Humanities Homework Help

Part 1:

For the first part of your forum post, describe the personnel involved in producing operas, particularly in 17th century Venice, and some of the political, social, and economic reasons for its eventual popularity in London.

Then, consider the idea of parody that can be seen in John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera and how parody can be used as a critique of popular artforms and social norms. Please discuss an example of modern musical parody and describe what musical and social critiques this parody seems to be making and its significance. If you are unsure of an example, you can use the video below for Weird Al Yankovic’s video “Perform This Way” that parodies Lady Gaga’s song “Born This Way”:

What is Weird Al critiquing about Lady Gaga’s music and to what extent is he critiquing her popularity? What might this critique tell us about the values of Lady Gaga’s or Weird Al’s listeners (or both)? You should also feel free to use other examples of musical parody and your examples do not need to be American.

Part 2:

Similar to the material from Week 2, the contrast between Rossini and Schubert/Schumann ask us to consider what audience was intended for each piece and how the pieces were written to fit their audience. Briefly describe what the intended audience for each piece was and explain how the music was written to fit their respective audiences. 

Then, consider how these norms compare to one of the other pieces we have discussed. Compare either the Schubert, Schumann or Rossini to one (1) of the other pieces we have discussed in this course so far. How were the intended audiences similar or different and how is this shown in the music of your chosen composers? What historical context may account for these similarities and/or differences?