How Opera Became a Spectacle in the Baroque Era

In this installment of ‘Opera Through the Ages,’ we revisit the theatrics of Baroque opera.

A performance of Lully's opera "Armide" in the Salle du Palais-Royal, 1761, Gabriel Saint-Aubin. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Public Domain

Opera is considered by many to be the ultimate art form. An eclectic combination of vocal and orchestral music, drama, and emotion, it certainly is the most complete and complex form of art there is.

Opera’s origins date back to the Italian Renaissance, when it began as an intellectual experiment to revive Greek classical drama. However, during the Baroque period (1600–1750), opera truly reached its peak and became the spectacle that attracted audiences all over Europe. This art form came to represent the era’s essence and foreshadowed what it would become 400 years later.

Opera as Greek Drama

Opera first emerged during the early 1600s as a way to enhance a dramatic text’s effect through music’s emotive power. While Baroque opera’s roots lay in several sources, the Renaissance fascination with ancient texts drove Italian artists to create this new form of spectacle and music.