The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-11-30
FIRST GRAND OPERA
Peri's ''Dafne" Marked the Start
of a New Era In Music.
WAS SUNG ONLY IN PRIVATE.

Its Performances Were Confined to the
Palace of cors, and the Score Is Lost
to the World--The First Opera Given
In Public Was "Eurydice."
There is no form of music SO gener-
ally popular with all classes today as
! Opera-the combination of action and
music. Opera has made extensive
strides during the last century. al
though it's origin is very remote. 1t
came through a gradual course Of de-
velOpment from almost the beginning
of the Christian era. Earliest librel-
Aeschylus and Sophocles. who accom-
panied their spoken drama with band
of Tyres and flutes.
But grand opera as we understand it
today originated about the end of the
sixteenth century, when JacOpO PERKS
opera "Dafne" was first presented. 1t
originated through the gathering of
small party Of music lovers at the
home of Florentine nobleman. These
patrons of art set themselves in the
spirit of the renaissance to rediscOver
the music of the Greek drama.
Theories grew into actualities when
a performance of 'Dafne" was cele-
brated in the palace of Corsi in 1895.
This opera was successfully performed
several times. but always in private.
and now the score is not discOverable.
The public had the privilege of hear
ing opera five years later. when two
settings of ''Eurydice" were made, one
by Peri and the other by Caccini.
Both the operas were produced in part
during the marriage celebration of
Henry Nv. and Marie de Medici at the
Petit palace on Oct. 6, 1000.
Measuring the accomplishments of
these enthusiasts with the opera OF
appear ridiculous and very wide Of the
mark. But here at least was a step
in an untrOdden path. Opera was now
on basis which admitted of develop
ment. Its career had begun.
"Eurydice' was the first Italian Op-
era ever performed in public, and the
work excited an extraordinary amount
of attention. The score was first pub
liShed in Florence in 1000 and was
dedicated to Marie de Medici, and it
was printed in 1908 i'm Venice. copy
of the latter being well preserved in
hO ne D,;ti eh
For fifty years ''Eurydice" remained
the luxury OF mobiles, being performed
only before courts during special fes.
tivals. Monteverde added the over
ture to the Peri opera.
The next important operate work to
be produced was that of MOnteverde.
entitled "Orfeo," which was present
ed in 1907. and year later "Arianna."
These two operas left Peri and his
comrades far in the rear. Work along
this line developed slowly until 1857.
when the Teatro di San Cassiano was
opened at Venice, which was the first
public opera house. Now that the
masses had voice in the matter, it
soon became evident that the people
must be pleased and the Florentine
ideals forgotten.
Later in the century the melody of
the aria was enriched by two compos-
ers named Cavalli and Cesti. The Op-
era, by stimulating solo singing and
by reviving taste for the beauties of
popular melody, supplies the necessary
incentive for the celebrating of sweet
sounding and finished melodic themes
produced close to forty different op-
eras, none of which has survived.
Scarlatti, who followed, was another
tireless worker. his first opera having
been produced in Rome in 1879, after
which he brought out more than sixty
others. From that period to the pres
ent day the Italian composer has held
his place with the greatest of any
countries and has produced more Op.
eras than all the other countries com
bined.
The earliest operas in France were
composed by Lulli at the end of the
seventeenth century and Rameau at
the beginning of the eighteenth cen
fury, but they were little more than
limitations Of the Italian style. The
basis of the French opera was laid by
Gluck in the latter half of the eight
zenith century. Meyerbeer. ROssini.
Gounod and Thomas represented the
most popular Of the successors of
Gluck, with the more modern Massenet
and Charpentier.
In Germany until the rise of Wagner
the opera was marked by little ma
tiOnal originality. Mozart was the first
opera writer among the German com
posers. To Weber especially will re
main the glory of having first founded
a distinct German operate STYLE