Role Of Opera In Greek Drama

Operas started to come into existence in the late 16th Century. These works are entirely sung, and usually tell a story of some sort. They began in Italy and were put into motion by the Florentine Camerata. One could think of Opera as a rebirth of Greek dramas.

Prior to the 16th Century, storytelling was done in various forms of singing and dancing. Operas stemmed from Greek dramas, and were an attempt to recreate it. Almost all of the characters in the early operas were taken from Greek and Roman mythology. Similar to Greek dramas, Operas also told of universal themes, and sought to teach whatever lessons could be taught.

The Florentine Camerata (Camerata de’ Bardi) believed that music had become corrupt, and by returning to the early forms

It consisted of humanists, poets, musicians, and scholars, including Giulio Caccini, Pietro Strozzi, Vincenzo Galilei, and Girolamo Mei. The Camerata frequently met to discuss advancements within the musical and dramatic arts. This group strongly believed in the goodness of Greek dramas, and strived to bring them back into existence. Since these dramas taught valuable lessons, the Florentine Camerata sought to bring these values back in musical forms.

Jacapo Peri’s very first composition, Dafne, was done in 1598 and considered opera. This was written under the influence of the Florentine Camerata, and was an attempt to revive the ancient Greek dramas. The members of the Camerata believed that the "chorus" parts of Greek dramas were originally sung, and possibly even the entire text of all roles. Because of this, opera was thus conceived as a way of "restoring" this

The staging of intermedi grew to be quite lavish overtime. They often consisted of four parts and thus considered a “play within a play”. Peri’s opera Euridice was performed at the marriage of King Henry IV of France and Maria de Medici. This was one occasion for the most spectacular and internationally famous intermedi of the previous century was probably a crucial development for the new form, putting it in the mainstream of lavish courtly