Classical » Opera

An opera is a stage work accompanied by music in which all or most of the dialogue is sung. Opera was invented around the turn of the 17th century by a group of Florentine musicians who were trying to replicate the form of Greek theatre in which drama and music were combined. One of their members, Claudio Monteverdi, wrote the first great opera, Orfeo, in 1607. Virtuoso singing soon came to be a central element, and many operas give the singers the opportunity for spectacular vocal display. The subject matter of operas can be as diverse as that of plays, and the musical styles reflect the vast variety of all music. Operas may range from the small and intimate to the most extravagantly grand, but in the best of them, the music and drama work together to heighten the intensity of each other, making opera one of the most emotionally potent art forms.