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Opera has been loved by audiences for over 400 years
From noble courts of Italy to the popularity of opera in Venice in the 1630s
The Beginnings: Baroque Opera
Approximately 1600 - 1750
Opera began as an exclusive art form for the wealthy courts and royal patrons of Italy, which explains the extravagantly ornamented character and style we see to this day.
By the 1630s, opera in Venice had become the art form of the people, dramatically increasing its popularity and political importance.
The emphasis was on the music over the drama, and the words.
Masters of the period:
HANDEL, VIVALDI, MONTEVERDI, PURCELL, LULLY
The classical period
Approximately 1750 - 1810
The definition is in the name - CLASSIC. The transition from Baroque to Classical saw a return to simpler form and structure.
The goal of these reforms was to streamline Opera, returning the emphasis to the storyline, words over music.
The undisputed star of this era was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute).
Masters of the period:
MOZART, GLUCK, RAMEAU, HAYDN, CHARPENTIER
The nineteenth century - the romantic period
Approximately 1810 - 1900
Romanticism was a reaction to the First Industrial Revolution, a revolt against the aristocracy and the socio-political norms of the Age of Enlightenment.
Nothing led this rebellion more effectively than the arts. During this era, Opera became bigger, with dramatic increases in the size of both the Chorus and the Orchestra.
Masters of the period:
WAGNER, VERDI, DONIZETTI, ROSSINI, BIZET, BELLINI, VON WEBER, GUNOUD, MASSENET
The Twentieth century
Approximately 1900 - 1980
Opera, much like the rest of the world, experienced tumultuous highs and devastating lows in the Twentieth Century.
Rapid advances in technology, mass political, economic, and social upheaval, and the rise of globalism all dramatically influenced art and the artists.
The volatility of the times - from World War I, the Jazz Age, the Great Depression and World War II, to the Atomic Age and the post-war boom in America and elsewhere - contributed to the dissolution of melody, ushering in an age of experimentation in Opera and other forms of classical music.
Despite these dramatic shifts in compositional style, opera performance experienced a new golden age, as revolutionary forms of media and technology (the phonograph, radio and television) brought opera into people’s homes worldwide.
Masters of the period:
STRAUSS, PUCCINI, STRAVINSKY, LEONCAVALLO, MASCAGNI, KORNGOLD, BERG,
SCHOENBERG, ADAMS, ADAMO, CORGLIANO, GLASS, FLOYD, GERSHWIN, BRITTEN, MENOTTI
The Twenty-first Century WHere Does Opera Go From Here?
Approximately 1980 - Present
Today, less than 3.3% of the US adult population attends an
opera per year.
When you compare that figure to the number of US adults that annually attend live theater (13.5%), download music (22%), go to the movies (44%), or stream content (78%), the harsh reality is obvious.
A recent survey, however, showed that 18 million Americans would “like to attend opera but have not.” Let's give them a reason to come enjoy an evening at the opera!
