The History of Opera
Hardly anyone was not interested in where opera starts its history. We witness lots of new genres appear year by year, but such a long-standing type of musical art remains a mystery for many people. I always wondered who was the first to discover that high voice singing is a talent and made it worth attention. Moreover, with the development of this genre, the opera houses were built to make the sound more elaborate and unique. It brought lots of changes to secular life of rich aristocrats who were aware of theatre mostly. Opera became another alternative to spending time surrounded by rich and successful people.
I decided to deepen my knowledge of the subject and to conduct a research on the subject of the history of opera. I wanted to know more as well as make other people aware of such an important music genre. I explored lots of époques and their peculiarities that added to the development of opera and its spread around the globe. I also explored cultural differences and geographical expansion of this genre. The first authors and singers provided a basement for a huge centuries-long superstructure with the weaving of cultural, linguistic, musical and historical influences. For sure, it is one of the most creative and far-reaching kind of performing arts (“A Short History of Opera”).
Opera unites music, visual arts, dance, drama and appeals directly to the hearts of the audience. Composers have been finding their inspiration in numerous myths, fairy tales, literature and folk stories of many nations around the globe. However, opera has over 400-year-old history that starts in Italy. It emerged in Florence with the first ‘opera’ Dafne (1594-98) by Jacobo Peri. It was quite unusual for that time to have such kind of a performance. The most remarkable thing is that “the singers enact an entire drama, with music throughout, telling the story of Daphne, who is changed into a laurel to escape the attentions of Apollo” (“History of Opera”). Another truly recognized opera was Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi. He was recognized as an author of a few new models aimed at delivering human “inner feelings” (“Brief History of Opera”) using performance, melody and voice.
With the rise of popularity of this kind of musical style, “the prosperous citizens of Venice” had no reason to ban it from being played on “private performances for the aristocracy” (“History of Opera”). It gave a new boost to opera as a genre and expanded it over Italy. Monteverdi charmed the public with his talent to compose unique and extraordinary dramas that had never been played before. By the end of the 17th century, Venice had as many as seven opera houses. At the same time, the first opera was played in London. Despite the first attempts of composers were not as successful as they were in Italy, London’s public accepts new entertainment and welcomes opera.
Later opera was spread to Germany and Austria, underwent reforms, and became more available and elaborate. Mozart, Gluck, Beethoven had a significant impact on its development as well as other famous composers throughout Europe. The French revolution brought theatres and opera to the middle class which started attending such events. Mythology as well as historical reality served as the most popular subjects to be played in front of the audience. Later, opera was influenced by the prevailing tendency in music and art that was Romanticism and Impressionism. Wagner and Debussy, Puccini and Leoncavallo are among the most popular composers of that time. This all led to a new era in the development of opera and to its modern version as we see it now.
While I was proceeding with my research, I was becoming more and more surprised about the way how a play performed by one Italian man in the end of 16th century triggered the development of a massive of performances played everywhere in the world and loved by millions of people. I learned that the way opera evolved and included lots of impact from different periods of history. Revolutions, rebels and other significant shocks led to dramatic changes in the way opera is played today. This means that it has become something that collected lots of human worries, emotions, feelings, aspirations and inspirations in order to turn it into music and deliver it to people.
When I finished work on my research, I realized that I become more involved and like this art more than I did. Knowledge of the history helps in understanding the origins of every performance as well as of the genre itself. I am happy that my subject-matter of the research was to go deeper into details about opera, and now I have a chance of making my peers aware of what was the evolution of it. I hope that my research will make readers interested in opera more. I also hope that it may inspire others for their own researches. Every period of the development of opera requires more careful analysis and search for details.
Works Cited
“A Short History of Opera.” Greensboro Opera. Greensboro Opera, n.d. http://www.greensboroopera.org/oft-history.shtml
“Brief History of Opera.” English Pocket Opera Company. English Pocket Opera Company, n.d. http://www.epoc.co/?q=node/88
“History of Opera.” History World. History World, n.d. http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab36
