Comparison Of The Musical Figure "Orfeo" By Two Different Composers

The story of the Greek mythological character,"Orfeo," has been adapted into a great sum of operas by many composers of different periods.Many of these works have become a landmark in the history of music.Among these master pieces,are Orfeo by Monteverdi and Orfeo ed Euridice by Gluck.The role of Orfeo greatly differs in these two operas by the way of how the character is portrayed thus making it an interesting and significant subject for investigation.In this thesis,different materials are used in the analysis,including translations of different versions of the script,music scores and original video recordings.The thesis intends to investigate different version of Orfeo from many different angels.The reasons of the variety of characteristics of Orfeo are as follows:1.The backgrounds are different.2.The styles of composing are different.3.Methods of constructing dramatic tension are different.4.Assignments for instrumental music,vocal music,and composition techniques are different.5.Music instruments are used differently.6.The angles of characterization are different.Through this study of two operas,it will be easier to understand the characteristics of Orfeo,and further show the charm of these two operas.Also,it helps to improve the aesthetic pursuit of artistic image shaping.