Theatre History Overview - Part 71 - Italian Opera

Italian opera resulted from the late 16th century try of the Florence Camerata trying to recreate Greek tragedies. The Camerata was a group of various artists and humanists that gathered to try to guide the trends of art, especially music and drama, in Italy in the 16th century.

The first full-length opera was Dafne by Jacopo Peri. The dialogue was cahnted to a musical accompaniment. The music enhanced the dramatic effectiveness of the dialogue. The operatice form grew out of monody, a solo singing of a dramatically conceived melody meant to portray the emotions of the text.

The music for Dafne has been lost. However, the libretto for the opera Eurdice by Rinuccini still exists. It tells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.

At first, opera was only an entertainment for the nobility. However, in 1637, an opera house available to the general public opened in Venice. The opera house was successful. In the following decades, opera spread to Rome and throughout Italy.

Today, opera seems to be considered an art form for those who are rich or consider themselves more cultured. However, opera is for anybody who enjoys the art form.

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