Aduet (Italian:duo orduetto) is amusical composition for twoperformers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from aharmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo section rather than performing simultaneously. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is a "piano duet" or "piano four hands".[1] A piece for two pianists performing together on separate pianos is a "piano duo".
"Duet" is also used as averb for the act of performing a musical duet, or colloquially as anoun to refer to the performers of a duet.
WhenMozart was young, he and his sisterMarianne played a duet of his composition at a London concert in 1765. The four-hand, described as a duet, was in many of his compositions which included fivesonatas; a set ofvariations, two performers and one instrument, and a sonata for two pianos. The first published sonata or duet was in 1777.[2]
InRenaissance music, a duet specifically intended as a teaching tool, to be performed by teacher and student, was called abicinium (seeÉtude).
Duets have always been a part of the structure ofoperas. Early 16th-century operas such asL'Orfeo andL'incoronazione di Poppea involve duets throughout the performance. In 17th-century Italy duets were often used in comic scenes within serious operas. In Baroque France the duet was popular in tragedies, such as songs of vengeance and confrontation. The love duet was characterized by singing inclose harmonies of 3rds and 6ths, symbolizing unity after conflict.[3]
"Abends will ich schlafen gehn" (Hänsel, Gretel) from Humperdinck'sHänsel und Gretel
"Ah guarda, sorella" (Fiordiligi, Dorabella) , "Il core vi dono" (Guglielmo, Dorabella) , and "Prenderò quel brunettino" (Dorabella, Fiordiligi) from Mozart'sCosì fan tutte
"Ah, perdona al primo affetto" (Annio, Servilia) form Mozart'sLa clemenza di Tito
"All'idea di quel metallo" (Figaro, Conte) and "Dunque io son" (Rosina, Figaro) from Rossini'sThe Barber of Seville
"A te, o cara" (Artuo, Elvira) , "Suoni la tromba" (Riccardo, Giorgio) and "Vieni fra queste braccia" (Arturo, Elvira) from Bellini'sI puritani
"Bimba dagli occhi pieni di malia" (Pinkerton, Butterfly) , "Il cannone del porto!" (aka "Duetto dei fiori" or the "Flower duet") (Suzuki Butterfly), and "Vogliatemi bene" (Butterfly, Pinkerton) from Puccini'sMadama Butterfly
"C'est toi! – C'est moi!" (Carmen, José), "Parle-moi de ma mère" (José, Micaëla), and "Près des remparts de Séville" (Carmen, José) from Bizet'sCarmen
In addition to traditional duets performed live—either in front of an audience or recorded in a studio—a so-called virtual duet can be created by having a singer (or musician) perform over the top of a pre-existing recording. Such a duet is a form ofoverdubbing. A virtual duet is sometimes done when the singer (or musician) of the original recording is deceased; for example, a live performance byPaul McCartney on "I've Got a Feeling" with anisolated vocal recording ofJohn Lennon fromThe Beatles' famousrooftop performance,[6] or a recording ofJudy Garland being dubbed over by her daughterLorna Luft on "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".[7] It can also be done with an earlier version of oneself (such asYusuf / Cat Stevens on "Father And Son");[8][9] incidentally,Ronan Keating did his own virtual duet with Yusuf on the same song.[10] Virtual duets may also be done live viavideo link (such asShaun Escoffery duetting with the lateEva Cassidy's videotaped performance of "Over the Rainbow" in honour of the late SirTerry Wogan)[11] or be constructed manually from two pre-existing recordings, generally where each singer/musician can have their own isolated audio channel in the form of astem.
Theoretically, a duet could be constructed from any two pre-recorded singers or musicians so long as there are isolated audio channels from each artist. With the advent ofaudio deepfake technology, it is now possible to create virtual duets using anAI facsimile of a singer (or singers) who never sang the song in the first place. A famous example of this is "Heart on My Sleeve" by ghostwriter977, who wrote and produced an original song using voice models ofDrake andThe Weeknd.
Media related toDuets at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition ofduet at Wiktionary
