The Rise of Opera in Monteverdi’s Orfeo

• Published in: Musical offerings Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 39 - 50
• Main Author: Zieg, Allison
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Department of Music and Worship 01-10-2021
• Subjects: ancient greek; aria; claudio monteverdi; greco-roman; humanism; monody; monteverdi; opera; orfeo; philosophy; recitative; renaissance
• ISSN: 2330-8206; 2167-3799
• DOI: 10.15385/jmo.2021.12.2.1

Late Renaissance composer Claudio Monteverdi is known by scholars as the father of opera. While Monteverdi did not directly invent the production, we honor him as the first to successfully produce three major operas that have survived to this day. His works set the stage for future opera composers, and he drastically influenced the rise of such a large scale production. He is most known for his opera "Orfeo," which has continued to be adapted to the modern stage, and performed frequently in several opera houses. What led to the creation of such an extravagant production and never before heard musical ideas? The rise of the philosophy of humanism through discovered ancient Greco-Roman scrolls provided the foundation for new thoughts and perspectives on music and human life. Monteverdi meticulously and skillfully blended these new found ideas with rising Renaissance musical forms, creating an influential art form that is still being recreated to this day.