richest works in the field of opera emerged. Composers, whose emotions and dreams gained value, became free and proved that their works could include any subject. This was a revolution that brought the productivity of art to its peak. In this study, how the French Revolution and the new order that came with it found a reflection on the opera stage and the opera works that emerged were analyzed.