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During the Baroque period, a group of musicians and intellectuals came together to discuss different subjects. One subject that they discussed was bringing back Greek drama. Instead of simply speaking the lines of the play, they wanted to sing them instead. This group of individuals was called Florentine Camerata and Opera was born.
At first Opera was intended for the upper class or aristocrats, but soon the general public enjoyed it. In 1637, a public opera house was built located in Venice.
The different types of Opera singing styles consists of Recitative, Aria, Bel canto, and Castrato. Recitative is defined as imitating the pattern and rhythm of speech. Aria is a character expresses feelings through a flowing melody. Bel canto is Italian for “beautiful singing.” Lastly is Castrato, young boys were castrated before they reached puberty to avoid the deepening of the voice. Main roles of the opera were written for the castrato.
An example of Opera music from our textbook is “Dido and Aeneas, Act III, Dido’s Lament” by Purcell which is on page 99.

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