Editing Opera house

{{about|the type of entertainment venue||Opera House (disambiguation)}}
{{short description|Theatre building used for opera performances}}
[[File:Teatro de San Carlos, Nápoles, Italia, 2023-03-25, DD 184-186 HDR.jpg|thumb|280px|{{lang|it|[[Teatro di San Carlo]]|italic=no}} in [[Naples]], the world's oldest working opera house.]]
[[File:Sydney Australia. (21339175489).jpg|thumb|280px|The [[Sydney Opera House]] is one of the world's most recognisable opera houses and landmarks.]]

An '''opera house''' is a [[theater (structure)|theater building]] used for performances of [[opera]]. Like many theaters, it usually includes a [[Stage (theatre)|stage]], an [[orchestra pit]], audience seating, backstage facilities for [[costumes]] and building sets, as well as offices for the institution's administration.

While some venues are constructed specifically for operas, other opera houses are part of larger [[performing arts]] centers. Indeed, the term ''opera house'' is often used as a term of prestige for any large performing arts center.

==History==

===Greco-Roman antiquity===
Based on [[Aristoxenus]]'s musical system,<ref>[[Vitruvius]], ''[[De architectura]]'', Book V Chapter IV, ''Harmonic music according to the doctrine of Aritoxene'', p. 223</ref> and paying homage to the architects of [[Theatre of ancient Greece|ancient Greek theater]], [[Vitruvius]] described, in the 1st century BC, in his treatise ''[[De architectura]]'', the ideal acoustics of theaters. He explained the use of brazen vases that [[Lucius Mummius Achaicus|Mummius]] had brought to Rome after having had the theater of [[Corinth]] demolished, and as they were probably used in the [[Theater of Pompey]]. As wooden theaters were naturally sonorous, these vases, placed between the seats on the stands, served as resonators in the stone buildings: "By means of this arrangement, the voice, which will come from the stage as from a center, will extend in circles, will strike in the cavities of the vases, and will be made stronger and clearer, according to the relationship of consonance that it will have with one of these vases."<ref>[[Vitruvius]], ''[[De architectura]]'', Book V Chapter IV, ''Harmonic music according to the doctrine of Aritoxene'', p. 243</ref> The [[Odeon of Pericles|odeon]] built by [[Pericles]] near the [[Theater of Dionysus]] in [[Athens]] was, according to the ''[[Suda]]'', intended for the rehearsal of music that was to be sung in the grand theater or, according to [[Plutarch]], for the jury to audition musicians competing for a prize.<ref>[[Vitruvius]], ''[[De architectura]]'', Book V Chapter IV, ''Harmonic music according to the doctrine of Aritoxene'', p. 286</ref>

Ancient theaters provided the ideal conditions, but it was not yet time for opera: the aim was to worship the deities, not to venerate the [[muses]]. The subject was religious, it was accompanied by singing and instrumental music. Worship was public, and the audience was made up of citizens as well as other categories of the population. Four centuries later, the [[Christian Church|Church]] abandoned spectacles as practiced in Antiquity. [[Histrion]]s, representative of [[Greco-Roman civilization]], gradually disappeared.

===Middle Ages===
The [[Middle Ages]] saw the abandonment of ancient theaters, which were transformed into gigantic stone [[quarry|quarries]], like many other ancient buildings, both public or private. Music still had its place in worship. It continued to bring audiences together, but its content was completely renewed. The ''[[Play of Daniel|Jeu de Daniel]]'' ("Play of Daniel") was a sung play, characteristic of the medieval [[Renaissance of the 12th century]]. The subject, taken from the [[Bible|biblical]] [[Book of Daniel]], deals with [[Babylonian captivity|Israel's captivity in Babylon]].<ref name="The European Music Series">{{cite web|url=http://www.ou.edu/earlymusic/daniel.html|title=The Play of Daniel: European Music Series|last=Eugene|first=Enrico|publisher=The University of Oklahoma|accessdate=2009-11-18|location=Oklahoma}}</ref> The play was written and performed by students of the Episcopal School of [[Beauvais]], located in northern France.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-PlayofDanielThe.html| title = The Play Of Daniel {{!}} Encyclopedia.com}} </ref> In the 15th century, sung theater of a religious nature found a special place in the [[mystery play]]s performed on cathedral squares. As before, they dealt with sacred subjects, but they were not about worship per se. [[Secularism|Secular]] musical theater also existed, but had a more popular and intimate aspect (see, for example, [[Adam de la Halle]]'s ''[[Jeu de Robin et Marion]]'' ("Play of Robin and Marion"), in the 13th century).<ref>''[[Hutchinson Encyclopedia]]'' (1988), p.10</ref><ref name="DixonSinclair2008">{{cite book|last1=Dixon|first1=Rebecca|last2=Sinclair|first2=Finn E.|title=Poetry, Knowledge and Community in Late Medieval France|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cAJVtgKhI1MC&pg=PA173|accessdate=17 July 2012|year=2008|publisher=Boydell & Brewer Ltd|isbn=978-1-84384-177-7|page=173}}</ref>

