It's hard to imagine a world without opera. It seems that this art form has always existed for the delight of fans. In fact, he is about seven hundred years old. During this time, the opera has changed significantly.
The emergence of opera
Opera originated in Italy. She "grew" out of theatrical mysteries - spiritual performances in which music served as a background, shading the actors' play. In such performances, music was played from time to time, emphasizing important dramatic moments. Subsequently, she became more and more important in such mysteries. From some point throughout the performance, the music sounded without any pauses. The first prototype of the opera is considered to be a comedy on a spiritual theme called The Conversion of St. Paul, written by Beverini. In this comedy, the music is played from the beginning to the end, but still plays the part of the accompaniment.
In the sixteenth century, pastorals came into fashion, they included choral performances of motets or madrigals (musical and poetic pieces). At the end of the sixteenth century, solo vocal numbers appeared in pastorals. This was the beginning of the birth of opera in the form familiar to modern man. This genre was called drama in musica, and the word "opera" appeared only in the first half of the seventeenth century. It should be noted that a number of composers continued to call their works musical dramas even after the appearance and consolidation of the word "opera".
There are several types of opera. The main one is rightfully considered the "Big Opera" or lyrical tragedy. It arose after the Great French Revolution and actually became the main musical direction of the nineteenth century.
The history of opera houses
The first opera house opened in 1637 in Venice. Opera served the entertainment of aristocrats and was not accessible to ordinary people. The first major opera is considered to be Daphne by Jacopo Peri, which was first performed in 1597.
Opera very quickly gained popularity, becoming the favorite art form. Literary plots of operas make them an accessible and understandable form of musical art, since it is much easier to perceive it than traditional concerts without a plot.
Nowadays, about twenty thousand opera performances are given per year. This means that more than fifty operas are performed in the world every day.
From Italy, opera quickly spread to other European countries. Over the years, it became generally available, ceasing to serve solely as the entertainment of aristocrats. In opera houses, "galleries" began to appear, from which ordinary citizens could listen to delightful singing.
