The Term "opera"
comes from the Latin opus, or "work." The term "soap opera" was first recorded in 1939 as a derogatory term for daytime radio shows that were sponsored by soap manufacturers.
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In 1994, Warner Brother's 1957 classic "What's Opera, Doc?"
featuring Elmer Fudd chasing Bugs Bunny in a parody of Richard Wagner's Ring cycle operas, was voted #1 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons. It was also deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
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The first performance of Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly
was one of opera's all-time worst flops. The audience made bird, cow, and goat calls and booed. Madama Butterfly, however, became one of the best-loved operas in history.
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Jean-Baptiste
Lully (1632-1687)
is considered the father of French opera, though he was actually born in Italy. He pioneered the concept of the conducting stick but, unfortunately, he hit his own foot with a heavy conducting staff. His foot became gangrenous, ultimately killing him
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When
Charles Gounod's (1818-1893) opera Faust
wasn't selling tickets, the producer gave away tickets for the first three performances to people out of town and declared the performances were sold out. Wondering what all the fuss was about, the public began buying tickets, and Faust became a hit. |
"Bravo!" Or is it, "Brava!"?
After an opera, it is appropriate to yell bravo for a man and brava for a woman. If you want to cheer for two or more singers, use the plural form, which is bravi. If the group consists only of women, yell brave (BRAH-vay).
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Tough Audience!
The La Scala Opera House (inaugurated in 1778) in Milan, Italy, is famous for having the hardest-to-please audience in opera. The audience has been known to make a performer keep singing until he or she "gets it right."
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Gioacchino
Rossini (1792-1868)
wrote one of the most famous operas, The Barber of Seville, in just two weeks.
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Antonio
Salieri, Mozart's rival
was
rumored to "confess" to murdering Mozart before his own death in 1825.
In 1897, Nikolai Rimksy-Korsakov (1844-1908) wrote an opera called Mozart and Salieri.
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