===Modern period===
At the beginning of the 17th century, in Italy, singing underwent yet another renewal, with the emergence of [[Baroque]] art at the height of the [[Renaissance]]. Italy continues to have many working opera houses,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Great Opera Houses of the World |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/A567362 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215002034/https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/A567362 |archive-date=Feb 15, 2009 |website=BBC |quote=Opera was always popular among ordinary people as well as among the rich, so that there was a large audience available.}}</ref> such as the [[Teatro Massimo]] in [[Palermo]] (the biggest in the country), the {{lang|it|[[Teatro di San Carlo]]|italic=no}} in [[Naples]] and the {{lang|it|[[Teatro alla Scala]]|italic=no}} in [[Milan]]. The [[Teatro San Cassiano]] in [[Venice]] was the world's first public opera house, inaugurated as such in 1637.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Mancini|first1=Franco|title=I Teatri del Veneto - Venezia|last2=Povoledo|first2=Elena|last3=Muraro|first3=Maria Teresa|publisher=Corbo e Fiore|year=1995|volume=Tomo 1|location=Venice|pages=97–149}}</ref>

In the 17th and 18th centuries, opera houses were often financed by rulers, nobles, and wealthy people who used [[patronage]] of the arts to endorse their political ambition and social position. There was no opera house in London when [[Henry Purcell]] was composing and the first opera house in Germany, the [[Oper am Gänsemarkt]], was built in [[Hamburg]] in 1678, followed by the [[Oper am Brühl]] in [[Leipzig]] in 1693, and the {{Lang|de|[[Opernhaus vorm Salztor]]|italic=no}} in [[Naumburg]] in 1701. With the rise of [[bourgeois]] and [[capitalism|capitalist]] social forms in the 19th century, European culture moved away from its patronage system to a publicly supported system.

Early United States opera houses served a variety of functions in towns and cities, hosting community dances, fairs, plays, and [[vaudeville]] shows as well as operas and other musical events. In the 2000s, most opera and theatre companies are supported by funds from a combination of government and institutional [[Grant (money)|grants]], ticket sales, and private donations.

<gallery mode="packed" perrow="5">
File:Théâtre Municipal - Metz (FR57) - 2022-02-27 - 5.jpg|{{Lang|fr|[[Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole]]|italic=no}}, built by benefactor [[Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet|Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet, duc de Belle-Isle]] during the 18th century; it is the oldest opera house working in France.
File:Stavovské divadlo vstup 2.jpg|The [[Estates Theatre]] in [[Prague]] (Czech Republic) is the only theatre left standing where [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] performed.
File:Théâtre Liceu Barcelone 3.jpg|Between 1847 and 1989, the [[Liceu]] in [[Barcelona]] (Spain) was the largest opera house in Europe by capacity, with its 2,338 seats at the time.
File:Academy of Music, Philadelphia.jpg|The [[Academy of Music (Philadelphia)|Academy of Music]] in [[Philadelphia]] is the oldest opera house in the USA.
File:Bayreuth Festspielhaus 2006-07-16.jpg|The [[Bayreuth Festspielhaus]] in [[Bayreuth]] (Germany) was built by [[Richard Wagner]] and dedicated solely to the performance of his stage works.
</gallery>

