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Opera History
OPERA!!! (it ain’t just for old people anymore!!!)

So, what is opera anyways? Most people think it’s some boring classical music with people singing in foreign languages wearing big wigs and costumes. Well, true. But not all opera is the same. Some opera is actually pretty cool for kids, obviously cool enough for someone like Hans Christian Andersen to like it. So, let’s take a look at where opera comes from and why it rocks today in modern day America!

The biggest characteristic of opera is that the story and plot are completely driven by the music. If you took away the music from an opera it would be something completely different. This fact also presents itself as the biggest difference between opera and musical theatre. If you took away the music from famous musicals like Phantom of the Opera or Les Miserables, the story could still sustain and be clearly articulated to the audience. 

Operas are known for being “complete works of art” because the form seamlessly unites music, drama and spectacle. Singers, instrumentalists, composers, conductors, and those who work with stagecraft all work together to pull of just one show! 

A Crash Course in Opera History:

Opera first appeared in Italy in the late 1590’s (about the same time as William Shakespeare was writinghis plays in England). It was begun because a new trend was emerging to mimic (imitate) the ancient Greek styles of culture (a trend called “Neoclassicism”). The Italians believed that the ancient Greeks did not speak their plays, but sung them. Although the Italians were totally wrong about the ancient Greeks, a new artform called opera was born!. 

When the Italians created opera, it had two main components, both of which still exist in opera today:

As opera made its way through Europe, its styles began to change as well. Mozart helped bring the Germans into the previously dominated Italian-dominated opera scene. He wrote many operas, in both German and Italian that are notable for their fast-moving plots, fascinating stories and beautiful music. 

It was in the 18th century that opera clearly separated into two distinct categories: opera seria (grand, serious opera) and opera buffa (comic opera, more popular with the lower classes). 

It was during the Romantic period (the late 18th to early 19th centuries) when we start to encounter the stereotype of fat, loud women singing in opera. Operas became more melodramatic (overly emotional). The scene at this time was dominated by two composers, Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi.

In the early 20th century, America tried to make its mark on the opera scene, especially with George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, which portrayed the lives of African-Americans (an opera first!). While Gershwin’s opera is considered to be wonderful, America did not have much luck in breaking in the opera scene. Right now in the United States, the line between operas and musical theatre is becoming thinner and thinner.

All operas are written with the words and music in a book called a “libretto”, and the composer, or the person who writes the music for the opera is called the “librettist”. 

Remember…Operas can be serious or funny…

Opera seria, tragic opera or grand opera frequently tell stories about gods, heroes and political figures living and dying in an atmosphere of high tragedy.

Opera buffa, on the other hand uses Italian Commedia dell’arte characters and involves such comedic people such as servants with attitudes, senile masters, and all sorts of other clownish characters. Another lighter, funnier form of opera is the operetta. The subjects of operas may be Bible stories, fairy tales, tales of love and murder, history and folklore, and even horror stories! Can you imagine “Nightmare on Elm Street…the Opera”?

Opera joke of the week…

Did you hear the one about the famous opera singer who had quite a range at the low end of the scale?

She was a “deep-C diva”!

Shhh!!! (don’t tell anyone about this)

Now, here’s some secret facts about opera:

• Up until the 19th century, women were not always allowed to be onstage, either in opera or in theatre. So, the Soprano heroines were usually played by little boys; who were the only ones who could sing those high notes! 
• The longest opera ever was Wagner’s “The Ring Cycle” which ran a whopping 18 hours with the intermission!
• The shortest opera ever performed was Darius Mihaud’s “The Deliverance of Theseus” timing only 7 minutes, without an intermission.
• In 1871, a census was taken of Italian theatres: 940 theatres in 699 cities and towns.
• At the beginning of the 19th century, the higher class people went to some form of theatre four or five times a week. But, their behavior is very different than the way it is today…during operas and plays, the audience would talk loudly, eat, drink and play cardgames!

Why Does Opera Remain So Special?

That is a question that has been asked by non-opera lovers for many years. For, there has to be some reason that opera has lasted as a major form of entertainment for the past 500 years. The beauty and strength of opera lifts our spirits and allows are dreams to soar. Through the art of opera, we are magically transported to another place—and the story, no matter how happy, funny, scary or sad is beautiful because of the first-rate melodies. This is why opera perseveres, and many consider opera one of the most fantastical and amazing escapes in the world.

Opera is a very important part of the human spirit, and people have escaped t its beauty and wonder over and over again in history. Even children found opera to be a comfort during bad times in history, much like we now consider cartoons to be an escape from the realities of our world.