In this article, you will access information about how Opera music was born, where, when, by whom, what was the first official opera music piece, and how it evolved through the years. Firstly, let’s make clear what opera is.
What is Opera?
Opera comes from the Italian: opera, literally meaning “a work, labor, composition”). It is a complex musical theater genre, simultaneously including music and stage action. The dialogues (or monologues) of the actors of the opera (named “Lyric singers”) are rendered in the form of singing, while the theatrical performance unfolds in the presence of an orchestra, and scenery.
Where was Opera Born?
Opera was born in Florence of Italy. At the end of the Renaissance in Florence, music, as well as literature, had reached a point of corruption and saturation. The music, due to the polyphony, could not convey the message of the lyrics, but also the language as well, had suffered corresponding abuse in words and syntax.
How and When was Opera Born?
It all began on January 14, 1573, (first recorded date), when Count Giovanni de’ Bardi, patron of literature and arts and also composer, having been nurtured as a child with ancient Greco-Roman knowledge, recognized the benefits of a returning to the roots of this endless wealth of wisdom and culture and thus helping in resetting the crowds through this.
This need led him and a group of humanists, intellectuals, poets, and musicians to form a group that took the name “Fiorentina Camerata” (Camerata means large room, where the meetings took place), but also the “Academia della crusca” (Academy of the bran), which aimed at the search for new musical and literary outlets respectively, trying to bring back the aesthetic effect of ancient Greek music and correspondingly of the pure Italian language in modern practice.
The Evolution of Opera
Its members, aside G. de’ Bardi, were:
- Vincenzo Galilei musician and composer of madrigals (1532-1591), (father of the astronomer Galileo Galilei)
- Emilio de’ Cavalieri composer (1550-1602)
- Giulio Caccini composer (1550-1618)
- Jacopo Peri composer and singer (1561-1633)
- Jacopo Corsi musician (1561-1602)
- Ottavio Rinuccini the poet (1562-1621)
It was Vincenzo Galilei, who presented to the group the essay of the distinguished leading scholar of ancient Greek drama and music at that time, Girolamo Mei, “Dialogue on ancient and modern music”, whose main conclusion was that the monodic style of ancient Greek music is the most suitable musical choice for the expression of the emotions of the poetic text, which had lost the purity of its performance immersed in the anti punctual sound saturation of the then medieval polyphony.
Their creative goal was the correct and natural recitation of the speech during singing, intending that the melody should describe in detail the text and the emotions it emits. This process could only be achieved by mimicking the undulation and intonation of human speech. This finding marked the end of polyphony and the beginning of a new era for music. More importantly, it was a point of reference for later composers as they sought a renewed return to the purity of rendering the text in relation to the music.
The use of ancient Greek myths as a source of inspiration to return to the correct ancient Greek standards of monody, was a one-way source of inspiration.
The First Official Opera
The first fruit that could be considered an opera according to modern standards, was the experimental work “Dafne” (Daphne) in 1598, an ancient Greek drama bridge between ancient Greece and Europe, based on Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”, according to which the God Apollo transforms the nymph Daphne into a plant when she refuses his love, a symbolism of the nature of arts.
Most music is by Jacopo Peri (1561-1633) and less by Jacopo Corsi (Jacopo Corsi, 1561-1602). Only six pieces have survived in total, of which at least two of them are by J. Corsi. The libretto is by Ottavio Rinuccini (1562-1621) and is preserved completely.
Their goal was to highlight the humanistic ideals, related to the power of music, through the monodic style. Peri called it “Dramma per musica” (Musical drama). The result of this union was the invention of monody.
According to Ot. Rinuccini was first performed before a small and enthusiastic audience and later an improved version of the work was performed during the Carnival of 1598 at the Palazzo Corsi in Florence.
The innovations brought to music by the Fiorentina Camerata under the direction of G. Bardi, were one of the defining characteristics of what we know today as Baroque music and consequently Opera.
Where Can You Watch/Listen to Opera Today in Greece
You can enjoy opera performances today in Greece in public theatres live, but not only. With Evymnos, you can now assign us to arrange a custom private classical concert, or a private opera gala event just for you and your circle of friends, or for your company and your guests, at your chosen location.
- Classical music terminology
- Evymnos private classical concerts in Greece
- Evymnos private opera gala in Greece for Individuals or Enterprise Events
- What is classical music? The history of classical music
