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Opera (literally “work” in Latin) is a general class of musical theater that is typically recognized by its use of a robust, unamplified singing voice with an orchestral accompaniment being used as the only form of vocal communication. Although an operatic work may incorporate similar elements of costume, scenery, and acting found in other genres of theater, it is the distinct lack of spoken word that defines an opera; every word is sung.

History

Entering the 17th century, Europe experienced dramatic periods of cultural expansion. This growth included all forms of art, including written work and theatrical performance, and is a period marked by greats such as William Shakespeare and Jean Racine. Opera emerged as a combination of the two, inspiration drawn from the mythology and culture of the ancient Greeks.

The Baroque

In 1591, Jacapo Peri composed “Dafne,” alternatively "Daphne," a piece that is widely acknowledged as the first opera ever written. Although the focus of Peri’s work was less on vocal performance than modern opera, as featured several instrumental installments, “Dafne” nonetheless combined the worlds of music and theater only sung verses to narrate a story. Additionally, Peri started the operatic tradition of using libretto, a poem or story written previously (in this case, a poem by Ottavio Rinuccini also titled "Dafne") as a script and then composing music around the written words, further expressing and enhancing the story.

Claudio Monteverdi

From this first work, the popularity of opera rapidly expanded. Most notable is the change experienced under the hand of Claudio Monteverdi, who shaped the style of early opera from a balanced presentation of vocal and instrumental elements into its modern form. Instead of trading off between instrumental features and recitatives, sections of spoken word with tone to match the accompaniment, Monteverdi placed a greater emphasis on the voice. The vocal part was given the main melody of a piece, creating the concept of an aria, essentially a complex solo for voice that can be found in today's operas. The orchestra was used only for a background harmony, as a support for the performer to solidify the feeling of a piece. This idea can be easily observed in a large majority of modern songs, which feature a pronounced vocal lead supported by an accompanying instrumental section.

The Classical Period

Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck

Baroque operas had, by 1750, become even more focused on the powerful and skillful possibilities of vocal performance, laden with lengthy arias to showcase renowned performers. The Baroque Period ended near this time and ushered in the illustrious Classical Period, a time marked by a revival of orchestral influence on an opera piece and musical geniuses such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. However, Christoph Willibald von Gluck, a composer originating from modern day Bavaria, is likely to have had the most profound effect on the era. His operas revitalized the genres of the period, opera buffa (a lighthearted, comedic opera) and opera seria (an opera focused on vocal talent with long arias), putting larger emphasis on the orchestra and creating a complex, nearly symphonic style. Regardless, the pinnacle of this era arrived with the Mozart, whose operas perfected the styles put forth by von Gluck. Using complex and intertwining rhythms shared between both the orchestra and the vocal performer, Mozart expertly developed both the plot of the opera at hand, but even leitmotifs, personal themes for each character that reflected their role in the opera.

The Romantic Period

The passing of Mozart in 1791 marked the beginning of the transition between the Classical and Romantic Periods. While the balance between complexity, vocal soloist, and orchestral features was largely perfected in Classical operas, the genre entered a phase of remarkable development in the Romantic Period, which stretched from 1820 till 1900.

Gioachino Rossini

Operas could predominantly, by 1820, be classified into either Italian or German operas, both by their origins and for their general style. Italian operas were distinguished by elaborate and impressive musical arrangements, showcasing a singer's talent over the dramatic potential of the opera. This style was fleshed out to its fullest during the Romantic Period and gave forth to two significant new styles of opera: "bel canto," or "beautiful singing," and the French grand opéra. Bel canto operas focused even more on a singer's ability, giving the performer grandiose arias that could be added and accented according to their will and allowing each to develop a unique style. "La Cenerentola", or Cinderella (the inspiration for the Disney movie of the same name) and "The Barber of Seville" (a comic opera and origin of the famous "Figaro!" operatic line) are two works by Gioachino Rossini that provide excellent examples of this style.

Similarly, the French grand opera is nearly as self explanatory as bel canto's translation. Almost every feature of previous operas are stretched and exemplified; as described in the New York Times article "A Brief History of Opera": a French grand opera "was not only longer... than previous French opera, but also employed more musicians, more artists, more stagehands and more technicians." This style served as a sort of bridge between the Italian and German opera, filling the gap between rich, complex style and overwhelming emotion.

Certainly, German opera could be used as the definition of expressive music. Although compromising some of the memorable melodies and tunes from Italian orchestra, these operas were renowned for their artistic depth. They combined and refined every available element of dramatic theater into a single work in order to embody the full magnitude of the artist's idea. Richard Wagner is the most significant composer of such German operas, who drew inspiration from the ancient Greek dramas that first influenced the development of opera, and produced the epic operatic cycle "The Ring," a collection of four already tremendous operas.

Modern Opera

Opera is still boasts a noteable following in the 21st century. Germany still remains a center of operatic performance, with the country's opera companies staging over 7800 operas from 2011-2012 operatic season (which typically stretch from early fall to late spring of the next year). The United States falls a distant second, with 1860 performances nationwide. However, if analyzed per capita, the birthplace of opera still remains its most supportive region, as Austrian opera houses see an average of 1.71 performances per 10,000 citizens, far outpacing even Germany at .955 per 10,000 citizens.

In terms of material, the iconic Romantic and Classical period operatic heavyweights still command a majority of the spotlight. Operas featuring works by Giuseppe Verdi (a Romantic period composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Giacomo Puccini (from the late Romantic Period) number only 46 fewer than performances of works by the next 14 composers combined, a list that contains names such as Tchaikovsky and Wagner himself.