== Other uses of the term ==
In the 19th-century United States, many theaters were given the name "opera house", even ones where opera was seldom if ever performed. Opera was viewed as a more respectable art form than [[theater]]; calling a local theater an "opera house" therefore served to elevate it and overcome objections from those who found the theater morally objectionable.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Condee |first=William Faricy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rtp1tGLBYToC&pg=PA6 |title=Coal and Culture: Opera Houses in Appalachia |publisher=Ohio University Press |year=2005 |isbn=0-8214-1588-3 |location=Athens, Ohio |pages=6 |quote=The term 'opera house' is indeed misleading, and intentionally so; it provides a veneer of social and cultural respectability and avoids the stigma of the title 'theater.'}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=The Name Opera House|date=March 7, 1885|work=Dramatic Mirror}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" perrow="5">
File:Milano - Teatro alla Scala 3924.jpg|{{lang|it|[[Teatro alla Scala]]|italic=no}} in [[Milan]], Italy
File:Teatro La Fenice (Venice) - Facade.jpg|[[La Fenice]] in [[Venice]], Italy
File:Berlin Opera UdL asv2018-05.jpg|[[Berlin State Opera]] on {{Lang|de|[[Unter den Linden]]|italic=no}}, Germany
File:Nationaltheater Munich.jpg|[[National Theatre (Munich)|National Theatre]] in [[Munich]], Germany; home to the [[Bavarian State Opera]]
File:Teatro Real de Madrid 2025.jpg|[[Teatro Real]] in [[Madrid]], Spain
File:Moscow-Bolshoi-Theare-1.jpg|[[Bolshoi Theatre]] in [[Moscow]], Russia; home to the [[Bolshoi Ballet]]
File:Warszawa, ul. Senatorska 21, 25 20170516 001.jpg|[[Grand Theatre, Warsaw|Grand Theatre]] in [[Warsaw]], Poland
File:Théâtre de la Monnaie 1.JPG|[[La Monnaie|Royal Theatre of La Monnaie]] in [[Brussels]], Belgium
File:Royal Opera House and ballerina.jpg|[[Royal Opera House]] in [[London]], UK
File:Санкт-Петербург, Мариинский театр, фасад (edited version).jpg|[[Mariinsky Theatre]] in [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia
File:Wien - Staatsoper (1).JPG|[[Vienna State Opera]] in Austria
File:Paris Opera full frontal architecture, May 2009.jpg|{{Lang|fr|[[Palais Garnier]]|italic=no}} in [[Paris]], France
File:Monaco - panoramio (68).jpg|[[Opéra de Monte-Carlo]] in [[Monaco]]
File:Semperoper at night.jpg|{{Lang|de|[[Semperoper]]|italic=no}} in [[Dresden]], Germany
File:Hungarian State Opera House(PDXdj).jpg|[[Hungarian State Opera House]] in [[Budapest]], Hungary
File:Prague 07-2016 View from Petrinska Tower img4.jpg|[[National Theatre (Prague)|National Theatre]] in [[Prague]], Czech Republic
File:Fachada del Teatro Colón en Buenos Aires, Argentina.jpg|{{Lang|es|[[Teatro Colón]]|italic=no}} in [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina
File:Opernhaus Zürich - Sechseläutenplatz 2013-08-31 18-30-40.JPG|[[Zürich Opera House]] in [[Zürich]], Switzerland
File:Teatro Municipal de São Paulo 8.jpg|[[Theatro Municipal (São Paulo)|Theatro Municipal]] in [[São Paulo]], Brazil
File:KennedyCenterFromAir2.JPG|[[Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts|Kennedy Center Opera House]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], USA
File:Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center, January 30, 2025.jpg|[[Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center)|Metropolitan Opera House]] at [[Lincoln Center]] in [[New York City]], USA
File:Amsterdam - Stopera (30213475601).jpg|The [[Stopera|Dutch National Opera and Ballet]] in [[Amsterdam]], Netherlands
File:New National Theatre, Tokyo 2010.jpg|[[New National Theatre Tokyo]] in [[Tokyo]], Japan
File:Copenhagen Opera House 2014 04.jpg|[[Copenhagen Opera House]] in Denmark
File:Full Opera by night.jpg|[[Oslo Opera House]] in Norway
File:National Centre for the Performing Arts.jpg|[[National Centre for the Performing Arts (China)|National Centre for the Performing Arts]] in [[Beijing]], China
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[List of opera houses]]
* [[List of opera festivals]]
* [[List of concert halls]]
* [[List of buildings]]
* [[Small-town opera house]]
* [[Architectural acoustics]]

== References ==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist}}
'''Sources'''
* Allison, John (ed.), ''Great Opera Houses of the World'', supplement to ''Opera'' Magazine, London 2003
* Beauvert, Thierry, ''Opera Houses of the World'', The Vendome Press, New York, 1995. {{ISBN|0-86565-978-8}}
* Beranek, Leo. ''[[iarchive:concerthallsoper0000bera|Concert Halls and Opera Houses: Music, Acoustics, and Architecture]]'', New York: Springer, 2004. {{ISBN|0-387-95524-0}}
* Hughes, Spike.  ''Great Opera Houses; A Traveller's Guide to Their History and Traditions'', London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1956. 
* Kaldor, Andras. ''[[iarchive:greatoperahouses0000kald|Great Opera Houses (Masterpieces of Architecture)]]'' Antique Collectors Club, 2002.  {{ISBN|1-85149-363-8}} 
* Lynn, Karyl Charna, ''[[iarchive:operaguidetowest0000lynn|Opera: the Guide to Western Europe's Great Houses]]'', Santa Fe, New Mexico: John Muir Publications, 1991. {{ISBN|0-945465-81-5}}
* Lynn, Karyl Charna, ''Italian Opera Houses and Festivals'', Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2005. {{ISBN|0-8108-5359-0}}
* Plantamura, Carol, ''[[iarchive:operaloversguide00plan|The Opera Lover's Guide to Europe]]'', Citadel Press, 1996, {{ISBN|0-8065-1842-1}}
* Sicca, Luigi Maria, "The management of opera houses: The Italian experience of the Enti Autonomi", Taylor & Francis, ''International Journal of Cultural Policy'', 1997, {{ISSN|1028-6632}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Opera houses}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120311000719/http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/classic/A582068 "The Layout of a Traditional Opera House"] on [[h2g2]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090215002034/https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/A567362 "Great Opera Houses of the World"] on [[h2g2]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20220527160811/http://historicopera.com/ Vintage postcard images of opera theaters from Historic Opera]
*[http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab36 "History of Opera" on HistoryWorld]

{{Opera terms}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Opera houses| ]]
[[Category:Opera terminology]]
[[Category:Opera history]]
[[Category:Theatres]]
[[Category:Italian inventions]]