Crete Holidays

The opera music form first appeared as a new form of performance on the music stage in the late 16th century in Italy and within a short time became popular in the rest of Europe. Soon Germany, England, France, Russia and other European nations developed their own styles of operas, each showcasing their own singing stars, theatres, costumes and of course themes inspired by their own history and culture as well as that of the world. It became an integral part of the western classical music tradition in which the music played a key component together with the enactment of dramatic roles performed by singers. Themes vary widely, although around 14 leading opera plays are inspired by classical Greek history and mythology. One of the major operatic divas of our time is Maria Callas, who yet remains unmatched in her voice and exceptional performance style. Once the entertainment of mostly elite audiences, like royalty, the aristocracy, and high-ranking political and social figures, opera t...

Οpera was born at the end of the 16th century in Florence, by a group of scholars who sought ways of presenting a stage work according to the model of ancient Greek tragedy. The people of the Renaissance knew the theories about ancient Greek music from the writings of Cassiodorus, the Auxiliary and the Dictionary of Sweden, translated in 1499 by Halkokondylis in Milan. Among other things, his admiration for ancient art was expressed by Julio Catsini, composer of "Eurydice", one of the first operas. Familiarity with Greek thought reasonably led him to the myth of Orpheus, the Thracian poems that are identified with music. Very soon, each Italian city developed its own response to the challenge of the new performing arts, based on its musical culture. In Venice, the madrigal opera was developed, where polyphonic songs narrated a plot performed with a pantomime. In the Rome of the popes, sacred dramas and oratorios developed. In the meantime, the opera exceeded the limits of t...