2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

"Zeitoper" on the 1920's in Germany

Research Project

Project/Area Number	11610050
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	美学(含芸術諸学)
Research Institution	Kobe University
Principal Investigator	OKADA Akeo Kobe University, Department of Human Development, Assistant Professor, 発達科学部, 助教授 (70243136)
Project Period (FY)	1999 – 2001
Keywords	Zeitoper / Melodrama / Movie / Movie-Music / Grand opera / Musicdrama
Research Abstract	The "Zeitoper" is an operatic genre which was very popular on the 1920s in Germany. Many famous componists like Hindemith, Well, R. Strauss, Dalbert etc were enchanted by it. The plot of this "Zeitoper" is focused on the ordinary life of an oridinary modern citizen. It is a kind of "home drame" or "detective story". The story isconsists of, instead of being devided into 3 or 4 or 5 "Acts", many short "scenes". Any operatic "climax" is avoided. The "Zeitoper" is a reactionary movement against the "Musikdrama" of Richard Wagner and also the "Grande opera" of Verdi. In this study I researched from the viewpoints of musical structure, dramaturgie and reception history. Many studies about the opera of the 20^<th> Century have spoken of the "death of the opera" on the 1920s. But in reality, opera composition was still not "dead". The "Zeitoper" was a historical "bridge" between the "Grand opera" of the 19^<th> century and the Holliwood movie of the 20^<th> century. Also the influende of the so-called "melodrama" is not to be overseen (The melodrama is a dramatic genre which was very populara in Paris of the 20th century).