"The Birth and Life of Opera" Reflection

Before taking this class, my knowledge on operas was quite limited. I had never seen an opera nor taken the time to learn about its history. However, in the past few days I have learned a lot about operas! I especially learned a lot about operas in the video I just watched: "The Birth and Life of Opera." For example, I learned that operas were born in Italy approximately 400 years ago. I had no idea that operas have been around for so long! I learned that a group called the Camerata, which consisted of Italian philosophers, poets, composers, and scientists, wanted to come up with a type of art that incorporated not only music, but also poetry and drama. Thus, operas were born. I find it surprising how the Camerata were made up of people from a variety of different fields. It is refreshing to know that there was some unity among people of different careers or backgrounds back then. I find it interesting how the first couple operas were not popular. It was not until "Lorfeo," that people started becoming excited about operas. It is inspiring to learn about how influential Monteverdi was. His operas became so popular that not only did they spread throughout Italy, but the rest of Europe too. I am also inspired to hear about how many operas had messages to them. For instance, Beethoven's "Fidelio" sent the message of liberation and freedom. The narrator of this video called operas the "parent to musicals." I find this a funny yet accurate way to describe operas, for I wonder if musicals would be around today if there were no operas? I am looking forward to watching an opera after watching this video!