Music Glossary: Operetta, the Art of Amusement

This program is held in Hungarian.

The genre of operetta was born in Paris, its home is Vienna, but the people who revived it and are still its most popular composers are Hungarian: a quintessentially European genre. There is no part of our continent where people can't hum at least one operetta hit, one chorus, one song, one song from an operetta. Offenbach, Strauss, Ferenc Lehár and Imre Kálmán, to name but a few, but there is plenty more to interest us. Let's start the New Year in a light-hearted mood!

The Zenei műszótár series aims to explore the characteristics of popular musical genres and examine where they have developed from and to over the centuries. The genres covered so far have been the suite, concerto, ballet, oratorio, chanson and musical. Now we continue with the entertainment genres, and move on to the truly popular and much-loved operetta. We are back in Europe and we are talking about a genre that was born at the end of the 18th century and developed in the 19th century, a genre that blended the characteristics of comic operas and folk theatre, and which offers musical diversity. Its godfather is no less a personality than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself. Although the Italian composer is the initial success, the setting is Paris, then Vienna, and the main successes during the Austro-Hungarian Empire were achieved by Hungarians, Ferenc Lehár and Imre Kálmán. We know the scenario in advance and that is actually reassuring, because all's well that ends well. We also know the 'foursome' of the protagonists: prima donna, bon vivant, subretta and dance comic. The aim was to entertain the masses, and this was achieved, as it is still an attractive genre, light but not easy, as it is no less demanding for the singers than a role in 'serious' opera. Popular, catchy melodies, hummable songs that anyone can hum, almost everyone knows one or two of them. The audience of Hangadó Senior can start the New Year in a cheerful and songful mood - great stories and singing together will be provided by Dóra Tápai, music teacher, music teacher and choirmaster of the House of Music.