The birth of Opera:

The birth of Opera:

Before watching this video on the birth of Opera I did not realize that most operas were based on such violence love and politics. I was amazed at how the voice of the person cleaning the Coliseum in Verona was so loud without any electronic amplification. 

The Coliseum was built to amplify the human voice because of the lack of electronic amplification. Opera was born in Florence Italy in the late 1600s. The Cammarata were an intellectual social club made up of scientists, artists, poets, and musicians. They put together their first collaboration in 1598 called Daphne. Their second attempt for experimental opera was for a royal wedding which was not a success. Two of the guests at the wedding were influential Europeans that thought that this new form of entertainment had some potential. 

They had one of the world premier composers Claudio Monteverdi. 

In 1607 the opera L’Orfeo became a great success, during the annual Carnival at Mantua. This was an opera about love God and the afterlife so church music was used. I was totally amazed at the frescoes in the hidden room where Monteverdi practiced his operas which was concealed from the world for hundreds of years. It makes you wonder why the room was ever sealed away from the rest the world. Listening to the performances with the original is instruments almost take me back to a romantic time where these beautifully were first heard. 

The handcrafted instruments with a sound that isn't present today have such a warm tone versus a lot of electronic music of today. The opera was drama told through music, this was opera in a nutshell. The scenes in Venice and listening to them the male vocalist singing the opera really takes me back to my childhood when I lived in Italy. I feel an overwhelming sense of longing when I watch opera. It brings back a part of my life which I miss dearly. 

Venice became the hub of Opera with a staggering 19 opera houses open at the time. Opera's love affair for power love and destiny got it in some trouble in the following century. Mozart used Opera is a powerful vehicle to send messages to the public. Watching the scene of Figaro played by the students of the British opera house amazed me. The singers were skilled, as good as any Opera professionally produced, just amazing. Around the time of the French revolution in new type of Opera came to light, the escape from oppression of the ruling party, the most famous one being Fidelio by Beethoven. Giuseppe Verdi became one of the Italy’s most famous opera composers, with his nationalist propaganda. 

People all over the city graphitized his name, Viva Verdi. He became a deputy in the Italian parliament. Even in the 19th century opera found itself in the crosshairs of political conspiracies. 

Watching the excerpt from the opera Nixon in China, I was amazed at the size of the stage props. A full-size passenger jet lowered down to the stage just such an amazing effect, by John Addams in 1987. This opera was about the cold war. Before viewing this video I did not realize that they were making new operas in the late 19th century. I was astonished that China is gotten into the upper game I really did not think that they had any interest in opera. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the Chinese students singing Italian opera, and how well they pronounced the words. This just shows how worldwide the phenomenon of Opera has really grown. All cultures around the world talk about their problems and tribulations through music. It is just human nature to do so.