Opera began in the year 1600, though musical drama like ‘The Play of Daniel (12th C)’ existed before this time (Hubbard 19). They also help in breaking the monotony that would otherwise abound as is evident in the use of Marguerite (soprano), Mephistopheles (bass) and Faust (tenor) in Gounod’s Faust, which enabled the singers to display their vocal prowess and later combining their voices into an ensemble (Albright 70). The music that accompanies the dramatic scenes in opera is usually continuous, with set pieces like choral pieces, quartets, duets, solos, trios used to dramatize the action on stage while showcasing the specific vocal skills of the performing singer (Albright 57).

Opera emphasizes on spoken dialogue on the backdrop of musical accompaniment, such as an orchestra or the harpsichord, which was a common accompaniment in earlier opera years (Hubbard 60). Oratorios are primarily anchored on religious rhetoric and are performed devoid of sceneries, drama or costumes. Even though oratorios have been linked to operas, the two differ especially in as far as the subject matter is concerned. Unlike operettas, operas have a unique musical complexity and differ from the latter in the subject matter. Later on, Opera was separated into two genres, Opera Seria, the serious opera and Opera Buffa, the comical opera. One of opera’s important characteristics would be the librettos, which may either be comical or serious in nature (Hubbard 45). Opera music has distinct characteristics that separate it from other classes of music, especially in terms of form. This explains why earlier versions of operas borrowed their plots from Greek mythology, with most popular one being the Legend of Orpheus (Hubbard 37). Opera as we know it is believed to have been created by an elite class of humanists from Florentine, who were referred to as the Cammerata de Bardi in a quest to revivie classical Greek drama. In simple terms, opera is drama set to music, which could either be orchestral music or music from a lesser ensemble. As such, operas usually contain choruses, arials, recitatives, trios and duets, and congregate the elements of spoken theatre, like costumes, dance, scenery and drama. Though dramatic, music forms an essential part of the opera. Opera defines a form of art, either comic or tragic, where musicians and vocalists perform dramatic pieces that bring together the elements of musical score and text, more often than not in a theatrical setting.

Opera music examples