| Opera is an entertainment style involving | | | | One of the fathers of opera, Claudio Monteverdi |
| combined with orchestral music and singers who | | | | took the decision early in his operas to add short |
| perform with characteristic classical method top | | | | performances within his works that were |
| project their voice. Besides being trained in singing, | | | | designed to appeal to a wider audience. Ultimately |
| the Opera performers are also trained in stage | | | | these short pieces were dropped as the crowds |
| craft. | | | | started to appreciate full length opera without |
| Opera was invented by a group of actors the mid | | | | interruption. |
| 1500s in the Italian city of Florence, they were | | | | The growing demand for opera created different |
| actually performing classical Greek theater. In | | | | schools of thought on the nature of opera. Some |
| addition, these actors were noble men educated in | | | | composers preferred complex subtexts and |
| Latin and Greek. | | | | interwoven plots while others preferred a modest |
| The music style played in original Greek plays was | | | | approach. |
| quite simple with only a handful of instrumentalists | | | | As opera productions generally told the story of |
| playing flute, drums and lyre. | | | | love, many characters appearing on stage were |
| Fuller instruments often had drowned out the | | | | of course meant to be women, but renaissance |
| voice of the performers leading actors to develop | | | | society frowned on female actors which led all |
| techniques for amplifying the voice. This helped | | | | actors being men. This situation encouraged |
| the singers to sing their parts. Singing allowed | | | | castrated men from all over Europe and the Arab |
| performers to project their voices further during | | | | world to make their way into theater. |
| the renaissance time as it was changing from | | | | The language of original operas was written in the |
| religious austerity to more creative endeavors. | | | | Italian of the great cities such as Florence and |
| This new style of theater was becoming popular | | | | Venice. However, Opera proved popular in other |
| by the end of the 16th century. New productions | | | | languages and has been able to transcend the |
| specially written for singing with accompaniment | | | | language barrier to become popular elsewhere in |
| started appearing. The De Medici family in Florence | | | | Germany and France. In the 20th century, English |
| paid a composer Jacopo Peri for the very first | | | | operas became very popular. |
| opera entitled 'Dafne' in 1598 performed in their | | | | English opera had developed wholly different |
| private court. Unluckily much of the score was | | | | directions after getting banned during Cromwell's |
| lost but it still has a place in the history of opera. | | | | reign. After the return of the monarchy, opera |
| After few years, opera spread from Florence to | | | | prospered again but opera buffa proved more |
| rest of Italy, German Principalities, far west as | | | | popular which led to a clearly English style of |
| England, north to the Austrian Empire, Spain and | | | | opera humor. |
| France. Florence and other great Italian cities like | | | | European immigrants in US brought love of opera |
| Venice, Rome and Milan dedicated opera houses | | | | with them and passionate Americans adopted the |
| started to be built and tickets for performances | | | | opera quickly as their own. In New York the |
| sold. Venice took the lead starting in 1637 | | | | Metropolitan Opera company in the 20th century |
| eventually becoming the spiritual and cultural home | | | | was leading in the development of modern opera |
| of opera. | | | | providing a base for modern opera to flourish. |