Jacopo Peri is credited with composing the first opera, Dafne, in the late 1500s.  This new style of entertainment quickly spread across Europe during the 1600s, and composers in Germany, France and England all created national traditions in this art form.  Italy and Italian composers, however, still dominated the opera scene. 

 

Opera, like most classical music, was originally performed as entertainment for the members of court and/or the elite.  This changed in the mid-1600s when the idea of creating a season of publicly attended opera, supported by ticket sales, emerged in Venice.  To appeal to the masses, Opera composers blended comedic elements within the opera seria.  This created some interesting story lines and music, and it was not long before a new type of opera emerged so that opera seria could remain serious.  The new type of opera was called Opera Buffa and was centered around a comedic plot.

 

Opera continued to develop over the next few hundred years by expanding in structure, harmony, and plot content. Furthermore, opera composers also placed more importance on the role of the orchestra to provide harmonic depth and add to the storyline.  Today, opera is an art form that often contains elaborate costumes and scenery, as well as music sung by highly trained singers. Some of the opera composers whose operas are still performed today are Mozart, Puccini, Wagner, and Rossini.