Imagine Notes contains:
The Inside Story
Who Sings What?
The Great Hall Rises
About This Season

The Inside Story
Today, opera is considered to be one of the most alluring forms of musical entertainment, possessing a special glamour and magnetism. Since the historic opening of the first public opera house at Venice, Italy in 1637, audiences have enjoyed a mad love affair with singers and the characters they play.

While opera played a significant role in the musical life of countries such as Germany and France, it completely dominated the Italian musical landscape by the mid-19th century, as hundreds of local opera houses sprang up throughout Italy, the Italian opera singer assumed the status of a celebrity that has continued to the present.

Who Sings What?
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto
The soprano has reigned as the leading lady of the concert stage and opera house for over 400 years. No matter how musical styles change, the Diva has met vocal challenges of each new generation of composers, winning over the most enthusiastic fans.

Renaissance composers originally sought the soprano's voice for it's clarity and purity. Mozart challenged sopranos to fulfill a variety of roles, from the comic to the grand. By the time of Verdi and Wagner, the soprano's voice was soaring over huge orchestras in large opera houses.

Women were originally excluded from singing in church services, boy sopranos sang the highest parts, and also were permitted to sing in court entertainment. As late as the 15th century, however, gentlemen sang only in the company of gentlemen and ladies only in company of ladies.

The prima donna was the most skillful and respected soprano. She would sing the most difficult aria's in a composer's score and have more arias to sing than anyone else.

Diva is the Italian word for goddess.

The word coloratura describes an agile, florid style of singing.

Bel canto is an Italian phrase meaning beautiful singing.