Which term refers to a late 19th-century Italian opera movement focusing on everyday life?

• A. Verismo
• B. Rigaudon
• C. Scherzo
• D. Scordatura

Answer: (A)

The focus is on realism: presenting real, everyday life on stage with ordinary people and believable emotional immediacy, rather than legendary or mythic subjects. This approach in late 19th-century Italian opera is called Verismo. It aimed for dramatic honesty and often brisk, natural dialogue and music that reflected real speech and life. Classic examples include Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, which depict ordinary people in intense, down-to-earth situations. Puccini’s La Bohème is closely related in spirit, though verismo isn’t the label some apply to all of his work. The other terms here refer to different musical concepts altogether: Rigaudon is a French Baroque dance, Scherzo is a light, brisk instrumental movement, and Scordatura is a tuning technique for string instruments. Verismo best fits the idea of focusing on everyday life in opera.