About the Romanian opera for children and the choral moments

Abstract

The stories of the little ones were the starting point of some operasʼ creation. In the Romanian musical context the first operas for children appear in the first half of the 20th century. The composers opt for the connection with the folkloric treasure, connection made both at the level of literary language, and the musical one. The horizons, the accomplishments, and the conceptual maturations are the three creative stages in the evolution of this musical subgenre. The colorful world of the children calls for choral moments that fill the stage with characters, the choral landscape bringing in timbral diversity. As well as the solo part, the choral moments are meant for adult voices (mixed choir, men choir, and female choir) or for children choir (choir on equal voices, with 2, 3, or 4 voices). The simple forms of the folkloric music are present, couplet-refrain alternation led to a certain tendency to miniature. The popular melos is widely used, rhythmical figures are complex, and the effects of the orchestral timbre stimulate the optimistic character, the sweet lyricism, exuberance and cheerfulness.