Opera content began to change in the Classical period (1750–1830). Today those roles are sung by countertenors, or by women. The few who survived and made it to the top were the singing stars of the 17th and 18th century. This period also saw the rise of castrati-male singers who were castrated as boys to preserve their soprano voices. One of the greatest composers of Italian Baroque opera was a German who lived most of his life in London- Georg Frideric Handel (1685–1759). From that beginning, two types of opera began to emerge: opera seria, or stately, formal and dignified pieces to befit the royalty that attended and sponsored them, and opera buffa, or comedies.īy the Baroque era (1600–1750), opera had taken Europe by storm and was a spectacular, expensive affair full of florid arias and ornate stage sets with moving parts. Enter Jacopo Peri (1561–1633), who composed Dafne (1597), which many consider to be the first opera. Throughout the book, Venice emerges as a city that prized novelty over economy, with new repertory, scenery, costumes, and expensive singers the rule rather than the exception.In Florence, a small group of artists, statesmen, writers and musicians known as the Florentine Camerata decided to recreate the storytelling of Greek drama through music.

Faustini-alawyer by profession-made his way from one of Venice's smallest theaters to one of the largest and most important, and his advancement provides a personal view of an impresario and his partners, who ranged from Venetian patricians to artisans.

The book examines the challenges faced by four separate Venetian theaters during the 17th century, focusing on the progress of Marco Faustini, the Venetian impresario most well known today. and creation of the libretto and score the recruitment and employment of singers, dancers, and instrumentalists the production of the scenery and the costumes and the nature of the audience. Based on new documentation, the book studies all of the components necessary for opera production, from the financial backing and the issue of patronage to the commissioning. This book explores public opera in its infancy, from 1637 to 1677, when theater owners and impresarios, drawing on the models of the already existent theaters for comedy, established Venice as the operatic capital of Europe.

Chinese opera history