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Opera
Italy is the true birthplace of Opera, where the form shifted and developed over several centuries. From the Latin word opus, meaning "works," Opera has always entailed a dramatic combination of music, singing, stagecraft, and dancing. The earliest operas were composed and performed for a wealthy court audience. As the art form matured, composers tailored their works for the general public and incorporated satirical elements that often mocked the nobility and aristocracy. Nevertheless, the origins of opera remain rooted in an educated community.
The earliest known operas were composed by Jacopo Peri, including the first documented opera called Dafne. Florence was the initial hotbed of opera, where in conjunction with Rennaissance revival of the classical arts, composers like Peri created Italian stage dramas to enact ancient Greek plays. For instance, Peri's 1600 piece Euridice is based on the myth of Orpheus. Contemporary and subsequent composers also took to the tradition of reviving the classics and most early operatic themes were based on classical Greek and Roman themes and settings.
One of the key features of opera is the declamation, a delivery of lines that falls somewhere in between singing and straight speech. While the monody was a traditional element of opera, through the Baroque era monody gave way to far more elaborate and melodramatic forms of singing and stage delivery. When professional musician Claudio Monteverdi came on the Florentine opera scene in the 17th century, the character of opera changed to include a lush stage set, elaborate costumes, and almost over-the-top elements of production. The aria also became a hallmark of the opera through Monteverde's influence, which also helped opera spread throughout Italy and later, throughout the Continent and even to England. In England, the art form built upon the earlier tradition of medieval stage plays and masques, which when added with Italian elements developed a unique style of English opera.
Works Cited
Opera: History." MSN Encarta. Page 2. Online at http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761570299_2/Opera.html#endads.
Opera: History." Wikipedia. Online at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera#History.
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