Opera

Opera is a special kind of Western theatre where music plays a big role, and actors become singers to tell the story. An opera brings together many art forms, including singing, acting, beautiful scenery, fancy costumes, and sometimes even dancing. Performances usually happen in big opera houses, with an orchestra or smaller group of musicians playing the music, often led by a conductor.

Opera began in Italy in the late 1500s and quickly spread across Europe. Famous composers like Claudio Monteverdi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giuseppe Verdi, and Richard Wagner created many beloved operas. Over time, opera has taken many forms, from serious and dramatic stories to lighter, comic ones. Today, opera continues to charm audiences, with performances sometimes shown live in cinemas around the world.

Operatic terminology

The words of an opera are called the libretto, which means "small book." Some composers, like Wagner, wrote their own libretti, while others worked closely with a writer, such as Mozart with Lorenzo Da Ponte. Traditional opera includes two main ways of singing: recitative, which moves the story forward and sounds like natural speech, and aria, where characters sing formal songs to show their feelings. Opera can also include vocal duets, trios, ensembles, and choruses that comment on the action. In some types of opera, such as singspiel, opéra comique, operetta, and semi-opera, spoken dialogue is used instead of recitative.

During the Baroque and Classical periods, recitative could be performed in two ways: secco (dry) recitative, which is sung with a free rhythm and accompanied only by basso continuo—usually a harpsichord and a cello—and accompagnato (also known as strumentato), where the orchestra provides accompaniment. Over time, arias began to be accompanied by the orchestra more often. By the 19th century, the orchestra played a larger role, and Wagner changed opera by mixing aria and recitative into what he called "endless melody." Many composers followed Wagner’s style, though some, like Stravinsky in his The Rake's Progress, did things differently.

History

Main article: History of opera

Opera is a special kind of theatre where music plays a big role, and actors become singers to tell the story. It usually brings together many art forms like acting, scenery, costumes, and sometimes dance. Performances happen in opera houses, with an orchestra or a smaller group of musicians leading the show.

The word "opera" comes from the Italian for "work." The earliest operas tried to copy ancient Greek plays, where people sang instead of spoke. One of the first operas was "Dafne" by Jacopo Peri around 1597. Later, Claudio Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo" from 1607 became very famous. Opera grew from being performed for royalty to having public shows where people could buy tickets.

During the Baroque period, opera became more popular, with composers like Francesco Cavalli helping spread it across Italy. Opera seria, a serious style, became common, while opera buffa included comedy. Famous singers, including castrati, were big stars. Reforms by Gluck and Mozart brought more focus to the story. In the 19th century, bel canto style was popular with composers like Rossini and Bellini. Giuseppe Verdi made operas more dramatic and emotional, connecting with people's feelings. After Verdi, verismo operas told realistic stories about everyday life.

Operatic voices

Opera singers have special ways to make their voices loud enough to be heard over the orchestra, since there were no microphones in the old days. Singers are grouped by the type of voice they have. Men can be bass, baritone, or tenor, and women can be mezzo-soprano or soprano. There are also special names for singers who can hit very high notes or who act in funny ways while singing.

Famous opera singers have been stars for centuries. Some were known for their very high or very powerful voices. Today, many people still enjoy listening to recordings of these talented singers.

Changing role of the orchestra

Before the 1700s, Italian operas used small string orchestras that mostly played between songs or during dances. They rarely accompanied the singers directly, instead using a small group with a harpsichord and other plucked instruments. By the early 1700s, composers began using the orchestra more often to highlight special parts of the music, adding wind instruments and even playing solos.

Over time, orchestras grew larger and more important. They began playing music before the opera started, called an overture. In the 1800s, especially in the works of composers like Wagner, the orchestra became a key part of telling the story, playing special musical themes that even the characters didn’t fully understand. Leading these large groups also changed—from a harpsichord player or a sitting violinist to a standing conductor who guides both the orchestra and the singers.

Language and translation issues

Since the time of famous composers like Handel and Mozart, many have chosen Italian for their opera stories. Some operas, like Lucia di Lammermoor and Don Carlos, are well-known in both Italian and French versions.

Today, most operas are performed in their original language. However, some opera houses, like the English National Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, use English translations. In the 1980s, opera houses started using supertitles—text shown above the stage or on screens—to help audiences follow along, especially since understanding sung words can be tricky. These supertitles, sometimes called surtitles, are now common in opera broadcasts and recordings.

Funding

Opera houses outside the United States, especially in Europe, often rely on money from taxpayers. For example, in Milan, Italy, a famous opera house called La Scala gets part of its money from ticket sales and private donations, but also receives public funds. In the United Kingdom, organizations like the Arts Council England help fund several opera companies, including the Opera North, the Royal Opera House, the Welsh National Opera, and the English National Opera.

This public funding has led to many more opera houses staying open all year in Europe compared to the United States. For instance, Germany had about 80 opera houses open year-round, while the U.S., with a much larger population, did not have any at that time.

Television, cinema and the Internet

Opera has found new ways to reach audiences through television, cinema, and the Internet. In 1951, the United States saw its first opera made just for TV, Amahl and the Night Visitors, by Gian Carlo Menotti. In 1992, Italy broadcast Tosca live from famous Roman locations at real times matching the story.

Today, many opera companies show their shows in cinemas. The Metropolitan Opera started live high-definition video transmissions in 2006, reaching thousands of theatres. Other famous opera houses like The Royal Opera and La Scala also share their performances worldwide.

The Internet lets people enjoy opera online. The Glyndebourne Festival Opera offered downloads and online streams of their shows. In 2012, the first online community opera, Free Will, was created by people from many countries and performed at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, with live streaming for everyone to watch.