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• Opera
• Roots of Opera

Opera, with its unique blend of poetry, drama and music, has come a long way from its humble beginnings in ancient Greek theatre. The grandiose, all-encompassing music dramas of Verdi and Wagner may seem a world away from the era of Aristotle and Plato, but this noble civilization, which held music and theatre in high regard as both art forms and means of entertainment, was to play a crucial role ...

• Opera
• Performance
• Roots of Opera

Several other non-Western cultures have developed genres of musical performance similar to that of opera – they combine music, song, story-telling and theatrical presentation. The most famous of these is the Nō theatre of Japan. Nō theatre was essentially established in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries by the two great playwrights Kan’ami (1333–84) and his son Zeami (1363–1443). These two men drew upon earlier traditions of music and drama to form ...

• Opera
• Performance
• Roots of Opera

The six intermedi composed to celebrate the marriage of Ferdinando de’ Medici of Florence and Christine of Lorraine in 1589 were the most spectacular and expensive ever seen. So lavish was the presentation that it completely dominated the play it accompanied – La pellegrina (‘The Pilgrim’) by Girolamo Bargagli. All the texts and music survive, together with the designs for the costumes and sets. The intermedi were devised by Giovanni ...

• Opera
• Roots of Opera
• Styles & Forms

The musical culture of ancient Greece has had a profound influence on the history of Western music. However, its legacy is particularly evident in the emergence of opera in the early seventeenth century. Even though we have little idea about what ancient Greek music actually sounded like – composers and musicians did not write their music down – there are plenty of sources of information about it. Philosophers such as ...

• Opera
• Roots of Opera
• Styles & Forms

In the Middle Ages, two distinct forms of music drama existed: the liturgical dramas that took place in churches as a part of the service – and were therefore in Latin; and the ‘mystery’ or ‘miracle’ plays that were performed outside churches in the everyday language of the people. Liturgical Dramas Liturgical dramas were performed only by members of the clergy, and formed part of the church service on particular occasions. The ...

• Opera
• Roots of Opera
• Styles & Forms

The Renaissance, with its renewed interest in the music of the ancient world, is where the true roots of opera lie. The word ‘Renaissance’ means ‘rebirth’ and refers to the revival of the artistic and intellectual ideals of classical civilization following the intervening Middle Ages. The Renaissance began in Italy in the late fourteenth century and later spread to other countries throughout Europe, but it was in Italy that the ...

• Opera
• Roots of Opera
• Techniques

The performers in the Greek tragedy were of two distinct types: the choros and the solo actors. The choros was a group of 12 or 15 adult men drawn from the general citizenry of Athens. Its role was largely passive in the drama, usually commenting upon the action or sympathizing with the solo characters. Although the choros (and particularly its leader, the choregos) engaged in dialogue with the solo actors, its ...