Opera - History

Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental as it is through the lyrics. From the beginning of the form about 1600, there has been contention whether the music is paramount, or the words, a theme that Richard Strauss took up in his final opera, Capriccio (1942). By contrast, in musical theater an actor's dramatic performanc ...

Including:

• Opera - History
• Opera - Origins
• Opera - Baroque opera
• Opera - Bel canto and Italian nationalism
• Opera - French opera
• Opera - German-language opera
• Opera - Other national operas
• Opera - After Wagner: verismo and modernism
• Opera - Contemporary trends
• Opera - Sociology of opera
• Opera - Development of an opera audience
• Opera - Development of the idea of opera repertory
• Opera - Media

Read more here: » Opera: Encyclopedia - Opera

Opera - Origins. The word opera means simply "works" in Latin, the plural of opus suggesting that it combines the arts of solo & choral singing, declamation, and dancing in a staged spectacle. The earliest work considered an opera in the currently used sense of the word dates from around 1597. It is Dafne, (now lost) written by Jacopo Peri largely under the inspiration of an elite circle of literate Florentine humanists who gathered as the "Camerata". Significantly Dafne was an a ...

See also:

Opera, Opera - History, Opera - Origins, Opera - Baroque opera, Opera - Bel canto and Italian nationalism, Opera - French opera, Opera - German-language opera, Opera - Other national operas, Opera - After Wagner: verismo and modernism, Opera - Contemporary trends, Opera - Sociology of opera, Opera - Development of an opera audience, Opera - Development of the idea of opera repertory, Opera - Media

Read more here: » Opera: Encyclopedia II - Opera - History

Opera - Origins. The word opera means simply "work" in Italian, coming from the Latin, the plural of opus suggesting that it combines the arts of solo & choral singing declamation, and dancing in a staged spectacle. The earliest work considered an opera in the currently used sense of the word dates from around 1597. It is Dafne, (now lost) written by Jacopo Peri largely under the inspiration of an elite circle of literate Florentine humanists who gathered as the "Camerata". Significantl ...

See also:

Opera, Opera - History, Opera - Origins, Opera - Baroque opera, Opera - Bel canto and Italian nationalism, Opera - French opera, Opera - German-language opera, Opera - Other national operas, Opera - After Wagner: verismo and modernism, Opera - Contemporary trends, Opera - Sociology of opera, Opera - Development of an opera audience, Opera - Development of the idea of opera repertory, Opera - Media

Read more here: » Opera: Encyclopedia II - Opera - History

All art forms have a social context, and opera likewise cannot exist in a vacuum. A string quartet exists in manuscript and printed score, and a truly musical person, playing one part, or seated at a keyboard, can hear the intent of the music, but the printed score for an opera must be realized in a production, even a slender one, for its impact. Thus there exists a "sociology of opera", which would be as interesting to general social historians (who are unaware of it, on the whole) as it is to opera buffs. Operas have always been written wi ...

See also:

Opera, Opera - History, Opera - Origins, Opera - Baroque opera, Opera - Bel canto and Italian nationalism, Opera - French opera, Opera - German-language opera, Opera - Other national operas, Opera - After Wagner: verismo and modernism, Opera - Contemporary trends, Opera - Sociology of opera, Opera - Development of an opera audience, Opera - Development of the idea of opera repertory, Opera - Media

Read more here: » Opera: Encyclopedia II - Opera - Sociology of opera