André Campra

Opera-ballet (opéra-ballet) is a French Baroque stage genre that blends sung opera with extensive, self-contained dance episodes. Typically organized as a prologue followed by several independent entrées linked by a loose theme, it favors variety, spectacle, and graceful movement over the strict tragic unity of earlier French opera. Emerging in Paris at the close of the 17th century, the form cultivated elegant divertissements, richly orchestrated choruses, and expressive French recitative, all designed to showcase star singers and dancers. Its subjects range from pastoral and mythological to exotic and festive, creating a refined, courtly entertainment that balances dramatic singing with choreographic display.

Tragédie en musique (also called tragédie lyrique) is a French Baroque operatic genre forged at the court of Louis XIV by composer Jean-Baptiste Lully and librettist Philippe Quinault. It blends a solemn, heroic or mythological subject with a distinctive five-act plan plus a ceremonial prologue, abundant choral writing, instrumental interludes, and elaborate danced divertissements. The music features the French overture (majestically dotted rhythms), supple French récitatif tailored to the nuances of the language, brief airs rather than showpiece arias, and rich orchestral colors shaped by a five-part string band and basso continuo. Its overall aesthetic is one of noble declamation, dramatic clarity, and courtly spectacle—where text, dance, chorus, and stagecraft combine into a unified theatrical experience.

Ballet (as a musical genre) refers to orchestral music written to accompany choreographed dance on stage. It prioritizes clear tempi, strongly articulated rhythms, and memorable leitmotifs to support narrative, character, and movement. While rooted in court entertainment, ballet music evolved into a sophisticated, self-sufficient concert art: many ballets yield popular orchestral suites that are performed independently. Typical numbers include adagios, variations, codas, divertissements, character dances, and large ensemble scenes that mirror the dramatic arc of the choreography. Stylistically, ballet spans Baroque courtly idioms, Classical clarity, Romantic lyricism, and 20th‑century modernism and neoclassicism. It is predominantly instrumental (full orchestra), but can occasionally include choral or vocal parts when dramaturgy requires it.

Baroque is a period and style of Western art music spanning roughly 1600–1750. It is characterized by the birth of functional tonality, the widespread use of basso continuo (figured bass), and a love of contrast—between soloist and ensemble, loud and soft, and different timbres. Hallmark genres and forms of the era include opera, cantata, oratorio, concerto (especially the concerto grosso), dance suite, sonata, and fugue. Textures range from expressive monody to intricate counterpoint, and melodies are richly ornamented with trills, mordents, and appoggiaturas. Baroque music flourished in churches, courts, and theaters across Europe, with regional styles (Italian, French, German, English) shaping distinctive approaches to rhythm, dance, harmony, and ornamentation.

Opera is a large-scale theatrical genre that combines music, drama, and visual spectacle, in which the story is primarily conveyed through singing accompanied by an orchestra. It unites solo voices, ensembles, and chorus with staging, costumes, and often dance to create a total artwork. Emerging in late Renaissance Italy and flourishing in the Baroque era, opera developed signature forms such as recitative (speech-like singing that advances the plot) and aria (lyrical numbers that explore character and emotion). Over the centuries it evolved diverse national styles—Italian bel canto, French grand opéra, German music drama—while continually experimenting with orchestration, harmony, narrative structure, and stagecraft.

A requiem is a musical setting of the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead (Missa pro defunctis). Historically rooted in Latin liturgy, it sets movements such as the Introit, Kyrie, (historically) the Sequence Dies irae, Offertory, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and Communion, and often includes additional responsories like Libera me and In paradisum. While the earliest requiems were monophonic chants, the genre became a showcase for polyphonic and later symphonic choral writing. Renaissance composers wrote austere, modal settings; Classical and Romantic composers expanded the forces and dramatic scope; and 20th–21st century composers reimagined the form with new languages, from neo-modal and impressionistic harmonies to avant‑garde sonorities. Today, requiems appear both in liturgy and as concert works, symbolizing collective mourning, remembrance, and spiritual reflection.