Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1916-12-28
FIRST GRAND OPERA
PERKS "Dafne" Marked the Start
of a New Era In Music.
WAS SUNG ONLY IN PRIVATE.
Its Performances Were Confined to the
Palace of Corsi, and the Score Is Lost
to the World--The First Opera Given
In Public Was "Eurydice."


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 its origin is very remote. 1t
came through gradual course Of de
velopment from almost the beginning
of the Christian era Earliest libret-
lists were such eminent men as
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 Peris
opera "Dafne' was first presented. 1t
originated through the gathering of
small party Of music lovers at the
home of a 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
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, 1900.
Measuring the accomplishments of
these enthusiasts with the opera Of
not many years later, the former must
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
|
lished in Florence in 1000 and was
dedicated to Marie de Medici, and 1t
was printed in 1908 in Venice, a copy
of the latter being well preserved in
the library Of the British museum.
For fifty years "Eurydice" remained
the luxury of mobiles, being performed
only before courts during special fes-
rivals. 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 1887
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, II
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 ant
by reviving Il taste for the beauties Of
popular melody, supplies the necessary
incentive for the celebrating of swee
sounding and finished melodic themes
Cavalli was a tireless worker, and h,
produced close to forty different op
eras, none of which has survived.
Scarlatti. who followed, was anothe
tireless worker. his first opera havin,
been produced in Rome in 1879, afte
which he brought out more than sixt,
others. From that period to the pres
ent day the Italian composer has bel,
his place with the greatest of an
, countries and has produced more OF
eras than all the other countries CON
bined.
The earliest operas in France wer
composed by Lulli at the end of tn
seventeenth century and Rameau a
the beginning of the eighteenth Ger
, fury, but they were little more tina
; limitations of the Italian style Tn
basis of the French opera was laid b
; Gluck in the latter half of the eigh
: eenth century. Meyerbeer, Rossin
Gounod and Thomas represented tn
most popular Of the successors G
Gluck, with the more modern Massene
and Charpentier
In Germany until the rise of Wayne
the opera was marked by little ns
: tonal originality. Mozart was the frs
opera writer among the German con
posers. To Weber especially will r,
main the glory of having first founde