Historical Dimensions of the Collective Character in the Opera Genre

Abstract

The collective character is a concept rising from the ancient Greek tragedy. The opera genre offers a wealth of examples of how to capitalize the choral ensemble, because it was widely used in different forms: male chorus, female chorus, children chorus, mixed chorus, double chorus. Way of expressing consequent to opera seria, from which develop later the lyrical tragedy and historical opera, the choir is a fundamental category in the musical and dramatic text. Its verbal contribution can bring about a lyrical or epical connotation, or can bear dramatic function.