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From the very first opera performance in Italy in 1607, to the origins of some of the world’s most recognisable music, and modern day experimental productions, we’ll share a timeline of how opera has changed over the last 400 years.
Opera originated in Italy around 1600, but its story began many years earlier with the birth of Jacopo Peri in 1561. During his time at the famed Medici court, Peri cultivated the idea of dramatic singing through his work with Florentine poets, musicians, and writers.
Opera timeline. 1597. . First opera performed in Florence . Dafneis performed in Florence, becoming the first example of a new art form - opera. Jacopo Peri. Ottavio Rinuccini. Category:Operas by Jacopo Peri. Music. 1607. .
The earliest operas were created in Italy, where composers such as Claudio Monteverdi and Alessandro Scarlatti pioneered the genre. The first opera, “Dafne,” was written by Jacopo Peri in 1597, but it is Monteverdi’s “Orfeo” (1607) that is often considered the first true opera.
The Romantic movement of the early nineteenth century launched a burst of interest in the irrational, the otherworldly, the exotic, and the historical, all subjects admirably suited to operatic portrayal.
The history of opera has a relatively short duration within the context of the history of music in general: it appeared in 1597, when the first opera, Dafne, by Jacopo Peri, was created. Since then it has developed parallel to the various musical currents that have followed one another over time up to the present day, generally linked to the ...
Below, you'll find the core info on the periods with some key operas put in their chronological place. We hope to expand this section enormously, exploring opera's development across Europe and the world, and we've started on that mission with a more expansive history of opera in English.
